RohanBeckett

Great model.. sure sure... ..but I've had that %^$*#$ combine harvester song in my head for a WEEK now! RB

http://gizmodo.com/5514762/wheres-that-fcking-lego-piece we've *all* thought that at least once.... (ps: profanity in the link) RB

I just scanned in all of mine.. and sent them along to Huw at Brickset.com http://www.brickset.com/news/article/?ID=599 He's now got a new section for them all: http://www.brickset.com/miscellaneous/LEGOWorldShows/ Hopefully other people will have the missing programs, and scan them in too! RB

I was a big space nut, when I was young... and after I got 6783 Sonar Transmitting Cruiser I used to tear it down, and build it up all the time. There are plenty of the older, smaller, classic space sets, from the 70's/80's, that I reckon, I could STILL build today, despite not having built them for 25 years. Eg: Space Shuttle Mobile Tracking Station Mobile Rocket Launcher RB

My son Huon was born just on a month ago.. and some friends brought him one of these big figs! While at the hospital, he was used MANY times by the nurses, when showing us various techniques.. how to swaddle/wrap up a baby... burping methods, etc... kinda funny! :) And now, I think we'll be using him as a 'reference' point, in a weekly/monthly photo (in the same pose), to show how he's growing, over the next year or so. Nicely made soft-fig too..the arms move well.. shame the legs don't fold up.. otherwise, it'd be perfect! RB

I got this set cheap off ebay a little while ago. Dissappointed with the main model.. But I very much liked the alternate model... even the simple mechanism of the tailgate folding down is very well done. My 2 year old nephew plays with it a lot... He likes putting another vehicle on the tray, then tilting it back, and watching it roll down! lots of fun. But he does have difficulty in getting the power switch back to the centre.. I think I might modify it, with a bigger lever, or the polarity switch.. so I don't hear so much grinding! Funny.. he's fine with the studless technic... it's proven to be very robust in the hands of a 2 year old.. he drives it around the floor, and rarely breaks anything off.. unlike some of the small creator/system sets. He often runs to my lego room when visiting.. and I have a feeling, that even at 2 years old, he knows the technic kits are WAY cooler than the Duplo he has at home! :) RB

A few people said the 8455 was hard... here's a video of me building it! :-) Building the 8455 Backhoe only 3 hours! RB

Here's a little video I made a couple of years ago, when I finally got my hands on an 8455. I was VERY lucky, in that I saw it on ebay, only been listed for an hour or so... late at night.. and the buyer had 'Buy it Now' for AUD$75! (USD$67) Needless to say, I didn't have to think twice to click that button! :) Anyway.. it came pre-assembled (blah!), so it sat around for a few weeks until I found time to pull it apart... I first built the alt model, and even modified it a bit, so the 2 end cylinders were a bit more independant (the 2nd stage extension tended to tip the bucket a bit). So then it came time to build the main model! and I happened to be messing around with webcams at the time, so I figured I may as well record me building it! Quite happy with the end video.. I should do it more often with some other kits... RB

I loved the Lego World shows... you may have just inspired me to scan in some of my old World Show souvenir guides In Australia, they were hosted by the Myer Department store, in Melbourne (probably went to other cities as well) Myer also used to host Lego Building competitions.. and one year, I made it to the semi-finals... but the model I chose to build (a working replica of my fathers lathe!) didn't quite impress the judges as much as the winning 'rainbow warrior' motorcycle that some other kid built! Here's a pic of the guides I have :) The one at the front is dated 1981 Life on Earth is World Show 4, and has 1983 on the back Travel in Space is listed as 6 on the front of my guide - all pages are the same as the OP's, except for the back page (no mention of samsonite, and has an extra paragraph) - 1985 Great Adventures is World Show 7, but has no year mentioned (guessing 86?) Ships and the Sea is World Show 8.. again no year.. 87? Flipping through the pages.. you can see a HUGE change in building techniques, from the early to the last ones And I don't think it's because of a lot of new parts... the newer dioramas, and models are just more detailed RB

I just happened to post the other day a 'welcome' post (in the Technic forum, where I mostly lurk!) http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=38959 As you can see by the story/pictures... I built a MOC of her car, after we'd been dating a few months... a couple of months later, I won an 8868 Airtech Claw Rig on Ebay, and I brought it around her place (she was living in an apartment above a garage then!), and we both have fond memories of building it together, on the floor, in front of a pot-belly fire, while watching a movie! (can't remember what the movie was! haha) She was quite amazed at how complex the build was, but thoroughly enjoyed it, and we ended up raiding all the Remote Controls in the house for batteries, just to fire up the motor/air compressor, to play with it! Later, I bought her the Creator 'Roaring Roadsters' kit, and she built that first (all three models.. dragster, 4x4, then finally the main model!) I'm very fortunate, in that she appreciates my hobby.. in fact, one of the things she's always said, is that even after getting married, it's important that both of us keep doing the things we loved doing, before we were together... Her with her Mini Moke... road trips, etc.. me with Lego.. Scuba Diving, etc And although living together now.. with mortgage, and first child expected in 2 weeks.. and a LOT more mindful of budget... she still says 'if you see a set you like.. just get it... don't regret it.. and then see it on ebay in a few years time for $$$ more!' :) Rohan.

