Why did Technic bricks have holes in the studs? Lego Technic (/ Expert Builder) bricks have always had a very different design than the normal Lego brick, with peg holes lining the sides serving fairly obvious purposes, but they also have had (as long as I can remember) hollow studs on the top:

Now that these pieces are appearing in non-Technic sets I've seen them used often to hold things - they're about the same size as a minifigure's grip, so wrenches, guns, gems, and other decorative elements that need to stand are often stuck into them.

But Technic has no minifigures and features only sparse decoration. I don't recall ever seeing a Technic set that uses the holes. It seems like they would be much more difficult to mold especially as far back as Technic's introduction in the late 1970s.

So why were they introduced in Technic? (Or am I wrong, and they were not introduced in Technic / Expert Builder?) Did they serve a functional purpose, or were they just another visual marker to separate it from "regular" Lego during its introduction?

From principles of molding, you want a uniform part thickness throughout if possible. This facilitates plastic flow as well as dimensional stability (you want uniform shrinkage on cooling.) Removing a divot from the underside of a stud serves this purpose in a regular brick.   The Technic brick with through holes would have had a large amount of solid plastic under the stud compared to regular bricks, which could create undesirable shrinkage and warping from stress in cooling. So removing the top divot helps there.

However, if you examine a 1x16 beam from Expert Builder, you can observe a plastic channel running along the underside between studs 4 to 13 (which are injection gates; also stud 8, or 9.) The 1x8 doesn't have this. This channel would let the plastic flow away from the injection gate without turning too many corners. It's also possible LEGO used a reciprocal molding action where plastic is pressed in one gate, then another, in a rocking action, to facilitate welding of the multiple injection streams. Solid studs might lessen the effectiveness of this process, but the channel helps it. If the channel was necessary to produce a 1x16 beam back in the day, and the channel forced hollow studs, then the hollow stud style was the only way to make a 1x16 beam. The technical difficulty of making a new, longer brick (beam) may have influenced the look of the whole Expert Builder system.

That's only my theory, but you can still see the channel for yourself.

My tests also indicate the hollow stud separates from another beam more easily than a common solid stud would.

It remains possible though that they were just maximizing the usefulness of the part by making the stud hollow. Though the fun part of being an engineer is maximizing more than one property at once.

So my thought is the hollow stud came from various molding principles. Cost of plastic comes after that (and yes, if you can save a bit, you do.)

Another interesting trivia: the Technic studs were each freehand drafted in the early Expert Builder instruction booklets. I joked about reproducing this while showing some Lego employees (in 2001) what could be done with non-representational rendering, for instance a pen-and-ink renderer with random jitter.


What part is this 2x2 curved slope? This is the piece I'm looking for:

I need the part number.


Building a full-size lamp using LEGO bricks On an episode of the TV show 'Home by Novogratz' they featured a real, working lamp that was made out of LEGO bricks. More specifically, the creator surrounded an existing lamp with the bricks, glueing them as he went.

Does anyone know if there are any plans for such items available - lamps, or other furniture items?

And are there any sites etc. out there that could provide guidance?

Any help appreciated. I've used LEGO since I was knee-high, but this is a new project for me.

The lamp is made by LEGO artist Sean Kenney. Along with some other items, he sells the lamps on his website. They are available in a range of styles and colours, but they are quite expensive.

Since he is selling the lamps I think it is unlikely the plans are available, although the pictures on his website are quite high resolution so you may be able to replicate the design. (I have no idea about the legality of such though).


How good are used lego bricks on bricklink? In my life I've only ever used new Lego bricks; however, I'm now interested in purchasing large quantities of bricks and Bricklink's used section has significantly cheaper prices.  I know that the quality of used bricks would vary by seller, but on average how good are they?

If they come from a smoking household can you actually smell the smoke? Is it really even possible for bricks to break or chip? Would it be obvious if I combined used and new bricks together in the same model?

