Minifigure Hand broken and stuck in arm A friend of mine gave me some of his old minifigures. As you guys can see, the hand of one of the figures is broken and a part of the hand is stuck in the arm.

Do you have any ideas how to remove the broken part?

Don't fix it

I sympathize with the desire to fix it, but on closer consideration it doesn't seem easy or worth it.  Getting the hand out would probably damage the arm even if you manage to do it.

Replace it

The entire torso is available for less than $1 on BrickLink.  This is the easiest path forward.  Some similar torsos are half as much if you don't need an exact match.

There are replacement arms for many colors and color combinations on BrickLink, but not a plain blue arm like this that I could find.

If you get lucky.

Apparently you can buy just the hands as Mr. Shiny and New 安宇 pointed out.  So if you manage to get the hand out without damaging the arm you can solve your problem for a few cents plus postage.

Or re-purpose it

As with all of LEGO the possibilities are limited to your imagination:

maybe this soldier had his hand cut off and he's too poor to get a  prosthetic.
maybe this guy is holding a tray of drinks on his right arm during a battle.  I don't have an arm with a missing hand to test this, but I hope something could be attached to it.
maybe he had a tragic shaving accident and you can make a bloody scene about it.
maybe this soldier put on the wrong uniform and you can live with 2 new matching arms from BrickLink that aren't entirely blue.
maybe he's sticking his arm into a bee's nest or a hole in a dike.

So I hope you can see some way to get more value out of your "broken" torso than just tossing it.  But sometimes we've gotten all of the life out of a piece and it is time to let it go.


How to install NXT Firmware 1.28? Lego is giving 1.31 from their website but I need 1.28, how can I install it?

Heh, found it on my computer, click to download from Google Drive.


What set are these LEGO assemblies from? I bought a lot of second hand LEGO  - it was an utter bargain at £10 - and have identified loads of different sets, however this part is infuriating me as I can't identify what it could be part of. Perhaps a submarine? It looks like a periscope in the middle and I'm sure it had at one point 6-8 legs sticking out on the sides.

Set 75013 Umbaran MHC (Mobile Heavy Cannon) , based on the leg shape and the Dark Red 1x1 Headlight Bricks.


Identifying some hair, a green "gem", and white minifigures accessory I recently acquired a few pounds of LEGO with some off-brand building blocks mixed through it. I've got three mystery pieces that I haven't been able to find on Bricklink.  I'm wondering if they are Lego or off-brand pieces. I was under the impression that most LEGO pieces had the word LEGO written on them, and none of these do.

Brown hair: Has the number 5 on the bottom.  It fits a 2x2 square.  I got no matches in a search for "hair", filtering to brown color.

Green gem: It kind of reminds me of Rock Raiders, but I got no matches for "green gem" or "green jewel".  The base is a 2x2 circle. It has no lettering on it.

White "wings"? This one I am quite sceptical of, however it fits perfectly on a minifigure as a pair of wings.  I had no idea what to search for this one.  It has a number 2 on it.

I'd like to know if these are Lego pieces.  Reasons that they likely aren't (eg. LEGO has never used that color) are great too.

Piece 1 is Mega Bloks. Here's is a picture of a head (twice) that goes with it, and some yellow hair as well.


Does the jumper plate have a Danish nickname? Does the "jumper plate" (1×2 plate with centered stud) have a Danish nickname like the "Erling"? Who is the designer of this part? And does there exist a catalog of designers of specific bricks?

I cannot find any cases of the Jumper Plate brick having a Danish nickname, the closest you might get to a Danish nicknamed would be a literal translation: jumper plade.

The Erling brick is a very rare case of a brick being named after its creator. I imagine most bricks created nowadays are produced by not one but several people. It's possible that such a catalogue of brick designers exists, but is not publicly available.


Restoring minifig parts to original configuration for sale I have approx 100 Lego Figures (besides extra 'body parts') but I know that most are not as originally issued.  While all are Lego parts they are all mixed up.  I'd like to sell the whole lot, but concerned that I have to restore them to their original (uniform)look - or at least in their original look they would command a (somewhat) higher price. Any recommendations or thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks.

You may use the minifigs section of Brickset to help you. They have reference of over 9000 minifigs released by TLC over time. By browsing per topic, you may complete some of your minifigs and using the site is completely free.

There are also several books like this Complete Lego Minifigure Catalogue (1975-2015), even if books may offer a higher challenge to search. Moreover, books are not free.


Help identifying window frame with hinge pin holes Can anyone identify this piece (picture below)?

It looks like the top half of a window frame with some 2 pin holes in it.

The size is 1 x 6 x 4, it has no model number on it but does have LEGO branding on the studs.

That would be 821 Garage Door Frame (Old style).

As the name implies, it was for the old garage door in these sets from the 50s and 60s.


Star Wars Set Identification, small sets with Snow Troopers Please help if possible to identify this Star Wars set. Let me know if you need any other information.

Definitely 8084 - LegoSnowtrooper Battle Pack:

There are only 4 Star Wars sets with the white tricycle body, and you can clearly see all the other parts match.


Could not open serial port or USB device, RCX on Linux I am trying to use my old RCX 2.0 set on Linux (Xubuntu). The problem is that when I try to download the (official) firmware into the RCX via the command:

nqc -Susb:/dev/usb/legousbtower1 -firmware ./firm0332.lgo

I get the error "Could not open serial port or USB device". Note that:

There is a module for the USB tower corresponding to my Linux kernel,
The USB tower is recognized as /dev/usb/leogusbtower1,
I changed the permissions with sudo chmod 666 /dev/usb/leogusbtower1,
When I do echo "Hello!" > /dev/usb/legousbtower1 the tower blinks,
My version of NQC is 3.1 r6 from the Ubuntu repositories,
The tower works like a charm in a Windows XP virtual machine.

Because of the list above, I don't understand why I can't communicate with the RCX yet. Can somebody help me? Thank you.

Just as an aside you can also do the following:

sudo ln -s /dev/usb/legousbtower1 /dev/usb/legousbtower0

That worked for me, and my challenge now is that there is no firmware :-)


How exactly does the pull-back motor (12787) work? I've got the 42034 Quad for my birthday and it's been really fun to play with technic after so many years.

I am very curious about one thing, though - how does the pull-back motor (12787) work and look internally? I'd unscrew mine but I am afraid I'd damage it.

I am guessing it probably uses some kind of spring and/or rubber bands to build the pressure but I'd love to know it's internals precisely.

Another type of pullback motor has a detailed structural disassembly here: Imgur album.

I think your motor should work mostly the same way, but I wasn't able to source such internal pictures.

LEGO Micro Pull-back Motor Reassembly

Micro Pull-back Motor Parts

Gear A: Pin shaped like 'E' for attachment to Spring on Chassis
Gear B: Smallest (of 2) gear with a pin
Gear C: Largest gear with 2 levels, smaller gear at the bottom, larger gear on top, with teeth for meshing with Axle F
Gear D: Smallest (of 2) gear with a hole
Gear E: Medium gear with 2 levels
Axle Assembly F
Gear Assembly G

Not shown: 5 X-head screws
Note: Gear A may be detached from Spring.
I attached it such that it won't fall out when flipped upside down.

Install Gear B
Place Gear B with pin downwards into slot in Gear Assembly G

Install Gear C.
Place Gear C into the hole in Gear Assembly G.
The larger gear is on top.
Gear C will cover Gear B and mesh with it
(though Gear B has some play since it is in a slot)

Install Gear E.
Place Gear E into the small depression in Gear Assembly G.
The larger gear is at the bottom, and will slide under Gear C.
There is a pin facing up. Gear E will mesh with Gear B.

Attach Gear D to the Axle Assembly F.
Gear D has a small hole which fits on the pin on Axle Assembly F.

Attach the Axle Assembly F to the Gear Assembly Cover G.
Flip the Axle over.
Gear D should stay attached to the Axle Assembly.
Align the Axle Assembly and snap down on the protruding pin on the Gear Assembly.
Pinch the two parts (F & G) together at the lower section using thumb and index finger, and try to spin the axle.
The gears should only rotate when the axle is spun in one direction, and not the other.

Reattach the Gear Assembly G to the Chassis.
This step is tricky.
You will need to pinch the Gear Assembly to keep parts in place,
then place the Chassis on top of the Gear Assembly G, and move it around
until Gear A connects with the correct hole and mesh with the other gears.
Then, holding everything tightly, flip it over, and start installing and tightening the screws in a diagonal pattern.
Don't over tighten the screws, you should install at least 3 screws first (one on top, two at the bottom), and test that the spring is engaged with Gear A and you get a pull back action when the wheels are turned.
After that, install the rest of the screws and tighten all of them.

The pull back action works, but I can't figure out how to fix the torque on the spring.
So the car is no longer a race car but a jalopy!


Where can I find LEGO technic pieces? I love the design by me software, but there are too few LEGO Technic pieces.

Do you know somes places (in Europe) where I can find LEGO Technic pieces without buying sets ?

Directly from LEGO:

Pick a brick

Third party:

bricklink.com

bricklink is cheaper in most cases, on both you can choose and buy only the pieces you really need.


Identifying a set having a chair with a brown seat and circular base with surrounding gray pieces I bought a bunch of partial assemblies and bulk pieces. I want to identify what set this belongs to.

I suspect it's a Star Wars set, but there were no minifigs nor decals to confirm my suspicion.

Your initial suspicion that this set was from Star Wars is...

"Most impressive."

Good job!

Set #75077-1 Homing Spider Droid.


How can I prevent my finger from getting injured between gears? Recently I was building a prototype for a LEGO tank chassis and I tested it, but my finger got caught between the gears, resulting in my finger getting cut. Are there any ways to prevent that from happening?

Here's an idea for a stop switch using a remote control and one's wrist.

Place your wrist on the switch to start the motor. With your hands free you're still able to carefully adjust your running gears. But what if something (or someone...) gets stuck?

Just lift your wrist and the motor will stop immediately. No need to quickly flick that switch on the battery box anymore.


LEGO stormtrooper variation I found several LEGO stormtroopers on a toy box.   They each have a plain yellow head and the words "LEGO 2002" in big letters in their backs.  Did they come from a set?

