What would make these store display Star Wars sets particularly valuable? I came across this display a trade show/swap meet. Now almost all the other toys/collectibles/etc. had a price tag on them (some were even in excess of $1,000).

However these Star Wars sets had a note that read:

  LEGO Store Display. One of the few remaining. NEED to sell, make reasonable offer to take home with you.

What would makes these sets valuable? Are they rare as the note claims? Are they valuable because they were a display a LEGO Store? Something else entirely?

I am not asking what a "reasonable" offer is, as that is subjective; rather is there something objectively intrinsic to the value of them?

Sets in question are:

8036: Separatists Shuttle
7754: Home One Mon Calamari Star Cruiser
8039: Venerator Class Republic Attack Cruiser

These displays are indeed rare, because LEGO demands that retailers destroy them after use, and most of them oblige. The sets inside are unfortunately glued together, so they don't have much value. They are valuable to collectors of displays, but that is a fairly limited audience.


Why don't DUPLO figures have yellow skin? Normal LEGO minifigures have yellow skin in an attempt at being racially neutral.

Why do (modern?) DUPLO figures use normal flesh tones instead of yellow skin? (Set 10895 aside, which has DUPLO versions of LEGO characters/minifigures... although that does raise another, related question: have there ever been other DUPLO figures with yellow skin?)

This is an excellent question. Here's my best guess as to why this is.

As you've pointed out, LEGO System Minifigures were made with yellow heads from the start for a specific reason. On Lego.com it states:

  We chose yellow to avoid assigning a specific ethnicity in sets that don't include any specific characters. With this neutral color, fans can assign their own individual roles to LEGO minifigures.

The very first LEGO Minifigures were made with yellow heads and the first Duplo figures were made with white heads. These were both released at about 1975-1976. Now while the Duplo figures did start off with less racial ambiguity, the Duplo line was quick to introduce the first LEGO figures with realistic skin tones, which were released in 1983. LEGO did not do that with the System figures until 2003, twenty years later.

The LEGO Duplo sets are for toddlers under the age of five, and therefore, these sets include a lot of bright colors. Just look at any Duplo set and you'll see what I'm talking about.

Why does this matter? Well, yellow is a color commonly used in Duplo. It is possible that having a primarily yellow set and a figure with a yellow face might be a bit weird for a child. It also makes the figures stand out from the pieces in the background and might make the set more appealing to a Grandparent, for example. "Oh look! There's cute people in this set!" All of that to say, yellow figures might blend into the primarily yellow Duplo sets.

Additionally, Duplo is for very young kids, and it's probably best to not confuse them and make them wonder why there aren't people with yellow skin in the real world. By the time the child is old enough to move onto System, they already understand what people in the real world look like, and they won't be confused by the yellow heads.

Please keep in mind that this is just my best guess.


High Torque Subtractors I would like to use a subtractor in my next RC LEGO tank, as it enables the vehicle to turn on the move, as opposed to stopping and then turning.

Unfortunately, the subtractors I have tested so far cannot withstand the torque of heavy vehicles, which either causes the subtractor to break apart, or the differentials/gears to grind.

Does anyone know any subtractor designs which are able to deal with high tension/torque/stress levels so that enormous vehicles can still use them? 3kg-5kg tolerance would be ideal.

It sounds like you need a stronger differential.

Might I suggest this design by Nazgarot:

If you make two, you can build a big and sturdy subtractor like this (probably customizing the gear ratios to your requirements, the right gearing could also remove the need for a PF switch):

Here's a video of it in action:


Why are 2x4 bricks hard to get in certain colors? I'm new to the Lego community, so apologies if this is a dumb question.
I am trying to understand how best to get hold of 2x4 bricks in a variety of colors in the brown and green spectrum but am a bit confused as to why they're apparently hard to get hold of at a reasonable price. I already have some from some Classic sets I picked up, but only a few from each. I'm just looking to scale up significantly on how many of these blocks I own so that I can build something large with them.
Pick a Brick doesn't even show brown and dark brown as options, for example. Meanwhile, BrickLink has only a handful of dark brown bricks available at rather expensive prices.
I (naively?) thought that 2x4 bricks would be some of the easiest to get hold of, regardless of the color.
What am I missing here? Is there a genuine shortage of these bricks? Is there a better way for me to get my hands on them?

Prices of bricks are determined by supply and demand, in your specific case, it is the supply side to blame. Check this site which shows how many sets was a particular colour of 2x4 brick contained in, and you'll see that there is no mention of the Dark Brown colour you are after. This means all such bricks for sale come from other sources than opened official LEGO sets that were parted out and sold by pieces, like designer bricks, not officially released sets and the like.
Brown bricks were found in 27 sets, but if you compare that number with the 650 sets for yellow ones, you'll see how it causes the difference in their prices (12 cents vs 53 for new ones sold in average in the last 6 months).
You haven't mentioned a concrete shade of green, but the numbers are similar in that area as well, except for the regular green: Olive Green (3), Dark Green (50), Green (309), Sand Green (18).
The rarity of these shades are best explained by the official LEGO policy of refusing to produce sets depicting realistic military equipment from the contemporary era: see for more here.


Help identifying wedge tile piece 2 x 3 flat tile piece. Same size as 2 x 3 wedge plate but I cannot find anything listed with the smooth top. "P 9" marking on the back with "lego" stamp but no part id number.

What I thought was a lego mark is actually 0C31. This must be a megablok. Sorry for the confusion!


Are there any African American LEGO minifigures besides the ones from the "Sports" basketball series? I was wondering if there were any African American LEGO minifigures besides the ones from the sports basketball series... I got a brown head from a LEGO Stormtrooper set instead of a black one. I then painted it. Do any other sets have them?

There are a few on Bricklink, if you search by part colour:

 3626bpb212

 3626bpb159

 3626bpb749

 3626bpb424

 3626bpb214

 3626bpb573

 3626cpb1088

 3626cpb1124

 3626cpb1067

 3626cpb0906

 And the standard smiley is also available.

If you search for the older Brown colour (instead of the current Reddish Brown) you find that there are basically only the very rare Lando head, as well as the old NBA heads.


Please identify if these pieces are part of a set, medium grey and red Technic bricks with a window I have these pieces, constructed a shown, that were given to me in a pile. Is this part of a set or something someone just build?

At first glance it looks like something out of Model Team set, like one of the trailers.

There are two types of standard Technic pins, black friction pins and grey frictionless pins.

Black friction pins are used to build strong connections and grey frictionless pins have low friction and allow parts to spin easily.

It seems odd that the two pins connecting the Technic bricks as shown below use grey frictionless pins as I have never seen an official LEGO set that wouldn't use black friction pins for this case.

The window also stands out as an odd feature in this build.


Where do I find Mindstorms building plans? I have the Mindstorms NXT 1 kit. It includes a printout of the first robot model building plans. The plans for several other robots (e.g. the scorpion bot) are included in the NXT software. However when I run the software, everything works, but it does not display the building instructions, only the programming instructions. Can I download those plans somewhere?

Official building instructions for NXT 1 models can be downloaded here: http://mindstorms.lego.com/en-us/support/buildinginstructions/8527-/T-56.aspx


Common, practical use for this piece I've been digging to some old inventories and noticed that all Bohrok from the Bionicle theme contains this piece:

I'm pretty sure I have this piece in my collection, probably from a Bohrok. At that time, I think I might have dismissed it as not a LEGO piece and I might have tossed it. Turns out, it is. I'm pretty sure this piece wasn't mentioned in the instructions booklet itself. Within this Bohrok set, what is it used for? And how is it used in other sets? Bricklink lists this as a belt/rubber band holder, but I'm not quite sure how it can be used as such.

Fikko3107 is correct, it is in fact a LEGO rubber band holder, for storing two different sizes of rubber bands. It's purpose insofar as the Bohrok sets are concerned, I'm afraid I don't know enough about Bionicle to give you an answer. Perhaps the instruction booklet may offer some clues?

As masterX244 stated, it is unofficially known as the 'nnenn' element, so named after Nate 'nnenn' Nielsen, who was a talented and prolific builder who used it as his Flickr avatar and who caused quite a stir among the LEGO community by using cut, painted and modified elements from clone brands as well as official LEGO parts. His build were so good, and so numerous, that despite offending purists and building brilliantly in a range of scales, he very rapidly became known as one of the better builders among the community - unfortunately, he was taken too soon from us all in a car accident and we will never see any new creations from this remarkable man, mentor, husband and father.

Fortunately, for those who never got to know nnenn's inimitable style, his Flickr account lives on and can be viewed here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nnenn

He was also responsible for creating NoVVember (flickr.com/groups/921332@N22/pool/with/5203643999/), a month dedicated to starfighter builds based on the Vic Viper craft from the Gradius Series arcade shoot-em-up games (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vic_Viper).

LEGO (through the influence of set designer Mark Stafford) paid homage to his contribution to the hobby and the community by including his name on the Vic Viper inspired spacecraft that sits on the back of 7066: Earth Defense HQ (brickset.com/detail/?Set=7066-1).

His nickname is visible on the stickers, shown here:
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3315/5721097224_d1d5a13818.jpg


Is there a free ImageSet of the Minifigure Series? As I wrote an iOS App, which helps you collect the Minifigure Series, that I want to distribute for free and LEGO is not willing to let me use their Minifigure Images, I am looking for the images under a CC or free License.

I don't think that such a set exist. The most complete database are the ones indicated by Guilherme Branco Stracini, BrickLink and BrickSet, but both of them tell in their footer that the content is copyrighter so I am not sure that, especially if you intend to sell your app, any of them will allow you to use their content.

On the other hand, BrickLink provides you with an API that offers a Get-Item-Image so I believe they would allow reusage in some case. You might contact them to get more information, as the API requires a key, they will send one to you or not depending on the expeceted usage.

Last thing and I have never read any clear inforamtion about that, is that Lego and the designers of the company own copyright on the design of the minifigs and that even if the photograph releases a picture under CC license, there are still right that belong to the Lego group so you might not be able to do what you want with these pictures.


Programming NXT color sensor with NXC? Currently I am working Lego robot that solves 2x2x2 Rubik's cube. I am programming Lego Mindstorms NXT 2.0 color sensor in BricxCC.