I would suggest that you check with the sellers, as well as their feedback. There is a huge variety and quality of used bricks sold. For some sellers you can't tell used from new at all. Other sellers mention in detail the condition of used pieces; dull color, small chips and scratches, discoloration - most of these are fully functional elements and are perfectly good for general building and play, but might look a bit noticeable when you mix them with shinier new pieces. Then there are sellers who simply separate new from used, and don't mention the condition of used pieces at all. You could get anything from minor scratches to bite-marks and broken pieces. (Yes, LEGO pieces can break.)

In general, for used elements the acceptable standard is that they are fully functional but they may have some small chips, scratches, etc. that will happen with normal handling and play. Broken pieces, bite-marks, cracks, etc. must be mentioned, although some sellers don't. Also, the fact that sellers deal with tens of thousands of tiny pieces, it is quite possible that even an honest and good seller will have some subpar elements mixed in their used lots.

I would also like to point out that there are buyers who are looking for damaged and discolored pieces. They use them to add variety and interesting detail for such things as post-apocalyptic or battle dioramas. So yes, even heavily used parts sell well, and sellers listing them are not necessarily dishonest or bad - as long as they mention the condition.

Personally I only buy used pieces when it is from a seller I dealt with before and I know their standards. Or when a piece is rare and no longer available in new condition, or would be very expensive new. And I would never buy used white pieces as those are notorious for discoloration. Also, I would suggest that you do not buy from smokers. Smoke definitely penetrates plastic and it is pretty much impossible to get rid of.

Again, the best thing to do is to contact the seller ahead of time and ask them what is their standard for used pieces. Keep a list of sellers (you can favorite them and make notes on them) who you have a good experience with, and avoid the ones who send you pieces you are not happy with. You can also ask on the BrickLink forum for people to suggest you sellers who have decent quality control for used pieces.


What are these "rail-style" LEGO pieces? I have acquired several large bags of LEGO - most are the tradition bricks, but what kit are these (see photo) rail-type pieces from? They are identified on the reverse with a letter, such as "E", and a 1 or 2-digit number. Some of the rails contain small teeth the entire length - some are smooth.

The rails with the "small teeth" are
Part No: 3230a ,  Train, Track Tapered Rail Curved Inside
Part No: 3229a Name: Train, Track Tapered Rail Curved Outside
Part No: 3228a Name: Train, Track Tapered Rail Straight 16L


What is the name of this almost triangular shaped 3x5 Technic beam? Okay so, I've been on BrickOwl.com for the past day or two, trying to find the names of the pieces for a LEGO GLaDOS that this guy made because he doesn't give the names, at around 12:50 he uses this piece:

and then he also uses some pins shortly after. Does anyone know the name, number, or a place I can buy one or two of the piece and/or the pins?
Or do you have a BrickOwl wishlist with all of the items on it?

That piece is called a Triangel: http://brickset.com/parts/6010864
You can buy it from the Lego store (no direct link, but it is element id 6010864).


Mindstorm Nxt Brick not starting My Nxt Brick is not starting at all after sitting idle for an year. I tried all options like resetting, re-installing the software etc. The laptop doesn't even show up Lego in Device Manager. Any advice?
If it is not going to start off, will a BrickPi work as a substitute?

I have the same problem with mine.
Some time ago I had a really bad battery leak, and with some perseverance I managed to clean up the majority of the corrosion using distilled water, white vinegar and a mountain of cotton buds!
Unfortunately, I lost my speaker (The plastic, and thin cables completely destroyed)and I suspect some damage to the contacts along the edge of my LCD occurred.
What I find now, is that my LCD in general doesn't work, and IF my unit has been switched off for an extended length of time, I have to get a fresh set of AA batteries (All 6) pop them in, and plug the USB cable in, then just leave it sitting there connected to the PC for about 4 hours, after which I open my computers device manager, press the power key and usually see the device manager spring to life.
If the batteries are good, I might get some flickers of graphic on the display, but for the most part the display is effectively useless, however if your happy to open your unit up and not afraid of electronics, then some isotropic alcohol and a non fibrous micro cloth (Such as a glasses lens cloth) can be used to clean the rubber contacts around the edge of the LCD (Mine had 0 output until I did this, and only then did I start getting some flickers of activity)
It does seem to be a common problem too, judging by the amount of units for sale on eBay with non working displays for spares or repair...