Thanks for the compliments! :) Zblj: No... although I think I had a look at that site a while ago.. I haven't participated on those forums before. When I started building... naturally, I did a google/brickshelf search for any other Moke MOC's. There were a couple, but generally smaller, and some of them didn't quite replicate the look as well - understandable, as it's tricky at a small scale sometimes. I might read some more nicjasno forums/pics.. and see if I can learn some new techniques for car building. Luckily, it's quite a unique car... so I don't have to worry about being compared to so many other talented vehicle builders out there! ;) RB

Hi all! I'll use this as my introduction post! 34yr old from Victoria, Australia.... never really lost the Lego bug... it just went quiet for a few years. Although I'm proud to say, that from about age 4, I haven't had a single Birthday that didn't include at least one box of Lego from a family member! :) Started seriously collecting again, about 6 years ago.. mostly buying all the 'awesome' Technic sets from the years after my teens (8480 Shuttle), as well as those ones I drooled over as a 10year old (8860 Car Chassis), knowing full well my parents could never afford to buy them! I still have my old childhood collection.. but my friends and I never treated it well.. it was *extremely* well-played with.. every part is dull, scruffed, and scratched...and after being stored in a metal shed for many years copping the full heat of many Australian Summers, many parts are very brittle. Fortunately, I'm looking after my 'new' collection a lot better! This little MOC has a nice story. In late 2006, I started dating a lovely woman... who happened to have a hobby of her own: Mini Mokes.. and as I've learnt, from her, and members of the car club.. their motto is: it's not a car, it's a lifestyle! My (now) Wife, rebuilt, and restored this car herself... then.. a few months before we met... drove it over 7000km's from the bottom, to the top tip of Australia and back again! The Moke was Leylands' attempt to make an off-road version of the Mini. One of the ideas of the car, was that it was light enough to be dropped by parachute.. and also light enough to be carried by 4 soldiers. (indeed it is!) Although its small wheels, and low clearance put an end to any military career, it proved to be an immensely popular little car, especially in warmer climates. No doors... No roof.. LOTS of fun to drive. You almost feel like you're in a go-kart! Anyway...After a few months, I decided to 'build' her a present! Needless to say, she was speechless... I tried to capture the front of the car, with its' angular looks The real car has no chassis, no real frame.. the body IS the frame! The Spare tyre on the back is the 'hand of god' steering wheel. The round grey 1x1 plate is actually where the fuel cap is! The dash is suitably spartan in the real car! A few 'spare parts' in the back! after 6 months, I made a few improvements. I made the steering a bit more robust, and added the aerial + bits in the back And for a bit of fun, I connected the headlights to the steering! So when you drive the car, the 'eyes' rotate! Moke on a Moke! At the time, I didn't have a huge re-collection.. so of course, when the time came, and I wanted to rebuild my shuttle, I had to pull apart the moke I did take a LOT of photos... and I have promised that I will rebuild another one.. this time bigger, and better... hope to use some Lego RC Car parts, or maybe Power Functions. I'd love to be able to built it in her Mokes' colour - Fuchsia.. but sadly Lego don't make enough parts in that colour Thanks for reading! :) Rohan.

I used to build this all the time... Initially, I didn't have enough 40tooth gears.. so I just used 2 x 24 tooth ones. It sped up the movement a bit, although didn't look as nice. RB

This was one of my favourite childhood models to make.. lots of fun.. and didn't need many parts. I think I remember modifying it a bit, to include a ratchet mechanism.. so you could just lift the arm up, without having to pull the wheels back. Lego did a couple of rubber band official sets. http://www.brickset.com/detail/?Set=8202-1 RB

Another improvement, that adds a lot to the playability... is to replace the fake airtanks/fuel tanks with real ones. You can now get white tanks, via Lego Educational.. but I just have the old blue ones. With a fresh set of batteries, and then letting the compressor run for about a minute, to build up a lot of pressure... all the functions are a LOT faster, and more accurate to control! RB (oh.. and first post! ;) - is there a 'welcome-introduce-yourself-thread for the Technic forum?)