I already have RGB data with the command ReadSensorColorRaw. I heard that it is easier to get the colour from HSL format. I've tried a lot of algorithms, but none succeeded. How I can fix it to work?'

Also I heard that I need to calibrate white balance. How can I do this??

Since you are trying to solve a Rubik's cube, check out the source code for the MindCuber. The solution there is that the values are not actually converted into colors. Rather the raw values are converted to HSV and then sorted by hue. The actual value does not matter, just how close it is to the other values.

The Mindcuber also has a white calibration. This is used to identify the white values and removed them from the list before sorting which is useful since white doesn't have a meaningful hue value.


Where can I find LEGO X-Pod Playoff rules and printoffs? Where can I find X-Pod Playoff rules? LEGO doesn't seem to be hosting them anymore.

Asked because of this question. Hopefully it can be mirrored on a few sites so that it doesn't disappear again.

Here are the PDFs donated by Friend Of George. Here are the unit catalog PDFs.

The starter kit for each pod has an inventory list, a set of cards containing units which can be built, and a set of X-TRA cards.  The cards and inventory list can be printed on card stock for better durability.

The Advanced Rules contain additional rules and Advanced X-TRA cards for the game.

The Advanced Strategy Guide contains some tips on how to best choose and use your units, along with movement and placement strategies.  It also gives sample sets of units and strategies for each Pod against each of the other Pods.

The boards were generated from the website with no obstacles for maximum flexibility.  Bricks should be used for these and placed where desired.


Are there SNOT models with instructions for beginners? I would like to introduce SNOT building to my daughter.  I have used this method only a few times myself and when I did, I was just messing around.  I feel it would be simpler and less frustrating for my daughter if we had models and instructions similar to what a regular set would give you.  When teaching children and even for a beginner like myself, it would be great to have step by step tutorials including pictures and an end goal to build confidence using the SNOT method.

I saw that there is a website for learning SNOT techniques but it mainly shows how to put different types of bricks together.  Does anyone know of SNOT models with instructions suitable for beginners?

Chris McVeigh has some nice LEGO projects on his website that use SNOT techniques.  Many of the projects have PDF instruction guides.

I stumbled on his work after seeing his LEGO ornaments a few years back.  Now that the Christmas season is beginning, a few of those ornaments would be a fun way to introduce this technique to your daughter!


How to fix cracked minifig arms? I have a few minifigs with their arms cracked lengthwise, which is a big problem as the hands constantly fall off at the slightest touch (or even fall off of their own accord). Is there any way to fix this? Sorry for any inconvenience, but I don't know how to put a picture up. Any help is appreciated.

Arms are cheap

I'd recommend just buying some cheap replacements from a site like BrickLink. You can buy an unpainted torso for example, and some sellers even sell just the arms (some of the cheapest listings are described as cracked though, so avoid those). So long as the arm is not painted (which they are not usually), this should be a relatively cheap solution with no repair work besides swapping the arms.

Plus, considering how small they are I'm not really sure there is a practical way to repair them, and still retain their full function.


What is the wall thickness of a lego brick? Different sources show different thickness for the wall. I've seen everywhere from 1.0mm to 1.8mm. I need to know with a high degree of confidence since I'm making an aluminium lego piece of a school assignment, so my wall thickness will be smaller.  Because I only get to have one attempt, I can't try it with one piece and adjust the model for a second run.

The image below shows the dimension in question, with this drawing taken from another SE question, made by SE user Bartneck

Original source: https://bricks.stackexchange.com/a/11131

According to this answer, a 1x1 brick has walls 1.6mm thick - this fits in with the base unit of 0.8mm that is used throughout all LEGO elements, as per pcantin's answer on the same question.

The 1x4 brick in the image you've included shows walls of 1.2mm, while a similar drawing on bartneck's site for the 1x4 Technic Brick with Holes shows a wall thickness of 1.5mm, which is closer to the expected 1.6mm. Curiously the Stud diameter is exactly as expected at 4.8mm.


Which sets currently contain pneumatic LEGO equipment? When I was younger my dad bought me 5218-1, a technic-based pneumatics set, which, combined with the old motor system to provide a mini compressor system created quite a bit of entertainment and it got adapted into various other builds, including a sliding pneumatic bank door.

Now, as far as I can tell, the only kit like this nowadays is the Lego Education Pneumatics Add-On Set, 9641-1, which comes in at around £39.99, for 31 pieces.

While I could add this to the Lego Education Simple & Powered Machines Set that's not cheap either, at around £100 for a more reasonable 390 pieces.

Ultimately, is there a list of all the technic (or lego) sets that include pneumatic kits, and, ideally, are any of them still avalible, apart from the ones I've previously listed?

In the UK shop, there are currently two sets:

The Unimog U 400 [set:8110] which uses the motorised "compressor" to supply the power (as opposed to the manual sprung pump).

And the Tractor with Log Loader [set:8049] which uses the manual pump:

The other sets that look like they have piston arms (such as [set:8043]) are actually using "linear actuators", which work with an internal screw thread to lift up the piston, powered by Bevel Gears or Universal Joints:

[part:61927c01]

These provide a much finer level of control over the Pneumatic sets, which is probably why they are being used in more and more sets.

The issue with locating the pneumatic sets is that there have been a few subtle changes to the elements over the years, as well as different lengths in various sets, so tracking them reliably isn't easy:

BrickLink search for Pneumatic Pumps


My Lego Technic 42082 wheel stuck and can't move After I finished my 1st manual book, I found out that my crane wheel can't move. May I know which part that I did incorrectly?

LEGO Technic sets are the most complex builds in LEGO's selection, and they are not forgiving. Any little mistake, and the model won't work. LEGO Technic sets are not easy to build, as you have to pay careful attention to each and every step. In addition, if you do make a mistake, the models are not nearly as easy to take apart as regular LEGO sets.

Your issue could be anywhere. It could be a mistake of where you connected a part, you could have used the wrong part in a step, or it could be that you made one or more of the connections too tight.

Unfortunately, there is no way around it; you will have to retrace your steps and disassemble the model until you find the issue. You could take apart the whole thing and start over, or you could reverse your steps carefully, until you find the problem.

To avoid such issues in the future, you should test that everything is still working after each step. In other words, if you are adding working gears in one step, and in the next step you are instructed to add more gears or some other components, test to make sure that everything is still working correctly when you add the additional parts. You should do this after every new section. It makes building a bit slower, but it assures that the finished model is working right.

Although LEGO Technic sets are challenging builds, they are also some of the most rewarding. You can learn quite a bit about mechanics, engineering, and complex machines.


Why was the 1x1 round brick changed? The first 1x1 round bricks had no lip, just like most bricks:

Brick, Round 1 x 1 Old - No Bottom Lip

A lip was then added:

Brick, Round 1 x 1 Solid Stud

Why?

Later, a hole was added in the stud:

Brick, Round 1 x 1 Open Stud

Was that to prevent choking, as in some minifig heads?

The full-base 1x1 round bricks were produced from 1955 until 1963, during the period when LEGO pieces were made from cellulose acetate (CA) plastic, but were sold until about 1966. According to Gary Istok's Unofficial LEGO Sets/Parts Collector's Guide the solid-stud full-base 1x1 round brick was only ever made from CA plastic. After the supply of them ran out, a new design was adopted with the "tapered" bottom and made from ABS plastic. (Chapter 51, p. 3)

The reason for the change may have had something to do with the fact that the old full-bottom bricks did not grip very well. Also, the tapered-bottom bricks not only fit over a regular stud but fit in between top studs, making them more versatile than the older style.

The hole in the stud appeared about 1977 and was in response to product-safety regulations. Other cylindrical pieces like minifig heads were also given stud holes. This was because it was thought cylindrical pieces were more likely to completely plug a nostril or throat. The solid-stud minifig head has made a comeback recently, however, as these regulations have changed.


Can you identify this LEGO board game with square paper tokens? I have some of these cards which I found at the bottom of an old box of mixed LEGO and I am trying to identify them.
I think they came from a game maybe?

I used to get the Bricks n Pieces magazine, but not sure if they are from that. I would guess they are from the 1990's.
Each card is approx 1cm square...

I vaguely remember playing with them, but can't identify what they are from - nor can Lego themselves. These four are all I have left.

Can anyone help?

found it at last...!

They are cards from this game from the 1990s

Space Police / Blacktron II / M:Tron Poster Game

https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?G=921800


What are the armless minifigures from the LEGO boardgames called? I see many of the LEGO boardgames come with mini figures which are armless and have no holes for arms. While I think it is kind of ridiculous to not simply provide a full figure, I understand it's probably primarily for usability purposes.

What are these smaller minifigs called?

When looking at the inventory of one of the LEGO games (as if you were missing a part), you can see these are clearly labelled "MICRO FIGURE"

On Bricklink they are known as 'Microfig', Lego Digital Designer refers to them as 'Micro Figure.


Can you identify this LEGO minifig head please, black with grey lines and silver eyes? My son's favorite LEGO minifig head, came in a box of loose LEGO. I have searched hundreds of images and have not found a match.

That is the head of the 2011 Star Wars V-Wing pilot.

It came in 7915 Imperial V-wing Starfighter.


Which set do these parts belong to? - Red Robot from 90s or early 00s? Does anyone know the name of this set? I found these loose parts in a crate and I would like to piece the set back together.
I think I received this set either very late 90s or early 00s. (probably before 2005 if that helps)

These are parts from the 7314: Recon Mech RP set, from the Life on Mars theme, released in 2001.


Can a v1 PF reciever power an XL motor and servo? I have a v1 PF receiver but don't want to pay $35 for a v2 receiver and I was wondering if a v1 receiver can power a single XL/L motor and a servo.

I just tried connecting an XL motor and a servo motor to a v1 receiver and yes, it works just fine. ( I knew it would anyhow :) )

The only thing that might be a problem is that some V2 receivers are not labelled 'V2' but are unlabelled like V1 receivers are. But I'm sure that I have still done this before V2 receivers even came out and it worked.

If you want the motors to be independent you must put them on separate channels of the receiver and have both the receiver channel selector and the remote control channel selectors to the correct channels in which the motors are connector.

V2 has slightly more IR range over v1 however I have heard that v1 has a higher output to the motors.

If you want the motors synchronized for whatever reason then you can put them on the same channel of the receiver.