Which part is this grey circular piece? Hello all, the base of the gun barrel, does anyone know which part is it?

This is called Middle Ring, or with the Bricklink terminology "Light Bluish Gray Technic Driving Ring Extension":

You can buy it here on Bricklink.


How can I use more than three motors with one NXT brick? I'm building Caterpillar Excavator with my NXT, and at the moment I'm trying to control 4 points of motion:

2 Caterpillar Tracks - These should be controlled independently to allow for cornering, etc.
Rotation of the cab/arm
Extension of the arm - Ideally I'd use more than on motor here, as I'd like to be able to move the bucket and segments of the arm independently, however I've got a mechanism that works to "extend and dig" in one motion.

Obviously as it stands, the NXT can only control 3 separate motors - so I'm not necessarily wedded to LEGO only solutions.

There are electrical multiplexers as mentioned, however there are also many types of mechanical multiplexers. The idea behind this is to use fever motors to do more.
The advantage is the reduced weight and the disadvantage is the increased complexity and lower flexibility.

For example, you can control both tracks with one motor. However instead of one motor making the threads more forwards and backwards, you remove the 'backwards' function and replace it with 'right-turn'. So when the motor drives forward, the bot moves forward, when the motor drives backwards, it turns right. You can't drive backwards or turn left however. A simple (but poor) implementation can be found in the R.I.S. 2.0 instructions.

While this is restrictive, you can do other similar tasks without loosing important functionality. Another old trick is the 'grab and lift' mechanism which both grabs and lifts an object in one movement. When you lower it again and it reaches the bottom, the grabber opens up. While you can't open the grabber while it is lifted, it normally isn't important.
See The snatcher by Laurens as an example, which keeps two motors for the threads, but uses this technique to only use one motor for the arm.

Another prime example is with pneumatics, using a single motor to both pump and control a switch. See DiMastero's differential solution. It will pump no matter which direction the motor is turning, however turning it one way will push the switch in one direction, and the other when turning it the other way.
(It will pump while the switch is switched from one position to another, but again, this is a minor drawback considering the gains.)

While the previous examples are solutions to specific problems, they highlight the ideas:

Do different tasks under different situations. (Drive on clockwise, turn on counter-clockwise.)
Chain several tasks together. (First grip, then lift.)
Do several things at once. (Pump, while controlling the switch.)

The first point on the list, doing different tasks under different situations, is the most easy one to make a general implementation. You can split up the clockwise and counter-clockwise direction of the motors, to control two different tasks. While a bit restrictive, it is useful it certain situations.

A less restrictive solution is the 2 to n multiplexer. One motor gives the power, while another motor controls which task to transfer the power to. ('n' can be quite large, however something like 3 or 4 is more realistic in moc's.) I have come up with a few other versions, including some which allows controlling multiple motors at once (limited to same direction and speed).

Example to your specific problem

Use a 2 to 3 multiplexer. Output 1 and 2 controls the rotation and arm respectively. The threads are done using an adder/subtracter mechanism, use the last free motor to drive it and output 3 from the multiplexer to steer.

I would position the multiplexer above the turntable so that you just need to transfer the adder/subtracter axle through it.

Some more examples as requested.

Here is a more advanced version of driving and turning with tracks using one motor:

When the motor is turning counter-clockwise the mechanism will work like normal, driving both tracks forward. However when it turns clockwise, the yellow knob gear prevents one of the axles from moving, causing the last differential to stop and this causes both tracks to move in the opposite direction of each other, making it turn on the spot.

The knob gear is the crucial part, as it prevents action depending on the rotation direction. Here is a more generic version:

Depending on the direction of the input, only one axle will turn.

Moving on to the actual multiplexers, here is a mock-up of a 2 to n multiplexer:

Notice that the black gear can slide on the two axles, so that it can connect to both the light-gray and the dark-gray gear, depending on the position. You could have as many gears/outputs as you want in theory.
I used this to create a pneumatic control station, which had 4 outputs, each controlling one pneumatic switch.

Here is a 3 to 4 multiplexer which uses transmission parts:

The dark-gray axle is the input, and the 4 light-gray axles are the output. Depending on the position of the red sliders, a different output is chosen. The interesting aspect of this one is that you can have two outputs active at one time, which is not possible with the 2 to n multiplexer.

