fred67

I guess, now that I've gone and looked, my one problem is that the conversion sections are half length. That might make it hard to integrate into existing layouts unless you buy extra half length sections. Otherwise, the look is is quite good, and seems like it will integrate into existing layouts without any visual problems... if you're getting colors matching your existing parts, I don't see what the complaint is. I take seriously the comments about ME replacing LEGO 9V... all the counter arguments are completely valid; I was actually hoping ME would make a motor, or there'd be some kind of easy conversion kit someone came out with. Switched and crossovers might be a problem; I have several pairs from LEGO, so I wasn't really thinking about it. Still, I don't think anyone has put as much effort into this as ME; I don't think they were incompetent at all (except in over-estimating what suppliers could do. If all the molds came out correctly at the proper tolerances the first time they tried, they'd likely have stuck with the original plan. In the middle of the quagmire, they were given a suggestion that would work a lot better and was easier and more robust... so I'm glad they changed, and I'm looking forward to my rails. As far as speed regulators go, though, I don't understand why any train speed regulator wouldn't work (as long as it put out the right voltage). The rail they are selling will not connect to LEGO track - it uses the traditional model railroading metal clips that are used to connect sections of rail. To keep it compatible with LEGO, they made a half-length straight section that has one side to connect to LEGO track, and the other side using the traditional method. Again, I don't see what the problem is that people are having - you can still use all your old track and I don't think there will be a problem visually with the different tracks. I also think the track is definitely a better value than buying LEGO 9V from third parties. First, finding it in bulk (more than 4 pieces, if you can call that bulk), you're looking at $3.50 or more (and that's for used). It's $28 for ten standard length ME tracks, and they are new. Add to that the different radius options and double and half-length sections... Trust me, I'm no ME cheerleader - I've periodically let it be known that I'm not happy with how long it's taken (despite understanding the problems they were having), their far-too-infrequent communication, but now that I can see pictures of the track, and know that it's actually there for order, not "vaporware" anymore, and see that it really does look like it will visually fit with LEGO track, I don't get the problems.

I welcome the announcement, and don't understand how, given adapters with orders, anyone can complain it's not 100% compatible.... you can connect it to your existing 9V systems, so how is it not compatible? I imagine, at some point, given that LEGO track is no longer being made, eventually a 100% conversion to ME rail wouldn't be unusual (supposing they keep making it for enough time). Requiring an adapter doesn't bother me at all.

Bricklink turns out to be a fantastic resource for not just buying bricks, but discovering things like this. They actually have a color guide that will link to parts of the colors you are interested in. Glow in the dark parts are listed under the "Milky White" section, and include dark white, dark opaque, and dark trans parts. The links on that page will take you to parts pages, sets that they are contained in and, of course, sellers of those parts.

I'm up to 3 Container Store display cases for Superheroes right now. My collecting has slowed greatly (although I've got a couple of new sets for figures to add), and there's quite a few spaces in there, so I don't see me having to expand any time soon. I'm not a completionist in this case - I don't like all the superheroes and I mainly have stuck with the very commonly known figures and ones that have caught my eye for one reason or another. If it weren't for the recent movies, I wouldn't even know some of these characters - I'm just admitting. I do have a set of the Fantastic Four, which I posted on the now defunct thread of third party superheroes... I can't bring myself to mix them in with the real LEGO, though. Great thread, though; nice seeing everyone's collections and display choices. EDIT: Oh, and yes, I do consider the Lone Ranger and Tonto to be Superheroes - as much as Batman and Robin are, at least.

I have to admit, on first glance, this is the worst series of minifigures ever. However, if I don't look at it as minifigures, but as parts (particularly a handful of the legs and torsos), it gets a lot better... although still not that great. Remember what opinions are like... and everyone's got one, so don't take offense.

I don't understand the dislike of the new Christmas train... it's far better than the last one. Maybe not prototypical, but definitely looking a lot more like it should look like (a toy) than the previous one. Should it be immortalized is a set like this? Probably not.

Nice; seems like it should work on LEGO track if you're alternating blind drivers in there... the passenger cars look like MOT, but modified. So I see pictures on LEGO straight track, but will it actually run on curves? Note that TLG released a set called "Emerald Express." Pales in comparison to yours (it's just a mini).

This is what I get when unread content is long (several days): Image links to full size.