These are promotional items. Not from a set. They can be related to a store-opening, a give-away, other special events, etc. Looking through the Bricklink catalog I found one listing with a stormtrooper torso that you might be referring to: http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=973pskac01

If you can add a picture we can probably identify them more precisely. Hope this helps some...(c;


How to Decipher Lego Building Instructions Filenames? On the official site for downloading lego instructions, the filenames are often quite cryptic, and many sets have as many as six different files you can download and sometimes it's hard to tell which one you want. Can anyone enumerate what all those various part of the filename mean?

Examples 1:

Woody's Roundup! 7594

BI 3005/48 - - Download size: 5.71 Mb
BI 3005/48 - - Download size: 5.71 Mb
BI 3005/48 - 7594 V 110 2/2 - Download size: 5.94 Mb
BI 3005/60 - 7594 V 110 1/2 - Download size: 5.91 Mb
BI 3005/60 - 7594 V 140 1/2 - Download size: 5.91 Mb
BI 3005/60 - 7594 V 29 1/2 - Download size: 5.87 Mb
BI 3005/60 - 7594 V 39 1/2 - Download size: 5.87 Mb

Here's what I've figured out so far
BI = building instructins
3005 = set number
48 or 60 = ??
7594 = ??
V = version
110, 140, etc = ??
29 = A4 paper
39 = US letter paper
1/2 and 2/2 = the booklet number

Example 2:

Batman™: Arkham Asylum Breakout 10937
 BI 3016/12-65G - Download size: 4.68 Mb
 BI 3016/12-65G - Download size: 4.68 Mb
 BI 3016/68+4*- - Download size: 12.79 Mb
 BI 3016/68+4*- - Download size: 12.79 Mb
 BI 3016/76+4*- - Download size: 15.96 Mb
 BI 3016/76+4*- - Download size: 15.96 Mb
 BI 3016/80+4/65+115g - Download size: 14.5 Mb
 BI 3016/80+4/65+115g - Download size: 14.5 Mb

Now this one's even crazier 68+4* huh??
And it kind of looks like all the files are duplicated? Or is the second one possibly a newer or bugfixed version?

After emailing back and forth with LEGO, I think I have an acceptable answer:

Example:

BI 3005/48 - 7594 V 110 2/2 - Download size: 5.94 Mb
^   ^   ^      ^   ^     ^                   ^
1   2   3      4   5     6                   7

Stands for Building Instructions
A number for internal usage by different LEGO teams.

You'll see that many different sets share this number, and all the numbers are fairly close (generally in the early 3000's).  My guess is that it has something to do with whoever drafted and finalized the instruction manual.

This number shows the number of pages in the manual.

When the number is show x+y, that means x building pages, and y instructional pages (e.g. what to do with bricks, or what bags are needed).

This is the set number.
This number refers to the page format of the instruction manual.

V29 means ISO A4 paper format.
V39 means letter paper format.
Other Vs (like 110, 140, etc) are different file formats.  LEGO said "those are the types of versions throughout our country that we ship to".  I'm guessing that they are related to the official formats for the manuals that are included with the kits.

The booklet number:  x/y means x booklet number out of y booklets.
The file size of the instruction in megabytes (not megabits, as it would seem to imply).


Emmet's couch model in official sets different than the movie? Lego's official building instructions for The Sea Cow set include building instructions for building Emmet's couch from The Lego Movie. Are there differences between this model and the one actually featured in the movie? The one in this set looks different to me. Like, for example, this set has studs on some of the cushions to help minifigures stay seated, but in the movie the couch didn't have studs. Are there other differences as well? Any really major ones?

There are several discrepancies between the double-decker couch featured in The Sea Cow set and that depicted in the LEGO Movie. I've recreated the movie version as best I could in LDD and LDraw, and have compared it side-by-side with the Sea Cow set version. In the first picture, the Sea Cow set version is on the left, and the movie version is on the right, and vice-versa in the second picture. The notable differences are as follows:

As you pointed out, some of the seats in the Sea Cow version have studs on them so that minifigures will stay on better. Notice also that the Sea Cow version has one layer of blue plates, whereas the movie version has two layers.
The armrests are different. The parts that the two different armrests share have different color selections, and the Sea Cow counterparts are thicker and higher up than the movie counter parts. Also, the Sea Cow armrests contain the supports for the ladders, whereas the supports for the ladders are located elsewhere on the movie version.
The ladders in the Sea Cow version are higher up than the movie version.
There are round 1x1 studs placed on the bottom of the upper level of the movie version, but none are found on that of the Sea Cow version.

The back rests have more layers of plates in the Sea Cow set version than in the movie version.
The 1x2 plates with bars in the Sea Cow set version are used to connect the back rests with their corresponding seats, whereas in the movie version, they are not connected to anything. Because of this, the seats on the upper level are simply suspended in midair, and the back rests of the lower level are just sitting there with nothing attaching them to the seats. This is why replicating the movie version 100% and keeping it together is physically impossible. Why the makers of The LEGO Movie didn't simply attach plates with clips to those plates with bars they have there is beyond me.
In the Sea Cow set version, the two levels are connected by technic tubes which connect to 2x2 plates with holes. The two levels of the movie version are connected by long cylindrical 1x1 columns.


Which is more environment-friendly: LEGO bricks or Mega Bloks? Which is more environment-friendly LEGO bricks or Mega Bloks?

There are multiple ways to look at this question, but in any case, probably LEGO.
Production
LEGO has been prioritizing sustainability as of late, with all of their electrical uses and more already coming from sustainable sources.

Our sustainability mission
Our mission is to make all LEGO® bricks sustainably by 2030. Why? Because being sustainable is good for the planet! We want to make bricks out of things that we can grow again or are recycled. This is not easy as we want sustainable LEGO bricks to have the same high quality that you are used to, but what we know is this: big ideas may start small, but they will help us build a greener planet one brick at a time.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
At the LEGO Group, we want to play our part and make a positive impact on society and the planet, which our children will inherit, and it is this focus on future generations that drives our work. We believe we have a responsibility to minimise the environmental impact of our operations. However for us, minimising is not enough, we want to aim for zero environmental impact on the planet.
The LEGO Group aims to send zero waste to landfill by 2025, and in 2018 recycled 93% of all waste from our operations. Additionally, 100% of all plastic waste produced during the moulding of LEGO® bricks was recycled. This includes reusing some of the plastic resin in our own processes, as well as sending some of the waste to suppliers to be recycled and turned into other plastic products.
We’re big fans of wind power!
We’re proud of our achievement of being 100% balanced by renewable energy, due to the investments made in offshore wind farms in Germany and the UK by KIRKBI A/S – parent company of the LEGO Group. In 2018, the energy output from our investments in renewables was greater than the energy used at LEGO® factories, offices and stores.

I am not aware of nor was I able to find a similar effort being made by Mega Bloks, though I suppose it's possible they are doing it without advertising.
Disposal
As far as the environmental impact of the product when it reaches a landfill, it's a bit tougher to answer that question. It's unclear how different the  plastics the two companies uses is, and what the impact of those plastics is. The amount of plastic each company might use for a given piece might also differ. One thing I can say though is that LEGO is much more likely to be repurposed as it holds an after-market value much better.


EV3 brick Bluetooth connection error I’m unable to pair the ev3 brick to our iPad mini. Both see each other but I keep getting this error on the ipad, Connection Unsuccessful, make sure ev3 is turned on and in range. And the ev3 shows a screen...

WiFi I turned off on both and on the ev3 Bluetooth is turned on along with visibility. I’ve played around with checking and unchecking iPod/iPad/ etc box.

They paired before but we were experiencing inconsistencies with the brick while running programs and it was advised to try updating the brick so I did and now they are not pairing.

What should I do?

I was experiencing similar problem with my Windows PC and EV3 brick.

Restart bluetooth on both, PC/Mac and EV3.

Do NOT pair from the brick.
Begin pairing from the EV3 Mindstorm App on your PC/Mac.

It should pair and work as expected.


Which sets can be built in the bag (all the parts are in one bag)? I've had the chance to participate in some "build in the bag" contests at some events. The idea is simple: each contestant gets a small set (usually provided by LEGO for the occasion), and everybody tries to build the set at the same time.

The trick is, the contestants may not open the bag but should build the model inside it. The first to finish wins some additional prize. You can also up the ante, PLUG did for example do this underwater.

However, this does require that all parts of the set are in exactly one transparent polybag. Small racers sets (the one in plastic boxex with a round top) are usually suitable, but we've had a club event where we wanted to do that and there was no polybag (the first to open his box spilled the contents on the ground), so we had to find some other contest (I think we ended up with one-handed build or build without plan).

So my question is, which sets are known to have all parts in one polybag? Is there any way to find out?

The ones I know of:

8072 - Sea Jet
8400 - Space Speeder
8398 - BBQ Stand
5611 - Public Works
5762 - Mini Plane
7241 - Fire Car
8130 - Terrain Crusher
5618 - Troll Warrior
to be continued...

In addition, some LEGO Creator sets, with only partly transparent bags are possible to build in bag, like this video shows - but it gets a lot harder.
Rather then listing all of the sets, I'd go by the general rule that sets that are 9.5cm x 9.5cm x 4.5cm or smaller are in one bag (or just in the box). The Court Jester (7953) for example, is one exception in that the Jester hat is packaged separately.


How many polypags would I need to get to have good odds of getting all in the series? Despite helpful prior answers about squeezing polybags to determine contents, the new Unikitty! series seems pretty immune to this sort of the effort since all of them are in one of 3 shapes and there are inner bags which make it even harder to feel the parts.  So I bought a bunch of polybags from two different stores in the same town.  After buying 25+ polybags I'm still 5 short of the set.  Is it just bad luck or is my guess of the odds that far off?

It's known as the "Coupon collector's problem". To get all 12 you would on average need to buy 38. Buying a whole box (or finding someone who did and buying a set from them) seems like a much more attractive solution.


9v and Power Functions Hybrid? I am building a train layout and I am running some of my track through a tunnel. I would like to know if I could hook up a 9v train motor at the opposite end of my train. The front will use Power Functions for the motor. Will this work together in case my IR receiver loses communication to the controller and at the same time run at the same exact speed? Is there an alternative?

I'm not so sure using 9V will be usefull ?

My son has a PF cargo train in his room, when he turns it on, it goes, ok.

but even if my son goes downstair to get a cookie while he still has the PF emitter in his hand, then train still runs !