Mindstorm EV3 no longer recognises SD card I followed the instructions to install leJOS on an SD card, to get Java support for the Mindstorms EV3 brio. The brick detected the leJOS files and processed the whole installation procedure successfully. However, at the end of the installation process the brick rebooted. Since then the SD card is no longer recognised by the brick.

I tried to format the SD card again to repeat the installation procedure, but the brick boots into the standard menu without recognising the SD card.

Any idea to get the SD card working again?

From the leJOS forum posts, I think your best bet is to try another SD card and use the officially recommended SD card creator tools to format and populate your new card.


What 3D modelling services could I use to create custom LEGO pieces? I want to create some custom LEGO Technic pieces, but I can't seem to find any software that is good at making it. I have tried using Blender, but it is hard to create holes.
Do you have any suggestions?

I haven't tried creating my own parts. However, I've seen that Bricklink's PartDesigner is quite popular in the community.  It looks like the creation process is quite streamlined, you can edit the connectivity info of each piece, and it plays very nice with Bricklink's Studio.


How much torque can a lego axle handle? from to this question, it seems that the gears are stronger than the axles, which begs the question of how strong are the axles? if you connect one of the stronger motors, such as say the buggy motor:

which according to philohome can produce 14N*cm of torque with an adequate power supply, is this enough as-is to break axles? what if it's geared down 1:2? 1:4? (such that it turns slower with more force), at what point do you risk breaking axles? (or more likely, at which point will they start to bend and lose strength)

In this forum thread I have found the following tidbits:

"We all know that XL motors can twist axles to their breaking point" This means 40 Ncm, according to Philo.
"If you're looking to get max torsional stiffness, then stacked 2L axles + connectors would definitely be much stiffer in torsion than a single long axle."
Axles can twist without breaking in two

Besides these, I couldn't find an exact number.


Is LEGO mindstorms good for a robot warrior or a small size soccer robot? I want to know if I can build a warrior or small size soccer robot with LEGO parts? If not, are there any better options?

An option that comes to mind is building a Raspberry Pi-based robot. But it's not likely to be small nor easy to put together, code and all.

I think going for a LEGO robot would be easiest; motors, electronics and power source have all been taken care of. You "only" need to connect them and program the EV3 brick. There are numerous YouTube videos of Mindstorms soccer robots that can inspire you.


Where can I find a copy of read_binvox.cc Can you upload your read_binvox.cc please?

I tried to find out some on the net but at each time I would like to paste the program on my code blocks the program had an error (0xc000007b).

This software is now available here:

http://www.patrickmin.com/binvox/read_binvox.cc


Variable stick lengths and angles at nodes of building bricks Is it possible to build 3D toys connecting several LEGO Bricks sticks/rods to make polyhedrons? Lengths and angles between sticks should be variable.


What are the essential resources for learning the fundamentals of LEGO building? After years of buying and building LEGO sets, my six-year-old son is tearing through the first level of the Master Builder Academy. He's fascinated by micro-building, and generally seems liberated after learning some of the fundamentals of LEGO design and building.

There are so many books and blogs, but many of them just show (fantastic) finished projects. I'm looking for the best published material (of any era), websites and individual blog posts that teach techniques and ways of thinking about building with LEGO -- that show and tell.

I'd particularly recommend The Unoffical LEGO Builder's Guide. It covers all of the basics and gets into many of the more complex building techniques.

If you're interested in getting right into the details, The Unofficial LEGO Advanced Building Techniques Guide by Didier Enjary covers a wide variety of building techniques and is freely available. I don't know a lot about this document, but I first came across it on The Brothers Brick.


How often does LEGO make colour substitutions? I'm currently building the UCS Millennium Falcon and ran into a step where the instructions say to use two different shades of grey in the greebling, but the bags for that step only contain one single shade (but the right quantity).

This seems odd for such a prestige level release, so my question is whether this is "normal" or whether I should be asking for replacement parts.

To clarify - step 12, the round vents at the top back of the Falcon should contain black 1x2 grills, and dark gray 1x2 grills are used elsewhere on the paneling for detail.  The bags for this step contained no black grills - just the dark gray. Proper quantity, just wrong colour.

This isn't a case of the constructor misusing one part accidentally in place of another - the step is built with no missing parts, only a few random spares, it just has the wrong colour grills in the vents.

In my experience, this typically means you used the other colored part by accident somewhere else in the model, for example in a place where it is used on its own, and it was difficult to determine the exact color of the piece at that time. This happens a lot with colors like dark bluish gray, light bluish gray and pearl gray. You will need to go back through the manual to find previous places where this piece was used and confirm you used the right color.


What is the tiny-hand most-friendly sets to migrate from duplo to lego? How do I migrate a kid who's taken an interest in lego (with a preference to minifigures) from their current duplo collection?

I'm tempted to buy just mini-figures, but have seen some "mini" sets that are mini-figure heavy like The LEGO® Batman Movie The Joker™ Balloon Escape: 70900 set.  The problem is that these sets typically contain many small parts that is likely to get lost, or frustration ensues because building or taking them apart is difficult. (Funny enough minifigs aren't taken apart as you'd think...)

As a conservative approach I would suggest the LEGO Juniors series which has cars and other sets and that are easy to build.

However, from first hand experience I can tell that kids learn quickly. Even if reading instructions is too difficult, playing with regular LEGO parts will soon be a lot of fun.

Besides : Losing small parts will be an issue with each and every LEGO set. Maybe you could consider buying used sets or even used bulk LEGO.

EDIT: LEGO Juniors is now called 4+, but it is the same product line.


Will learning about EV3 transfer to Lego RCX software/hardware? If I attend a workshop on EV3 will that knowledge help me get up and running with RCX software and Lego Mindstorm kits we already have at our school? I know EV3 is backwards compatible with NXT but they said nothing about RCX. Guess it's a bit obsolete?

As far as the standard software is concerned, it's probably way too different so that your knowledge of one won't translate easily to the other. If the workshop uses third-party software, though, the gap might be smaller.

As for the construction of a robot and the principles of how to automate it, this should be closer, but there are still noticeable differences, for example using studless beams in newer kits versus studded construction in the RCX.

There is some backward compatibility, mind you, but it's more on the hardware level (meaning with the aid of converter cables you can use RCX motors and sensors with an NXT and that should hold true for EV3 as well).


How to build a limited slip differential? Lego provides a couple of ways for building a differential, such as this:

and also provides a limited-slip gear like this:

http://www.brickowl.com/catalog/lego-technic-differential-with-one-gear-28-tooth-bevel-with-open-center-62821

What's the simplest way to combine the two mechanically such that if you have one motor driving two wheels, they can turn at different speeds (i.e. they aren't locked to each other), but at the same time, they will both receive a reasonable amount of force (i.e. if one wheel does not make contact with the ground, the one that does will still apply some force, as opposed it it not spinning at all and the free-hanging one going at twice the speed)?

The simple solution is to just use some belts to drive both wheels, but I would like a geared solution if possible

If you haven't seen it, Sariel's limited slip differential technique might do what you want, but it's a little different than what you are asking for:

This setup doesn't provide a clean way of producing a fixed amount of torque to a wheel if it's partner is running free. It instead simply disables the differential if the wheels have been running at different speeds for too long. This isn't a perfect solution, but it is very simple and may work for you depending on exactly what you are trying to accomplish.


How to minimize the impact of erroneous sensor readings? A group including myself are using the Lego Mindstorm kit to design a robot that is going to compete in a school competition.  However, the sensors aren't as reliable as we would like them to be, particularly the ultrasonic sensor, which is what we're using to judge how far away objects are from our robot.  The problem that we face is that every so often the sensor returns a value that is just wrong: in a set of 3 datapoints for an object that is 45 units away, we'd possibly get values like 45, 45, and then 186.  The erroneous values are not consistent, nor is the amount by which the error occurs.  We also can't judge the probability of an erroneous value occurring.  Our current algorithm takes the average of a small number (i.e. 3) of datapoints, but we've realized that if the number of datapoints is small, then the average could be distorted greatly by erroneous values.  If the number of datapoints is large, then it takes a long time for the robot to get all of the sensor readings.

What do you recommend as a process to reduce the impact of erroneous sensor readings?

I'm sorry if I'm posting this question in the wrong location, but this problem seemed more closely linked to mathematics than to programming.

I have quite some experience in Lego Mindstorms and I can tell you that their ultrasonic sensor is extremely inaccurate as you described - from what I read online, the ultrasonic rays travel in a V shaped path instead of in a straight line (it causes readings not to be linear with distance). Detecting an object with a round surface makes it worse, because the ultrasonic rays end up scattering all over the place.

What we (my team and I did) tried to do was to cover up half of each of the sensor's emitting and receiving outlet hole so as to force the ultrasonic rays to travel in straight lines. We also tried taking averages, root mean squares, differentials, integrals and what not of samples instead - but both did little to solve the problem, especially when sensing across distances that are far away (> 100 cm).

We ended up switching to one of Mindsensors' laser based distance sensors.


Which LEGO boxes are compatible? TLG has produced a number of sets which come in reusable plastic boxes. I'm curious to know which of these are able to be easily stored together. Primarily, I'm wondering which boxes can be stacked, but if there are any that are compatible in other ways, that would be interesting, too.

As an example, these two boxes can be stacked on top of one another:

There are other variations, even in production currently, which aren't compatible with this style. For example:

I'd like to know which boxes are compatible with others.

There has been a staggering amount of different size and shape LEGO buckets, tubs and boxes. A lot of them are stackable with each other (meaning the same size and shape box produced at the same time can be stacked). I think narowing down the question would be helpful. Are you looking for LEGO boxes currently in production? Or all boxes LEGO ever produced? I just did a quick search on Bricklink and over 300 results came up just for LEGO buckets (similar to the ones you are picturing above): http://www.bricklink.com/catalogList.asp?pg=1&q=bucket&catLike=W It would be huge work to try to work out the compatibility of all of them.


Can you help me identify this odd fence-like brick? This brick was found in a selection of unopened LEGO bags left with an instruction book that were donated to my mother's workplace. Bags did not correspond to the book and and as such I am left at an impasse to find this brick as it is odd enough that I have been unable to find it so that my brother and I can obtain more of them.

You have part number 64448: Support 1 x 6 x 5 Girder Rectangular

I'm not sure what color your piece is, but here is a list of sets it comes in.