As a final note I would like to point out that I have used all of these methods in actual RCX/NXT projects in order to do more than what I could otherwise have done with just 3 motors. They are not just theoretical solutions.

I do not see the maximum of 3 motors as a disadvantage, but as a limitation which challenges me to find other solutions to the problem so it can be done with just 3 motors.


Buy the complete EV3 set or only the brick? I have an old NXT (or NXT 2.0, do not remember exactly) bought I think in 2007.
I would like to upgrade to EV3, but I am not sure if I should buy the complete set or only the central brick.

Is there any news about a possible new programmable brick in the near future?

Since the NXT 2.0 was released in 2009 you must have a first generation NXT set then. As per this question the peripherials (motors, sensors and of course their connecting cables) remain compatible. So you could just get the central unit and use the already owned NXT components. Keep in mind though that all parts (motors, sensors) have since been redesigned, so the EV3 versions will likely work better, and don't forget that the EV3 set includes an infrared sensor as well, which was not present in the NXT complement.


Is this skateboard piece LEGO? I bought some second-hand Lego and it's a total mish-mash of parts. There was a small quantity of Mega-Bloks in it, but those parts always seem easy to identify. However, I'm stumped about this piece that resembles a skateboard, only it doesn't have wheels.  On the top, it's skateboard shaped and has two hollow studs for attaching a minifig's feet. On the bottom it has two bar-sized handles, one at each end of the skateboard. The handles are at an angle, because the skateboard flares upwards. There is a green and blue sticker on the bottom which I assume is original and not added by the previous owner.

I've searched Bricklink, Peeron, Rebrickable, and Brickset but can't find this piece. Any ideas? It's clearly Lego-compatible, if not Lego, but I have no idea what it is called.

You were on the right track. This is a skateboard, but it is not a LEGO part. It's a Mega Bloks part, probably from set 9167 (X Mountain). The skateboard in the top right has a sticker that seems to match your description.

The wheels clip on to allow them to pivot back and forth. I can only assume that this is to give these skateboards a more off-road feel.


Looking for a list of Star Wars minifigures I just started a collection of minifigures of LEGO but exclusively of Star Wars (Although also I include some monster, like the dewack), so my question is simple.

How or where can I get a list of minifigures that currently exist?

Is it something that can be obtained or are simply guided by other things to have these collections?

BrickLink is your friend. Use the Catalog Search function to find all Star Wars related minifigures ever produced (all 896 of them as per today). Clicking on each minifig gives you the set(s) it came in.

Here are the results if you search for Type = Minifig, Theme = Star Wars, ordered by year of release: http://www.bricklink.com/catalogList.asp?v=5&pg=1&catLike=W&catType=M&catID=65


What was the first Christmas themed Lego set? For as long as I can remember Lego has been making Special Christmas themed sets every year. Advent calendars, Winter village sets, Christmas trains, and on and on.
What was the first Christmas themed Lego set?

I don't know whether this quite qualifies as a set, but there is a LEGO promotional Christmas box from 1964 listed on bricklink


Where do bulk LEGO sellers on eBay get their bricks? The are a large number of people on ebay selling LEGO by the pound(or kg), for example, this guy. The LEGO is (implied to be) pre-owned as the eBay descriptions often say the bricks have been washed and sorted and non-LEGO brand bricks removed. These seller sometimes have 10's or maybe 100's of pounds of LEGO for sale.

Where do they get all this LEGO? And how much do they pay for it?

Garage-sales, estate-sales, second-hand stores, flea-markets and graigslists are the most common way to source out used LEGO. This is especially true in neighborhoods where there is a LEGO store nearby so a lot of kids have them, or where LEGO is popular in the community in general (suburbs and middle-class neighborhoods are especially great places to scout).

As far as how much they pay for it, it just depends on the deal, but of course the less is better. These buyers often make an offer on an entire lot to get the best deal, and they are very familiar with what sells the best and for how much.

They wash them, clean them, then cherry-pick the minifigs and expensive parts out they will sell separately on eBay or BrickLink and dump the rest on eBay as mixed lots. It is not easy work by any means, but it can be a lucrative business.