According to me, PF infrared link is used only when you wish to change speed setting, so if you don't plan to slow down your train in the tunnel, you are ok.


Why are my pieces breaking? "3612 Arm piece straight with 2 and 3 fingers" I've dug up my old LEGO (from 1990's) and most bricks are simply scratched and dirty.

However, the arm pieces 3612 break on touch!

Are they simply a bad, too thin, design, or is there something more to this abnormal degradation?

I don't suppose there is anything to be done to fix the bricks now?

During the 90's I was gifted older LEGO bricks from a friend of my parents that were about 30 years old. Many were discolored, warped and specifically the blue and gray pieces would break if flexed.

30 years forward and some of pieces from my 90's mix are discolored specifically gray, blue, white, yellow, brown.  I think there is shelf life of about 30 years with certain color blends.  Note that pieces that have sat in sunlight have been affected more.  Maybe the sun's UV rays are not so good for certain color blends.

A few suggestions:

(1) Buy new.  Head over to Bricklink and buy new pieces.  Unfortunately, I've never seen this piece in Green and the site is saying that this is somewhat rare. (Site wise only two exist! Sold by a store in Belgium at $2.16 each. Ouch!).

Record keeping purposes.  After breaking out my pieces from the 90's, I have creations and designs that once disassembled would be lost.  I don't want to lose these old drafts, or the build knowledge gleaned from them that I could use in future creations. Things can get more exasperated if these pieces are breaking due to time.

(2a) Get a virtual LEGO program (I still use the discontinued LEGO Digital Designer) and preserve your builds digitally.  Label them correctly and store them indefinitely in The Cloud.

(2b) For me, I can look at a model and figure out how it was made, so it might be faster to use your phone and make a short video of your creation from all angles, and upload that for preservation to The Cloud.

And finally, those pieces I have that are at least 60 years old, a few blue pieces can be crumpled in one hand...


Where is the structural difference between a minifig and a minifig on a keychain? Where is the structural difference between a minifig and a minifig on a keychain?  Can someone explain why this post is not meeting "their" quality standard?

A minifig on a keychain and a regular minifig are essentially the same. They are made of the same components. A couple of additional procedures turn regular minifigs into keychain minifigs.

1.) There is a long screw inserted through the head and neck-post of the minifig to be able to attach the keychain to the loop at the end of the screw. If you remove the screw, there will be a small hole left inside the stud on the head, and on the neck-post.

2.) The leg assembly is fused to the torso assembly to make sure they don't separate during use as a keychain.

In addition, keychain minifigs are made in China, so there is a slight difference in how they look. The plastic has a duller and sometimes a bit more opaque appearance compared to regular minifigs. The printing, however, is the same quality, which is what most people focus on. The difference in the shine/opaqueness is usually only noticed when the keychain minifigs is placed next to an identical regular minifig.


Gluing small parts with hairspray? Someone told me about a "myth" that you could glue LEGO pieces together with a solidifying hairspray like Tresemme stuff, or similar firm hairsprays (that ones that solidify your hair and dry out fast)

Id rather not test it on a random brick to know, but I have a few sets of rare limited edition model weapons (Like Actual Silver versions of LEGO Ninjago weapons and other such common rares, but I also have some extremely rare things like the gold-plated minifig katana)... And I keep losing the pieces to them (I usually find them but still!!) And Due that I'm only using them for collection (not play) I don;t need them to be seperable.

Keep in mind, I'm not really applying this question to my 1 piece rares or my metal minifigure items. I also have some old limited edition plastics that no longer "exist" and they tend to be weapons and pieces made from multiple small pieces.

Is something like hairspray a workable method (Ive heard its similar to those "bead glues" that you see on TV where you make plastic beads, and spray them with something and they stick together...

if this isn't a good method to go about with this, Perhaps a better method that's not expensive nor messy, but works well and looks good.

I plan on later getting an artist to line them up and put them in Epoxy resin, but for now I need a glue method (For bragging rights :3)

AFAIK those "bead glues" work on a completely different principle where the sheen on the individual beads is a water-activated glue and so the finished piece needs to be sprayed with just clean water to adhere the beads together.

There are a number of "weak glues" known which could be worth a try:

thick sugar syrup (naturally water soluble, thus removable)
a mixture of baking flour and water (similarly water soluble)
from this answer comes a recommendation for the "Spray and Play" glue, which can be found for sale online but whose website has since gone rogue. Probably due to the negative feedback received on Amazon.

Of course, for any of the above I'd recommend trying with a few pairs of expendable bricks, whose total cost might be lower than any one of your prized collectibles.

Another avenue would be to increase the clutch power to prevent the separation of the pieces. For example you could place thin pieces of paper, saran wrap or tinfoil between the LEGO pieces that need to be held together. The additional material will prevent the pieces from returning to their original shapes, this tension will make accidental separation harder. And if you get the size of the insert small enough and the placement precise enough, nothing will stick out from between the bricks and so the insert will not degrade the display value.


Can you identify the set for this transparent and printed orange canopy, with number 56? Part from unknown set. Can someone please help to identify the set number?


Teleoperated arm trouble I have built a robotic arm with the lego Mindstorms ev3.  My goal is to control its motion via teleoperation, that is , to have a gyro sensor strapped onto my arm and have the robot mimick the up and down motion of my forearm.  However, I am completely stumped concerning the programming.  I need a reliable way to read the gyro sensor readings while taking into account any bias in the sensor.  Second, I would also like the sensor to read the rate of change in my arm and translate that into power for the large motor.  If anyone can show me how to do this with the ev3 programming environment, the help would be greatly appreciated.

Disclaimer: I have never used the EV3 interface, only the text based programming languages for the NXT. Therefore I might be proven wrong.

  I need a reliable way to read the gyro sensor readings

I think the gyro sensor should have come with the appropriate instructions to do that. If not, you can find many tutorials online, such as this: http://robotsquare.com/2014/06/25/tutorial-gyro-ultrasonic-sensor-ev3-home-edition/

  while taking into account any bias in the sensor.

Bias can be accounted for by using a previously known position to calibrate the sensor. You could start your program with the gyro (and your arm) in one of the extreme positions and measure movement relative to that.

  Second, I would also like the sensor to read the rate of change in my arm and translate that into power for the large motor.

This sounds like a simple differentiation task. You measure the angle and store it along with the current time (in milliseconds or whatever the most precise measurements available). In the next iteration you make another measurement, take the difference of the current and the previous angles, and divide it by the difference of the current and previous times. The result is the rate of change. This can be translated to motor speeds by using either trial and error, or calculations based on the characteristics of the motor, the gearing and the gyro.

However, I would rather use a command to turn the motor a specified number of degrees to match the measurements of the gyro.


Why do basic brick boxes tend not to include many gray bricks? Here are some examples of current basic brick boxes:

5749
6177
4625
4626

Of those, only 5749 has a significant number of gray bricks, and it still includes much less gray than black, blue, green, red, yellow, or white. Here's what the contents of 6177 look like:

In my collection, the grays are much more common than lime and orange, so why aren't grays well represented in these sets?

Psychology

This eHow article explains quite well why people (children in particular) are attracted to bright colours. Whilst it doesn't directly relate to LEGO, or toys in general, it does make quite a few good points about the effect colours have on our choices:

  "According to a 2005 research article published by the BBC, children
  can see and even appreciate colors as early as four months old. At
  that age, however, their eyes may not yet be sufficiently developed to
  recognize various shades of color or differentiate dull colors like
  grey and brown."

This doesn't really apply to the sets you've shown which are marketed towards children aged four and over, although it may apply to Duplo sets which are made for younger children.

  "a preference for bright colors may be a result of evolutionary
  developments. Many naturally occurring foods---like tomatoes, apples,
  oranges, bananas and berries---are bright, bold colors when they are
  ripe and ready for consumption. By contrast, almost all fruits turn a
  brown, black or gray color as they pass their readiness for
  consumption and begin to rot."

Here we have another reference to an ingrained biological behaviour, It's probably insignificant considering how the majority of the bricks and the packaging are brightly coloured.

  "adults typically associate bright colors with fun, happy times. For
  this reason, many parents bombard children with brightly colored
  gifts, paint children's rooms bright colors, and deliver marketing and
  entertainment messages to children through the use of brightly colored
  cartoons."

I can't claim to know a thing about psychology but from my experience building models as a child, I know that the focus has always been on building something you can play with. A few gray pieces here and there wouldn't stop me from building a car with psychedelic mixture of colours

Building

Supposing you're a child and you ready to build something from the real world that's both gray and exciting. Well, there are a few animals like elephants, rhinos and wolves you could build but other then that there aren't that many realistic things you could build apart from castle walls, boulders etc... (You are welcome to challenge me on that point)

Manufacturing

Keeping the amount of colours to a minimum, makes the manufacturing process cheaper. Fewer part bins need to be sourced and delivered to the packaging area (although a large part of this process is automated).


What are the angles used in angle connectors and liftarms? LEGO makes Technic Angle Connectors, like these:

(Here are names and part numbers).

They also make angular liftarms, like these:

 (part 32348).

That last part has an angle of 53.5 degrees.  What are the angles of the angle connectors, and why were these angles chosen?  (I'd understand angles like 45, 60, and 72 degrees, but 53.5?!)

The regular connector have simple angles which are multiples of 22.5°. #4 is 45°, #3 is 22.5° and #5 is 67.5°. That's pretty boring stuff, but there you go.

The 53.5 angle isn't as bizarre as you would think and there's a very good reason for it (and less boring to me, but YMMV).

That reason is that it forms a Pythagorean triangle, and specifically the best known 3:4:5 one, meaning these liftarms can be used together with regular right-angle frames to make sturdy constructions.

The one you chose isn't the best example as the beam doesn't extend to the full  hypotenuse (the connection points need to be 5 studs apart), but the longer one is perfect for that. If the small side is attached to a beam, the cross at the end of the long side will be perfectly aligned on a beam that would be 4 studs higher.

LEGO uses that to connect beams 4 studs apart in a very solid way, for example in 8435 - 4WD (the blue beam behind the front wheel) or in the more recent 8053 - Mobile Crane (left of the linear actuator)

And for the record, the angle in degrees is weirder that just 53.5°; it's actually 53.130102...°, or the invert cosine of 3/5. So if you thought Pythagoras and trigonometry wouldn't come and annoy you in your play, you're oh so wrong.


