What is this old wheel brick? What is this old wheel brick? Wheels are also available in about the half size. They have metal axles.

There are some variants registered on bricklink, but judging by the name and the presence of the brick in the middle, I guess the closest is:
Wheel with 12 Studs and Axle Cam with Light Gray Tire Smooth - Large (715a / 36)

The small version you mention is probably:
Wheel with 4 Studs and Axle Cam with Light Gray Tire Smooth - Small (7039b / 132-old)


LEGO Friends set identification from sealed bag I have the unopened bags of a LEGO Friends set, but I can't find any number to identify the set.

This bag is from 3315 - Olivia's House.

The instructions for this set can be found here on the LEGO Customer Service Site.


Help in identifying elements used on LEGO Batman movie's Daleks I've been working on making a replica of the Dalek from LEGO Batman.
I've worked my way through this video tutorial and the author identifies some differences between their (awesome) effort and the original from the film.
I've built a replica in the LDD and was trying to identify how the laser was constructed.
Currently the author is using a 64567 "Light sword shaft" and 30374 Light sword blade, something like this...

This is okay, but lacks some of the articulation which it should be capable of.  Now, I appreciate that the movie was CG based and some "cheating" probably took place, but I'd like to get as close as I can
From the movie...

I've identified that the business end of the barrel is (indeed) a 64567 "Light sword shaft", but I can't identify the shaft element which it is attached to (highlighted).
The 64567 part needs to attached to a 3.2 shaft part, but I can't identify the part which seems to have been used, any help would be greatly appreciated.
I've spend some time going through the LDD catalog and brickset trying to identify it, without luck.
It "could" be 32828: Plate 1x1 Round W/ Horizontal 3.2 Shaft, but it doesn't seem to have the same reduction or node at the end. I've tried using a 92690 "0.2 Shaft w/ cored knob" along with a 87994 "Shaft 3M 3.2" to join the 64567 together, but it doesn't generate the same shape (and is generally to long)

It looks like Minifig, Utensil Tool Box Wrench - 3-Rib Handle
Item No: 11402i (although it looks like the ribbing may have been omitted in the CGI model):

The socket end can clutch a stud, so it can be attached there.

This newer variant of this piece has come in flat silver, which is probably the closest color so far if not the color, in 5 different sets so far.


What is the average price per piece? Some LEGO pieces are probably more expensive than others, but what is the average price per piece of LEGO pieces, when sold as part of a kit? Is there any place containing statistics or graphs about the prices, showing the range of smaller and larger pieces?

A brief search led me to a very thorough blog post by Ruth Suehle on GeekMom, which includes the data and a Graph:

  Does It Feel Like Lego Bricks Just Keep Getting More Expensive?

In her findings, she found that average cost per piece in 2011 is about US$0.12, down from a high in the '80s of about US$0.40 - these prices were adjusted for inflation, etc.

Prices tend to be most affected by the price of oil, as that's a key component in plastic manufacture, so we might expect to see prices starting to creep up again.

Interestingly the licensed sets (Star Wars, Harry Potter, etc.) don't seem to have much of an impact on the price of the sets, it's just that they are often bigger sets, so have higher price tags - For example the Super Star Destroyer with a retail price of $399 had 3152 pieces working at $0.13/piece - although yes, an extra $0.01 multiplied over 3000 bricks does seem to add an extra $30 to the set.

There doesn't appear to be much data on weight or type of brick.


Options for sorting old and new versions of colors I'm working on sorting my LEGO collection. I'm sorting by part then color, with colors mixed when it makes sense (e.g. black is separated out, but medium blue and dark red are together). I'm trying to figure out what to do with similar colors, and I'm curious what most AFOLs do with them. These are the colors that I'm trying to figure out:

Light Grey / Light Bluish Grey
Dark Grey / Dark Bluish Grey
Brown / Reddish Brown

I know that some people just put the similar colors together, but I find that I usually don't like how they look together in a build. I also don't think that my collection is large enough at this point to justify separating all six of those colors out separately.

I too think you answered yourself partially.

You don't want 6 separate containers for these colors, which seems sensible; but on the other hand you admit yourself you mix some other colors when they are easily distinguished. Which I fully agree on: the first sort you should make is by part type anyway, and only afterward, if you have too much of a part, you may want to split the heap by colors - but not necessarily all colors, since your goal there is just to split a big heap to keep it manageable.

So how do you decide which colors to put together? Again, you hinted at it yourself: colors that are too similar are best separated. So you'll for example have a container with black, yellow and red parts (guess which country I'm from ;-)), and another with dark blue, orange and white.

Another possible option is if there is one color which is predominant: if I have, for example, 1000 1x2 blue bricks, while I have only 500 of 1x2 bricks of all other colors combined, then maybe setting the blue apart make sense. And even then, the best is probably to set 900-950 aside, even in a ziploc bag, and put the remainder with the other colors. The ziplog bag will probably stay unopened until I get a project which requires a massive amount of 1x2 blue bricks. (Actually, it's a real example, I did exactly that, and ended up using the blues for a smooth river)

So what does this leave you with the old/new color issue? Simple: you make two containers, labeled "old" (with Light Grey, Dark Grey, and Brown) and "new" (Light Bluish Grey, Dark Bluish Grey, Reddish Brown). That way, you have no problem knowing if it's old or new, and mixing these three colors shouldn't be a problem.


Minifigures - Series 20 The Knight Is the knight in the new Minifigures Series 20 based on the character in the movie Monty Python and The Holy Grail?

Here's what it looks like:

This seems to match my recollection of the major knights from the film, so pretty much probably not:

There wasn't a black (sable) and yellow (or) quartered knight, nor a martlet or raven on his shield.

That helmet element (Mini Knight's Helmet Closed) has been around since 2010, and has often been used in tournament and jousting sets, as well as general Castle sets of the time.


How can I complete the build of this Lunar lander from the Space and Airport Set (9335)? We recently got Space and Airport Set by LEGO® Education (9335) for our four-year-old who loves space and really loves his Duplo. He's been enjoying putting together the different parts of the kit but we've run into a problem - for some reason, LEGO doesn't have instructions for a bunch of the elements in the set.
Inside the box, all of the pieces were bagged in unnumbered plastic bags but not by set, so we couldn't even guess which pieces were designed to go together. There's a card with all of the pieces included in the box, too, but not by set. There are instructions for four of the figures, one on each of four plastic cards, and there are a set of instructions on the website for another five of the more complicated ones. That's nine out of what I'm guessing is 16 different builds, meaning 7 are missing instructions.
Some of the items are easy to figure out because you can see or guess all of the pieces just by looking at the images - for example, the rocket. But we're a bit stuck on the Lunar Lander because there are no images of the reverse side. If all of the pieces had been grouped in one bag, we could have figured it out pretty easily, I think but, as is, we're stuck.
Here's the image of it that's included in the set (which I've taken from the LEGO site link above):

(Click to expand)
We started from the ground up and we've gotten this far:

(Click to expand)
I'm not certain that the dark grey pieces are correct but they seem correct enough, so I'm not too worried. But now we need help figuring out the upper half. We have the white 6x6 for the base but there seems to be something between the light grey angle pieces that we have and the white 6x6, but I'm not sure what it is.
My husband and I have both dug around some on the internet but other full-set lunar landers are all that we see in search. Does anyone have an instruction set or can make an educated guess for which pieces we should use to build the rest of this lander?

While I'm focusing on this specific set, there are other parts like the airport itself that also don't have any instructions I can find. LEGO usually seems so good about showing you how to build things - and particularly for an educational product that's supposed to be used in a classroom by several children - it seems odd that they don't have instructions for this.
Links:

Brickset
Brickfactory (can't link to the set)
Swooshable (images link to Brickfactory)

So, Brickfactory and Swooshable have the same six images - the front side of all five plastic cards in the box and the reverse of one of them.

The best I could find in terms of instructions for 9335 is this page, which seem to contain all the prints included in the set. However Lunar lander is missing. It looks like one of those "inspiration" sets LEGO used to include in the old days. Looking at the pictures I found they are reasonable quality and model doesn't contain too many parts. So I gave a try building it digitally:

There are a few places like top white slopes, back Light Bluish Gray brick on top as well as 4x4 plate below first 6x6 white plate, where you couldn't tell the exact elements used. Apart from that everything seems to be pretty clear for me.
I could have shared the LDraw file as well, however not what would be the best way to do it here on SE.


Is there a logic to the way The LEGO Group fills the plastic bags? When opening a new box, most of the pieces are in closed plastic bags, and sometimes inside those plastic bags is another plastic bag for smaller pieces.

I find the pieces, for the most part, rather random.  Sometimes a particular brick shows up in more than one bag.

It seems like an odd way to make sure all of the pieces are there in the box, and yet, a box is rarely, if ever, missing a brick.

Any rhyme or reason to how Lego packages the pieces for a new set?

The main goal is certainly packaging efficiency (possibly where parts come from in the factory, for example), but there are other factors coming in.

Sets which have "modular" building need to have numbered bags, and the numbering has prioity on other considerations — you'll need all bricks for module 1 to be in bags numbered "1" (plus sometimes, unbagged parts).

Also, elements which are too similar are usually in different bags. This helps finding them when building, but another reason for that might be the random checks which are done on bag contents during the packaging process, as I believe these are manual.

Sometimes, if an element is in huge quantity in a set, it can also get its own bag; and as jfyelle says, sometimes a same bag can appear twice in a set — it's easier for packaging than two bags with different contents.


Lego Micropolis tutorials? I love the Micropolis cities (http://twinlug.com/micropolis-micro-city-standard/) and would like to try to build something myself.

Does anyone know good resources for learning to build according to scale and with details? Any tips would be appreciated:.

As the person who maintains the standard, I should probably start by apologizing for not trying to do more to make something like that available. I had hoped that the FAQ or the comments on the spec page would help with some of that but it's obviously not enough. In particular my answer to someone's question about building an airport is probably my own better writing on the topic.

For buildings in LEGO at almost any scale I can recommend the new "LEGO Architect" book from No Starch Press. It covers micro scale building, though not Micropolis specifically, and has some really good techniques for replicating the details that can make a building look great.

If you want opinions on specific topics or ideas from many of the current people building for Micropolis most of the main traffic for discussion is on Flickr in the Micropolis group.

