dr_spock

Sweet! I like how you hid the switches behind the battery doors.

It is up for me. May be problems with your ISP's DNS server.

Welcome aboard, Benjamin. Good time to come back as LEGO is releasing new pirate sets next year. There are some good resources and tutorials on building ships in the Pirate forum. Check out the Pirates Master Index. Doesn't Boston (or was it Charles Town?) have the USS Constitution in the harbour? It might be a good ship to build.

Attended a LUG meeting party.

That would be handy for mounting tires on rims too. It should not scratch the rims.

Wonder Woman gets her own invisible GBC ball pump. I made it for a Christmas gift exchange. It's self contained and be a conversion piece sitting on desk at the office. And something to play with during those long boring teleconference calls. Wonder Woman Invisible GBC by dr_spock_888, on Flickr

Pirates gave the Friends an ultimatum to surrender their ship or else. Pirate Cruiser: Friendly Ultimatum by dr_spock_888, on Flickr

It might be related to the cost of the dyes used in coloring the parts. Yellow seem to cost more than light blue grey.

Well done. Are those AltBricks elements just below the roof line?

Or LEGO sends someone on Eurobricks an early copy to review.

Nice build. Did you look in the dumpsters by the building? It might provide some clues.

I think the easy thing for anyone starting out fresh is to try Power Functions first. The CITY starter sets all come with Power Function. If it doesn't work out for you, then spend the money, time and effort to go 9V.

Avast, the pirates have come upon their old ship. Will they get their old ship back? Will the pink come off? Are the Friends really that friendly? Pirate Cruiser Close Encounter of the Friendly Kind by dr_spock_888, on Flickr

The new Lytro camera is around $1600 USD. That's a lot of LEGO. I think it may have its uses in filming content for virtual reality or immersive experiences. Having objects come in focus as your approach or out of focus as wander away may add to the realism of the experience. From a LEGO model photography perspective, it might help those DSLR users who use too shallow a DOF when photographing their LEGO models. You're looking at their model pics and wondering if your eyes are going fuzzing. Maybe one click on an app slider and the entire model will be in focus. I think they have added a Focus Spread feature to their software.

Cool use of a Friends Dolphin Cruiser. You may want share smaller or fewer photos for folks in places with slower Internet connections. That took few minutes to load.

Thanks. To make it pivot around the couplers, I would have to change the design. Currently the pivot point is out below the rails. Would you have any reference material to the real couplers that pivot around? Are they of a special design? I can probably keep it simple with a LEGO ball and socket setup. I may consider making a working rotary dumper. It might make a fun GBC (Great Ball Contraption) module for the kids to watch at events. Thanks. It's built kid friendly. It won't fall apart unless kid takes it apart. Thank you, everyone.

LUGBULK is great. Really helps with building MOCs for public events. You just have to plan accordingly what to get and when you can build it. That's ok. I was wondering what the asymetrical roof cooling vent(?) looked like on the other side.

Would bribing the monkeys with bananas get things back up faster?

Maybe the same reason Mammoet has an elephant logo on their trucks, giant cranes, SPMT and ships.

They are pirates afterall. R&R is over. Time to sail off and do what pirates do. Pirate Cruiser by dr_spock_888, on Flickr

Nice work. It looks good with the 7710 Push Train. You can try using a plate and inverse round tile to active the power button. See the 60052 cargo train build instructions or Ronenson's HE on/off MOD: http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=103148 Remove the 1x3 slopes and use cheese slopes around the plate.

The same can be said for Li-Polymer (LiPo) batteries which can be found in RC models. Those are even more vital that you charge them correctly. LiPo Battery Charging Tips Always use a charger made to charge LiPo packs Double check that the settings for the lithium polymer charger are correct for the pack being charged. This includes the cell count, as well as the current settings. In general, most lithium polymer batteries should be charged to no more than 4.2 volts per cell or depleted to less than 3.0 volts per cell. Ensure that charging leads are connected correctly. Reverse charging can lead to cell damage or a fire or explosion. Always charge LiPo batteries on surfaces that won’t catch on fire such as cement, steel, ceramic or stone. Wooden tables and carpeted floors are not recommended charging surfaces. Do not charge batteries near flammable products or liquids. Never charge a LiPo battery while inside your model or other electronic device. If it catches fire it can lead to total destruction of the item it is being charged in. LiPo batteries should be charged within a temperature range of 0C to 50C. Batteries charged outside this temperature range may experience leakage, heat generation or cell damage. Never leave a charging lithium polymer battery pack unattended. Do not charge inside an automobile, especially while driving. Do not store batteries inside an automobile. If unsure of the charge rating, never charge a lithium polymer battery pack at a rate over 1C (1 x the battery packs rated capacity). Never charge a LiPo pack that has ballooned or swelled due to over / under charging or from a crash. Never charge a lithium polymer battery pack that has been punctured or damaged in a crash. Never, under any circumstances let the positive and negative battery leads touch each other. It can lead to cell ballooning, cell damage or fire or an explosion. Have a fire extinguisher near the charging area or a large bucket of dry sand. Do not try to distinguish with water. If you notice your LiPo battery pack is swelling, stop the charging process immediately, put the battery in a safe container and observe it for 15 minutes. Always charge your Lipo battery packs in a Lipo charging safe bag. LiPo Battery Handling & Storage Keep LiPo battery packs WELL out of reach of children. Do not put battery packs in pockets or bags where they can short circuit. Do not store or transport batteries where they can come into contact with sharp or metallic objects. Do not store your LiPo pack in extreme temperatures below 0C or above 50C. Always store your LiPo pack in a safe and non flammable container away from flammable objects. A LiPo Sack or metal / ceramic storage container is best. Always store your LiPo’s partially charged. They will maintain their performance levels over time and there’s no need to cycle them unless stored for periods longer than 3-6 months. D o not immerse the battery in water or allow the battery to get wet. Do not dispose of in fire or heat. When mailing or shipping LiPo batteries, always ship them at a 30% charged state for safety reasons. When storing batteries for extended periods, store at a half charged state. To dispose of a LiPo battery, discharge it fully then place it in a bucket of salt water for one week. To dispose of, follow your municipal battery disposal guidelines. Finally, always follow the manufacturer’s safety instructions and charging guidelines for lithium polymer battery packs. These are there for not only the longevity of the battery pack, but also your safety.

Same here. I seem to keep running out of bogies. If I don't have to uncouple units, I would use a drawbar so I don't have to Bricklink more couplers.

Welcome to Eurobricks, Perza. If you are a Flickr user, here is a tutorial by Pandora on how to link the photos to here. http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=97921

Actually, I'm with ToroLUG (http://www.torolug.com).