Help identifying Lego bag without instructions, brown, grey, and clear bricks Can anyone help identify which set this bag comes from?

This is a bag from the Minecraft set First Night (21115):


What will LEGO do when all the crude oil on earth is used? When crude is no longer available (which is in 53.3 years) what will LEGO do, since oil is needed in order to make plastic? Is there a plastic alternative, or another type of material that is strong and durable like ABS plastic?

They're working on it! Should be ready in 15 years.

http://www.nbcnews.com/science/environment/no-more-plastic-legos-company-searches-sustainable-material-n379976


Index of the City sets by category I'm running trough bricklink, peeron and brickowl, but I can't find a "good" (I mean 'fitting my idea') index to browse across city sets.

Is there a kind of list like

vehicle

cars
trucks
planes

buildings

houses

7641

police station
...

does anyone of you have knows a such index ?

note: my english is not fluent, so, here are some precisions:
I'm looking for "houses" sets on ebay to complete my son's town streets.
He has a lot of vehicles, but a few buildings

No, but Brickset now provides the facility to enable one to be made. See http://brickset.com/article/12960/tags-a-new-way-to-search-the-database


What Technic vehicle is this in black and red? Any help with the set this piece is associated with, would be appreciated.

I did a cross check on sets containing following pieces 'red-42003', 'blue-6632' and 'black-32250'. This looks like the B model for set 8065.


Can the Powered Up Remote (latest train version) pair with the Boost Move Hub? I've got the latest Powered Up remote, I was hoping it would pair with the Move Hub instead of using the Boost App.

At the moment it doesn't want to pair.

Since June 2019, this is possible.  See here:
https://www.hispabrickmagazine.com/content/2019/06/03/powered-up-ii-powered-up-ii-networks/

Look right at the bottom of the article.

  The latest version of the Powered Up app (2.2.0) as well as the latest
  version of the Boost app include new firmware for the Boost hub. After
  this update it is possible to control the Boost hub with a remote
  control.

  Establishing the connection is a little more difficult than connecting
  a single Powered Up hub to a remote. It is not enough to just press
  the start button on each device and wait. You need to press the start
  button on both devices simultaneously after starting them to establish
  the connection (as if the Boost hub were a second hub in an existing
  network).

  Now you can control the internal motors (A and B in the Boost hub)
  with the remote control.


Most cost efficient length for pneumatic hoses? As the title says, I would like to know what the most cost efficient length of pneumatic hose (including 99021s) is, assuming the average length of each piece is 12cm (4.7") and I can cut large pieces.

Here are all the 4 mm diameter pneumatic tube parts Bricklink knows about.
For each of these (filtered by color if necessary) we can take the part (for example Hose, Pneumatic 4mm D. 40L / 32.0cm), check its average sale price in the "Price Guide" tab (in this case at the time of writing US $2.66), then divide that by the length to get the unit price (US $0.044 for a LEGO unit or $0.083 for a cm). Repeating the process for all available lengths will result in a list of unit prices, sorting that gives you the best price to length ratio.
Or if you are looking to buy the cheapest piece from which the most 12cm pieces can be cut, you can then perform an integer division on the original length and arrive at the price of a single 12cm part for each avaialble length. For example, the 32 cm piece above nets you 2 pieces of 12cm lengths, so its unit price is $1.33. Whereas the 428 cm piece is currently on sale for $53.05, and can be cut into 35 pieces of the desired 12cm length, so it gives us $1.51 as unit price.
For reference, the actual 12cm piece costs on average $7.45, but the twice as long 24 cm one is sold for $0.75 on average, so there seems ot be no easy way besides checking and calculating the relevant prices for each available length.
The actual computations and sorting I leave to you or to other site contributors.


What is the best way to program Mindstorms EV3? I'm just starting to use the LEGO Mindstorms EVE robot and I'm a bit hesitant which way to choose for programming: the official graphic software or any alternative (preferably the Linux based ev3dev)?

I don't really use Windows and find the official pictogram-like GUI cumbersome and a bit childish, so I tend to pick ev3dev.

At the same time, most of the tutorials/instructions are based on the official program and I don't know if there is a straightforward way to map all these steps to ev3dev instructions; moreover, I'm a bit wary to rely on an unofficial 3rd party solution (maybe it is immature, error-prone, buggy, incomplete etc.). But I definitely want to stick either of them, no time to try out both extensively...

You have various options.

If you use Linux mainly ev3dev is a good start I think. I've worked with Java (LeJOS) and C# (MonoBrick) in combination with the LEGO Mindstorms Education EV3. But there are more bindings for the EV3. If I recall correctly at least for Python, C, C++ and some more educational friendly languages. The information you need to write your own language/compiler for the EV3 platform are available on the LEGO Mindstorms website. I'm currently developing my own language, compiler and IDE for my master thesis.

The more general question you must answer yourself is: What's the goal you want to achieve? Do you want to learn how to program or do you have already knowledge in one or more languages? If you want to learn how to program you should IMHO use a more beginner friendly language like the EV3-G (the graphical language you mentioned). If you already have some knowledge you can start with a text-based language.

The second question is: Do you want to use/learn a graphical language or a text-based one? There are graphical alternatives to EV3-G like the Open Roberta Project. It uses a Scratch like language (based on the same JavaScript library).

Hopefully I could give you some hints because the topic is more complex than many think in first place. If you have more questions just feel free and ask.


Is it possible to buy Lego Marvel Superheroes mini-figures separately? I'm a fan of Marvel, and I find it pretty cool that LEGO is making sets and mini figures for Marvel. I personally wouldn't want to buy a whole set of blocks and characters, and I wouldn't want to buy multiple sets to get the characters I need, because I will end up having plural of the same minifigures, and end up spending more money for blocks and parts I don't really want.
All I really want are the following minifigures from the Avengers: Hawkeye, Ironman, Thor, Captain America, Black Widow, Hulk, and even Nick Fury.

LEGO typically does not sell individual minifigures from its licensed themes due to licensing restrictions. Often, another company has an exclusive license to produce action figures from a franchise, which means that LEGO is only allowed to sell building sets. These may contain figures, but there has to be a real buildable component. That's why we see "Battle packs" like this one in the Star Wars theme:

With that said, there is a strong secondary market for minifigs. You can often find the popular characters on eBay, Bricklink, or even Amazon. For the specific minifigs that you are interested in, you may want to check out the superheroes category on Bricklink.


Tools to unbuild a model more easily? Are there any good tools out there to help unbuilding a model, for example removing axles from beams?

Something like the famous brick separator, but for Technic models.

Actually, the brick separator is a very versatile tool for disassembling Technic. The end of the wedge can be slipped into the slot on the side of several pieces to help pop Technic pins out from behind (I also use it like a screwdriver for aligning Technic pins while building). It can also be used to separate stubborn beam connections.

I've also got a 1:6 axle attached to the little axle pusher using an extender (sorry...I don't know the actual names of these things and I don't have time to look them up right now). It works great for pushing axles through deeper sockets, or for popping pins out from behind.

Other than that, I've never really had much trouble pulling Technic parts apart. I'm sure there are other uses I've yet to need, but that little orange tool has been a godsend for my sanity and fingertips. :)


Why are minifigure head studs now hollow? Comparing my childhood minifigure heads to my post dark age ones, there is now a hollow stud at the top vs the solid ones I grew up with. At what point did this change happen and what was  the reason for the change? Up until recently I didn't think it had a functional difference, but I have seen at least one hair piece that takes advantage of the hollow stud to hold it in place (CMF4 punk rocker). Was that a motivating factor for the change?

Part (or mould) changes have numerous reasons, the main ones being:

decrease mould complexity and thus production cost (for example  to )
decrease plastic quantity used and thus production cost (for example, look at the bottom of several 1 x n bricks — the new ones have hollow tubes)
increase part sturdiness (for example  to  — honestly, how many of these did you break as kid?)
add functionality (I have no example in mind, but considering the cost of new moulds, they probably do that only when it has to be replaced, or they treat it as a new part altogether).

Making sure a part fits better into the system is a huge factor in new part creation nowadays, and designers will get a new part produced easier if the part plays nice with the other parts, mainly in terms of connection possibilities, but also of existing similar parts. In the past, things were way less rational.

I'm not so sure it influences part redesign, but it could. At the time the hollow stud appeared on the minifig heads, however, functionality was certainly not the main interest, so I would bet on mould complexity. Of course, since it added functionality anyway, you can count on designer to use it. So it's a bit of a chicken-and-egg problem: did the designer ask for the new functionality first, or did the mould change first? In this case, I would say the latter.

EDIT: Even if I answered the "full stud" against "hollow stud" part, I was intrigued by the "anti-choking" argument of having not only a hollow stud, but even one which was fully hollow, that is, you could see through it. So I asked Jan Beyer, LEGO community manager, about it and it turns out the "non-choking" reason was indeed correct. Here is his answer:

  Fast answer:

  This is correct, previous the hole was made in the element due to product safety if the element was swallowed.
  These regulations changes from time to time, and it has been evaluated and decided that the hole is no longer needed due to safety regulations.


Any (small) Lego Technic parts not in whole units? This is aimed at building a GBC module, not to reproduce an actual engine.

I need a piston type construction with stroke length of 3 units, which means a crankshaft radius of 1 1/2 units. Are there any existing LEGO Technic parts that will support this?

Edit:
TechnicTechnician provided the answer - the technic cam (6575) proved to be exactly what I needed. In case my original question wasn't totally clear I've added a picture of the solution below.

The distance between the two crank axles is 1½L, which means that the other end of the connecting rod (point X) will move a total of 3L as the crank rotates.

I assume you mean L when you say units?

Well anyhow, unless I'm misunderstanding, I would try these: https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=6575

You can stack 3 of them up to get 1 and a half L

If you mean 3L long instead of 3L wide, this should still work because it has axle holes which is 1.5L apart, it also has axle holes that are 3L apart.

Search youtube/eurobricks for 'technic mini engine' / 'technic micro engine' for some ideas.


Where can I find details/instructions for this keychain? Hi, I’ve been trying to find info on this Kai DX LED keychain from 2011, but have been unable to do so. Are there any pages where I can find information/details on this keychain and possibly the booklet which came with it?