Or you can start with two points.

The first point is to look at the scale guide right at the top of the spec:

  Scale: 1 brick is 9 feet, 1 plate is 3 feet and one stud is 7.5 feet. These are for reference only. The blocks are smaller than the blocks in a real city. Scale your buildings accordingly.

Next measure some real life things to see how that works out. For example a lot of US houses have between 8 and 10 feet between floors so if you've got a house with a flat roof then including protruding foundation and internal spaces it's likely to be about 24ft high, or (24ft divided by 3) 8 plates high. This ends up showing up in a lot of Micropolis modules as a brick (3 plates high) and 1 plate per floor. Expanding on that, a 10 story office building should probably be at least 13 bricks and 1 plate high.

The second point is to be flexible. Since most LEGO parts aren't very adjustable you can start to run into issues with items that are a bit smaller or a bit larger in real life but can be roughly translated into the scale. A great example of that is the standard Micropolis car, which is a single jumper plate with a 1x1 tile on top. However if a stud is 7.5ft on each side, then that jumper plate makes every car a 15ft 1970's land yacht. Most modern cars aren't much longer than 10ft which is actually closer to a single stud than two studs but a 1x1 plate with a 1x1 tile on top doesn't look like much more than a box.

Another example is the Micropolis city blocks themselves. Ignoring that in most US cities blocks are actually rectangular, at 32 studs our blocks are only 240ft long compared to the 260ft average of the short side of US city blocks. The long sides average 900ft. We experimented with that a bit when we were working on the original spec and there were several problems but the big ones included having too many different kinds of sub-block modules to make it work easily for a large layout and that while it was more "real" it just didn't look right to just about anyone. So we went back to the original idea for 4 16x16 quarter blocks to make one city block.

A good rule of thumb I've recommended to other people is to have a couple of those jumper and tile cars and put them next to whatever you're building and see how it looks. If the car looks too big then the building should probably be bigger. If the car looks too small, maybe take the building down a bit. You can make a lot of use of the various imagery options on the various mapping systems, both overhead and streetview, to give you an idea of what a car next to a building should look like in real life.

With both of those points in mind then the big takeaway is to try to both approximate scale but in the end be flexible about your implementation to fit the constraints of the medium and in the end build what you like and as long as it's got the roads, sidewalks, technic holes, and base height right it's a Micropolis module whatever anyone else tells you.


What set(s) do these pieces belong to? The orange wheels are very similar to the red buggy from the Neptune carrier.

Most of this looks like it's part of the Mars Mission range - however, none of those sets contain the 2 flames, and the Minifig has both wrong colour torso (grey, instead of white), and the wrong type of helmet (he has Headgear Helmet Space instead of a Motorcyle Helment)
As for which Mars Mission set you have there, from curved Windscreen, the Technic bars that the wheels are attached, the device the Alien is strapped into, and the arm on the drill, I believe that this is ETX Alien Strike

You can see the Alien in the holding contraption at the back of the mini rover, the wheels beneath it, the drill-arm in the centre, and the cockpit & windshield at the front.  It looks like you might actually have most of the rover in your photo!


What LEGO Power Function parts do I need to make an RC car? I'd like to make a remote control LEGO car with steering and forward/back functionality.

Looking at the LEGO Power function parts I'm assuming I need the following:

A battery (8881 or 8878)
A motor for forward/back (8883, 888003, 7772)
A servo for the steering (88004)
A IR receiver (8884)
A IR remote (8885)
Cables? (8871, 8886)

But I'm not sure how the IR remote is configured to control the motor/servo or whether I need an IR receiver (8884) per motor/servo, or whether I'm missing another part.

What Power Functions parts do I need to make a LEGO remote control car?

Your assumptions appear to be mostly correct. Just for clarity, these are the minimum parts required:

A battery box
A motor for driving
A motor for steering (unless you want to try a steer-on-reverse single motor design)
An IR receiver (these can support two motors each)
An IR remote

Extension cables and/or lights are optional depending on the design of your vehicle.


What techniques can be employed to build a low-profile sliding door/wall? I'm looking to build a sliding door or wall that doesn't use the defacto "sliding door" parts, 2874 and 4511.  These parts are almost usable for my design: they are thin and have a built-in stopper when using the corresponding "door rail" parts 32028 and 4510.  Unfortunately, they are too tall.

Is there a technique to slide a plate, tile, or panel without resorting to using part 30586.  I don't think I have the extra width needed by this part in my design.

Have you tried using "bricks with groove" ?

https://www.bricklink.com/v2/search.page?q=brick%20with%20groove#T=A


1/3 of 4 studs wide possible? In this build from the World Builder game, it appears the blue and green stripes running up the length of the tower take up 1/3 of 4 studs. Is this or a close enough approximation possible to achieve, or is this just artistic liberty from the game designers? I know a plate is 1/3 of a brick height-wise (3.2 / 9.6 mm) but apparently is 2/5 width-wise (3.2 / 8 mm). So stacking plates horizontally it in theory could be approximated by 3 plates, 4 plates, 3 plates.

I think you are looking in perspective at a digital render of a tower base that has 1x2 blue bricks on each side (1 wide) with a 2x2 lime brick in the center. It only appears to be 1/3-1/3-1/3, but is in fact 1/4-1/2-1/4. You can see this best if you zoom in on the base plate and look at how the studs line up with the lowest tier of the base.


Compatibility EV3 software with NXT brick - known limits? Lego says I can I use the new software to program old NXT bricks:

  Q: Is EV3 backwards compatible with NXT hardware?

  A: Yes. You can program your NXT intelligent brick using the new EV3 software. However not all software features are supported by the NXT intelligent Brick. You cannot program your EV3 programmable brick with the NXT Software.)

Are there any known limits programming the NXT bricks? I often had problems with MINDSTORMS NXT under Mac OS X and would like to replace it if possible.

EV3 has no support for the Light Sensor, just the Color sensor.  There is a Raw Sensor that can be used to create a Light Sensor MyBlock.  That MyBlock can then be used to create the various WaitFor, Loop, and Switch blocks using the Logic form of those blocks.

Then there is the calibration problem.  The Color Sensor block in calibration mode does not work on the NXT brick.  The EV3 can also program around that using file operations.

Finally, there is the memory problem. The new firmware leaves a bit less memory available on the NXT. The programs still need to be managed carefully to avoid using up all the memory.

Yes, you can use EV3 software on NXT bricks.  In general it is very easy.  There are some issues.


EV3 Event Delegation My problem is that the robot, which should just remain in the program until the Escape Button is pressed, just stays in the while-loop. The current code looks like this:

using System;
using MonoBrickFirmware;
using MonoBrickFirmware.Movement;
using MonoBrickFirmware.Display;
using MonoBrickFirmware.Sensors;
using MonoBrickFirmware.UserInput;
using System.Threading;

namespace ColorSensorExample
{
    class R_Main
    {
        public static void Main (string[] args)
        {
            R_Main main = new R_Main ();
        }

        public R_Main()
        {

            var sensor = new EV3ColorSensor (SensorPort.In2);
            ButtonEvents buts = new ButtonEvents ();
            buts.EscapePressed += new Action(onEscape);
            while (true)
            {

            }
        }

        private void onEscape()
        {
            EventWaitHandle stopped = new ManualResetEvent (false);
            stopped.Set ();
        }
    }
}

But it does work with the example from the Monobrick homepage:

using System;
using MonoBrickFirmware;
using MonoBrickFirmware.Movement;
using MonoBrickFirmware.Display;
using MonoBrickFirmware.Sensors;
using MonoBrickFirmware.UserInput;
using System.Threading;
namespace ColorSensorExample
{
class MainClass
{
  public static void Main (string[] args)
  {
        EventWaitHandle stopped = new ManualResetEvent(false);
        ColorMode[] modes = {ColorMode.Color, ColorMode.Reflection,
                             ColorMode.Ambient, ColorMode.Blue};
        int modeIdx = 0;
        var sensor = new ColorSensor(SensorPort.In1);
        ButtonEvents buts = new ButtonEvents ();

        buts.EscapePressed += () => {
            stopped.Set();
        };
        buts.UpPressed += () => {
            LcdConsole.WriteLine("Sensor value: " + sensor.ReadAsString());
        };
        buts.DownPressed += () => {
            LcdConsole.WriteLine("Raw sensor value: " + sensor.ReadRaw());
        };
        buts.EnterPressed += () => {
            modeIdx = (modeIdx+1)%modes.Length;
            sensor.Mode = modes[modeIdx];
            LcdConsole.WriteLine("Sensor mode is: " + modes[modeIdx]);
        };
        stopped.WaitOne();
    }
  }
}

Note: I have no particular knowledge of how monobrick work.

You're never escaping the while (true) loop. The example you're pointing too use an event-based model, and it looks like you prefer a loop. This is what you want:

class R_Main
{
    public static void Main (string[] args)
    {
        R_Main main = new R_Main ();
    }

    public R_Main()
    {

        var sensor = new EV3ColorSensor (SensorPort.In2);
        bool continue = true;
        ButtonEvents buts = new ButtonEvents ();
        buts.EscapePressed += () => {continue = false;};
        while (continue)
        {

        }
    }
}

But depending on the internals of monobrick this might not work at all.


Please help with set identification from the picture of this part made car please help identify the set that this car is part of.


Unable to save NXT program I pulled out my NXT recently to tinker around with it. After reconstructing one of the suggested builds, I was writing a small program for it. About halfway through, I needed to leave my work, so I tried to save the file, but I was unable to. I received the following completely straightforward and not confusing error message:

The text of the error message reads

Insane object at BHDP+3C18 in "Arm4Caleb.rbt": {graphics } (0x80): Loop Tunnel DCO )

with Arm4Caleb.rbt being the name of the file. I have failed to find what this error message may be referring to.

I also attempted to save a blank NXT program file; this was successful, leading me to believe that there was something wrong with my particular program. Consequently, I attach an image of the NXT program (I can't post the file because I can't save it):

The program is in collapsed mode so that I can screenshot it; the alternate decision for the largest switch "box" is a use of the C motor; the alternate decision for the medium box is a use of the C motor in the opposite direction; the alternate decision for the smallest box is doing nothing.

It's been a while since I've tried this visual coding stuff; I suppose I have an error somewhere in here? I'm not sure why it would prevent me from at least saving the file, though.