How can a brick/color combination exist but not be part of a set? In a recent question the 2x4 transparent brick in neon green came up as a rare part (see Where to find this green transparent brick?). It doesn't seem to be listed as part of a set (at least not on bricklink) but definitely gets traded sometimes (last sale on bricklink is for $75 in Oct14). How can a brick in a specific color not be part of a set but still be available? Why would LEGO make such a piece? Anyone who can provide some insights into this?

Some of these pieces are released as collectors items (Gifts for Lego employees) or sold as novelties at LEGOLAND parks or stores pick a brick areas, others are from official Lego events (grand openings of stores, new LEGOLANDs, etc.) they are often given as gifts to people attending the events.  Some are test bricks that somehow made their way out of the factory to the Lego community.

They often have unique colors or images (there is a whole series of transparent/sparkle bricks that were made as tests for new colors and manufacturing techniques.)

The LEGOLAND parks and builders also have access to parts and color combinations not available to the general public for use in making new sets, if they are not used in a set I imagine some of these could also make their way to the larger community of Lego enthusiasts.


2 Unidentified Printed Pieces, 2x3 Dark Grey Slope and Black 2x2 Tile Below I attached two photos. I am not sure if they are from the same set or not. I was wondering what set(s) they are in.

The slope piece is Slope 33 3 x 2 with Insectoid Scope Pattern from 9 (or 10) Insectoid sets from 1998-99.

The 2 x 2 tile is Tile 2 x 2 with Insectoid Logo in Triangle Pattern from 9 (or 10) mostly-Insectoids sets.

There are a few sets with both pieces.


Can I pitch an idea to LEGO? How would I contact LEGO about an idea for some kits to be built and sold?
I have designs for simple kits that I have built for my son that I think would be very popular.

LEGO doesn't directly take product ideas from fans.

However, there is a website called LEGO Ideas where you can post creations that may potentially get turned into official LEGO kits.

The process is as follows:

Submit your idea to LEGO Ideas.  Take some time to get good pictures, and write a good description, or your idea will probably not make it off the ground.
Get votes for your idea.  The way LEGO Ideas works is that ideas that can get 10,000 supporters (votes) in a year will get put into a review process.  The best way to get votes is to share your idea.  Tell your friends, and spread it on Facebook or other social media.
Go through the review process.  Once you reach 10,000 supporters, your idea goes to the LEGO review board.  The review board will look at your idea, and decide if it is worth creating as an official set.  Things like size, cost, part complexity, new parts, and licensing will all be factored in to the review.  Be away that only about 1 in 10 ideas that reach the review board are approved by the review board.
Buy your new LEGO product.  Once the review board green-lights your idea, it will be turned into an official LEGO product!  The products are often, but not always, limited edition kits, so get them while they last - as the creator you are given complimentary 5 sets and 1% of net sales.

Hopefully, this will give you some background on the LEGO Ideas process if you want to pursue that route to get your idea turned into an official LEGO kit.


What is the name of this Lego Blacktron anime/cartoon? Once upon a time, in a distant past there was a Lego Blacktron series:

The Lego Blacktron series has a logo/symbol, it's a yellow triangle with small black triangle inside.

Now my question is: about 15/20/25 years ago there was a cartoon or anime series in which one of the faction (bad one I think) wears the same symbol as Blacktron series units, do you know the name of that cartoon?

Maybe this question would better fit the Science Fiction & Fantasy or MovieStack Exchange, as it's more about the tv-series you're looking for than about LEGO, which just reminds you of that symbol.

Zelda

It absolutely looks like the Triforce of the video game series Zelda. There also was a Zelda cartoon in the late 1980s / early 1990s. To this point, it seems to fit to your memory — but sadly there's no connection to spaceships, so I assume you where thinking of something else.

Starcom

I found something else: Starcom: The U.S. Space Force. It's an animated series from the 1980s, which totally looks like what you're searching:


Is this a LEGO Friends set? Got a bag with a lot of pink bricks. I think it is one of the LEGO Friends sets but don't know which set. Can anybody help me identify?