While searching on Bricklink I've found two items that are related to minifigure in question. All I could find is some picture and minor details of this minifigure flashlight key chain here.
As we can see on picture below one of two of the items I've located on Bricklink are present in this bundle. For some reason items in Bricklink's catalog share similar part ID (UT21222-1 and UT21222-2, where "-number" is used to distinguish items with same part ID), while KAI has entirely different picture. It is unclear if picture used on Bricklink is incorrect or Kai's print has changed at some point.

Some details from shared website (in German):

Art.Nr.   3017.21222
Hersteller Nr.    UT21222
EAN-Code  4041268212220

Schlüsselanhänger mit Taschenlampe im Lego Ninjago Design inkl. Batterien im Display Hiermit stehen Sie nicht länger im Dunkeln. Durch die beweglichen Beine kann gleichzeitig in zwei Richtungen geleuchtet werden. Im Lieferumfang sind bereits zwei Knopfzellen (Typ CR2025 3V) enthalten, welche bei Bedarf ausgewechselt werden können. ACHTUNG! Nicht geeignet für Kinder unter 36 Monaten. Enthält verschluckbare Kleinteile. Erstickungsgefahr!

And with a help of Google Translate in English:

Keyring with torch in Lego Ninjago design incl. Batteries in the display With this you are no longer in the dark. The movable legs can be used to illuminate in two directions at the same time. The scope of delivery already includes two button cells (type CR2025 3V), which can be exchanged if necessary. ATTENTION! Not suitable for children under 36 months. Contains small parts that could be swallowed. Suffocation hazard!

Unfortunately, I think LEGO does not keep/provide any online instructions for this accessory.


Can anyone ID this set, please? Has typical City plane tail. Has 2 ADU (Earth Defense) minifigs inside. Cannot find online.
Thank you for your help!

There's a part on the front of the model named Wedge 10 x 3 Right with White Stripes, Yellow Triangle and Gray Lines Pattern (Stickers) - Set 8093

This piece was available in a single set - 8093-1 Plo Koon's Jedi Starfighter:

The model in question is not the same as the set which means it is someone's unique creation (MOC).


How can I access the brick id in ev3-g? How can I access the brick ID ( or brick information) in ev3-g?

Only thing I can think of is to write the ID in a text file manually and use the file block to read the ID.
To do that: Use an application like notepad++ to create the text file. Make sure the line endings are just a newline character, not the carriage return.
Save the file with .rtf as extension.
Use the memory browser in the EV3 software to upload the file to the brick in the project folder of your program...
Alternatively, modify your program temporarily to write the ID first to file (manually select the value in a File block...), don't forget to close the file (second file block).


Is this non-disassemblable LEGO instruction step real? I've seen this image shared a few times around the internet as an example of a LEGO instruction step that assembles pieces in such a way that they cannot be disassembled (at-least not without some serious strain on the parts).

If one were to insert that Technic axle into that hole, it would sit flush inside holding the other red piece in place, and since the black piece wraps around the back, it would not be possible to slide it off the axle without some substantial bending.

Trying to find the source of the image has proven difficult, and those who share it don't ever seem to include the source of the image.

Is this from a real LEGO set's instruction, or is it faked?

It turns out it is real, just not from a single set itself, but from the official instructions for a combo-model between Exo-Force models 7700-1: Stealth Hunter and
7701-1: Grand Titan to make Mountain Warrior.

You can find the pictured step on page 26 of the instructions.


What is the difference between the NXT 1.0 controller and the NXT 2.0 controller? I've tried to look this up but I can't find anything. As far as I can tell, the controller bricks (the white ones w/ buttons and a screen) are exactly the same and the only difference is NXT 2.0 comes with different sensors, parts, and software.

Is this correct?

If so, are NXT 2.0-generation sensors compatible with NXT 1.0? Can the NXT 1.0 be upgraded to run NXT 2.0-compiled software?

http://thenxtstep.blogspot.com/2009/07/nxt-20-vs-original-nxt-which-one-to-buy.html

There are a few subtle differences in internal hardware between the NXT 1.0 and 2.0 bricks. The most notable one is that the 1.0's screen would give out over time due to stress being put on a capacitor when the buttons are pressed, but the NXT 2.0 is engineered such that this does not occur. But, none of these differences affect what hardware the bricks are compatible with.

Externally, the NXT 1.0 and 2.0 intelligent bricks are physically identical. You can update firmware of NXT 1.0 controller with 2.0 firmware (download the most recent version here). Once this is done, your NXT will be able to use the LEGO color sensor that comes with NXT 2.0 box, and to run NXT 2.0-compiled software.


What's the largest LEGO construction ever? In terms of the number of bricks used.

Is this house, constructed by James May for the show Toy Stories, the biggest?

This house is the biggest lego ever built unless proven otherwise.
I searched a bit and could not find anything using more bricks.

Here are some other project falling short from the 3.3 millions bricks :

Shopville Le Gru,Grugliasco (Italy), 1.5km long, using 2,901,760 bricks, 13 February 2005
LEGO Millyard Project at SEE Science Center in Manchester, 3 millions bricks, permanent

Here is a list of LEGO records : http://www.recordholders.org/en/list/lego.html


Lego Education 9594 instructions for models Recently at work, I found boxes of the Lego Education Green City Challenge 9594, but there are no instructions to build the models for each challenge. I was able to go online and find the instructions for the center piece model but not the others. I would like help in finding those instructions. I have emailed LEGO Education and their response is that the set is so old they do not have it (the set came out in 2011).

The instructions for the "LEGO NXT Green City Challenge Activity 9594" seem to be on CDROM only.
Replacement disks are offered on bricklink for Green City Challenge Activity Pack and Mindstorms Education NXT Software 2.1
See this post here for another answer.


Extra pieces in my set - Eiffel Tower I recently purchased a Eiffel Tower Architecture kit and I found it having 9 extra pieces.  I know it is normal to have extras but I think the amount is a bit high.  Any ideas or explanations?

Does anyone else have high numbers like this in their architecture sets?

According to the BrickLink inventory, there should be three extra parts, so 9 seems a bit high.

It could be a mistake from LEGO, but honestly it's more likely that you forgot them yourself. Knowing what the 6 parts are through Bricklink, I suggest you check the model once more to verify where they could go.


How can I get a Powered Up motor to run without using a hub? I'm mainly taking part in LEGO events as part of a Great Ball Contraption exhibit.

Most of the modules I make, and that's true for a lot of other builders, are purely mechanical in nature and driven by a single always-on motor.
Since the motors have to run continuously for whole days, we usually connect them to 9V train transformers; which isn't a problem for PF motors thanks to the conversion cables available.

However, since LEGO will eventually phase out PF motors, I'm worried about the future - as there doesn't seem to be plans to provide conversion cables for Powered UP elements.

So, is there another way to somehow connect a Powered Up motor to a mains transformer and have it run continuously?

There is at least one third-party Power Functions to Powered Up adapter available that can be used for this purpose:

Here's a video demonstrating it in action:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96SxM-0UkVQ


EV3 switch block does not recognize text? i am using file access to input variables into my programm.
text file is something like this:
a
b
c
..

on each loop, program access file (using File Access block) and reads a new line "a" or "b" or "c" etc. and write this into a variable. I then use this variable as input for switch block. However switch block only recognized the very first character, while all others are very much all "false"

i know file access pulls out the information (i can display such input using the display block to show it..) yet for the switch block this information does not get recognized.

i tried with numeric, but i get the same problem..

Any ideas?

thanks!

It looks like you have found a bug in the file block. I am guessing that the text after the first line must have the a hidden newline character or something like that that causes it to not the switch block values.

However, I was able to get it working with numeric values.

Sample data.rtf

1
2
3
4
5

Sample code:

I also noticed that it doesn't work unless the file has Windows line endings (CRLF). If you are using Notepad in Windows, this is not a problem.


Mounting 'shelves' on a 57518 Lego conveyor belt For a school project I'm trying to build a conveyor belt out of LEGO. I'm currently just working on the design so I haven't ordered anything yet. I think that for my build the 57518 pieces are perfect. My question is pretty simple: is there a way to mount some sort of 'shelves' onto it? I'm completely new to LEGO (and not a native English speaker) so I can't explain it any better. The picture below from the GBC Homepage shows exactly what I'm talking about:

I believe that the pieces used in the picture are 3873 (not sure). I can also see that in each of these light grey horizontal 'bars' there are two vertical rods that mount it on the conveyor belt itself. The 3873 pieces are not useful for me because they have too many openings.
I spent long times browsing Bricklink trying to find fitting pieces but I just don't know where to look. It would be great if somebody could provide me with links or numbers of the pieces that I need.

The picture you have does show a 57518 thread link, which is what you wanted to use.  For that, you can use the 1/2 and 3/4 pins to attach a liftarm.  A 1x5 liftarm would match the width of the 57518 thread.  What's shown in the picture is a 1x7 liftarm which allows the module to lift more balls.
For the pins, you should use the 3/4 pins part 32002 to be perfectly legal, but some might also use the 1/2 pins part 4274 to add friction to the connection.


Stuck on "Installing rootfs" when installing leJOS on the brick When following the instructions for creating an SD card with leJOS, the brick freezes when it comes to the screen “Installing rootfs.” I'm using a new 32 GB SanDisk SD card. I've confirmed that I'm using the appropriate version of the Java runtime, and there are no error messages at all.

I was able to fix the problem by creating a smaller partition on the SD card. (The idea came from this forum post; it was not necessary for me to buy a different SD card, despite what many people say there.) Using Windows 10, I was able to create a 4 GB partition with the “Computer Management” utility. After that, I used the ev3sdcard.bat utility again, and the installation completed successfully.

I do not know whether some intermediate value between 4 GB and 32 GB would also work. The forum posts I read suggest that 4 GB will be plenty of space.


How can I generate a list of missing parts for incomplete sets? Does anybody know if there is a website where I can record my incomplete LEGO sets?

That way I could generate a list of parts I would require in order to complete them.

I currently use Brickset, however that only allows the user to record completed sets.

Rebrickable.com offers this service. First add the complete set to you list, then view it on the set page like this http://rebrickable.com/sets/42029-1/customized-pick-up-truck-technic-2014 At the bottom of the first panel you'll have an option to "Add to my parts list" from then you go through the list of parts and remove the ones you are missing.


Please Help! My LEGO BB-8 Minifig Head Is Stuck In a Helmet! My younger brother lodged his BB-8 head in a helmet, and I just can’t dislodge it.