In Chrome: settings (from the menu); click on "Advanced settings," scroll down to "Languages" and click on the "languages and input settings..." button and add whatever languages you'd like.

The way I used to use the forums was to go to "new posts" (now "unread content"). I'm caught up right now, so if that brick is there for search results, I don't see it. Otherwise, I'd click on the topic and it would take me to the thread. Intermittently, it would take me automatically to the first unread post, but otherwise the page for the thread had a "first unread post" button that I'd use. So, in other words, the page displaying the thread (at least the first page), had that button. It seems like, in order for me to get it to work now, I'd have to visit individual forums in order to click the multi-color brick, when I normally browse pretty much everything with the "unread content" link. I skip over most of it, but sometimes things in forums I don't normally read catch my eye.

I have more information about the script problem I've encountered: if I mark all content read, and don't wait for too much to build up, it doesn't happen. So if I've been away for a week, and click "unread content," I get the script error....it's probably just taking too long to finish. I also dearly miss the "first unread post" link.

My pet peeve... uh.... no comment. No, sorry - typos aside, I get annoyed when there's a discussion thread about upcoming releases (most notably CMFs and modulars) where instead of posting rumors or guesses based on some kind of evidence (like "I think it will be <blank> because <some LEGO designer> commented about <blank>"). Instead you get page after page of what people want when there are other topics for that (like What Minifigures Are Missing?) It also annoys me when people post as if everybody should know the set numbers for every set.... "I wanted to get a 10194, but since it's so expensive I got a 79111 because it's also nice, and you can get one really cheap" instead of "I wanted to get a 10194 Emerald Night, but since it's so expensive I got a 79111 Constitution Train because it's also nice, and you can get one really cheap." Of course, LEGO elitists have every set number memorized, am I right? So if I said "I recently got set 744, it's really neat!" you'd know exactly what I'm talking about without looking it up?

Yes; browse LEGO, click on sets, and eventually you'll get one with a golden brick section just under the initial description (so the pictures on the left, the product description to the right of it, I found the golden brick just below that - and it says something like "congratulations, you found a golden brick" or something).

Not too hard to find... only took three sets to find it. "Under the product information" section is misleading - there's actually a section down near the reviews called "Product Information," but it will be right at the top of the page beneath the product summary.

Well, while I think it would behoove TLG to sell sets like this to fans, I also think that it's nice they give special things to employees, and no matter what those things are people will want them to be sold to the public. I would be happy enough if the instructions are posted and we are able to bricklink parts we don't have (minus stickers, of course).

Yes... the Hobby Train; it even says it on the box, but I don't think that's zenn was talking about. Market Street was another one. But I think zenn was referring to designers "borrowing" ideas from fans.

I like it a lot - those fence pieces from Elves? I don't recall seeing them before. The interior details are great - even in the outhouse. BTW, the train looks pretty damn cool, too. While I think the Emerald Night might be the most beautiful set TLG has ever released, the Constitution is my favorite, and I love what you've done with it.

That is a really neat collection - I pick them up here and there; I have all the Heroica game sets, and I buy (especially generic gray ones) on BL because I like doing micro-castle at about that scale. They also make neat little statuettes. But your collection is impressive.

That's not a great trade-off, though. What's more important? The track (when you can buy track if you want it) or the train? You can't buy more Christmas train, you can buy as much track as you want. When I said "cheap out," it wasn't necessarily price. Keeping it the same price with no track and two full size cars, or increasing the price to include the track with two full size cars, which I think people would like a lot more. Like I said, it's not all bad - the new engine is a whole lot nicer than the '06 engine. It all just seems so small.