Apparently, all that I was missing was a STOP block at the end of the thread. Hopefully my oversight helps future users.

The STOP block looks like so:


Cheap Lego sets for Kindergarten classroom? I am wondering what is the best way to get a set of Lego bricks for my kindergarten classroom?  The children love playing with them and I no longer own them due to a transfer of grade levels.

If there is no need for the bricks to belong to specific sets (as in, it's not important to be able to build some official models from them) then I'd say the best way is to look for ebay bulk brick sales. For around 100$ you can get several pounds or around a thousand semi-random pieces. Try searching for "lego pieces".


What was or is the longest running Lego set? What is the longest running Lego set, retired or still in production?

I remember seeing set 7239 Fire Truck in the Lego catalog for years. That fire truck out lived three fire stations (7240, 7945, 7208)!

I'm having trouble finding an end date for sets, is there any way to know how long a set was released?

For example Brickset lists the fire truck's availability at LEGO.com as Oct 2007 through Dec 2011, but I know the set ran longer then that (I got it in 2005).

So what is/was the longest running Lego set?

I'm going to stretch your definition of "set" and say "32x32 green baseplate". You could get set 745-1 in 1978...

...then 840-1 in 1980, then 813-1 in 1986, then 626-1 in 1996:

And since 2015 there's 10700-1, altough it seems that the shade of green is different than the previous iterations:

Since those sets have exactly the same piece count (one) and each piece is functionally the same, I will argue that the green 32x32 baseplate set has been in production since 1978 until today (2019). That's over 40 years.

If you consider these to be different sets because they have different set numbers, then the record goes to 1996's 626-1, with 19 years.


Decals for LEGO Pharaoh's Quest Flying Mummy Do all LEGO sets have decals?  I am specifically looking for decals for LEGO Pharaoh's Quest Flying Mummy.

I don't have any, but there are at least 67 of them available on Bricklink: http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=7307stk01

(and no, not all sets have stickers)


What LEGO pieces have "real-world" functionality? I have noticed that there are a few LEGO pieces that also function in the "real-world." For example, the  10830c01 Magnifying Glass can actually magnify.

Another example is the 70001pb01 Compass, which works the same way you'd expect any "real-world" compass to function. (Although it's not always 100% accurate.)

Are there any other LEGO pieces that have "real-world" functionality?

All Aboard!

I'd like to add my all-time favorite LEGO piece:

x870cc02, THE BLACK WHISTLE!

The white brick is a microphone. Attach it to your train's motor and BLOW THAT WHISTLE!  Depending on how short (or LONG!) your whistling was, the train would go forwards or backwards.

Real-world use: Not only did it drive your train round the bend, but your parents too...!


What piece is this and what is its purpose? I am very confused on what this is. The only numbers on it are 8-01 and I searched for this and nothing comes up.

We call them space binoculars. They're like binoculars, but in space!


Can you identify these LEGO bags from the thrift store? Mostly white and dark grey pieces, and some bared doors I got these at the thrift store. What set did these come from?

Based on:

BRICK 1X16, Ø4,9 in white

LATTICE FOR FRAME 4X6 in Medium Stone Grey

TRAPDOOR FRAME 6X8 in Dark Stone Grey

4504228: Wall Element 1X6X5, Abs  in white

and the trans blue parts window pieces

These bags are from:

60047-1: Police Station


Finding all my owned minifigs Let's say I've uploaded all my sets to BrickSet or Rebrickable or something similar. Is there a way I can download pictures and part descriptions of all my 1000 minifigures?

Let's say I have a daughter who likes to make custom figures and then never put anything back the way it was before after she's done with it. I'd like to be able to print out a sheet of minifigure details so that she could re-assemble them. Or even so that I could reassemble them.

For "Parts description", ideally I'd have the text like you find on BrickLink:

Light Flesh Minifigure, Head Dual Sided Black Glasses with White Lenses, Sideburns and Moustache, Neutral / Smiling Pattern (John) - Hollow Stud
Medium Lavender Hips and 1 Dark Purple Left Leg, 1 Medium Lavender Right Leg with Yellow and Red Vertical Stripes on Sides Pattern

Better if it had part numbers so I could look those up.

Lots of minifigures have rear or side printing or dual-printed heads and it is often not obvious from a single photo what parts to look for, otherwise I could just use the pages on BrickSet.

If you have added your sets to Brickset, under "My Sets; Minifigs; View Your Minifigs" you will find all your minifigs pictured & listed by name (default). This will give you their name, ID number, and which set or sets they are from. You also have several more options to sort them by. Clicking on a picture magnify's the figure for greater detail. All of this can be printed, but given the number of minifigures you are dealing with, printing them out is going to take a lot of paper and ink and may be impractical.

If any additional information is needed, then looking up the provided figure number on Bricklink will give you the option to look at its individual components in greater detail.

Brickowl can provide you with a more compact, detailed break-down of a minifigures parts, but unfortunately doesn't use the same ID numbers as Brickset and Bricklink. These compact inventories would make it more practical to compile several figs on a single page. Perhaps Brickset may consider such a format if you were to inquire? It would be a very useful tool.


What to do with old LEGO Magazines I'm in the process of moving, and I have come upon my old collection of LEGO magazines. All from the early 2000s, I have the LEGO Magazine, the Mania Magazine, and a bunch of Shop-at-Home catalogues.

Are these of any value? I checked e-bay, and I saw a few lots of maybe 10 or so, but nothing seemed to be moving. I've sitting on close to 100 of these things. I need to get rid of them, but I'd hate to just toss them. (I may give them to a neighborhood kid, but his parents might get a bit overwhelmed with 100 LEGO magazines suddenly showing up on the doorstep!)

I'd appreciate any feedback from y'all. (I live in Boston if anyone else is nearby.)

You might consider donating them to your local library, or an after-school program. Kids love to flip through them!


Is the visual.ly infographic information about the minifigure reliable? Visual.ly just release this awesome infographic about the LEGO minifigure.

It this all correct information?

Please forgive the length of this but I was careful to check all the facts from the graphic and include source information.

All information in this infographic, except for those that follow below, can be confirmed from the Wikipedia.org page devoted to minifigs:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lego_minifigure.  I would not deny that Wikipedia can contain errors, however, knowing the importance that the LEGO group puts on its reputation as a company, it would make sense that they had at least checked the page for blatant errors.  I'm only guessing of course, but as Wikipedia is a crowd sourced tool, well monitored, it can be reasonably relied on for good information.

The following points had to be confirmed through other quoted sources or other articles on Wikipedia.

According to this thread: http://www.bricksetforum.com/discussion/911/production-oddities user davee123 indicates he learned in a meeting at LEGO, by an exec, that the heads were given holes as a safety measure against choking.  Now they have changed that policy in order to accommodate putting the LEGO logo inside the recessed stud.  They apparently felt the hole for not choking had not provided any true safety advantage.

The claim that the Police is the first minifig to have been released is difficult to positvely confirm.  In the Wikipedia page it is noted that the first minifigs were “police officers, astronauts and pirates”.  Hispa Brick Magazine: http://www.hispabrickmagazine.com/en/content/hbm003-lego%C2%AE-minifig-or-life-doesn%C2%B4t-end-30 in its article on the history of minifigs notes that the Police were released in conjunction with “a fire man, a street worker, space figures, knights...”.  The first female minifig nurse is noted to have been released two months after that of the above listed.  This article also confirms that the police officer is to date the most popular and that there are indeed 41 different variations of them.  The article also states the number of minifigs sold per year to be 122 million in accordance with the graphic as well as the claim that with the number of parts there are a possible 8 quadrillion combinations.

This LEGO wiki site: http://lego.wikia.com/wiki/Indian gives information on Native American minifigs being first to have distinct 'racial features', however the drawing on of the nose I was not able to find definitive confirmation of through reliable sources.

The Wikipedia page concerning LEGO video games: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Lego_video_games lists 43 different games, not 42 though this could be due to a new release after the making of the infographic.  Most release dates for games licensed to non-LEGO media checked out except for the LEGO Indiana Jones which is here dated 2008 instead of 2007.

According to this article at Gizmodo which claims it was created in collaboration with the LEGO Group: http://gizmodo.com/5070884/exclusive-the-lego-minifig-timeline, the 1990 appearance of the ghost is correct with its specialized appearance.  This article also confirms that licensed minifigs began with Star Wars and the character Luke Skywalker, though the infographic merely states “a Star Wars character”.

According to the LEGO Professionals:  http://aboutus.lego.com/en-us/lego-group/the_lego_history/ , the Indiana Jones line license was signed in 2007, though the sets are noted as being released in 2008.  The release of Prince of Persia is also noted as being one year later (2010) than the infographic though does not note the time of contract which may be 2009.   As for the Batman series, I found a website called Brick Superheroes: http://www.bricksuperheroes.com/lego-batman-minifigs.asp which delineates the different Batman minifigs and states the first release to be 2006 as indicated in the graphic.

This article by Cory Doctorow on BoingBoing http://boingboing.net/2012/05/15/history-of-gendering-in-lego.html gives his personal count of gender ratio which he shows in pie graph and states that for the five years he studied he came up with an overall ratio of 3.74:1 but he notes that the first year he took account for, 1989, had its own ratio of 13.5:1.  He does say, “The imbalanced ratio of masculine to feminine minifigs persists today, though it has lessened over time. I have seen several different numbers for this ratio, so I decided to do my own count” which would indicate the ratio shown in the graphic would be difficult to confirm or deny.  I was unable to find definitive proof either way myself.

Wikipedia has this page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lego_Homemaker for the Homemaker line which confirms the dates of those sets.

This Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lego_timeline confirms the Paradisa dates, but lists the first release date of the Scala line as 1979 not 1997, however, the LEGO wikia page on Scala: http://lego.wikia.com/wiki/Scala indicates it was first released from 1979 to 1980 and then it was re-released again from 1997 to 2001.

The Wikipedia page devoted to LEGO Belville confirms the release year as 1994: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belville_(Lego).

Wikipedia also has an article devoted to the LEGO Friends line which confirms not only the date but most of the information on the graphic about 'mini dolls' vs. Minifigs.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lego_Friends whereas this article: http://www.brickset.com/news/article/?ID=2110 at the Brickset site confirms that according to the fact sheet for Friends, the size difference is 5 millimeters.