Show your little brother just how super chill you are by easily solving all his problems.

Just get a normal minifig and pop the head off that.  Stick the neck into BB-8 and helmet, and with the extra leverage, you'll be able to snigg-wiggle and separate head from helmet.

Watch the non-delicate surgical procedure here on Youtube. Just skip forward to the 52 second mark of video.  Later!


Are the blue and grey 12v train system compatible? Are the two generations of 12v train compatible?

Eg can you combine a "blue" remote controlled point and a "grey" 12v transformer?

Main motivation for this: I have a complete "grey" set of trains, tracks and accessories and "blue" items are much much cheaper on the re-sale market, so I'd rather buy additional "blue" items.

It's more or less obvious that tracks themselves are compatible, although blue rails won't go on dark gray sleepers, which isn't really a problem. You may want to use more sleepers under blue tracks to stabilise it, although the 12v inserts help. Mixing blue and grey track and inserts shouldn't be a problem, should you wish to do so.

Motors are also compatible and pick up power the exact same way. Cables use the same connectors and are thus compatible too (if you want to add lighting to your trains).

As for accessories, I can't be sure but I believe there are limitations. If you look at the blue transformer, you'll notice the output to remote control the switch is 16v AC, while grey era remotes use 12v DC. Feeding 12v remotes with 16v might work (it's just an electromagnet inside and shouldn't be exposed for too long), if the blue era remotes need 16v, they may not work with only 12v.

Moreover, the wiring is also different: 12v era remotes use a standard cable, and the polarity determines the direction you want to turn it, but the blue era points use a 3-wire cable, as evidence by this extension cable. And let's not forget the difference AC/DC, which mean you'll have to add some non-LEGO components to make it work.

In short, I think controlling 12v era remotes with the blue transformer should be easy (a couple of diodes should do the trick), but the opposite might prove tricky, and if you have blue points, you may want to get a blue transformer as well. (Then again, I don't know enough about electronics to know how tricky it would be).

A small caveat though: I assumed you have the blue point without the remotes themselves, but since they were sold together, it could be that you get the point, wiring and remote together. If that's so, you best bet is to use the 12v AC output of the 7864 transformer - maybe that's its purpose (and if you try that, and it works, please go answer that question).


Is it possible to remove a parted out set from BrickLink inventory? I have an inventory in BrickLink, in which I accidentally parted out (with the consolidation option) two sets instead of one.

Is there a way to remove the pieces of the second set somehow without manual part-by-part deletion?

Part out the same set, but with a negative quantity.
This does indeed work, as I have solved this very problem using this solution in the past:

This is a screenshot of my Part Out Log, and you can see I've accidentally parted out 10 sets twice. Then I've reversed the second part-out.
You can see a list of every set you've parted out (after mid-2009) and the quantity in your Part Out Log.


Did these random parts come from a set? Dark grey, dark green, and black turntable Here is a random half made LEGO creation which I bought within a large bag of LEGO. Do you have any ideas what it could be part of?

It is so frustrating trying to identify, but I'm excited at its prospects! If anyone has any tips on how I can figure this out myself that would be appreciated too.

This assembly comes from the Lego Set 76008 Iron Man vs. The Mandarin: Ultimate Showdown.

The assembly can be clearly identified on steps 14, 15 and 16 of the instructions available for example on BrickInstructions.com.

Here is how I proceeded to identify the set:

Spot any less common part (brick type & color), here the Slope 18 2
x 1 x 2/3 with 4 Slots in dark green color.
Use the BrickLink parts catalogue to look for all sets where that brick is used. Results here.
For each dark green entry, look at the set inventory and try to spot additional less common parts. In this case, I was trying to find the 4x4 black turntable plate.
Increase your level of confidence by matching a couple more bricks. The unique 2x4 red brick from the inventory was a good match as well.
Confirm the identification by finding the assembly by browsing the set
instructions.


LEGO Mindstorm NXT memorize line followed (LeJos) I made a line follower program with leJos, it works pretty well; and I want to take it to the next level: I want to make it remember the line it followed; works like this: follow the line till the end, and store an image file with the path made by the robot.
I've been doin some reading; and there was something like Navigation class, or Waypoint class available in leJos; not sure how it helps me...
I have 2 motors, and a color sensor.
In my program, i'm just usin something like Motor.A.forward(); and stuff like this (and not any Navigation methode..)
I don't know where to start, and I don't have any leads. Any suggestions?

I will preface this by saying that I'm just going to summarize what I suggest you do, as writing out the code step-by-step would take quite a while, and you writing the code will help improve your skills.  I recommend checking out the LeJOS API while I describe some of the classes, it is pretty easy to look them up there.

If you want to know the location of the robot, you need to use some sort of Pilot class.  To me, it sounds like you want to use the DifferentialPilot (of course, use the Pilot class that controls your robot, for instance, a triangle robot).  You create the DifferentialPilot with a wheel diameter, distance between the wheels, the Motor that is on the left, and the Motor that is on the right.

Create a Navigator, and give it the Pilot so that it can control the robot.  Next, create a Timer that will poll the position of the robot however often you want (maybe something like every second?).  I think you get the position from the Pilot.  Call addWaypoint() on the Navigator with the x and y position (which I think you can pull the pose from the Pilot).

Now, modify your line-following code so that it uses the Pilot's controls (travel(), rotate(), etc.).

When you have followed the line, you should have a list of Waypoints that you can use to navigate the same path, without using the line-following code.

You can then call followPath() on the Navigator, and the robot should follow the path.

Of course, it is important to make sure that your DifferentialPilot or whatever is as precise as it can be, so measure and refine the wheel diameter until you get really good accuracy, using whatever surface you are going to be using in the end.  If you have any questions about calibration, I would recommend a new question, but for now, I have a video here which covers it and shows the step-by-step process (hopefully this doesn't count as advertising, it is not intended to be any).

Hopefully I was clear, it can get a bit jumbled together after programming NXTs with LeJOS for a number of years!


When did LEGO stop using perforated plastic bags and switched to simple ones? I'm talking about those sophisticated bags used to pack the contents of the sets in 90's.
Here is an illustration of such bag:

Could anyone tell when LEGO started to pack the majority of their sets into simple bags instead of perforated ones?

AFAIK TLG still uses these bags, and they are not unique to the 90ies. They are used for accessory bags, such as the one in your picture, or other various accessories such as these that came in the 2013 Friends Advent Calendar:

https://store.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?S=41016-11


Are these parts really LEGO? Hello, can anyone tell me if these yellow and red items are real LEGO parts? I have a sneaky feeling that they have made it into the LEGO pile via somebody 'selling LEGO bulk' but I don't want to throw them out if I'm wrong.

Those look like the Playmobil clip-on necklace pieces. Playmobil doesn't have the same level of part listing that LEGO does, but I was able to find this picture of the yellow one being worn.


Mindstorms Vision Command - what shall I do with it? I have a Vision Command camera, bricks and book, still boxed with instructions and a W98 coaster, er I mean CD, and was about to donate it to a charity shop but it seems there's no 64 bit driver for it? Windows can't find one anyway.

I'm not sure it's worth wasting their time with it. I suppose a note saying "not for new versions of Windows" might still attract someone with an older PC but I'm open to suggestions?

Regards

I've tried with limited success to get this hardware to work with various systems. There was a single third-party cam driver for OS X that let it be used as a digi-cam. That is, there was no integration with other LEGO software or firmware.

It is some sort of Logitech, but the devil is in the details. There are no modern Windows drivers. OS X is probably no longer a viable option, though I have not checked recently (recently: last 3-4 releases). Linux or BSD is probably where experimentation might pan out.

Even so, getting the camera to work is different than getting it to work with any other era of Mindstorms equipment.

It is essentially abandon-ware or experiment-ware.

My only advice is to give it away or sell it "as-is". I did consider cracking it open and replacing the guts with more modern hardware (perhaps a bluetooth or wi-fi camera to get rid of the tether) but without any integration into Mindstorms, it's just another digi-cam. But at least it could be one that easily attaches to other LEGO.


What are these LEGO pieces? Heavy 6x6 disks I'd like help trying to identify these heavy discs.

They are officially "Turntable 6 x 6 Round Base" AKA NinjaGo Spinners.  They come in sets with Ninja minifigures and weapons that you can then spin up and have them fight one another.

There are a lot of different varieties depending on the specific coloring, they can be found here:

http://www.bricklink.com/catalogList.asp?q=ninjago%20spinner


What is the name/number of this brick I was wondering what the two grey tile like bricks in the image below are? I wish to order some online, so would appreciate knowing their name.

This is a 3743 - Technic, Gear Rack 1 x 4 and there are 2 times 2 of these in your picture (2 on the left and 2 on the right).

I guess your description is a little vague, because if you are talking about the middle part (the shining light gray pieces), they are actually not bricks/tiles, but the axle end of an NXT motor (the right side of the motor in the below picture).


Are there any LEGO elements not being produced because of mechanical problem with the mould? I am referring element number 702 4x4 corner brick, and possibly other elements that have not been in sets in a considerable amount of time.

I've been wondering the reasons why a number of pieces are no longer available and it appears the decision to reduce the overall amount of different pieces is simply a cost based one.

From a Q/A with someone from the Lego Company:
"...the piece count has been reduced drastically and there's a move back to roots in Lego, not only for creativity but to save money. Lego went from 12,000 different pieces to 6,800 in the last few years-a number that includes the color variations."

snippet was from here:
http://lego.gizmodo.com/5019797/everything-you-always-wanted-to-know-about-lego


Where and when did the straight block letter LEGO logo appear on brick studs? The LEGO logo that appears on the tops of brick studs has had several styles over the years. In the US, when Samsonite began manufacturing LEGO bricks, they apparently made some alterations to some of the molds they obtained from LEGO, resulting in occasional odd bricks that had both the older and newer style logos on the same brick:

This brick shows the two main styles of logo, the earlier one with thick, rounded lettering and an open O, and the later style with thinner, italic lettering that is very similar to the style used today. There have been slight variations in the size and orientation of the logo, but these are the two main styles.

I have a few pieces, however, that have another distinct style:

This is also a thinner style, but is not italic, like the modern style. The pieces I have seen it on are white plates with the modern underside - not the old waffle type.