The door is probably  Frame 2X4X6 in Medium Lilac. This depends on the thickness of the piece 1 or 2 studs as this is not clear on the picture.

This piece in combination with the white door only comes in 2 sets :

4625: Pink Brick Box
10660-1: House Suitcase

Neither set contains the other pieces. I can't find the other pieces on Brickset. Are these pieces coming out of an official Lego sealed bag?

Based one the quality of the darker green one, I'm not sure if these are Lego parts as there are blisters and leftover plastic on them (between top leaf and rest of the part).


Displaying the Star Wars Super Star Destroyer in a small apartment? It has been several years since I played with LEGOs.

Three weeks before the holidays I got the LEGO Star Wars set 10221 Super Star Destroyer as an impulse purchase at a local sale. Now I am stuck with a 125 centimeter, 3.5 kilogram LEGO figure.

Has anyone got any suggestions or tips on what to do with such a huge display figure in a relatively small apartment? I really should have planned this a bit better before completing it.

I have considered hanging it from the high ceiling, but I am afraid the construction is not strong enough to prevent it from falling apart. Not that it would look particularly good from the underside either.

By using two TV wall mounts, you could put it against the wall on its side.

This guy was able to do with the LEGO Millennium Falcon(Ultimate Collector 10179).  Here's a link to some pictures that shows how he interfaced the TV mount with the LEGO bricks.  You will have to make some modifications to the kit but that's a good reason why LEGO are fun.


How can I use the LEGO distance and color sensor from Power Up with the LEGO Mindstorms EV3? I am asking how I can use the distance and color sensor from the LEGO Power Up series with my LEGO Mindstorms EV3. I know that they have different plugs but I am wondering if there is a solution to this problem.

They are somewhat compatible. The EV3 has 5V on pin 4 of the input ports while Powered Up has 3.3V on pin 4. So there is a potential that the sensor cannot handle 5V and could be damaged.
Other than that, the pins are the same, so you could cut the cable on the sensor and splice it with an EV3 cable or buy a 3rd party extension cable (example) so that you don't damage your sensor.
The EV3 doesn't support output commands for UART sensors, so you won't be able to use the color output mode or the infrared output mode (this might be possible with ev3dev though).


Tips on shipping large sets (super star destroyer, 2001 Discovery ship) I have two large sets I'll need to sell when I move (SW super star destroyer, and 2001 discovery). They are both very long (5 feet?) and impractical to ship complete. Any tips for newbie in best way to pack them?

For example, should i minimize disassembly and only disassemble enough so it fits into the shipping box? And would bubble wrap be enough to protect the bricks?

(since i'll be selling them without manual or original box, I'd assume that buyer will be more experienced LEGO builder)

Thank you so much!

I would suggest that you first ask the buyer what they would like. For example I would definitely prefer to get the set fully disassembled as I would like to build it from scratch.

If the buyer doesn't care which way you ship it, fully disassembled is still the safest way. It will take up less room and also it is less likely that parts will be damaged or warped in shipping. You can pack loose parts in ziplock bags.

If the buyer would like the set partially disassembled you can take it apart in the most logical sections, then first wrap each section in cellophane wrapping (the kind used for food). Cellophane protects an assembled set the best because it "sticks" to LEGO leaving little or no gaps, so parts won't fall off. Once you have done that, use bubble wrap around the sections to protect them from bumps while shipping, then place them in the box or boxes.

Also, use FRAGILE stickers or stamps on the box. They do help. And make sure you buy full insurance to cover any loss or damage. Even if the buyer doesn't want to pay for it, it is worth it for your own peace of mind. Hope this helps some! ;)


How to make custom LEGO signs, newspapers, etc. I have several ideas, but I am finding it hard to get started. What I am interested in is making my own decals for signs, newspapers, artwork for the walls and others. So far I haven't had any luck.  Is there a site that has LEGO clip art backgrounds, lettering, etc.?

Well I don't exactly know what you mean buy a sign like one that he/her can hold or a sign in the ground? Moving onto the newspaper you can get white sticky clay and get two white 6x5 pieces or a size you like and fill in the crack in the middle then put one piece of clay in the Lego persons hand and shape it in a Lego rectangle size
 Hope this helped


What set is this bag or black and violet pieces from? My son got some LEGO bricks in a bag from eBay, but no instructions were included. The only info I have are numbers on the bag 135149 and 2011. It's a number 3 bag.