Why? I disagree... the engine is the only good part of this set (although why they used a technic pin to attack to the tender instead of the magnet couplers is baffling, to me). I missed out buying the first set from 2006, so I bricklinked it about 5 or 6 years ago; that engine was much more in the MOT vein, and is not prototypically accurate to any real steam trains, as far as I can tell. Neither is the new one, but it's a lot closer - but if nothing else it looks more Christmas-y and more like the kind of toy train a kid might have (as someone mentioned, like the Toy Story train set). If anything, the engine is the only good thing about this set, IMO. I suppose the small passenger car is nice looking... but small. Combining both sets, I'm using the new engine and tender (modified for 9V) and adding all the cars from the first one to this one. I've already disassembled the old engine for parts. I would agree with your statement if it were respect to the set as a whole... a crappy circle of track without even a couple of straights to make it slightly oval, tiny cars, and I actually modified the flatbed to use the normal train wheels (with the metal axle) and not spin the tree because: a) it adds a lot of friction and b) it spins comically fast even at moderate train speeds. I don't consider that tiny passenger car as a caboose... to me it's a tiny passenger car. Since I combined this set with the cars from the 2006 set, which has a caboose, I'm treating it as a tiny passenger car. I modded the tender to run 9V; had to extend the length and rebuild it from the bottom up to make it work, but the build is so remarkably simple that it wasn't particularly difficult. My two cents on this whole thing: old set 965 pieces, including a couple of large train bases and several sets of couplings; new set - more than 200 pieces less, builds two laughably small cars. The 2006 set built a full size flat bed, a full size passenger car, AND a caboose. Why is TLG cheaping out on us? The only good part of this set is what I mentioned above - the engine and tender (excepting using the technic coupling) are a lot nicer than the old one. I'd even say the two cars are "nicer," but I would expect that from a set 10 years later. I definitely like the colors better.

How did I stumble onto this old thread? I get really busy in March, and this year did not get back to even looking at EB until August.... Anyway, I think a Winter themed CMF pack is a great idea, but I'm not sure that all the suggestions so far are all that exciting (although many of them are). I suppose I don't like seeing rehashes, so a lot of them seem to have been done already as part of the winter village sets already. We have carolers, a child on a sled, Santa and Ms. Claus, Christmas elves galore... Licensed figures would be awesome; Yukon Cornelius was a great suggestion, but you'd need the other characters, too, IMO - Hermey, at least, and I suppose Rudolf could be done like the reindeer from Santa's Workshop set with a red nose. I would love to see the main characters of the Nightmare Before Christmas; live action figures could include Ralphie from A Christmas Story, complete with a red rider BB gun with a compass in the stock and thing that tells time. The leg lamp would be a cool accessory. Seems like everything else you can get from elsewhere.... people having a snowball fight, skaters, carolers, skiers, sleds and sleighs... I just don't find the prospect of them being in a CMF series all that exciting.

Well... TBS, which is broadcast out of Atlanta, for the past few years has just shown 24 hours of A Christmas Story, starting Christmas Eve... I don't like it that much, but it's one of those should-watch-during-the-holidays movies (along with The Nightmare Before Christmas and Christmas Vacation).

Hi, If you're wondering why you haven't already had a million replies, it's because you posted to the wrong spot - you posted in forum information and help. There is a separate forum for LDD and other software - you're a lot more likely to get an answer there.

OS: Linux, Browser: Firefox 50.0 My bookmarked link to Eurobricks is for "Unread Content," since I usually like to see what's new in a handful of different forums. The browser hangs for a while, then pops up a notification that a script is causing the hangup and asks if I want to stop it. Stopping it works - I don't know what it would be doing. It happens every time I hit the "Unread Content" page.... the browser hangs for a little while, then pops up the error message dialog, but the page eventually loads just fine.

I'm extremely interested in this idea; I've done an inventory today and I've got six functioning 9V (disambiguation: I refer to the old 9V system as 9V, the current system as PF) motors, more straight track than I thought I had (and more curves than I know what to do with); with the advent of the new ME Models track looming on the horizon, the issue becomes how long those motors will last. Despite having more 9V motors than I thought I had, I still have more trains than motors. I also am not willing to give up the convenience of power from the track, but do like the idea of operating things on the train independently (like lights and perhaps doors). Some of the suggestions from the past regarding picking up current from the rail had the train actually operating from the rechargeable battery, with the battery constantly being charged by the rail. I'm not as good with electronics as I'd like to be - and out of the three semesters of physics I took, electromagnetism was the hardest, but it seems to me this would allow the train to operate smoothly no matter what connectivity bumps you have along the way (as long as you're mostly making your circuit). I still don't want to shell out $50 for the battery - and I want to be able to run any one of my trains at a whim, not have to rebuild the battery into each one (and just forget about buying 5 or six of those things). So I'm wondering how this would work. It's the PF adapter to use regular 9V batteries. I'm wondering if there would be a way to make it work as your capacitor to smooth out the electrical bumps. EDIT: since coaster posted while I was writing this; the talk above also discussed using more than one of these. Electrically, do you just put them all in line with each other? EDIT 2: to make it clear, you'd use rechargeable 9V batteries, of course.