I want to know roughly when this logo was used - It would appear to be later than the old style logo, but concurrent with the modern logo. I am also wondering how long it was in use, and whether bricks with this style logo were produced in a specific place; i.e. whether they are Samsonite from the US or Canada, or distinct to one of the European manufacturing locations.

Additional Information

The pieces I have that display this logo are white 6x8 plates with Pat Pend on the underside in block caps. This style plate first appeared in sets in 1961, and I believe by 1976 most of the Pat Pend molds were either replaced or had the words obscured. That narrows the date range down somewhat for this particular piece.

If anyone has examples of other pieces with this style logo, especially if they are known to come from a certain set, that would be helpful in answering this question.

NOTE: from 1949 to 1954 "LEGO" was printed INSIDE the brick.

LEGO appeared on the studs for the first time in the late 1954, then it was re-designed a lot during the years, becoming the stud we all know.

The not-italic stud of the photo was produced between 1960 and 1963. You can easily exclude 1963+ noticing that it's not the same exact plastic of the modern bricks (ABS was adopted in 1963).

Hope this helps.
P.S. I'm a huge LEGO collector and I'll be glad to share my expertise here and learn from other passionate people.


What is included in set #7155? I found an open box LEGO #7155 at a local Goodwill.

The funny thing is that there are 3 unopened bags in the box, 3 booklets (instructions, and 2 other small booklets along with 4 large pieces that are not in bags.

The set looks to be complete, but my question is this.  Is this how this set came in the box?  Are the 4 pieces (2 large beige oval for front of ship and 2 - 2x16 brown pieces) supposed to be loose in the box.

Everything looks pretty much untouched and brand new other than the fact that the box is open and Goodwill can't help themselves with writing on boxes.

It is very common for Lego to pack larger parts like Plate 2 x 16 not in a seperate bag, for sets this size.

If I look at the inventory of set 7155, and compare this with sets I built over the years, I think 3 bags for the parts could be correct:

bag with minifig parts and small parts like 1x1's and 1x2's;
bag with large size parts like the 4x8 plates;
bag with remaining parts.


Pin Connector 62462 vs 75535 I wonder what is the purpose of the slot in the 62462 pin connector? What can it be used for, beside from help with part separation?

Part 62462 (2005-present) is newer than 75535 (1995-2008), but the slot makes it more ugly in models, for my taste. You need to rotate the slot towards some contruction part that will hide it, but it is not always possible. On the other hand, the groove at the 75535 end is not desirable sometimes also.

I have seen one possible explanation posted in a comment in this question:
Why does the pin recess on the Technic turntable continue to the edge of the part?

User Joubarc states:

  Another good (if maybe more subtle) example of this is the pin joiner
  which now has a slot in the middle. That slot is similar to the recess
  seen in the other parts, in that it simplifies the moulding process
  greatly. (The previous version required two sub-parts to be assembled
  together, which is even worse than a mould with moving parts)

If this assertion is true, then the slot exists simply to streamline the molding process. If you look closely at the top-rim of 75535 in your example image, it is easy to make out a very fine line. Perhaps this is evidence of two sub-parts being assembled.


LEGO set names in non-English language? English names can be found easily for nearly all LEGO sets on BrickLink and other sites.
However, the sets have names in other languages as well.
Is there an overview of set names in languages other than English? I look for a German translation.
To clarify this question a bit, I rather look for some kind of lists or databases including older sets from the 80's and 90's.
So hitting the catalogs is the way I'm currently doing but this way is not very efficiant, but hey: it's a bit beeing a boy in the good old LEGO times...  ;-D
So: "No" might be a valid answer as well!

The Lego instructions are available auf Deutsch but you might have to type the set numbers in one at a time in order to see the set names displayed.
For older sets German Catalogs might be available on Brickset to find out the names the "manual" way.


Where is the motor in the 42082 Rough Terrain Crane box supposed to be? The Rough Terrain Crane set (42082) has an outer box with a lot of parts-bags and the 4 wheels in it.
And there is an 2nd inner box with the manuals, the battery-holder and more parts-bags.

I received my set yesterday and did a quick check on the parts-bags but I couldn't locate the motor.
Didn't actually open any of the bags. Will leave that until I'm ready to actually build the thing during the Christmas holiday.

Does anyone know where the motor is supposed to be?
Loose in the inner- or outer-box, one of the parts-bags in the inner-box, one of the bags in the outer-box?

I probably just overlooked it, but knowing where to look for that motor would help.

YouTuber Swedish Brick put up a nice unboxing video of your set here.

The motor/battery box seem to be in the white enclosed box, he pulls them both out off camera.

By his video, you will end up with:

26 Bags.

 2 Motors  1 Battery holder, and 1 Motor in a sealed bag.

4 Wheels.

4 Rims.

A sealed instructions bag with 1 sheet of stickers, and 2 large manuals.


Opaque bricks with no center post? What is the purpose of 1x2 red bricks without a post inside the brick? I know they often leave out the middle post on transparent bricks to make them look more window-like, but what about in opaque pieces? I have a few from bricks of this type that are probably from sets from the 70s/80s but I'm not sure what sets they came from, let alone what clever things you can do with them that you can't do with a regular brick of the same size.

I'd wager it was mostly to save plastic. Many of the 1x family of bricks used to come with far fewer posts inside, like so: http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=crssprt02 but notice they quit making that style in 1969.


Can I share/download a wishlist on Bricklink? I have a whole set in a wishlist in BrickLink and I would like to share it with some friends.

Can I either:

Share the list via BrickLink so they can use it directly.
Download it in XML so they can upload it to their wishlist.

If I can do them, how? If I can't, any alternatives?

There is no built-in way to download the Bricklink wanted lists. However, there is a userscript that should work for this.

DISCLAIMER:  Use at your own risk. YMMV.

http://userscripts-mirror.org/scripts/show/167618

Firefox with Greasemonkey is the way I use other user scripts, but I wasn't able to get this working with Firefox.  I was able to get it working with Chrome and Tampermonkey.

You'll want to make sure you read the description in the link above, and pay attention to the tips they recommend like increasing the number of items per page so you capture everything.


Can you help me identify this grey part? Could someone please help me identify this part?

Minifigure, Hand Armor - Partnumber 28803 or 15407 Pearl Dark Gray


What do the V# codes represent in the LEGO shop? The online LEGO shop references products with a V# code at the end, like this:

What is the meaning of this code?

I believe it's related to the instruction manual format - see the comments to this question.

So for example

V39 may be printed on US standard letter size paper
V29 may be printed on EU standard A4 paper


Could I do datalogging in Mindstorms EV3 Home edition? Apparently datalogging is an integrated part of the educational EV3 software. But I got the Home edition. Is there some module or thing I can use to get datalogging functionality in my Home edition?

Or do I need to build it myself?

Data logging is one of the things you are paying extra for when you purchase the Education software. Data logging is turned off in the Home version frimware and there is no means to configure data logging using the Home version software.

The firmware is open source, so technically, you could download it, figure out how to build it and turn on the data logging in the firmware, but then you would still need to reverse engineer a way to configure it.

If you don't need a very high sample rate (10-15 samples per second or less, probably), you could come up with something using an existing remote control library to log the data via USB or Bluetooth. For example, LeJOS and MonoBrick both have remote control libraries that would make it easy to write your own data logging program.

For a higher sample rate, you could write a program that runs on the brick using a 3rd party firmware/SD card image.


Is it worth parting out a set to sell without the minifigs? I wanted to sell my Lego in a bulk, but then decided I don't have a reason not to sort it out.

I do believe I have the Ninjago Earth Dragon (2509), but before I find the pieces, I know a few things about it's condition immediately.

The bricks are good. I've never had problem with the treatment therefore no scratches or broken stuff.

There are NO minifigures or accessories (I sold all my figs in bulk for 20 dollars a while ago, I know I am an idiot)

There is no box or instructions... Just the bricks. Is it still worth the effort?

Not having the minifigs certainly hurts the value of a set, but it may still be worth parting out the set depending on how valuable your time is to you.

If you haven't already done so, you can use the Price Guide feature on Bricklink to get a rough idea of what your set can sell for.

You can also browse the current listings for the set to get an idea of how much missing minifigs hurt the price. For that set, it looks like not having minifigs knocks off about 40% of the value of the set ($24 USD vs $42 USD).


How To Make a Small Security Camera? I’m looking to make a wall mounted security camera in LDD to mimic this one:
https://icdn5.digitaltrends.com/image/digitaltrends/swann-4k-9f-768x479-c.jpg

Any clever ideas? It needs to be angled down like the one in the picture.
White pieces with a black lens. As small as possible, ideally 1x1 Camera body.

Here's what I came up with but it needs a tilt down piece.

Added a Ver.2.Oh belowww...

Here's the LDD file if you want it.

Here's the file for 2nd helpings.  Eat up!


Minecraft The Nether 21106 microworld set bags? Can anyone tell me how many plastic pouches come in this set? My box has five plastic bags and two instruction books. And also one long orange piece separately. I'm trying to find out if I am missing any pouches before I open them.

Based on the brickset review the set contains 5 bags an 2 instructions  and 1 loose brick separator (see photo of the box), so I think you have the complete set


How to make an object glow in Studio (BrickLink) Is there a way to add glow color to objects in the BrickLink's Studio?

The thing I am trying to do is to make a glowing bulb so I can have it as a light source in enclosed areas (Like a room) and have its impact in rendering (POV - RAY / Photorealistic Render (Eyesight)).

Is it possible? Is there any other lego designing software which supports this?

Looks like I solved my problem myself.
Here's what I did:

I exported the Lego model as Collada (.dae), and imported it in Blender. Selected the material and changed Diffuse BSDF (Maybe changed for you) to Translucent BSDF (for cycles only), selected Volume as Emission and rendered.

Cheers


How much current do the LEGO motors draw? I'm building a project with Raspberry Pi and some other electronics driving the LEGO Power Functions M-Motor (8883) and I need to know how much current those motors draw under load.
Has anyone done tests and put together a spec sheet for these motor's electronic characteristics?
This is my first post here on Bricks.SE!  Hopefully sharing this is welcome.

YES!  Philippe Hurbain (Philo) has put together a great and very detailed write-up on those and many other LEGO 9V electric motors.