Which LEGO Technic sets include instructions to add the Power Functions accessory box? Some LEGO Technic sets apparently come with instructions to add a motor, using the pieces from the Power Function Accessory Box (set 8293).

Is there a list of the sets which do contain such instructions?

I recently purchased both 42006 Excavator and 9396 Helicopter, both of which comes with instructions on how to add motors.

The reviews for 9395-1: Pick-Up Tow Truck suggest it can be motorized.

A lot of the more recent Technic models are either too small for a motor or already come with power fuctions.


Looking for a site with custom instructions I'm looking for a website that has some cool custom model instructions. I have a LEGO store near me and I'm able to buy pieces individually. I'm looking for more of a sci-fi ship kind of instructions.

There are quite a few individual sites out there offering that sort of thing, however one of the best I've come across is:

  The MOC pages on Rebrickable.com

This is because the site allows you to catalogue all your parts and then search for other sets and MOCs you can build with your existing collection.


LEGO twin-engine airplane (black/yellow/grey) set identification please Bought this airplane "as is" at a flea market. Pieces missing. I want to repair it. Does anyone here have the LEGO set number or know where I can find the instructions ? I suspect that it is several years old (1980s ? 1990s ?).

This is set 8425 (quite a nice set imho) and the instructions are downloadable from lego themselves:
https://www.lego.com/biassets/bi/4101173.pdf
The set is from 1996


Are limited run sets a good investment if left unopened? So I've been reading a lot about the LEGO aftermarket, and how many will hunt for sets that have gone out of production and will pay sometimes an x multiple of the Retail price for it.

How long does this process of accumulating value usually take?
What is the best way to select newer sets for this kind of investment?

The LEGO aftermarket is changing all the time and there are no defined rules on how a set will appreciate. Over at http://www.brickpicker.com you will find an entire website (plus forum) dedicated to investing in LEGO sets.

The post-EOL rise in price of a set is driven by many factors, some of which are:

Availability
If a set is only available for a limited time on store shelves (typically a year or less), it might see an increase in price after it retires. Alternatively, if a set is available for longer than a year, but frequently goes out of stock during its shelf life, it might also see an uptick in value post-EOL.

Exclusivity
Some sets are not available via all retail channels (and some are even more limited in distribution like the SDCC sets or the Employee Christmas Gifts). Typically, the more a set is limited to specific channels, the more likely it is to appreciate in value.

Desirability
Sets with broad appeal across multiple age groups, or of a subject matter that has a very loyal fan following (think Star Wars, the Beatles, anything Science related) typically do well post-retirement.

Collectibility
A lot of the post-retirement increase in price has to do with people collecting an entire theme. Often this collecting does not happen from the start of the theme, and people play catch-up to grab older sets that might have already retired. Some examples of this phenomenon are the early Modulars (Cafe Corner, Green Grocer), Series 1 Microfighters, Series 1 Speed Champions, and the early Star Wars UCS sets. A more recent example is the Elves Dragon eggs series, which had a short run and contained one set specifically which acted as the collection base of all eggs (41178 Dragon Sanctuary), which happened to have an extremely short shelf life (4 months in the US).

Rarity of parts
Finally, some sets see big post-retirement price gains because they contain rare or desirable parts. A key example of this is set 44027 Breez Flea Machine from the Hero Factory theme. This set commands a significant premium on the aftermarket purely due to the inclusion of 3 copies of part 92222 - Hero Factory Shield with Handle for Clip. 6 of these pieces are required to make the SDCC exclusive Bat Pod, which is much desired by collectors.

BUT, a big word of warning: for each of the above factors one can find sets that clearly show an increase in value but also numerous examples of sets that should have seen a sharp increase in value, but somehow didn't. Plus, with The LEGO Group's prepensity for set remakes, a set can see a climb in value, only to be followed by a plateau or even drop off following its initial increase. There are no sure-fire winners (and don't believe anyone who says they know one).


What about these old houses? I recently inherited two old Lego buildings. Unfortunately I have virtually no information about the history of them other that they been part of the inventory of an old hardware store closed a decade ago.

By the look of them I would guess they are from the early 70's. The windmill-house has some of the old red, blue and yellow Technic gears in them and a custom non-Lego motor to make it spin forever.

Everything is glued together but there is apparently parts broken off in some places.

Some theories:

Are they custom built in the old hardware store without blueprints?
Are they part of some Lego advertising campaign?
Are they actual Lego sets with a number to reference them?

Does anyone know anything about them? Would they be worth some money?

The top picture is for sure a model created from single elements, and is not any Lego model.

Your lower model looks like a combination from 5 or 6 different houses. I recognize the Taxi station (Red with blue roof on the bottom), Bakery (Yellow and blue roof on top of that).

Try brickset.com and look for the older catalogues.


Order Number Problems I think something is wrong with the email I use and for whatever reason i didn't get the email with the order details after I ordered. I quadruple checked that I got the email right before I typed it in but didn't get the email all the same. I would like to track my order but because I did not get the email I do not have the order number.

Just to clarify: this forum is manned by Fans of LEGO, not by the LEGO Group themselves.

That said, LEGO order confirmations sometimes take a little while to arrive (a couple of hours). You can always check your order status online (if you were logged in to shop.lego.com and/or have a VIP account), the US-based Order Status page is here.

Finally, if it's been longer than a day, call LEGO Customer Service. The US number is 1-800-835-4386 (check the LEGO website for your local access number if you're not in the US).


What set is this dark grey remote with orange buttons from? This is what the front looks like:

This is what the back looks like, I'm 90% sure it says 4272 at the top:

This is the remote control of a set I got ages ago, when I was still a little boy. I lost the receiver-part, but from my memory it looked like a bulky base for a car and had a antenna with the actual receiver on it. I'm trying to use the remote in a project, but its turning out to be more difficult than I thought, and I hoped that finding the actual set would help me. The main thing I need is the IR details/protocol so I can read the remote with a IR receiver and use it for tons of fun stuff. I hope someone can help me out.

PS. I know it looks a lot like the Bionicle Manas set, but its slightly different, notice the channel switches on the front sides of the remotes.

It looks like part 2162c01 - Electric, RC Controller Racer Complete Assembly (Black Bottom, Red Buttons) from RC Nitro Flash (set 4589).


Why do some minifigs have yellow heads and some are flesh colored? When did the flesh colors start and why? It seems yellow heads are here to stay too?

To answer the first part of the question, the Company Profile presentation (deep, direct link) states:

  When the minifigure first appeared, it was decided that its face should have only one colour: yellow. And that its facial features should be happy and neutral . The figure would have no sex, race or role – these would be determined by the child’s imagination and play.

It then explains when and why they added colour for their licensed figures

  With licensed products such as LEGO® Star Wars™ and LEGO® Harry Potter™ the figure began appearing in specific roles, and with LEGO Basketball in 2003 it took on authentic skin colours. In 2004 the LEGO minifigure assumed an even wider range of skin colours when it was decided that the figures in licensed products should resemble the original characters as closely as possible. One result was that the figures in LEGO Harry Potter™ changed from yellow to a more authentic skin colour.

The first ones I remember seeing were indeed some of the NBA League characters as part of the Basketball theme in 2003, followed by the Star Wars products and then the Harry Potter sets in 2004.

Lando Calrissian was one of the first to appear in the correct skin tone, amongst yellow Han and Leia:

Followed later by pink characters for the rest. The first Star Wars set in 2004 with flesh-toned figures was the Millennium Falcon. By 2005 the transition for Star Wars was complete and all sets used flesh-toned figures.

In terms of other colours, LEGO had already created various monster and alien figures with different coloured heads ranging from blues and greys through to transparent and even transparent neon orange.


Quality of Brick, Modified 1 x 1 with Headlight over time I have a problem with my 4070 Brick, Modified 1 x 1 with Headlight .

I packed my Lego and put in the basement at the end of previous century. Now I see my "headlight" bricks are broken at the bottom, or, if not visibly broken, they lost gripping strength. It applies to white, red, gray and blue. Actually, it applies to every color I have.

Are ones currently made more sturdy? Do they survive better? Or is replacing them only a temporary solution?

I just got a call from LEGO Support. I can't repeat it word for word, but (translating to English) it was like:

  Over the last decade manufacturing process of this brick has undergone many improvements that have improved its durability. You shouldn't encounter any problems with new ones if you will buy them, and if you will have problems in two years after buy, we will replace them free of charge. Sadly, we can't replace parts older than 2 years for you for free.

Two years of play is quite a long time, so it seems they are pretty confident about quality now.


How can I fix my chewed up LEGO head? When I was about 8 I used to bite down on loose LEGO heads to "fix" them. Of course after the heads "treatment" they would have chew marks around the neck.

Is there any way to make these marks less noticeable? One of my old favorite LEGO heads have these marks. I can't buy a replacement because the head isn't made anymore.

I could buy one on ebay... If I had my own credit card/paypal/etc. and my mom would gain the knowledge that ebay isn't evil just because it's online. What should I do?

The only idea I have is to put some nail varnish over the chew marks.

Here's a picture of the head. I don't know if it helps much since you can't really see the chew marks.

Your best bet would still be BrickLink. Many sellers there accept cash, checks or money orders, so you don't necessarily need paypal or a credit card. However if you would like to work on fixing the bite-marks on the head you pictured above, there are several things you can do:

If the bite-marks are not too deep, you can sand down the area with very fine sand-paper to make it more even. The sand-paper must be very fine, otherwise the surface would end up getting even, but rough. I have found wet and dry sand-papers the best as it can provide a very smooth finish.
You could try your nail-varnish idea, but please note that nail-varnish actually melts the plastic, so use only very little. You might also try other type of clear varnish that is fairly thick. Make sure you try it first on a piece you don't care for to see how it reacts with the plastic.
Because plastic is fairly soft, I found that sometimes you can smooth out bite-marks just by the back of a kitchen knife. :)


Recreating minifig scale Junkbot My goal is to recreate Junkbot from the eponymous LEGO web games with standard parts. Is it possible?