Set identification for white Technic panel with sticker that says "5974" I would like to know what set these are from. We have 2 of them! Thanks!!

You have

LegoTechnic, Panel Fairing #18 Large Smooth, Side B with '5974' and Air Intake Pattern (Sticker) - Set 5974

from  5974-1: Galactic Enforcer


Can a EV3 program run simultaneously with the Running Robot commander app? Is it possible to run the Robot Commander app and a program on the EV3 brick at the same time?

If so how would it be accomplished?

No, the Robot Commander app downloads and runs a program on your EV3. If you already have a program running, it will be stopped and the program downloaded by the commander app will run instead.


How can the A and B models of the 42055 Bucket Wheel Excavator be modded to fit together? The 42055 Bucket Wheel Excavator has a B model, a mobile aggregate grader:  which shares the mining theme with the A model and seems to be designed to sort the mixed output of the excavator into smaller and larger pieces.

But as the Brickset review states:

  Unfortunately the chute is too high for the BWEs exit conveyor to feed into it if both are on level ground. Its edges are about 21cm from the ground; the bottom of the BWEs conveyer is about 18cm.

How can one modify either or both models in order to make them compatible with each other? The obvious solution would be to raise the A model on a platform of some kind, but I would prefer some kind of more natural solution.

I have found someone in this video doing that mod.

The modification consists of removing a part of the hopper wall to let the BWE drop it's output into it from the side.

These are the relevant pictures:


Can anyone identify this wheel-like part from the Kazi 10005 80cm WW2 German Railway Gun "Dora"? Pictures below show a part from the Kazi 10005 80cm WW2 German Railway Gun "Dora".

I've been looking on Bricklink for this part, but I can't seem to find it.

Does anyone know if this actually exists in LEGO? And if so, what's the part number?

I know of similarly looking LEGO piece - Minifigure, Utensil Barbell Weight.


What kind of soap can I use to clean LEGO? I have some LEGO bricks I would like to clean some old sets and parts I bought from Brick Owl.
So I would like to know what soap is the safest for cleaning the LEGO parts I was thinking maybe soft soap or something.
By the way, I won’t be cleaning printed or stickered LEGO.

The official guidance from The LEGO group suggests using a mild detergent.

Cleaning your LEGO® bricks is really easy! We recommend that you clean
your LEGO® parts by hand using water no hotter than 104°F / 40°C and a
soft cloth or sponge.** Higher temperatures may affect the quality of
the parts. You can add a mild detergent to the water - please
rinse them well with clear water afterwards and you're done!
A word of warning! Please don't put your LEGO® pieces in the washing
machine or dishwasher, and don't try to dry them in the oven, the
microwave or with a hair dryer. When the bricks get really hot they
may change shape, which means they won't work anymore!

Cleaning your LEGO® bricks
In most cases warm water is enough to clean LEGO bricks, some soap can help remove tougher stains, dirt and smells.
Examples of mild detergent include liquid hand or dish washing soap, as opposed to things like bleach and ammonia which are irritating and corrosive to the skin which may damage bricks.
Mild detergent should be enough to both clean and sanitise.


App (Win/Android) for managing and cataloging Lego sets I'm looking for an app to keep track of my Lego sets. For my DVDs/BRs I'm using DVD Profiler:

Desktop application (Win 7+)
Android/iOS app
They sync by using a single account
But you can use all the apps offline as well

I don't need "fancy" functions like seeing what other sets I would be able to build with the bricks I own, I just want to add new sets on my PC (Win 7), then see which sets I own on my PC and an Android phone (offline as well!).

If I can set the purchase price and date (and maybe when I first/last built the set), that would be a huge plus but I can live without functions like that.

Is there anything like that?

Brickset allows you to do all of the things you mentioned. It's very simple to use, but it also has some optional advanced features. You can read more about keeping track of your collection on Brickset here: https://brickset.com/mycollection

There are some Brickset based apps providing options for Android and Windows 8+, although I'm not familiar enough with them to be able to recommend one that would work for you.


How to instruct EV3 to go a certain place in the room? I'd like to instruct my LEGO Mindstorms EV3 robot navigate to a defined place in the room ("return home").

With the lack of GPS capabilities, what other possibilities exist?

Maybe directing the robot with IR Beacon?

I would use the IR Beacon that's shipped with the Home Edition of the LEGO Mindstorms Education EV3.

The Beacon is integrated within the IR remote control (the big horizontal button at the top). The LEGO Education programming language (EV3-G) has a block to get the distance and angle from the IR beacon. So it is possible to search for a beacon and move your robot into the specific direction.

If I remember correctly you can use four different channels with a IR remote control. So it should be possible to use four different IR Beacons simultaneously.

I think that's the easiest solution you can achieve with not so much effort.


Lego NXT Exploitation or Vulnerabilities? I originally posted this question on the Reverse Engineering site, but there were no answers. They told me to also post this question here. OK, my friends and I have Lego NXT sumo bot competitions for fun. Basically, you build a robot that waits five seconds and competes against a robot to stay on a board. We normally focus on the mechanical side to win against other robots (find them and push them off the board), but I had the idea to try a software attack. My idea was to:

Find some sort of Bluetooth vulnerability that I could exploit from another NXT (I write my programs in NXC).
Upload a malicious program that makes the robot drive backwards forever.
Somehow execute the program (and win)!

I have tried testing the NXT Bluetooth for vulnerabilities (I have knowledge of Windows/Linux exploitation and debugging) and I can't find anything. The main problem is that the NXT firmware handles Bluetooth connections, in other words you connect the devices with a pass code before running the program that requires Bluetooth. So, my questions are:

Is this even slightly possible or is it just a waste of time?
If there was a NXT Bluetooth vulnerability, could I even send it from another NXT that's not connected?
Was this the right place to post this question?
Would NXT debugging even be possible?

Update
First, thanks for all of the ideas and answers. Secondly, several of the answers note about the legality of what I am trying to do. Yes, it is legal where I live. Third, I talked with main guy and judge of the competition and he said that he would love to see a software attack like this.

Where I'm at now
I have Kali Linux and the mac address has been found. I also found a paper here
on the control protocols. The main dilemma I am still facing is the fact that a Bluetooth passcode has to be entered on the device I intend to connect to. Any updates will be posted here!

Is this even slightly possible or a waste of time?

It might be possible but requires effort and probably a fair amount of research and hacking on your part. I'm not saying I know for sure if an exploit exists, either in the communications protocol or the BT firmware, but exploits are always possible. And it's not like LEGO is incentivized to look for obscure security issues in this stuff -- it just isn't that important.

Exploits come in different flavours, as do attacks. One place to start looking is the vendors that LEGO sourced for the various pieces of the NXT platform, and not just Bluetooth. We are looking for manufacturers that have released security notices for their hardware and drivers in the hopes that an exploit is still in the wild in an unpatched device used on NXT.

Another trick is to decide what sort of attack payloads are available. For example, even if you can't get debug access to the device, maybe you could keep the device so busy with bogus or specially crafted connection attempts that you gain some advantage. A denial-of-service attack is often just as effective as a direct hack.

You want to start looking at all the I/O that NXT uses, and then see how you can exploit it for direct access or some sort of leverage that gives you an advantage of some other sort.

And often exploits are leveraged in concert to get the access the hacker wants. So, you want to collect as much information as possible, and then start hacking your Kobayashi Maru solution.

Well, I recently ran across this answer, which shows that the LEGO Group sometimes patches security holes. The best part about knowing about patches is knowing some version has a security hole.


When was this Lego Adventurers T-Shirt produced? When was this Lego Adventurers T-Shirt produced, and what is its model number?

The link says 1998. Is it correct? And where can I see the full design?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/352740773574

The shirt itself says 1998 on it, which coincides with the earliest known release of a set for that theme.

Here it is advertised on/in this 1999 January/February issue of Lego Mania magazine:

(https://www.flickr.com/photos/timlydy/22805063335/in/photostream/)

Given this was advertised at the very beginning of 1999, I think it is safe to assume that 1998 is the correct date for when the T-shirt and Magazine were printed. As for a model number, as Alexander O'Mara mentioned, it's listed on Bricklink as TS10.  I am not familiar with model numbers for Lego clothing, or if they even have them.  Bricklink has likely created their own format for designating a number to a particular design to simplify and clarify it's identification for buyers and sellers.


LEGO sticky after painting? Why are my LEGO still sticky after I paint them?  I use primer beforehand but the acrylic paint is still tacky hours after they're painted.  Thanks!

I suspect that you used an acrylic paint with a solvent that softens ABS plastic.

Your bricks may take quite some time to harden.

It's possible they never will.


Identifying Lego kits from unopened bags for library I'm a librarian and we recently received one of the Junior Maker Lego kits that LEGO distributed to 15 libraries in each state. It's a wonderful kit and includes a lot of basic blocks along with many numbered bags that clearly go to sets. However, none of the set information is included, nor can I find it online. Some I know are from the Chima theme based on the minifigs. I'm happy to upload pics if you all wouldn't mind helping, but there's about 20 different ones. Is there an easier way to do it?

If you really want to know, I would suggest identifying the most unusual part in a bag, then  using that part, search for what sets it has appeared in recently.  Each piece usually has a small number printed on it.  Use this part number on bricklink, or peeron to search for the part, and then click the link that shows you what sets it has appeared in.

Alternatively, take a picture of the bag and post it to the AFOLs of Facebook group and you'll probably have an answer in 5 minutes or less.


Are the different LEGO Xtra play mats designed to be used together? It appears that the LEGO Xtra play mats come in three different varieties:

It is clear that these are physically compatible, but are these intended to be used together, or are the three locales generally meant to be used independently?

If you mean the different designs (paved road, beach, grassy park) creating a continuous landscape that seamlessly flow into each other, no, that's not the case. However, each of the playmats is double sided with different but compatible designs. So, you could make the paved road, beach, and grassy park longer by purchasing extras of the same landscape and using both sides to create variety. (You would need two 2-packs of the same set to take advantage of all four printed sides.)

While the different landscapes don't fit seamlessly with each other, you could make it work by placing some structure or additional brick-built landscapes at the seams to hide the lack of continuity. For example, between the paved road and the beach, you can place a row of houses on top of the seams to blend the landscapes.