You can find it here:  LEGO 9V Technic Motors compared characteristics

Your current draw for that specific motor @ 9V is:

No load:              65mA
Loaded (3.6 N.cm):    310mA
Loaded (6.0 N.cm):    480mA
Stalled (11 N.cm):    850mA

I was about to ask this very question when a friend pointed me to this write-up.
Hopefully someone else will find it as useful as I did.


Is the LEGO Mindstorms EV3 brick waterproof? I am trying to build a ROV (Remotely operated underwater vehicle) with LEGO Mindstorms Ev3. Is it waterproof?

No, the LEGO Mindstorms EV3 is NOT waterproof. Any electronic product that is capable of being immersed in water will clearly state in the packaging/manual the level of water protection provided. This may be in the form of an IP Code:

  Ingress Protection Marking, classifies and rates the degree of
  protection provided against the intrusion (including body parts such
  as hands and fingers), dust, accidental contact, and water by
  mechanical casings and electrical enclosures.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IP_Code

However, it is possible to contain the EV3 brick within a waterproof case, there are already many cases available suited to Smartphones, Tablets, Cameras and other Digital devices.

If your remotely operated underwater vehicle requires some form of propulsion (perhaps from a propeller powered by a EV3 motor) then you may required to make some alterations to the case. Any physical alteration will compromise the waterproofing and safety of the protective case. Do so at your own risk.


EV3 Installation failure on OSX El Capitan 10.11.3 Hi

This is the first time I've tried to use EV3 software since upgrading to El Capitan.  Before then, it worked perfectly.

When I tried to launch the application a message pops up saying it has detected a problem during application launch.

I uninstalled the software, uninstalled the silverlight plug-in.

I installed the latest Silverlight plug-in, see screenshot

I downloaded the EV3 software and tried to install it, but it didn't complete and didn't give much of a useful failed installation message, see screenshot

Interestingly, the silverlight plug-in has now disappeared.

Any advice?

Thanks
Rob

I tried several approaches. Uninstalling and installing Silverlight, uninstalling and reinstalling EV3 and none solved anything. It looks like the installer looks for Silverlight and ends in error. Furthermore, launching EV3 resulted in a crash. No matter I reinstalled version 1.0 and started to update it.

El Capitan is very rigorous with plug-ins. First, launch Microsoft Silverlight in the Applications folder. In the Application Storage tab confirm that Enable Application Storage is selected (ticked). Close Silverlight preferences. In Safari, select Safety and confirm that Enable plug-ins is selected. Press Manage Plugins Settings button (or something similar, my computer is localized in Spanish). Confirm that Silverlight plug-in is checked. In the lower right (when visiting other web sites) select Always Allow (I also selected Execute in non safe mode but I do not counsel it) and Apply.

Now launch Mindstorms EV3 and should not crash and be the latest version. Mine one is now functional:


Why does my RCX programmable brick have no power socket? My RCX has no power socket, I don't know why. it seems that all RCX 1.0 over #300000 have no power adapters. My ONLY link is Google pictures. why?

The LEGO Group removed the power adaptor on RCX bricks included in the Robotics Invention System 1.5 onwards - These are often referred to as 1.1 or 1.5 bricks.


Which set does this lego tree belong to? I thought this is part of a Modular house but it isn't ... I don't know which set does this "tree" belong to.

(click to enlarge)

The stalk mold comes in two green versions 6097232: Stalk W. 1,5 Shaft And 3,2 Shaft and 6269940: Stalk W. 1,5 Shaft And 3,2 Shaft
Looking through photos of the sets containing these green parts, which contain some kind of tree build gives two sets:

10253-1: Big Ben
10247-1: Ferris Wheel

It's not the Big Ben set as this set contain a small tree which is build using a 1x1 plate:

The Ferris Wheel has a similar tree as you have and it also contains the same white
6170419: Stick 6M W/Flange (white ring on your photo):

Only your tree is missing a second cone piece. So it is hard to tell if this tree is coming from the Ferris Wheel set or someone used that tree build to build their own.


Can I build UCS Death Star by buying bricks separately? I'd like to get the UCS Death Star, but it's too expensive :(

I got the build manual, and I see what bricks I need. I am thinking of buying them separately via Bricklink.

Has anyone tried doing that?

There is a whole site dedicated to working out how you can build a particular model using parts from other sets - Rebrickable. A combination of that and Bricklink would be cheaper as you'd end up with fewer extra parts.

There's also a thread on EuroBricks where someone has done what you're doing and there are some useful tips (mostly about buying as much as you can from a small number of sellers to avoid huge postage costs). Brickset's "links" tab is handy for more information on the set.


Where can I create a custom figure? So while it is nerdy, I want to create the Call of Duty: Zombies characters out of LEGO in real life to play with or model. But I can't find any sites where I can create them. Can someone help?

Try Minifigs.me! It allows for creation using almost every part, plus custom parts.

Also try BrickLink, which has a catalogue of nearly every LEGO piece in existence. (For sale!)


Help with identifying Lego set (partial red and yellow bike) I purchased a mixed bag of parts from a local seller and the pictured item was in the bag.  I do not recognize it and would like some help with kit number, description, etc.

This is from set # 9441: Kai's Blade Cycle

Keypart;
85970 - Slope, Curved 10 x 1, in Red


Why are old LEGO bricks more brittle than new ones? My vintage LEGO sets (circa 1980) are difficult to unbuild. Some pieces are prone to break. Did the plastic recipe change with time or are the bricks simply degrading?

The LEGO company switched to ABS in 1963, bricks produced before that have a markedly different quality.

However, if your sets are from around 1980, they should use ABS already and there should be no reason that the plastic is different.

Other possible explanations would be bad storage conditions (too warm, direct sunlight, maybe), or the fat that the set may have only been built once. Indeed, ABS bricks reach their optimal clutch power after having been assembled/disassembled about 8 to 10 times, so if you just built the set once and let it be (for display for example), then the bricks are in fact still too new and clutch together too tighly.


Is this a real Technic cloak? I found a cloak piece in some used LEGO I bought from a former LEGO employee. The cloak does not say LEGO on it, but it fits perfectly onto Technic figures with a satisfying pop and matches the contours of their bodies.

Is this a real LEGO piece?

I should note that the LEGO I bought had a small amount of junk mixed in from other toy brands.

this is a Playmobil cape, from the Zorro figure


BrickLink: Sell items as whole set and/or individual parts I want to sell some sets, minifigures, and multi-part parts (e.g. wheels that consist of tyre and rim)—further referred to as sets—that I'm willing to sell either as complete set or individual parts.
In BrickLink, is there an option to marks sets to be sold this way so that customers may find the whole set and the individual parts, but can only buy one of both options? If I would put the parts and the set into the invetory I would be risking that a customers orders more parts than I have (the set plus another part of that set). At best (but that's just nice to have) the set would automatically be splittet into parts after a customer buys one or more parts of the set.

The specific feature you're asking doesn't exist. However, you can make notes on your set listings and say that you're willing to part out the set.
In addition, there are sophisticated tools for buyers to create wanted lists and check which sellers have all or most of the parts they need. So, if for example, they are looking for several parts from the same set, sellers who have those parts will automatically show up for them. Sellers don't have to do anything extra besides listing the parts to have this feature active.
Based on my personal experience as a BrickLink seller, my suggestion would be to list the sets you have for a few months (sets sell well during the Christmas season, so you may want to list it until the end of the year). Then, if they doesn't sell, part them out and sell the parts individually.
Also, consider listing the sets on eBay. In general, sets sell quicker and for more than on eBay. eBay buyers are more casual LEGO fans and are usually looking for gift items, sets from their childhood, etc.. BrickLink buyers are more project-focused, and they are looking for specific parts for their custom projects and not whole sets.


ID LEGO's in sealed bag? Help please with this sealed bag of LEGO? It has the number 4 on it and I see purple pieces inside.

That polybag is from The Ender Dragon (21117), the set with the most of round plate 1x1 in Dark Purple [BL].


Is it possible to create a differential if I don't have it as a ready to use element? I have numerous gears, axis and other elements from different Lego Technic sets.
I wonder if using them I can make a kind of a differential like this?

If not, how can I implement similar functionality in case I have two motorized wheels on one axis that can be steered and connected to motor(s) via cardans like this:

This can definitely be accomplished, although it will be difficult to create a differential as small as the dedicated piece that you mentioned.

Some builders create their own differentials for use in larger models because of the inherent torque limits and slippage that the traditional differential and single bevel gears introduce. Here's one example (source) of a differential that can be created using fairly common elements:

The key is to build the frame containing the three gears and then attach a fixed gear to the frame. The tricky part is finding a gear that can pass an axle through the center without being fixed on it. In the example above, half of a turntable was used, but there are a few other parts that could work as well. Here's the turntable (48452):

If you are comfortable with modifying your parts, you could also drill out the center of a gear to allow it to turn freely.


I don’t know what LEGO piece this is with a large hole going through its center Can anyone tell me what LEGO piece this is?

Technic, Engine Cylinder with Side Slots
https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=2850


Will playing with a PF train motor by hand damage it? If one pushes a PF-motorized train by hand, will it cause damage to the motor, or any of the other parts (IR Receiver, Battery box)?

It is essentially working as a generator when turned by hand, so will that current damage it?

Unless you do extreme things it should be fine.  All the gears insides the Train motors, Power Function motors and the NXT motors are made of Nylon while the pinion attached to
the motor is made of metal.

Image Source

Since Nylon is much stronger than ABS plastic (normal LEGO plastic), the ABS would twist, tear or brake before damaging the nylon gears.

In fact one of the activities in the NXT manual (page 34) is to manually spin the motor by attaching a wheel to it and rolling it like a paint roller.  LEGO seems to trust that it is made to survive that kind of usage.

As for the electricity generated by rolling the motor, I'm pretty sure that the NXT brick is protected for that (given that LEGO expects this kind of manipulation).  On the other hand I would not connect a sensor directly to a motor and do this.  I would assume that the trains components are also protected since it is very likely that kids would roll the train by hand.

Extra info:

Link to other LEGO trains motors opened.
Link to opened Power Function motors.
Link to opened NXT motors.


Where can I find LDraw examples? Where can I find LDraw files to download?

I would like to have a collection of simple Lego examples and want to create step-by-step instructions for my youngsters.

The models included in AIOI as mentionned by HaydenStudios is also available as separate download
There is also a huge collection of LDraw models of official sets available on Eurobricks forum