(He also had cameos on a recent Ninjago City set and Haunted House set 10273, appearing blank, as well as an excellent LEGO IDEAS fan build)
The torso looks to be a standard 2x2 orange brick with recycle and face pattern and head looks to be a slope brick with a lines pattern. I looked through Bricklink's decorated slope 45 2x2 but didn't find any matching orange pieces. The "hair" is a regular 1x2 yellow tile. I also wonder if his legs are any standard part. I tried looking through Bricklink's minifig decorated leg section but there were too many to sort through.

All four of these parts are standard and available in those colours. The issue is that the design of the character is not based on any printed bricks so you would have to create your own decals.

Part
ID
Colour

Brick 2 x 2
3003
Orange

Slope 45 2 x 2
3039
Orange

Hips and Legs
970c00
Light Bluish Gray

Tile 1 x 2
3069b
Yellow


Where are LEGO parts made? Are all LEGO parts made in a single factory, or are there multiple factories? Where abouts is it/are they? If there are several, are there different factories for different pieces/sets, or do all factories produce all parts?

LEGO moulds bricks in the following plants: Billund in Denmark, Nyíregyháza in Hungary and Monterrey in Mexico.

In addition, it has another facility in Kladno, Czech Republic, that handles painting and packaging for some of the bricks produced in Denmark and Hungary.

The headquarters in Denmark is still where the most of R&D and product development happens.


What is the difference between 8T gears "Type 1" (3647) and "Type 2" (10928)? On Bricklink I can see that there are two types of 8-toothed gear - a "Type 1" (3647) and a "Type 2" (10928).

It's obvious these parts are not the same, but what is the functional difference between them?

I don't believe there is any significant functional difference between these parts in terms of what can be built with them. The 10928 variant is simply a reinforced version of the original.

This gear is widely used, but because of its small size, it has always had problems with breaking under high torque. It looks like this new variation is attempting to address this by reinforcing the teeth so that they don't snap off as easily.

Similar minor strengthening changes have been made to other gears as well. Here's the 16 tooth reinforcement for example:

TLG has been known to make this type of structural change to lots of other parts as well. The most prolific example is probably the 1x1 plate with vertical clip that has seen a number of changes to address structural issues:


LEGO Color Sensor - EV3 My son is using his EV3 with a color sensor. He is using the sensor to test the reflectivity of different materials. Can you please tell me what the letters "PCT" stand for?

Based on this API reference and this discussion of the color sensor it looks like "pct" is short for percent as in a ratio with 100.

David added in a comment:

  EV3 hardware developer kit provides a bit more info on what 100% means:

    The output from the sensor within light sensor mode is a value between 0 – 100 where 0 equals no reflected light measured and 100 equals full light reflection.


Electric, Plug Holder 4.5V/12V what is it for? I have seen the Electric, Plug Holder 4.5V/12V on bricklink a few times and have often wondered what it is for.

According to Bricklink, it was only ever produced in Light Gray and appeared in 3 sets between 1987 and 1992.

Two of the sets were just Service type sets containing cables and small elements with no instructions or suggestion of usage of the Electric, Plug Holder 4.5V/12V itself.

However, it also appeared in set 9700 Technic Control Center. Unfortunately neither Peeron nor LetsBuildItAgain have a listing for the instructions. So I can't see the step where any of the 5 that were included with this set are used.

While researching information for this question, I stumbled upon the answer but thought I would post anyway to share my findings.

The Bricklink entry for the 9700 Technic Control Center set has a secondary picture which is the front cover of the instruction booklet.

The 5  Electric, Plug Holder 4.5V/12V elements can be seen in use as holders for the shorter wires connecting to the motors that make up the model. Using the holders provides easy access to plug in longer wires from the control center unit. The holders are necessary because, unlike the connections on later 9v wires that can be built into a model like standard pieces, the connections on the older 12v/4.5v wires cannot.


LabView Mindstorms - What does speed in seconds mean? I'm trying to set a motor to spin exactly at 60rpm, and I'm using LabView for Lego Mindstorms.

However, when reading the documentation for the move motor block, it says this:

  Power/Speed specifies the amount of power, from -100 to 100, with
  which you want to move the motors or the speed, in seconds, at which
  you want to move the motors. Use the polymorphic selector below the VI
  icon to specify whether you want to set the power or the speed at
  which the motors move.

Here's a screenshot of the docs:
http://puu.sh/l4FzP/c4d0b8faa7.png

So, what does the "the speed, in seconds, at which you want to move the motors." mean? I've tried setting it at one, and the motor barely moved.

A speed in second makes no sense to me.

Are there more information about this motor, like to maximum rpm/power ? If so, maybe that the scale from -100 to 100 is some sort of percentage of max rpm/power, with the positives being one rotation direction and the negatives the other ?


DIY EV3 from schematics LEGO offers schematics for the EV3 brick in their hardware developer kit accessible from the bottom of the EV3 downloads page. (Files 1 and 2 in the zip)

Do these schematics contain enough information to theoretically build an EV3 from scratch?

Yes!

Based on 3 years of extensive study of the internal workings of the EV3 as part of the ev3dev project, I can confidently say that if you build that schematic, you will get something that very closely resembles a mass-produced EV3.

There are some minor differences though. The HW Version Identification shown on page 3 of the schematic (0101 [binary] == 5 [decimal]) does not match the actual mass-produced hardware (1000 [binary] == 8 [decimal]), so it leads me to believe that the schematic that LEGO has shared is not the final revision, but rather a slightly older revision.

There is also a PIC microcontroller (U28) and MFi authentication chip (U29) on the actual EV3 that is not on the schematic. The firmware source code seems to indicate that this is used for the iPhone/iPad/iPod Bluetooth mode somehow. So, this feature will be missing from your clone EV3.

I have also just noticed that the "3 SEC delay" circuit on page 3 is not populated on the actual EV3. This is further evidence that the publicly available schematic is not the final revision.

One challenge you will face in building your own EV3 is that there is no PCB layout provided by LEGO, so you will have to do this yourself.

You will also have to find a replacement display. The LCD does not appear to be generally available. (I broke one and looked for a replacement several years ago. I ended up replacing it with a color TFT instead.)

Also, while we are on the subject, there is a BeagleBone cape called the FatcatLab EVB. There is an open source schematic for this as well. If you are really going to build your own EV3-like circuit board, it may be more appealing to copy this one because it has a faster processor and more memory.


Need help identifying these sets I recently got a huge bag of LEGO's.  I figured out what some of them were, but there were still these left over, and I couldn't find anything about them.

The parts on the left of the top photo are from
76020-1: Knowhere Escape Mission

the part on the right of the top photo is
30156pb02 : Panel 4 x 6 x 6 Sloped with Stone Wall Pattern

based on the windows it should come from 7785-1: Arkham Asylum


Can Mindstorms EV3 communicate using protocol 802.15.4? My aim is to make the robot communicate using protocol 802.15.4 through a USB dongle 802.15.4 over 6LoWPAN.

The robot has to be able to get information from TelosB.

I wonder whether this possibility has already been tested and if it is possible to make it work and of course how?

This can be done using ev3dev.

https://github.com/ev3dev/ev3dev/issues/46


Can you identify this robotic minifigure? I am trying to identify this minifigure.  I thought it was related to Star Wars but I can not find it there. Can you help?

This is :
sp043 : UFO Droid - Blue (Techdroid 1)


How to make Lego Mindstorms EV3 robot go in reverse when move steering input comes from proximity sensor I saw an program on the Lego Education page which makes a Lego Mindstorms EV3 robot gradually slow down as it approaches a wall. The info from the proximity sensor is used as the direct wire input of the Move Steering block, the nearer the robot to the wall, the slower the speed of the robot.

The problem is that my infrared sensor is on the rear of my robot (track3r). I would like to make the input to the Move Steering Block negative so that my robot motor moves backwards (in reverse) using this program. How do I do this? I can't make the output of the proximity sensor negative... can I?

Multiply the output of the proximity sensor by -1.


Help with Multiple Motors/Intelligent Bricks and coding/ programming/ daisy chaining I have built the accompanying robot earlier in the week. I have a challenge where the robot needs to find white/black bricks then store them on a tray and then travel over to another robot and transfer the bricks from the tray. I am an absolute novice with coding and I'm not sure where to start.

I have access to multiple EV3/NXT units. I'm thinking I might need 3? Any Help on programming, advice, hints and tips would be greatly appreciated.

Daisy chaining is straightforward. In your EV3 project, you click the little wrench in the topleft to open the project properties and enable the option "Daisy-chain mode" below the project picture. The EV3 bricks themselves need to be connected with the USB to mini-usb cables that are normally used to connect them to your computer.
After enabling the modes, the port selectors in your blocks will have layers, first layer being the EV3-brick immediately connected to your computer. 2nd layer the EV3-brick connected to that EV3 and so on up to 4 layers (4 bricks).

However, for the project you are describing, perhaps you could do with less motors and one brick would suffice:

grabbing and lifting can be done with one motor as is is for example done in the gripp3r standard model included with the software.
The double articulation of your claw arm might also not be necessary
Perhaps the arm does not need to be able to rotate if the vehicle itself is maneuverable enough


Lego RCX 1.0 problem with communication I have a problem with communication between the tower (it's installed and it's working - green light when communicating by IR ) and a RCX 1.0. It's not downloading .lgo file. I've tried with few versions of this file and it's the same.

Now I'm trying on my PC in ROBOTC. Green light is lighting but RCX doesn't respond. I think it is failed. But manually with built in programs it's working

Try to use this (Windows XP x86):

RIS v2.0 software -> http://www.mediafire.com/download/vrg2iajcv4uxkf3

Updated USB Tower drivers -> http://www.philohome.com/sdk25/tower164.zip

Also maybe you have a faulty RCX or IR tower. Try to change the battery of the IR tower.

I recommend the use of the Windows XP x86 (32 bits) for install the RIS v2.0 software. You have to uninstall any QuickTime installed in the PC and install the QuickTime that comes with the RIS v2.0.


Why are there some extra letters on lego Car License Plates? Most of the car in Lego City have a sticker license plate. The number on a license plate is corresponding to the Lego Set number. But what about these extra letter there? Is it just to add more realism? Are the initials  of the particular designer?

See e.g. here:
Police Car - set 60068
Crooks car - set 60070

The letters typically represent the initials of the set designer. See more discussion on this topic in this EuroBricks forum thread.

For example, the initials "MB" stand for Marcos Bessa, where "MS" is for Mark Stafford.