How do the Ninjago spinners work? How do the Ninjago spinners work? From the set it looks like you can put a minifigure on it. It's a little hard to understand how that works from the picture though.

I've had a few of these in the past, and I've managed to find one so hopefully I can explain it with a few pictures.

They are simple, hand-powered spinning tops, best spun by a finger and thumb:

Usually the original spinner would have a Plate, Round 2 x 2 with Rounded Bottom on the bottom to aid spin:

Although clearly these became more advanced as per the other examples with pin holes in the bottom for further attachments.

The minifig stands inside the spinner, only lightly held on by the parts inside:

The interesting part is the light grey part that holds the minifig's feet which can go up and down, which happens when the dark grey part is rotated:
Lowered:

Raised:

And it was this action that made the game you'd play with them: By getting two people with spinners, you could spin them at each other, and hope that they'd bump, or at least the characters with their weapons would catch on each other, and this would cause them to rotate within the spinner, lifting them up, and hopefully knocking one off!

The cards would then allow you to add additional weapons to your minifig, or parts to the spinner itself, either raising it up, or building up "defences" that would stop the minifig from rotating, and so keep it in place for the next battle.


Ridable Winged Horse Is there a horse that a minifigure can ride and you can still put wings on?  I've looked at several sets and they all have pieces in the 'saddle' section to hold the wings.

The Black Horse, Skeletal with White Eyes Pattern (Thestral) from the Harry Potter / Fantastic Beasts set "Grindelwald's Escape" has a "saddle" section which is 2x2, instead of 1x2.

This would allow you to connect use both Wings a MiniFig, each using 1x2.  However, it doesn't exactly look like a regular horse:

Or, potentially, you could try combining Horse Saddle with Two Clips with a pair of either Bar 1L with Clip Mechanical Claw or Arm Piece with Tow Ball and Clip, to rotate the connection from Vertical to Horizontal, and connect wings to that.  I am not sure if there is enough clearance at the sides of the saddle to orient these correctly though.


How can you pin the Penguin Suit Guy down? I like penguins and so I was really amazed to find the Penguin Suit Guy in Collectible Minifigures Series 16:

But despite coming with the 88646 tile he won't stick to it because of the skates:

There's no place to receive studs or anything else on the back of the legs.  So how can I keep the Penguin Suit Guy from bouncing around in his display case for ever more?  Is there a way to easily attach to the skates and not break too many LEGO best practices?

For any CMF's with skates, I put the figure on the stand with no footwear, and attach the footwear to the holes behind their legs.  That way their accessories are there, and stuck to the figure, but the figure is on its stand!


Can I still motorize Universal Building Set 8034 and other from that time with modern elements? Set 8034 was supposed to be motorized using 8700. Of course,  this is way outdated and kinda pointless to buy motor this old.

Current set for this purpose is 8293. Problem is, old motor was 5 studs long, new one is 6, and new set does not provide rubber band for power transmission. Can these be easily fixed? And is there anything else I  should be aware of?

The length of the wire is another thing to be aware of. The wire attached to the motor in 8293 is only slightly more than 20 centimeters (might be a few centimeters more, I don't remember), you can double that by putting in the switch which has about the same length of wire, but it's still not much. I don't know how long the wire in 8700 was, but it looks longer.

You should also be aware that the new motor doesn't have a pin sticking out that rotates, but a pinhole, if you put in a 2L axle it will look about the same, but the notches on the newer (part 32062 - the older part 3704 didn't have notches) are in a different position (I believe they are in the middle of "each L", while the pictures show that the notch on the axle extending from the old motor is in the middle of the "half L" closest to the motor, the belt wheel was about ½L thick), so you'll have to think about how you place the belt wheel if you want to use a rubber band directly from the axle to transfer the motion. You can work around that with a (half)bush on the axle, but that significantly changes the circumference the rubber band goes around, as thus the gearing. (This section was significantly extended to address Michael Verschaeve comments, thanks goes to him for pointing out the issues I believe I have now addressed)

I don't know set 8034, but from the pictures it looks like it would be hard to fit the new motor due to the increased length.


Can you identify this yellow crane? Can you identify this one?

It's part of a series of models I had as a kid that I want to take apart for my own kids now, and I'm looking for the original instructions.

Looks like it is this Universal Set with Flex System. Looks like the instructions can be had fairly cheaply.


Is EV3 Device Manager still active? Link to https://ev3manager.education.lego.com/ is broken - will this be fixed?

Yes

As of April 2019, The EV3 Device Manager is active. However, if you have not downloaded the Device Manager to your computer, it will not function. Also, make sure that your EV3 is properly connected to your computer with a USB that can transfer information.


help identify set from parts Please help me identify which set either of these parts came from (tried using Bricklink but don't know how to describe the bricks to get the correct result)...

The first assembly is from the #8087 LEGO Star Wars TIE Defender released in 2010.

The second assembly is not LEGO, but Mega Bloks (Mega Construx).


Is there any rhyme or reason to the sizing of LEGO boxes? Recently, I have noticed that there appears to be no rhyme or reason to the sizing of any given LEGO set box. For example, in the picture below, you can see three sets that have a similar amount of pieces, yet three completely different box sizes.

Why does this occur? Is there any rhyme or reason to the sizing of LEGO boxes?

This is marketing department wizardry.

From a pure engineering point of view, the closer to a perfect cube (or rather sphere) you are, the greater of internal volume you can enclose with the same amount of material.

What does this mean? By not making cube shaped lego boxes, Lego isn't trying to be as efficient as they can be when it comes to their box design. This costs them more in terms of packing materials, shipping container size, and store shelf capacity.

And yet, they are happy with this choice because the marketing department has determined that big pictures of sets on the front of the box attracts consumer's attention and results in greater sales. In a vacuum (say at a LEGO store), they could be any size and the packaging would not be competing with other products (cough, cough mega blocs), but in the real world both companies are in a arms race to catch the eyes of uninformed grandparents who don't exclusive buy LEGO for their grandkids. So big, wide box fronts are ideal. If LEGO could get around the other problems of cost, shipping, and shelf limitations, they would make every box set look like it contains a big screen tv.

The ratios of height and width are interesting, as they seem to dance around a ratio between 4:3 to 16:9. (I cannot think of too many sets that are taller than they are wide). Some will be due to the dictates of the set inside (baseplates or special pieces), but LEGO clearly favors a ratio that mimics TVs and monitors. This is probably because they can keep the box height constant but play with box width to accommodate bigger sets. This makes it so that stores don't have to do shelf resets all the time, or mix sets of differing heights.


Lego EV3 doesn't respond to direct command I tried to execute command (via bt) play tone:

play_tone = '\x0F\x00\x00\x00\x80\x00\x00\x94\x01\x81\x02\x82\xE8\x03\x82\xE8\x03'
# send commands to EV3 via bluetooth
with open('/dev/tty.EV3-SerialPort', 'w', 0) as bt:
    bt.write(play_tone)

or start program “Demo” on EV3 brick

run_demo = '\x30\x00\x00\x00\x80\x08\x00\xC0\x08\x82\x01\x00\x84\x2E\x2E\x2F\x70\x72\x6A\x73\x2F\x42\x72\x6B\x50\x72\x6F\x67\x5F\x53\x41\x56\x45\x2F\x44\x65\x6D\x6F\x2E\x72\x70\x66\x00\x60\x64\x03\x01\x60\x64\x00'

but nothing happens. No error in python script. Wireless connection status (EV3 brick display) show connected during script execution.

OS X 10.9.4, Python 2.7.5, EV3

Both of your examples are working for me. In the Bluetooth settings on the EV3, make sure "iPhone/iPad/iPod" is not checked.


LEGO Set 10188 Help on Step 160 I have the LEGO Star Wars Death Star set 10188. I am stuck on step 160 because when I try to clip the parts into a circle, parts snap off and I can't seem to bend it down. Thank You.

I'd double check that you've got all 16 links in the chain - if you're trying to squeeze it into a circle with less than that it won't fit. Also double check the placement of the pieces from sub-steps 7 and 8.

Finally, when forming the circle, try carefully working your way around from one end, moving completing each bracket before moving on to the next - possible starting with just one click each, and then going back and adding another as needed.


How do LEGO Technic pneumatics parts age? I recently bought LEGO Technic 8868 (Air Tech Claw Rig) and 8460 (Pneumatic Crane Truck) models. I noticed that the pneumatics tubes seem to have been changed since the colors are different from the instructions manual.

Since these models are respectively 24 and 21 years old, a possible explanation is that the original tubes have been lost.

But it may also be due to aged tubes that needed to be changed. How do tubes change when they're ageing? Do they become less flexible and break when they're failing? What is the lifespan of these tubes?

It looks like the pneumatic cylinder, pumps and valves have not been changed and they still work. So I think that they can last longer than tubes.

The tubes generally age very well and I have never experienced a problem with them (I have had several of these sets over the years).

I would double check that the pump is working correctly and you have definitely not got a poor connection somewhere (a leak).

Double check also for blockages in the hard plastic dark old grey connecting tubes that are clipped on and the 'T's. These have a smaller inner diameter than the rubber tube and would be the first to get a blockage if something has got in to the system.

If you are certain its a tube problem you can buy replacement tube online. I would carefully double check for another problem before buying tube as the tube rarely fails unless it has been exposed to chemicals or a lot of sunlight.


How to cross reference a part to all instruction guide pages Built my new Millenium Falcon and took it into the office before someone managed to knock it off my desk and onto the floor. It blew up.

Having managed to rebuild it, there are a few pieces left over that I can't figure out where they originally went.

Is there a way for a given piece to find out all the pages in the instruction manual where it is used?

I'm using the discontinued program LEGO Digital Designer where what you want to do can be done with the program's Selection Tools.

BIG NOTE:  The only thing you'll have to do is to search for your model in LDD format.  I'll give you a leg up and schmooogle a search string query for you. You'll just have to sift through and find that file.  Good luck!

Okay, Friend, shall we diiiiive in?! RIGHT! LET'S GO!!

I'm gonna step through the motions using a model comparable to the size of your busted up Falcon.

Schmooogle says there are 7,541 pieces in MF, so we have to go big with Super Mario Bros. End Stage Castle which pieces out at 7,994 bricks.