Looks like "Friends" set, but not sure.

Based on the following parts
303526: Plate 4X8 in Black
4211441: Technic Brick 1X4, Ø4,9 in Medium Stone Grey
6109934: Plate 4X4, 1/4 Circle in Bright Reddish Violet
281721: Technic Doub. Bearing Pl. 2X2 in Bright Red
This bag is from:
41105-1: Pop Star Show Stage


When did Lego switch from 4 to 6 stud width of Windscreen? All my old sets have cars with windscreen 4 studs wide. No matter if it is a jeep, truck or what - cars was 4 studs, usually 3823 or 2437. Now, in most modern sets, car windshield is usually 6 studs wide, like 92583.

I'm interested when this transition happened. If it's possible, I'll be also glad to hear why - was this change caused by introduction of other bricks? New "series" of a City theme? General overhaul?

I noticed this, too. But only after the "Speed Champions" came out a few years ago. (I didn't give much attention to CITY.) It seems to me like the LEGO Racers got wider, more detailed sets starting from 2008 or so.

Also: I often check the Bricklink inventory part page (example: 92583), to find the Years Released under the "Item Info" section. I cross reference those dates with the list of sets that an item was used in.


How can I find brick part number from a picture? I found some books I like, but the book only give pictures of the parts. For example, this one

How can I know the part number (for example in bricklink) from the picture?

You'll need to start learning the nomenclature for those pieces.
For example the long straight pieces you have there with holes on top are "Technic, Brick 1 x 12 with Holes"
The pieces with rounded ends are lift arms. You can browse through the list of them here or take a stab at their descriptions using the width and number of pin holes. For example the purple on you have there is

1 hole wide

9 holes long

as think as a normal LEGO brick (some are half that thickness)

Bent with 6 on one line and 4 on the other
so "Technic, Liftarm 1 x 9 Bent (6 - 4) Thick"


How to speed up the 4x4 Crawler truck 9398? Just finished building the 4x4 Crawler and it was a fun build but as a remote control car it is . . . in a word . . . SLOW! I know it's powerful and can climb over stuff but sometimes there is nothing to crawl over and I'd rather it be faster. Are there any other gear configurations that would make it a bit more exciting?

The simplest way to get different speeds is by changing the gears. The instructions get you to build it with a 12:20 gear down in the portal axles, so the easiest way to change the speed is to flip those to get 20:12. From memory that will not work because it interferes with other parts of the model.

You can fit two 16 tooth gears in there instead, giving a slight speed increase. Or you can put an 8:24 gear down for even more torque (but even less speed). There two options are shown below.

It's important that you keep all four wheels geared the same, otherwise you will be making the front and rear motors fight each other. That's not great for the motors and gears, and it will drain your batteries very quickly.

Deeper inside the model there is another 12:20 gear pair that you can also swap for 16:16 (two sets of this, one each end).


Why am I required to buy something on BrickLink before I am allowed to sell? Why does BrickLink require you to purchase something before you are able to sell? I already have too many Lego bricks and I'm trying to get rid of a lot of them, so I'm not trying to buy more. I'm just trying to sell all the characters I have, but it won't let me.

Why is this policy in place?

It’s not perfect, but it’s their way of finding reputable sellers. Any purchase counts so you can just buy 5 more cheap minifigs.


Are there LEGO sets designed for adults? Other than the LEGO Architecture sets are there any other sets or series that were designed principally for an adult audience?

I don't think there's any LEGO set for which the age target goes any further than 16+.

Within the 16+ range, you'll find several sets, mostly in the exclusive sets (series 10xxx): mainly modular houses and some Star Wars UCS sets. Usually these are sets with a high parts count and a price to match.

There's a functionality to filter sets by age on shop.lego.com, but it doesn't seem to work properly. Neither Brickset or Bricklink appear to offer such a functionality (yet).