Some other sets also carry set designer initials, sometimes subtly incorporated in the build (I believe Jamie Berard, the famous Modular Houses designer, puts his initials in some of the builds), other times on the lettering on the sticker sheet. It is definitely not standard practice.


ID this set: Rocket launch installation? While cleaning out the attic of my deceased cousin I found a plastic bag with parts that supposedly is a single set from late 70 or early 80's.

Actually there where multiple bags, each containing a single set. Some had the instructions leaflet and others I could relatively easily identify. They all date from around 1980. So that is why I presume that the one bag left is also a single set from that period.

Sorry that I don't have pictures. I may add one later.

A large green ground-plate (about 40x30 nobs, I didn't count them exactly) with white printed markings where the first layer of bricks should go.
2 pieces of straight blue railroad track.
Regular bricks mostly 1x1x4 and 1x1x8 in blue.
A bunch of white quarter-circle bricks and some (4) black ones + a white nose-cone piece. Would together make a small white rocket with a black band or black markings. A bit Saturn-V like.

It looks as if this would make a rocket + a base or launch-tower. The tracks are maybe part of a moveable launch-pad? There are no wheels to go with the track though.

Does this ring a bell for someone?

Minus the reference to the large green baseplate, could it be pieces from Set #358 - Rocket Base?

Edit:
A few original, used red baseplates can be easily had under $10 bucks through a few Canadian sellers HERE.


Is this part real LEGO or a knockoff? I bought a LEGO lot off craigslist a few days ago with some sets and some bulk parts. It included some parts that appeared to have been bought in bulk (maybe pick-a-brick?). It also had some random non-lego pieces as we all know is standard to find in these large bulk lots.
Amongst the bulk, I found around 40 of a 1x1x6 support pillar in dark blue color. The part seems somewhat rare and they go for around $5/ea on bricklink, but I'm having a difficult time figuring out if they are real LEGO.
Pictures of said part:

Evidence:

Top stud is hollow which Bricklink says is a normal variant of the
part.
It looks the same as the 3D model of the hollow stud part on Bricklink.
There is no LEGO logo or part number anywhere that I can see.
There is a small seam that runs along the full length of the part on opposite sides.
There is a small number on the outside of the part on the bottom of the rounded section.
The part is the correct dark blue color when compared to other dark blue LEGO pieces.
The part feels like LEGO and has the new LEGO sheen.
I have other parts in my bulk collection that are basically the exact same as these. I would never have questioned that they were real LEGO before I found these.
They were only produced in three sets from 2006/2007: Cafe Corner (4), Piraka Stronghold (6), and The Chum Bucket (4).

Where did he get 40 of them at? Does anyone have parts like this in an official set that you KNOW are real that I can compare them to? Does anyone specifically have one of the three sets this part was found in and can help me do a comparison?
I would obviously like to sell these at some point if they were real, but don't want to sell someone fake LEGO. Thank you for any help!

I've shuffled through my pieces collection and found sadly none in dark blue, but all 17 I've found in either old grey or red have the same attributes you mention:

Top stud is hollow, with an H-shaped cutout
There is no LEGO logo or part number anywhere
There is a small seam that runs along the full length of the part on opposite sides
There is a small number (between 2 and 8) on the outside of the part on the bottom of the rounded section
The part feels like LEGO and has the new LEGO sheen

Single-digit number at the bottom:

H-shaped cutout in the hollow open stud:

Seam running over the opposite sides:

I'm 100% sure these are all genuine LEGO pieces, the red ones from 7419: Dragon Fortress.


How to help a yellowed brick with a sticker? My parents recently finally decided they can return me my childhood toys with 1990s Technic sets including the 8880 Super Car. All other sets were in boxes, but this one spent the last 15+ years assembled in a clean attic, so it's dusty and yellowed, but surprisingly, complete (I disassembled it with the instructions in hand). I haven't yet decided if I should keep or sell it, but I need to clean it.

Question:
This piece.

I've read about bleaching LEGO bricks with hydrogen peroxide and about removing labels for repair. Do you think it's a good idea to remove the labels and then bleach the brick? Or is there some other, better way of helping this guy?

A paste of oxygen bleach slathered on liberally, and then some time in the sun will probably fade the yellow nicely. It should not degrade the plastic (any further).

Your real problem is not re-attaching the label, but removing it without tearing or leaving behind most of the backing.

Depending on the material and glue, you might be able to remove it carefully with water, if the glue can be dissolved in water. If you can get the paper off and let it dry flat, you should have little problem re-gluing it.

The challenge will be the choice of glue. You need something that isn't necessarily permanent when it cures, but can still stick to plastic. White craft glue (not yellow PVC!) should do the trick. But there are many modern adhesives used for non-permanent applications that can bind plastic and paper. There might even be an archival "spray-mount" style compound that won't yellow over time.

Though, honestly, white craft glue is pretty stable. You can even make a paintable slurry from white craft glue that you can apply with a paintbrush to one surface to make the whole thing easier.

But it will be removing and preserving that labels that I suspect will be the greatest challenge.


Where can I find LEGO Digital Designer projects for Lego Technic MOCs? I have LEGO Technic pieces collected from multiple sets and would like to find projects on the web which I can view and build models step by step. Please advise sources where I can find these.

Eurobricks forum has hundreds of official sets in LDD format here: http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=41226&#entry727293


Have Multiple Inputs to Programming Block Originally, I had a simple program to move until the robot hit a wall, then it reversed and turned and moved again, repeated to infinity. It works by turning the motors on, waiting for input from the touch sensor, then reversing, turning, and continuing. Now I want to add a second wait on the touch sensor to trigger the reverse and turn sequence, but I can't add two different ports to wait from, or have two different triggers to start the reverse and turn. Is there any way to have a trigger from two different wait inputs?

You can do this with parallel programs and a logic variable. You will need 3 loops, one for each sensor and one for the motor. In the sensor loops, wait for the touch sensor to be pressed and then set a logic variable to true. In the motor loop, have a switch block that tests the logic variable. If it is true, reverse and turn around and then set the logic variable to false. If the logic variable is already false, just go forward.


NXT Program doesn't do what it's supposed to do Ok, so I have this automatic gearbox I have made and I have 2 motors and 2 touch sensors

I want Motor A to spin forever unless Motor B is turning

Motor B should turn around 15 degrees and then brake. The direction depends on what touch sensor is pushed. I created this piece of block code thing (personally don't like) but it looks like it should work but it doesn't.

Motor A spins forever and when B is activated, it spins forever too completely destroying the gearbox :(

Pseudo Code:

If Touch1 == Bumped Then
    Stop MotorB
    Rotate MotorA by 15 degrees
Else If Touch2 == Bumped Then
    Rotate MotorA by -15 degrees
    Stop MotorB
Else
    Rotate MotorB Forever

(I know this is horrrible pseudo code but you get the jist)

What am I doing wrong???

You just need to make the blocks match your pseudo code. The missing part is "Stop Motor B". Adding blocks to stop motor B will help.

Also, stop motor B needs to be before starting motor A, otherwise motor A will run while motor B is running.

If Touch1 == Bumped Then
    Stop MotorB
    Rotate MotorA by 15 degrees
Else If Touch2 == Bumped Then
    Stop MotorB
    Rotate MotorA by -15 degrees
Else
    Rotate MotorB Forever


How to measure green/blue reflected light on EV3? As I know there is no way to turn on green/blue reflected light on EV3 color sensor.

Is there a way to do it using NXT color sensor and EV3 controller?

Or the only way is to use NXT controller together with NXT color sensor?

There is a modified Color sensor block available here.

As of this writing, this is the most up-to-date direct link to download the block.


Where will the World First Lego League be held in 2015? Every year First Lego League (FLL) is held in 3 different countries. I know that the world festival will be held in St. Louis, but where will the other two be?

Last year it was held in Germany and Canada.

The FLL World Festival is going to be held in St. Louis, MO, USA, on April 22-25, 2015 (http://www.firstlegoleague.org/event/worldfestival).  This is the only official championship event held by the FLL.

Before the World Festival, various qualifying events are held all over the world.  You can learn more about those events by searching on this page: http://www3.usfirst.org/whats-going-on

Unofficially, FLL partners hold Open Championships around the world.  These events generally take place in the United States (in addition to the official World Festival), Canada, Asia, and Europe.  For more information, visit this Wikipedia page:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FIRST_Lego_League_Open_Championships


What is LEGO Junior? Are LEGO Junior bricks bigger than regular LEGO?

I can't decide between Junior LEGO and Duplo for my son who is just over 3.  I had thought the Junior sets might constitute a happy medium, but am now less sure.

LEGO Juniors sets use normal LEGO System bricks.  In other words, they are exactly the same size as the "normal" LEGO bricks.

However, the Junior sets are specifically designed for younger children.  They often have large single-use pieces (for example, for walls or frames), and are generally very easy to construct.  They also limit the use of small or difficult to handle pieces as much as possible.

Depending on how advanced your son is, my guess is that Duplo is the most appropriate.  If he no longer attempts to put toys in his mouth, and can focus/concentrate on a task for a decent amount of time, and has started developing fine motor skills, then Junior would probably be the most appropriate.

For reference, LEGO labels the Junior sets as appropriate for 4-7-year-olds, but I have met only a couple 4-year-olds that I would give the Junior sets to.  Most 3-year-olds should probably be playing with Duplo.


Is there a LEGO podcast? I have tried to find a podcast about LEGO but haven't found any currently active. There seems to be some old ones out there with a couple of episodes, but nothing new that I could find.

Anyone knows any?

The All Us Geeks podcast regularly has a segment on LEGO called the Brick Breakdown that is run by William and Sarah Reed. Here is the link to the latest episode (scroll down to see when the Brick Breakdown section starts): http://www.allusgeeks.com/2015/08/episode-60-dead-men-tell-no-tales/

My guess is that because LEGO is so hands-on and so visual, it is kind of hard to run a fully dedicated podcast about it. William and his wife mainly talk about things like the history of LEGO, investing in LEGO, etc. That's pretty much all you can do through a podcast.


