hga09

5571 "Black Cat" is considered to be the best ever Lego Model Team, and one of the best large Lego models of all time. It is quite popular among AFOLs and even used 5571 sets in good condition sell for very expensive prices. Since this model uses some special Lego parts (doors, wheels, windshield, etc.) it is not practical to build it as a MoC at the true scale. I wondered if it may be possible to replicate the look and feel of 5571 at a smaller scale using more common parts and this is what I came up with: Because it is roughly half the size of the original Black Cat, I named it the "Black Kitten". However, the only animal that kind of fits the top of the radiator at this scale is the frog, so maybe it should be called the "Black Frog"? There is no need for the fabuland shovel at this scale, the the ubiquitous minifig shovel fits perfectly: Fake diesel V8 under the hood: Adjustable recline for driver's seat, and minifig size bed in the sleeper cabin: Yes, the coffee cup and the reading light are still there as well... LDD model can be downloaded at: http://www.mocpages.com/moc.php/252344

Are those orange pistons in the engine? Blue pistons (which only came in the 8461 and a service pack until now) would have provided a nice contrast with the orange shell...

True. The business model that seems to work for these online social games is to give the game away and have no monthly subscription costs, but charge for virtual money that can be used to purchase items inside the game. I wonder how Lego missed this...

PF-M motor draws 850mA when stalled. This could easily drain the available current from the battery box to any other motors in your model. You can test if this is the source of your problem by driving the steering PF-M from a separate battery box. According to the same test, the PF-M motor draws only 310mA under full load (not stalled). Maybe there is a way to include a clutch gear into the steering setup you are using to prevent the M motor from stalling...

Looks like the small pneumatic cylinder is making a comeback (in the claw part of the crane). Yay!

+1 And a similar 2 plates high 2x2 piece that joins two cheese slopes around a corner...

Way cool! Did you send regular Lego engine cylinder blocks and end fittings to a vacuum plating shop or did you buy them from ChromeBricks? If you used a vacuum plating shop, can you recommend it? I guess for parts like engine blocks, the chrome coating must be thin enough for the piston to have sufficient clearance inside the cylinder to operate without too much friction...

The B-Model is much nicer looking IMHO...

Are there any pictures that show the bottom view (with the details of the mechanical design) or are we going to have to wait until the instructions are posted on Lego.com to see more detail about the functions?

77's Bricks & Sets should be in the list of trusted US sellers. He has some of the best prices on parts though he sells out the good stuff pretty fast. He also has a large collection of old sets.

I purchased a large set recently. When I opened the box, I found that both the instructions and the sticker sheet was in pretty bad shape. How much extra money or labor would it cost to put the instructions and sticker sheets in a manila envelope, especially for large sets?

:thumbup:

Good work. Thanks for posting.

Thanks for the information Blackbird. I was also curious about the differences between 8458 and 8461. Now only if I can find a 8674 at a decent price...

I do like this set. It had great looks and functionality for the price point, and it will hopefully introduce many new young builders LEGO Technic.

Has anyone been able to decode the part count from the few box pictures?

I would like to purchase the 8446 Crane Truck. Sent you PM.

2nd that. Do you have any more pictures of the tan colored building with the pink flowers (next to the Zenko-ji temple.) It looks amazing, even as an out-of-focus background!