1)  First let's imagine it was knocked off it's perch:(

2)  Painstakingly rebuild what we can, but... huh, we got extras?... F***!!

3)  We got 5 stragglers in hand...err empty blue glove:

a red inverted slope,
a 1x1 white brick with a hole in it,
a yellow 1x1 tile stuck to a yellow 1x1 plate,
and finally a 2x3 brown brick.

4)  Open your model in LDD.

5)  Use the menu and place a digital copy of each extra real-life piece at the bottom of your model all in a nice neat little row.

6)  Okay, zoom out a little.  One at a time using the "Shape and Color" Selection Tool, click on each extra piece to highlight all bricks in your model that has that same shape and color.

7)  To see those pieces visually unhindered by other bricks, click "Invert" selection to highlight everything that wasn't originally highlighted.

8)  Then hide those obstructing bricks by clicking the "Hide" selection tool.

9) For remaining bricks:

Lather,

Rinse,

and Repeat.

Whoa! That's a lot of 2x3 bricks!.  In cases like this you might have to practice up , and do some old school find the difference picture comparisons, and get yourself geared up to find that missing hole in your model.  Good luck!

Here! Enjoy a troll fish...lol!  Peace!


Can LEGO Duplo and Lego Junior sets compatible? Can the pieces be mixed together from the different sets? Are LEGO Duplo and Lego Junior sets compatible? Can the pieces be mixed together from the different sets and all be played with together?

LEGO Junior elements have the same connections as the standard LEGO System elements and for the most part are the same pieces - it's just the building techniques are usually simpler and there may be more large elements in the set.

As such, they are as compatible as ordinary LEGO which is to say:

DUPLO blocks can be built on top of LEGO blocks and LEGO plates, and LEGO blocks can be built on top of DUPLO blocks, plates don't really have the depth to cover the DUPLO studs.

On top of that, LEGO and DUPLO elements are scaled proportionally, so one 2x2 DUPLO block is the same size as eight 2x2 LEGO blocks arranged in two layers of four.


HELP ! Darth Maul stuck in glue? Not so long ago I got my hands on a box full of loose bricks. There I found an old minifigure head of Darth Maul BUT stuck in his hood! I'm 100% sure it's glue. Is there anything I can do about it ?

To paraphrase an answer from @awe on a similar question,

  You can use some sugar liquid as temporary glue to make the head stuck to the torso. Wait until the sugar is sticky and then pull off the helmet. Once the helmet is loose,  put the head and torso in warm water to remove the sugar glue.

Depending on the glue attaching the hood to the head, you might need to use some other water-soluble glue in place of sugar water glue.


How does the cost of a LEGO railroad compare to a traditional scale railroad layout? How do the costs compare between a railroad layout constructed with LEGO trains and a nearly identical layout using traditional scale models, such as HO?

I'd say that an initial HO scale set was probably cheaper than a LEGO version, although a direct comparison isn't easy, and it can rapidly get out of hand once you start adding more elements in.

Initial Purchases

The closest I can find is probably comparing 7939 LEGO Cargo Train, which is currently selling in the LEGO shop for £130:

With something like the GWR Passenger Freight from Hornby, which is selling for £80:

I chose that one as it has the basic oval plus "Track Pack A", giving some additional track including points.

Add a TrackMat accessory pack for £30 for some buildings or platforms and you're still cheaper than LEGO set.

An entry-level set from Hornby with just the basic oval of track retails at around £70, compared with £102 for the Passenger Train set:

However, once you venture out of the initial sets, go for the digital options, or move out of the "RailRoad" brand, the cost goes up to the point where you're paying £200-300 for an engine, up to the giddy heights of "Live Steam".

Extending your track

The comparison becomes even harder now, however this is where LEGO wins on price, if not on range.

The LEGO shop lists a Switching Tracks set with a pair of points (left and right) and 4 curved rails for £16, compared with Hornby's price of £12 for each point - or £29 for a pack with a pair of points, 2 curves and 2 points.

HO Scale will offer you more options in general however: Hornby for example have 4 different radii of curves, a number of different lengths of straight tracks, 4 different styles of points (Standard, curved, express and Y), crossings, and two flexibilities of "flexible" track (about £4/m compared with LEGO's £12/m), as well as a much larger range of locomotives and rolling stock.


Why are the Lego boxes so unnecessary big? I ask myself often when buying Lego why the boxes are so much bigger than the space that is needed for the contained content. It seems a waste in terms of material and logistics. I do store the boxes and especially the bigger sets needs lot of space in my appartment. I would be happy to have them smaller.

The possible reasons include:

Surface area needed for legal info, practical requirements like barcodes, information, feature descriptions and artwork
Aspect ratio of the artwork means the boxes can't be too long and thin
Leaving space between the bricks so they don't get squished up against each other
Size of the instruction manual or sticker sheet
Psychological tool to increase the perceived value of the set
Larger boxes grab the attention of the consumer better
Larger packages are harder to steal

But the exact reason is likely a combination of some of the above ones and maybe some others, most probably in a top-secret ratio known only by LEGO.


How to make a 1 ldu offset? LDraw units are defined so that a simple 1x1 brick has a side of 20 ldu and a height of 24 ldu.

Using simple building techniques, it's easy to create 2 ldu offset, as illustrated in this picture, where the gap between the two red bricks is 2 ldu wide:

Of course, it's also possible to build any kind of offset, including 1 ldu, using continuous techniques such as parts gliding on axles, as illustrated in this picture:

But is it possible to build an exact 1 ldu gap without this kind of cheap trick?

(Note: my HDD crashed recently and until I get that fixed I can't really make LDraw images. I did create one for this beforehand, but it's on the same HDD.)

As jfyelle said the solution consists of using one LEGO element which has an odd ldu dimension somewhere. There is such an element, which isn't even new or particularly rare, that is, the Fence 1 x 4 x 2:

The centre part has a thickness of 6 ldu, which means that there are 7 ldu on each side. So if you add a 2x4 plate in it, the thickness of the plate (8 ldu) means that it will stick out by exactly one ldu. If your fence is one red brick, just put a 1x4 brick and a 1x4 brick with for knobs on the other to connect to the plate. Your two red bricks should then be 1 ldu apart.

I did learn that trick from Didier Enjary in his excellent Advanced Building
Techniques Guide which is well worth reading. That document contains a whole chapter on offsetting, but curiously the 1 ldu offset isn't listed explicitly; rather, the fence element and its 7 ldu offset is mentioned casually in the SNOT section.


What Can I Build With This I have a set of LEGO pieces that I bought second hand. I know it's a full set, because the bag was unopened, but I have no idea what I'm supposed to build with it.

Based on the occurrence of the 2x2x3 brick in white and the 16 trans-blue garage door panels, I think this is a bag from set 7744: Police Headquarters.

From the picture it looks like your bag builds the bottom right part of the station - the 2 car garages and the platform under the stairs.


Is it safe to overload LEGO train motors? When I was in Fana'Briques in 2008, there was a speed record competition for TGV-themed train. The setup used a section of custom-made straight track (aluminium rails if I remember correctly) and was powered by a custom transformer which could deliver higher voltages than the standard LEGO ones.

As ar as I recall, they went up to above 30v, and there seemed to be more damage to bricks (one train did derail dramatically, and pieces flew everywhere) than to motors.

Is it safe to overload LEGO train motors that way? I assume 30v is pushing it too far, but what could be considered a safe limit that motors can endure for an extended period of time?

I'm speaking of regular 9V motors, but answers for other LEGO motors can be interesting too. I know Philo pushed them to 12v when testing their efficiency, but with a big warning that he couldn't guarantee the motors would tolerate it for a longer period.

What could be considered a safe limit that motors can endure for an
  extended period of time?

Their rated voltage.

Motors are designed to operate at their rated voltage indefinitely, or until they wear out, whichever comes first.  Exceeding this voltage means you shorten the life of the motor.

Your big enemy is heat.  At some point, the amount of heat generated by the windings in the motor will exceed the ability of the motor to dissipate it, and the wire in the winding will melt and break the electrical connection (usually at the point where the wire is soldered to the commutator).

The point at which failure or excessive stress or wear occurs is influenced by many factors, including the amount of current driving the motor, the speed at which the motor is turning, the amount of load the motor is driving, the ambient air temperature, etc.  These variables make it difficult to predict a safe voltage above the rated one.

In addition, over-driving motors in this way makes them inefficient; speed increases are offset by higher losses due to back-emf, limiting the additional torque, so driving motors this way eats batteries fast.

Last but not least, overdriven motors are a safety concern.  The paint covering the windings can catch fire and burn down your house; you have to watch such experiments very carefully.

If you really want to increase the power, your best bet is to choose a motor with more torque, so that you can run it at its rated voltage.


Why do some sets contain parts of an unrelated colour that are hidden on the final model? With recent and current sets, I noticed that some contain parts of a totally different colour than the rest of the set. An example is 8200-1: Radiator Springs Lightning McQueen, which contains a blue 2×6 plate, 3 yellow 1×2 plates, 2 white 1×2/1×4 angle plates, and 2 grey 1×4 plates, while Lightning McQueen is red.

Parts like these aren't usually visible in the finished model.

Why are they used?

These are parts that should be available in most colours, including red. Did they have an overstock in these colours? Is it to make for easier building? Since this way both the model and the instructions aren't a big blob of red?

I believe the main reason is so that the pieces are easy to identify in the instructions - as many LEGO sets don't have the Technic style "List of elements used in this step" it's always a fun game of "Spot the difference" to see what's changed:

If those pieces were all red, then the target audience (5+ on those sets for example) might find it very frustrating to build.

(Even with the list of elements to use in a step it can often be quite an effort to find where a particular part goes.)


Instructions for LEGO bag 135149 Can someone please help me find the instructions for LEGO bag 135149? The bag says 2011 and has a propeller-type brick and a white helmet?   Any clues what this is?

By using the Brickset list of polybags released by Lego in 2011, I think your bag may refer to the following: 30014-1: Police Helicopter.


What are the longest 1×x and 2×x plates and tiles ever released? As a follow up of this question, here is the question for plates and tiles. What are the longest 1×x  and 2×x plates and tiles ever released by Lego?