How does the LEGO Super Mario figure know which power up is attached? The LEGO Super Mario theme includes an intelligent brick that interacts with various other elements present in the sets:

There are several Power-up sets available that provide Mario with additional powers and alter his behavior in various ways. How does the brick interact with these power up packs to know when they are in use?
Here's an example power-up pack:

The Mario element has six switches on the front:

The inside of the pants in the power-up sets include six plastic ridges that can be either high or low. They interact with the switches on Mario's torso in much the same way as the cuts on a key interact with a particular lock. The torso reads the pattern on the buttons to determine the power-up state. Here's an example showing the six ridges on the regular pants from the starter set and the ridges on Cat Mario:

The switches expect the following states for each of the pants elements (bits are read from left to right when looking at Mario):

Bit Pattern
Power-up

000000
None

001100
Propeller

010001
Cat

010010
Fire

100001
Normal

100010
Builder

Power-ups can be emulated by holding in the correct buttons. The play experience won't be great, but this could be used to see what a power-up does if you don't own it.
There's more detail on exactly what is read and presented via the Bluetooth interface on Shinichiro Oba's Github.
It's worth noting that the included hats are for decoration only. They have no impact on behavior, and there is no mechanism for them to be detected or identified.


How to check completeness of a bought set? Trying to solve problem for which I asked help in Looks like total number of parts and sum of them differs on bricklink I understood I did not have the skills to check contents of a set.  I did Web search for "site:bricks.stackexchange.com how to check completeness of a bought set" and did not find relevant info so making new post.  The question How to check the missing pieces of a given set? is titled similarly, but asks about different thing from mine.

Initially I tried to count parts by tens, put them in one place and keep count of tens.  I miscounted set of 602 by about 10‰ of parts. Then I tried to go by bricklink list again keeping track in tens. Again I failed though twice less.

Finally I separated parts by each "type",  taking large area on the floor and going by bricklink list I glanced at the parts,  checked presence and added up. On that way I found several occasions where I misplaced parts, but finally I got exact count, so I bought complete set as expected. Picture of layout below:

What are your favorite ways to check completeness of bought sets?

You've already discovered yourself two good ways:

count by ten
put elements on large surface by type

The latter technique can be extended to an art called "knolling":

Place all elements by type in right lines with right angles on a large surface...
Its a very relaxing exercise and fun in its own right. Checking completeness becomes trivial, building afterwards can also be done with much less frustration.

Update: Here's another very impressive knolling. The UCS Millenium Falcon 75192
 (7541 pieces) https://i.redd.it/q51wrtua5yb41.jpg
(can't insert picture here directly since too large)


How quickly do new molds reach PAB on the Lego website? A few months ago, I asked Lego customer service if the 1x2 jumper plates on the Lego PAB site would be the new mould (with stud holders) or the old mould (with pegs).  I received no reply, not even to say that they didn't know.

If anyone has ordered 1x2 jumpers or 2x2 round tiles recently, did you receive the new moulds or the old ones?

How long does it take for the new moulds to hit the Pick a Brick bins?

I suspect that is unanswerable except in very vague terms like "some time after the new molds get put into production" and "it will be a LONG time before the old ones go away completely".


What are the bricks in this picture/video? Can someone please identify the pieces in this picture?
I'd like to acquire these, but I'm not a LEGO enthusiast, so I don't really have an idea where to start.

For reference, the picture was taken from this video.

These are all fairly common parts that shouldn't be hard to find. It looks like they are a cheese slope (50746), a 1x1 tile (3070), and a 1x1 round plate (4073).

These parts are common enough that they are available in many sets, or you can purchase them separately from LEGO Pick-a-brick. If you're looking for a more affordable secondary market, you could also check out Bricklink.


Please help to identify the set this sticker belongs to Please help to identify the set this sticker belongs to.

The sticker is on both sides of the ensemble.

Bricklink lists this as a sticker over assembly

Part # BA55pb01 : Stickered Assembly 4 x 1 x 2 with Arctic Technic Logo Pattern on Both Sides (Stickers) - Set 8640 - 2 Slopes 45 2 x 1, 1 Slope, Inverted 45 2 x 1

From

8640-1: Polar Copter


How can I blow a stream of air for up to two minutes at a time? I'd like to be able to blow a constant stream of air for up to two minutes. The purpose of this blowing element would be to play a harmonica, using holes punched in a roll of paper/film to expose certain notes. The film will be mechanically propelled in one direction by a motor.

Would pneumatic pieces be required? (I have had a very limited experience with pneumatics)

Key Points:

I would prefer to use as few non-LEGO pieces as possible.
The blowing element must be able to reach all notes 1-10 evenly. Each hole in the harmonica is 5x5mm with 2mm in between each note for a total width of 68mm lengthwise.
The sound created by the blowing device must not exceed the sound produced by the harmonica.
Optional Bonus: The device can also be adjusted to suck air to create a different sounding note.

I think whether the official pneumatics parts would work for this project would depend on how much force and pressure is required to sound the particular harmonica that you are considering. I did find someone who has figured out what the pumps are capable of producing however I can't seem to find a reference for what the tubing systems are capable of supporting.

As a previous answer mentioned, an LA would be unlikely to be able to change notes fast enough so it would be much simpler to put a tubing endpoint at each one of the holes and then control which are active using switches and toggles. However if you do plan on powering multiple end points (which I understand is pretty common in typical harmonica playing) you'll have to think about whether you'll be able to supply enough pressure for all of the notes at the same time or not, and may require multiple compressors.

I would think that the design would end up being something like an M motor based compressor connected to one or more air tanks feeding a manifold with enough outputs for each harmonica hole and then adding a switch inline on each of those outputs.


Wiring diagram of this blue 12V switch? I'm looking for a wiring diagram or some information about the internal connections of this switch from the blue train era.

It is used for controlling the automatic points, and is visible on the original box:

The points connect to the back of the switch using a 3-pole connector:

I want to use a microcontroller to operate the points without manually pushing buttons. Since I don't have any of these, I cannot measure the connections (using a multimeter).

Does anyone own this switch, and cares to share some information?

This is how I think the switch works. I have tried wiring it this way and it works, however the points barely move. Perhaps the problem lies with the solenoids inside the points?

In electrical engineering one might call it:
DPDT (Double Pole Double Throw) Momentary (On)-Off-(On) Reversing Polarity Toggle Switch.

Momentary in this configuration means that it's spring loaded towards its centre position.

Edit: I'm not sure though, see the comment below. I have the remotely controlled switch points from the gray era and they work like above.


What is the biggest base plate available? I'm looking for as large a base plate as possible. Below is a 48x48 stud base, it's the largest I've seen.

Are larger plates available? Either the thin type (as pictured) or the regular plate thickness will do!

The largest official baseplate that I'm aware of is 50x50 modules.

It's only slightly larger than a 48x48, and it's a bit more difficult to use in large setups since most other common baseplates have side lengths that are a multiple of 16, so you might actually be better off with a 48x48 depending on what you are trying to do.

This part hasn't been available since the 70s, but you can still pick it up on Bricklink.

You may be interested in this answer which includes other raised baseplates:

What is the largest single LEGO piece?


How to tell if I need a neck kit for 21303 WALL•E? I heard that some older 21303 WALL-E models (LEGO Ideas #012) have a weak neck connection and that LEGO fixed that in later production runs, and that if I have an older WALLE I can contact customer support to have a "neck kit" sent over.

How can I tell if my model is the older or the newer version? There's nothing obvious on the box, and there is no information on the official LEGO website.

I contacted LEGO and this was their reply (emphasis mine):

  All LEGO® 21303 WALL-E sets produced during or after November 2015 already include the neck stability revision, which includes revised Building Instructions and extra parts.  You can tell the production date by checking the manufacturing code which is usually printed in black ink on the clear tape holding the box together.  If your number is 47(S)5 or higher, your have the revised set.  You can also tell my looking at the Building Instruction number.  This number is printed at the bottom corner on the back cover.  New revised BIs produced from November onwards will have the number 6162870 or 6162871.

Unfortunately my BI number is 6146260, so I guess I have a model with the old neck connection.


How do I know if this wooden LEGO duck is real? I bought this wooden duck and I am wondering if this is a real LEGO item.

Every Lego wooden duck I have seen, whether in person or on the internet, is sitting on a platform with the wheels attached to the platform. This is the original version:

Here is a later version:

Are there any markings on the toy itself that lead you to believe it is a Lego product?


How could I make a playable LEGO piano? I was thinking of how hard it is to make a LEGO piano.
I have already tried to use a rubber band but it did not make a good sound when I plucked at it.
My problem is that I want to make a piano but I don't know what to use for the strings. Can someone help?

Donny Chen made a LEGO piano that I believe is just large enough to play. Details are available on LEGO Ideas. You can watch him show it off in a video from Brickvention 2019. He has it motorized in that video.

From your comments, it sounds like you are interested in not simply having a piano with keys that can move, but one that actually emits proper sound. I think it will be quite difficult to do that effectively using LEGO elements (string, rubber bands, etc). The best that you can probably do to deliver sound using LEGO elements would probably be using EV3 or BOOST. This would be similar to the guitar model from the BOOST set:


Horizontal connection between plates If I only have minimum height available (one plate), how can I make a horizontal connection between two components? I need the connection to be easily disconnectable yet sturdy (like technic bricks with grey connectors).

I thought about hinge plates (4276/4275), but they are far too tight. I don't own any of the old ones (x1125/x1126), so I cannot check myself, but are they less tight?

Clarification - the components are built regularly (studs up), and sit next to each other and should be moved horizontally to separate or reconnect them.

There's no such thing as 2921 but only one plate high? I'd use that together with 4085, that would be perfect.

Have you tried horizontal clips? They will be a little taller than 1 plate in the center, but you might be able to adapt them to your needs given that the connection point is just one plate. Perhaps these parts:

60470b

48336

Something like 4623 with a vertical clip might also be a possibility depending on your constraints:


LEGO mindstorm EV3 control using FPGA I need advice on this issue. I want to build a communication between EV3 Mindstorms and FPGA. I want to control the different actuator/sensor of the EV3.

The idea is to test functionality of my digital system and its ability to interact with Mindstorms. Interface could be Bluetooth or else.

Could you please give me an idea about this?

You can find some information on I2C in FPGAs on fpga4fun. There are lots of I2C cores on OpenCores, too. The biggest challenge would be how to connect your FPGA to the peripherals. My advice is to get a tiny development board like this one, and then you need to supply power to it, but this can be battery-powered since FPGAs are typically low-powered.