When there are differences, I can think of the following categories:

Longest brick ever included in a regular Lego set
Longest brick ever available through other channels
Longest brick produced ever and visible on exhibits or other occasions, but unavailable to the public

I think it's going to be the 1x12 (#60479) and 2x16 (#4282) for regular Lego plates. The next longest plain-ish plate is probably the 6x28 (#5301, 5309, 4093), but these are thicker than typical plates.

For regular tiles I think the 1x8 (#4162) and 2x4 (#87079) are the longest. Outside of the 2x? they made some odd-ball Scala tiles at 3x6 (#6934) and 8 x 20 x 2/3 (#6923). Then there's the big 8x16 (#48288, 90498).

Does Modulex count since it's a Lego company product? There were Modulex 1x16 (MX1616M) plates and 2x12 (Mx1012) tiles. They also made a huge 22x60 (Mx2420D) plate according to Bricklink. Of course these pieces are only longer in terms of studs, because of the smaller scale, the Modulex bricks are not longer in millimeters/inches.  I'm curious if anyone has one of the 22x60 plates on hand to verify the bottom type?  Then of course there are baseplates, I guess I assumed you weren't referring to those.


What is the number of this small 1x1 part? I tried to find the number of this small part. I need it to create the two towers of Notre Dame.

That's 49668 Plate Special 1 x 1 with Tooth.


Will Duplo trains fit onto a regular 6 stud LEGO track? There's a thread here establishing that regular LEGO trains arguably fit onto Duplo track, but have trouble with underbelly clearance.

What about the opposite? Will a Duplo train fit onto six-stud gauge LEGO track?

To be clear, I am excluding control and power functions - I'm asking if a Duplo train will fit on the tracks and roll freely without derailing.

For this experiment we're using the wheeled Duplo push and go motor block and red cabin from Set #10874.

The wheel width of the motor is the same width as a non motor base.

So, for this train to stay on the six stud track, the wheels need to sit either on the inside of the tracks or the outside of the tracks.

As the last picture shows, the wheels float on top of the tracks, which allows the train to slip off.

If this red train represents the standard width of most Duplo trains, then we can conclude that a Duplo train will not fit on a six-stud gauge LEGO track and roll freely without derailing.

UPDATE: Just getting our digital groove on.


Please help me identity this part (Duplo size) I got a lot of pre-owned blocks and there's a part I couldn't figure what it is for. There is no part number printed on it; I guess it is not produced by LEGO, probably just some clone brands instead. It is Here are the pictures:

.

It is compatible with my other Duplo blocks and I'm curious what can I build with it. Thanks.

Thanks everyone for joining the discussion and trying to help. It turns out that the part to be identified is designed to be used as the handle for gears.


Which parts can I use to connect a cross axle to a car body? I have some wheels that are connected to cross axles. The wheels don't turn on the axles (they have an X-shaped centre whole ). Which parts can be used to Connect the axle to the car body? It's supposed to be a very basic car for my 4 year old.

You don't give many details, but there are cross-axle to round-axle pegs available, or you can put the cross-axle through a round-axle brick.


Is it possible to run more than two remote control trains on one track? My son has two passenger trains and a lego cargo train. We can get two trains running on the track using one remote.

But how do you operate a third train?  We do have other remotes which came with each train. Do you use a second remote or do you use the number settings and just use one remote?

Each remote has 2 separate controls (one for "red" and one for "blue"), and 1 channel setting (choice of channel 1,2,3 or 4). Each train has an IR receiver which has 1 channel setting (again choice of channel 1,2,3 or 4) and two connections, one coded "red" and one coded "blue". From what you describe, you have two trains set both to the same channel (I'm assuming channel 1) but for one train you connected the motor to the "red" connector and for the second train you connected the motor to the "blue" connector. Doing so you can control both trains independently from the same remote, also set to use channel 1 (one with the left control, one with the right control). For the third train, set the channel on the IR receiver on the train to channel 2, and then take another remote and set it to channel 2 as well. Take note of which connector on the IR receiver you used to connect the motor to (the "red" or the "blue" one) and then use that color control on the remote to control the third train.

Alternatively, you can use a separate remote for each train, and assign each remote a different channel (e.g. 1, 2 and 3) and each train IR receiver also a different channel, matching to the channels you chose for the remote (e.g. 1,2 and 3).


What are the tiny, single-peg, statuette figures from the SHIELD Helicarrier called? As this video and this report show, the Marvel S.H.I.E.L.D Helicarrier comes with a number of decorative, single-peg statuettes / figures, representing in tiny scale: 8 agents, Nick Fury, Iron Man, Hawkeye and Captain America.

The short, armless minifigures from the LEGO board games are referred to as "micro-figures" / "micro figures", but what are these tiny, single-peg statuettes from the Helicarrier set called?

Towards the end of the video, the designer refers to a plate printed with a road as usable with "all your microscale creations".  I assume this means the single-peg figures could be called "microscale figures", but I'd like confirmation / clarification.

As you say, the figures used in the LEGO Games are called Micro-figures - these appear to be based on LEGO Part 90398 - Minifig Trophy Statuette, while Marcus refers to them as "Tiny Figures" in his video, the press release that is talked about on most of the sites calls them "micro-figures" as well - I guess LEGO can't call them "Nano-Figures" as that would clash with NanoBlocks - and most of the Games are now retired, so they can re-use the term.

Edit to add:

I've just received an email from LEGO promoting the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier proclaiming the "introduction" of "Microfigures":

  And now, introducing microfigures! Includes Iron Man, Captain America, Hawkeye, Nick Fury, and eight S.H.I.E.L.D. agents!


What can I do to clean a minifigure's torso? I have the old General Grievous figure from 2005, and it is almost 10 years old.

Due to its age, the torso now looks yellow-painted.

What can I do to clean it?

In general, legos can be un-yellowed by soaking in a combination of hydrogen peroxide, oxyclean powder (or sodium percarbonate), under sunlight or UV light. Or use Retr0Bright. Certain colors of painted decorations (such as gold) will not hold up well to the cleaning, but plain pieces and some colors do hold up well.


Where to start with a custom firmware for the NXT In the process of hardware hacking with my NXT 2.0 I Found no easy way to connect the device as a USB storage device. Is there a specification that states how the NXT interacts over USB, or should I just RE the firmware?

I have experience with coding in C, compiling, linking, etc. So I’m not completely new.

I know the firmware is open-sourced, but as others have written their own firmware, and since the codebase is pretty big, I’d like to gain opinions on where to start modding the firmware.

The best resource I have found for compiling NXT firmware is http://nxt-firmware.ni.fr.eu.org/.


How can I motorize 42077 Technic Rally Car with LEGO Power Functions? The new 42077 Technic Rally Car set looks really nice, and even has a built-in steering system which can be controlled by a gear on the top. There's also a fair bit of extra room inside, is there a way to add Power Functions elements to make it remote controlled?

With some Power Functions elements and a few extra pieces, it's pretty easy to turn the Rally Car into an RC car.

Here's a quick demo video of my design in action.

And here are the instructions I made for it.

Required extra pieces

First you are going to need some extra pieces:

Power Functions:

1x - Servo Motor
1x - IR Receiver
1x - Battery Box
1x - L-Motor (alternately you can use an M-Motor but it is not as powerful)

Technic:

1x - 5L beam
2x - 2L thin beam
4x - Axle Pin with Friction Ridges
2x - 3L axle

In addition to that, you will need a Power Functions remote, and possibly some extra pieces to build the remote. If you don't have a remote already, there are instructions for one at the end.

Disassembly

To add power functions, you will need to disassembly it a bit to remove the engine block and manual steering system.

Remove doors.

Remove roof sides.

Remove roof gear and pull the blue pins out one step.

Take the center of the roof off with the front window frame.

Detach the trunk.

Detach the hood.

Remove seats.

Remove fire extinguisher.

Remove manual steering.

Removing the steering system is a little tricky, but doable.

Locate the place where it attaches to the back.

Push up on the grey piece to detach it from the small black pieces, so you can slide it back and remove all the yellow pieces.

All of these pieces should be removed.

Also remove the black and blue pieces that hold it.

After they are removed, the engine block will be easier to remove.

Removing engine block

On the back, locate this area.

Partially detach it temporarily.

Remove the gear and axles.

Reattach the section.

From the underside, locate where the engine block attaches at the back.

Push up to detach the engine block and the white pieces and pins that attached it.

Check alignment

At this point, you going to want to make sure the front gear attached to the gear rack for steering is perfectly vertically aligned like so. If not, slide the pin out and adjust it. It needs to be vertical for the servo motor to attach to it.

Locate pieces

In these sections you removed, you will find some other pieces you will need.

Disassemble them to find these pieces.

Add drive motor

Build this.

From the underside, position it to slide in the back into the differential area.

In this area, you are going to need to add the black gear.

Hold a black gear in place, then slice the axle and motor into the holes.

Add steering motor

In the front, flip up this white panel.

Slide the dark grey in the gear out one stud.

Build this bracket.

Insert it here, then slide the red pins out one stud.

Through the seating area, insert the servo motor into the bracket and push the red pins back in.

Now if the axle is correctly aligned, you can just slide the axle into the motor.

Flip the panel back down.

Adding Battery Box

Build the following.

Slide the batter box into the back here.

On the sides, attach it with the pieces you just built.

Re-assembly

Reattach seats.

Reattach hood.

Reattach roof center, and slide the blue pins back in.

Reattach the trunk to the blue pins.

Hold the trunk in the up position, and reattach the roof sides.

Reattach the doors.

IR Receiver

Attach black pins to the receiver, and attach it to the spoiler.

It's tricky, but run the wire through the crack down to the batter box.

Now run the wires from the motors up through that crack, and attach to the IR receiver, servo to blue, engine to red.

Turning the car on.

Turning the car on/off is as simple as opening the hood and switching the orange switch on the battery box.

Remote

You can build the following remote with a few extra pieces.

Power Functions:

1x - IR Remote Control

Technic:

2x - Axle Pin 3L with Friction Ridges
2x - Axle and Pin Connector Angled #1
2x - Axle 2L
1x - Liftarm 1 x 4 Thin with Stud Connector (or the version without the stud connector)
1x - Wheel 30.4mm D. x 20mm (or some other wheel rim)

Build sticks.

Attach sticks.

Build arm.

Attach arm.

Attach wheel.

Happy building!


Large trap door - alternative to door with frame 4595708 I need to build a large trap door, the trap door 4x5 with frame 6x8 is too small for my model. Other doors/hinges seem to have too much resistance and the door doesn't fall by itself, it must be rotated. Do you have any ideas as to which parts I could use? I thought I could use 3 of these doors together, the problem is finding the right counterpart.

This hinge combined with a technic pin lets you easily make large trap doors. You can see a train-track-sized trap door in this model using two of these parts. In this model the trap door falls down when you retract an axle that normally holds it up. Other arrangements are possible.

The beauty of this particular hinge is that it is symmetrical, so there aren't two different halves to keep track of, and you can use any kind of technic pin you want. The relatively long plate on it makes it sturdier than some of the older variants like this one.


Pushing LEGO city train Are you able to push the LEGO city train around the tracks without damaging it or do you always have to use the batteries to make it go?

You can definitely use the trains without batteries and push them on the tracks. In fact, a lot of LEGO trains come without the battery option, and you can add it if you want.

Most people will get the battery option as it is fun to watch LEGO trains go on their own, but it is not necessary.

You can even build raised tracks and have the train go down on them by gravity...(c:

One thing I would also add is that it is best to either pull the train from the front, or push it from behind. Don't put pressure on it from the top; like how little kids tend to push trains putting their weight on the train as they push it from the top. That could damage the axles of the train.


Is there any cross compatibility between 51515 and 31313? I'm thinking of buying another Mindstorms set, and I already have a 31313. I don't want to spend $370 just to learn they are completely incapable of communicating with each other, so if you could tell me whether they are capable of communicating in any way other than mechanical (e.g. have the EV3 turn a motor and give a readout on some other sensor on the 51515) or using distance sensors, please tell me of their existence and type. Thanks.

It is possible to communicate between the 31313 and 51515 hubs.
See these youtube videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PT4_4v1W2C8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3uk80tuqI4
In the first video a SPIKE Prime hub (same as 51515 just different firmware) is used to control a 31313 hub and in the second video there's more of explanation of how it's done.
I do not think that currently there is any compatibility between sensors. So you would need to use the 31313 hub to handle all its sensors and motors, which you could then communicate with or control from the 51515 (which is handling its own sensors and motors).


Anyone know the name of this Star Wars brick Can someone help me find the name of this Star Wars piece and what set it came in?

This is called Windscreen 3 x 6 x 5 Bubble with Sith Infiltrator Pattern:

It came only in the 7151-1: Sith Infiltrator set in 1999.


Identify brick with internal battery, light and sound I just bought a bulk lot of second-hand bricks and found this odd one inside. It has a black panel on one side and when pressed it plays a screeching sound. Through the transparent purple top I can see two LEDs and a circuit board.

I'm guessing the battery is so low it can't make them glow and the chop isn't getting enough power to play the real sound. It has the LEGO brand on the bottom so I'm pretty sure it is genuine, but I can't identify the piece or the set it could have come from.

Once I identify the brick I'll try to find out if it can be opened without breaking it, so I can replace the battery.

This is part # bb0042 : Electric, Light & Sound Siren 4 x 2 x 4 Jack Stone

and here you can hear the sound

it is from Set 4621-1: Red Flash Station

don't know if the battery is replaceable


How do I get instructions to fully motorize Technic 42006 I have just purchased the Technic 42006 and would like to make it fully remote controlled.

I suggest using google to search for them.

When I did that I found two threads on EuroBricks discussing this - here and here. The first thread links to a youtube video that has downloadable instructions. Note that the instructions are 19MB and the website is fairly slow.


LEGO mindstorm - which product to use to make projects mentioned below I'm planning to buy a Lego Mindstorms kit for the following projects. I haven't really used Lego before - my friend asked me to consult him about projects (I use microcontrollers and build robots from material I find in my garage).

Two track tank with a distance sensor to create a map of a room. A gyroscope sensor to measure the angle of slope would also be very useful. It would use fuzzy-logic, A* algorithm and OpenCV if I decide to put a web camera on top of the tank.
Inverted pendulum (PID controller). It needs an encoder and a rather high speed motor which can change it's direction of rotation.
Some crawler (like a snake or spider) - models with holonomic constraints.

Now I'm considering the EV3 basic educational kit and I think it doesn't fit my needs. I also can't understand some things about software - if I buy a kit for home use, I suppose I shouldn't buy any software.

Questions

Which kit would be the best fit? Maybe two kits or even three?
Is the servo limited in rotation or can it be used as a simple electric motor? If no, then which motor can be?
Can I program the models using free software (downloaded from a website)? C or Java is preferable. NXC is nice too (it looks like C, but I haven't used it before).
How to remote control the robots? Should I buy additional Wi-Fi adapters?

A basic EV3 seems to be enough for most of the basic projects, but you might find yourself in need of a handful of extra parts (gears, beams, etc). The basic kit does not include a gyroscope, but you can buy an extra one separately. The same stands for the ultrasonic distance sensor.
The alternative is the educational set which already includes the ultrasonic sensor.

All EV3 sets come with the official software, but for any serious project you should indeed look for a more capable software. For Java there is LeJOS, for C there is NXC. Both are free and open source.

The motors sold in EV3 kits are capable of continuous rotation, but also have position encoders in them, making them capable of moving with 1° precision. For more precision you can always use gearing or other mechanics to reduce movement.

Remote controlling is possible with Bluetooth (built in) or with WiFi (via an external USB dongle).


Help with my Ev3 printer I'm building an image printer using my ev3 set and several more pieces, as a project to keep me occupied while I'm stuck at home.
Here's how it looks:

I've done the build part, the way I've chosen to do this is by converting my image to binary (B/W) and reading each number in my binary array, then drawing a dot if there's a 1 or skipping the dot if there's a 0.
I'm using Ev3 Python, as that's the language I know and I found it easiest to program in, but after I created my program my brick doesn't seem to process it properly and my brick weirdly starts to draw dots in the same spot, then instantly starts to move its top arm in the same direction for much longer than its programmed to, then sort of just stops its paper-moving wheels and starts doing more weird movements.
I tested my program's values before I wrote the program, it can draw 2 dots in a line correctly spaced out, but it starts doing weird things when I give it a whole line of data to draw.
Here's my code:
#!/usr/bin/env pybricks-micropython
from pybricks.hubs import EV3Brick
from pybricks.ev3devices import Motor
from pybricks.parameters import Port
import time

ev3 = EV3Brick()

LR = Motor(Port.C)
UD = Motor(Port.D)
FB = Motor(Port.B)

def pendown():
    UD.run_target(40, 40)
def penup():
    UD.run_target(40, -40)
def nextline():
    LR.run_target(40, 300)
    FB.run_target(40, 30)
def nextdot():
    LR.run_target(40, -30)

byteval = '''
0000000000100100001001000000000000100100001111000000000000000000
'''

bytevalues = list(byteval)

# wait a bit
time.sleep(5)

# define grid limit

x_limit = 8
y_limit = 8
number_of_cells = x_limit * y_limit;
x = 0
# scan grid and perform action depending on cell value

while x < (number_of_cells):
    z = bytevalues[x]
    if z == '1': #draw a dot
        pendown()
        penup()
        nextdot()
    elif z == '0': #go to next cell value
        nextdot()
    x+=1
    if (x % x_limit) == 0: #go to next line
        nextline()

[I'm using an 8-Bit happy face as my image]
I don't know why this weird movement is happening, I don't think it should, please help me with this issue.

You are using the function run_target... which tells the motor to run to a specific angle.
So it turns to an absolute position...
This might be correct for the pen_up and pen_down cases, but I think that for the movement, you want relative movement, i.e. relative from your current position, hence I think the instruction you need is run_angle instead of run_target.


How can I mount a Dino head to a wall? I would like to mount the head of the Dino Triceratops, Item No: 30460, onto a brick/connector so it would be possible to fix it to a wall or over a door entrance. Any ideas on that?

I don't have this particular piece but my advice for most 'non-standard' connections such as these is to use a part that is flexible enough to fit the gap.

The 'Technic, Axle Connector Double Flexible' piece under compression can make a snug enough fit to mount a sharks head.

In this example, you can use two Technic Axle-Pin attached to another two Technic 1X1 bricks.

If you turn the rubber brick 90 degrees on it's side and place two of them together you might be able to attach something that isn't as wide.


Can I buy an add on educational kit for my retail EV3? We ordered the retail version of Lego EV3, and my son loves it and wants to do more.

Are there any add on kits we can buy to expand upon what we have, ie add on motors or special tech pieces, or an educational kit?

There is an expansion set, as well as a selection of additional sensors, etc. you could purchase, listed on the products page of the LEGO site's Educational Section:

The Expansion Set - Lots more elements, no electronics.
The Gyro sensor
The IR Beacon - This comes with the home set, but not the Education set.
The Core Set - no software - see "What is different between the EV3 Home and Educational sets" for more on the differences between the two.

Note that these tend to more expensive than the retail kits, and tend to have slightly different items in them.

There have previously been a number of 3rd party suppliers making sensors for the NXT and RIS systems, so I'm sure they will also provide support for EV3.


Can I program EV3 with the NXT-G IDE? I am helping prepare a team for First Lego League and the new EV3 kit is what will be used. We are currently teaching the kids with NXT 2.0 kits that we have using the NXT-G IDE. It appears that we cannot get the [free] EV3 Home Edition software until September 1, 2013, losing important time and requiring some learning curve. Is it possible for us to continue using NXT-G software to program the new EV3 kit when it arrives?

No, it appears that you need to use the EV3 software to program the EV3 kit, as per the FAQ on the LEGO site: http://mindstorms.lego.com/en-us/News/ReadMore/Default.aspx?id=476781

The EV3 sensors also won't work with the NXT brick either.

Though, I'd imagine if you're getting an EV3 kit, it should come with the EV3 software.


How many degrees can you flex an arm of a lego minifig? How flexible are the arms of Lego minifigs?

Within the shoulder socket, a minifigure's arm has full 360° rotation, however the hand needs to positioned correctly to allow it pass the head, and it puts some strain on the joint:

Note that most accessories will block this rotation.

As the arms are made of the same ABS as standard LEGO bricks they aren't flexible, and so without heating (and permanently changing them) they don't bend or flex.