You would need to make connectors to connect the pins to your MindStorms/PF motors, but that should be fairly easy. However, one concern would be whether the board is able to channel enough power through the pins into the motors: Lego motors are 9V whereas typical FPGA pin output is 5V.


What set is the head in this MOC from? This MOC uses some kind of armour for the head and possibly the thighs. I thought it was Hero Factory but I couldn’t find it on Bricklink.

I would greatly appreciate any help in identifying it!

It looks like Hero Factory Weapon Accessory - Machinery Armor is the part you are looking for.


Why does Pybricks on ev3dev have slow performance compared to EV3-G? I got MINDSTORMS EV3 for my son and me. We installed Python (ev3dev) and ii seems to be running very slowly. I tried setting up the classic LEGO ev3g (block code), and that seems to run fine.
Are we doing something wrong or is Python very slow on MINDSTORMS?
Please help!
Example:
Simple program - display count and loop 100 times
Python: ~1.5s
ev3g: ~0.15s
Edit:
#!/usr/bin/env pybricks-micropython

from pybricks.hubs import EV3Brick
from pybricks.tools import wait, StopWatch

ev3 = EV3Brick()
ev3.speaker.beep()
timer = StopWatch()

for x in range(0, 100):
    ev3.screen.print(str(x) + ':' + str(timer.time()))

wait(5000)

This on the screen the last line displayed is
99:1113
this takes just over ~ 1.1s to loop 100 times

Printing text in pybricks-micropython on ev3dev has known performance issues, so we don't recommend doing that in a loop. The trade off is that, unlike ev3-g, you can also print in other languages that don't use Latin scripts like Chinese and Russian. Most other things should run much faster.


Question about the lantern pieces in the Winter Toy shop set I have a question about the lanterns in the Winter Village Toy Shop.  I'd like to just buy the parts to make a few of the street-lights in that set. However, from reading the instructions (steps 4 and 5 below) and looking at the globe part, it doesn't seem like it would be stable. It appears to be just resting inside a 2 x 2 dish, is that right? If so, is there a way to make something like this that's more stable. Or have I just misread the directions?

I don't have this piece to check this assembly physically myself to confirm. However, the same design has passed TLG design review not once, but twice: first with 10199 set you mentioned in 2009 as well as 10249 six years later, which is updated version of 10199. So I'm rather confident there is no flaw.
Looking at the picture it seems like Cylinder Hemisphere 2 x 2 with Cutout sit underneath the round plate's ridge, thus making it stable.

I have built this assembly virtually. Here hemisphere is placed above  round plate's ridge intentionally, to show the fact that hole diameter is smaller. Thus, by placing hemisphere below round plate (as it is shown in instructions) will block it from moving vertically.


Identify bulldozer truck -probably from early 90"s Have a bulldozer looking truck with green rocket boosters on it and silver arrows, silver knives on each side of the dome like top

Colours: black green, clear green dome
figure has clear green helmet, not an alien
bulldozer on chain and lifts by hand...

This sounds like 2161 Aqua Dozer from the Aquaraiders theme.


Trying to ID a piece. Light grey, approx. 1 in. X 1 in. Shaped like a bottom jaw or a digger shovel. It has a half round hump in the middle of the piece.

Pretty sure you're describing a Bionicle Krana Holder 3 x 4, which allegedly comes in light grey, dark grey, brown, red, blue, and green.


Can anyone identify this set? https://www.gumtree.com/p/other-baby-stuff/various-bits-of-lego-all-for-%C2%A35/1183678235

Can anyone identify this set? Is it even genuine LEGO?

Welcome! This collection of pieces might contain some LEGO pieces, but is mostly another brand. The bottoms of the bricks and plates have patterns that are not typical for LEGO, and LEGO does not make a large wedge plate like the light-grey one on the right. Furthermore, LEGO did never make a large tree stump and tree with face as shown in the middle of the picture. As such, even though the seller claims this is "LEGO", it is not.


How can I easily remove a jumper plate without a brick separator? How can I easily remove a jumper plate?

I find it very difficult to remove this kind of brick with a brick separator.

A 1x1x5 brick has enough leverage to remove most jumper plates. Apply pressure to the top of the brick and pull or push away from the length of the jumper plate.

Even a 1x1 brick works in certain cramped places, although It doesn't provide as much leverage.


How many BIONICLE store display tubes were created? I'm an avid BIONICLE collector and am curious as to how many unique store display tubes were created during the lines original run. To add some known information to my question I know there was a Tahu Nuva display tube very early on but then there seems to be a gap. I hear there may have bee a Rahkshi display but have never seen it if anyone can confirm this? From 2005 every line had a tube produced including TWO for the Piraka for some reason. But I'm curious about the missing years. Toa Mata, Bohrok, Bohrok Kal, Rahkshi, Toa Metru, Vahki, do any of these have store displays? Or is it something that only started in 2005 and Tahu Nuva was an exception (as photographic proof exists of this one!)

Anyone with any knowledge on this it would help to fill a gap in the line's history! Also, where are the new 2016+ store displays? I've seen a single Tahu tube and a Tahu display case but nothing outside of that (except I believe a case of skull villains?) Are there any more being produced?

Here's a link to better explain what I'm talking about : http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/18801-retail-items-topic/

As it turns out, a Rahkshi store display tube does exist and was recently re-discovered.

The following display tubes are known to exist.

G1

2002 Rahkshi Panrahk

2003 Tahu Nuva

2005 Hordika Vakama

2005 Visorak Keelerak

2006 Inika Jaller

2006 Piraka Hakann

2006 Piraka Vezok

2007 Barraki Kalmah

2007 Mahri Nuparu

2008 Mistaka Lewa

2008 Mistaka Lewa and Tanma

2008 Mistaka Tahu

2009 Glatorian Gresh

2009 Glatorian Mata Nui

2009 Stars Tahu

G2

2015 Tahu

Others

2001 Onua Sculpture

(Technically a display tube, but a brick sculpture rather than the set.)


Star Wars 30-stud long grey triangle ship identification Tried searching it through Google but it didn’t come up with a result. Please help me identifying this one.

Looks like the MIDI-SCALE IMPERIAL STAR DESTROYER™ - 8099


Which LEGO set are these parts from? As we don't know how to make....and which set.

Based on the

yellow 30150 Container, Crate with Handholds

and

Trans-Bright Green Bar 8L with Round End (Spring Shooter Dart)

(also R2-D2)

You have:

75092-1: Naboo Starfighter


Set missing all the Minifigures and a few other parts When I got the Quinjet set, I dug through every bag but the manufacturers forgot a few pieces and my set didn't have any minifigures. How can I get the missing minifigures and the parts I'm missing?

It is unlikely that Lego mispacked all of the minifigures. In the Quinjet set, the figures are spread among several bags, meaning Lego would have had a packing error in multiple bags, and then coincidentally placed all of the mispacked bags into the same box.

More likely is that someone removed them from the box and returned the package to the store. If I were you, I would take the box back to the point of purchase and ask for a replacement. The set is still in production, so they should be able to get you another or refund your money.


Can you identify some parts on the Chinese New Year Temple Fair set #80105 I'm trying to plan a smaller version of the Chinese New Year Temple Fair.

Can you help me identify the parts used to make the plants on page 30
of the instruction manual?
Can you help me identify the 2 little curved parts used to make the
roof on page 69?
Can you help me identify the dragon-pole-thing and the tubular thing
it's connected to on page 74.

Thanks.
Link to Instructions

Part #24866 - Plate, Round 1 x 1 with Flower Edge (5 Petals).

Part #32607 - Plant Plate, Round 1 x 1 with 3 Leaves.

Part #87580 - Plate, Modified 2 x 2 with Groove and 1 Stud in Center (Jumper).

Part #19119 - Plant Flower Stem with Bar and 6 Stems.

Part #49307 - Brick, Modified 1 x 1 x 2/3 No Studs, Curved Top.

Part #15070 - Plate, Modified 1 x 1 with Tooth Vertical.

Part #36017- Minifigure, Weapon Sword Hilt with Dragon Head.

Part #64644 - Minifigure, Utensil Telescope.


How to make Mindstorms respond differently, depending on which sensor is triggered? I am new to Mindstorms (but in my day job I am a programmer).

I want to make my robot do one thing if the touch sensor on port 1 is pressed, and do something different if the touch sensor on port 2 is pressed.

If nothing is pressed, I want it to keep driving straight ahead.

I can see how to tell it to drive along until one of the sensors is triggered.  I.e. "drive along until sensor 1 is pressed", but I can't see how to say "... until either sensor 1 or sensor 2 is pressed".

In answer, it would be great if you could:

tell me the blocks to use
give me a screenshot of a program
link to a program which has a similar effect

I believe one possible answer can be found in the sample program for the color sorter in the Mindstorms control software. The technique that kit uses is to create a series of nested if/then loops:

if (Color == red) {
  //do red things here
} else {
  if (Color == blue) {
    //do blue things here
  } else {
    if (Color == green) {
      //do green things here
    } else {
      if (Color == yellow) {
        //do yellow things here
      } else {
        //default actions here
      }
    }
  }
}

Using this as a template, you could use a structure like:

if (Touch Sensor 1 == Pressed) {
  // Special Action 1 (i.e. turn left)
} else {
  if (Touch Sensor 2 == Pressed ) }
    // Special Action 2 (i.e. turn right)
  } else {
    // Default Action (i.e. drive forward)
  }
}

Hope this helps - I don't have quick access to the Mindstorms environment right now or I could set up a quick screen shot. I can only refer you to the ColorSorter program in the samples.


Does the word Lego have anything to do with Latin verb lego? When I started learning Latin and learnt the verb "legō" specifically (meaning, "I collect, gather"), I suddenly realized "Oh, so that's where the Lego name comes from!" and it made perfect sense.

It was somewhat surprising for me to learn later that in fact it originates from Danish "leg godt", meaning "play well". I actually still believe Lego has relations with the Latin verb, even though there is no clear proof of it in official sources.

Do you think Latin "legō" has anything to do here, or is it just a mere coincidence?

The official story is that Ole Kirk Kristiansen didn't realise until years after naming the company what it meant in Latin (normally it's said to mean "I put together", not "I collect"), and as there was no construction over the products made in the first many years, it seems unlikely that he should have thought along those lines.