Why are new LEGO bricks softer than old ones? The older bricks that were made back in the day, "pre-2K", seem to be made out of a harder and more durable brick that would hurt your feet when you walked on them. Now it appears that since the other brother of the LEGO family took over, things have changed and you are seeing tons of themed sets coming out, (which is awesome), but at the same time they seem to have changed to a softer mixture of plastic.

Some AFOL's think that this is due to the fact that the bricks are now being made in China; they used to be made in Mexico.

If you compare a sword piece made in 1995 and compared it to the new stuff, you'll notice that even the color is different. The old Medieval swords were bright and shiny and hard as a rock. The old pirate swords you could be used like a tooth pick. Now they both seem to be made out of an entirely different plastic and bend with no effort.

I personally have not spent more than $200 in this last year down from $2000 the prior year for this reason. The only reason I bought anything at all was the new Friends sets. I loved LEGO until they took out the main reason I was buying their toys; their durability aspect. It was one of the only toys on the market that didn't turn towards profit and become mass produced in China, now I will have to start buying Playmobil.

Some of it may be your own perception changing, such as a room you remember being big when you were a kid, but which you find small as an adult. So when you perceive bricks as being softer, it could actually be that they aren't, but that your perception changed. (If you were to walk barefoot on LEGO bricks for one hour per day, your feet would eventually harden enough that you wouldn't feel it anymore.)

However, some may actually hold true, especially for weapons. Swords that are produced nowadays are indeed not as hard as they were back then, and that is simply for safety reasons, as safety controls put in place become harder with times. In extreme cases, they'll even use rubber, for example for the tip of the big spike introduced with exo-force. Another more subtle example is the circular saw blade: ever thought how dumb it was that they didn't use a cross axle hole in that? Wonder no more: it's just so that kids wouldn't put it on a motor (I know I would have as a kid).

As for the perceived quality changes, well, it's a bit of the same, there's a lot of it which is just that, perception; but there are of course real quality issues that pop up from time to time, which LEGO usually assesses the best they can. One key factor here is that there's a huge stock in their factories, so any changes they make can take a while before they appear in released sets. For example, they have switched at some point from buying precolored plastic granulate to adding the color themselves to white granulate, but at some point they didn't add enough color, resulting in translucent and more fragile bricks. They fixed that, but a lot of the already produced bricks made it into sets.

Also, LEGO can only learn about quality issue when customers actually complain about them, so when facing a real quality issue, it's always best to contact the customer service and explain the problem. Not only will they usually be able to provide replacements for you, but this will eventually reach the production quality assurance.


Any ideas how to separate these lobed gears and lightsaber pieces? Any help please? I've got these two pieces stuck together and not sure what to try! I don't want to break the pieces...

A possible solution I frequently use in such cases:

Cover the transparent bar into something soft, e.g. a few layers of paper tissue and fix that part in a vise or a pliers. Tissues will prevent the tool from leaving marks on the bar. When the bar is sufficiently fixed you can simultaneously pull and carefully rotate the yellow piece back and forth until it comes off. You can use some soap to make it easier.


Is there a web resource available to browse LEGO Minifig head designs? I am curious if there is a minifig browser or gallery that allows you to view and identify LEGO heads created over time? Ideally, this resource would also list the date the minifig head was first available.

Brickset seems to have a minifig browser, but not specifically an option to browse by "head" types.

You can find all the minifigs heads ever made, with the date of release, in the BrickLink catalog: http://www.bricklink.com/catalogList.asp?pg=1&catString=238&catType=P&v=2

Please note that I have already sorted the minifigs heads in the link above by year released, however on the first two pages of the results you will see heads where the year is not applied yet. These are new minifigs heads and the sorting and cataloguing haven't bee finished yet. You will start to see the yearly results on page 3.


Unknown stickers with silver lines on black 2x4 tiles I found two stickers in a bundle that I can't link to any set.

Do you know which sets they may belong to?

Comes from Set #76047 Black Panther Pursuit.


What does "AFOL" mean? I've seen the term AFOL around; for example, this site has an afol tag. What does AFOL stand for?

AFOL stands for "Adult Fan Of LEGO".

From an unofficial LEGO acronym glossary:

  AFOL

  Adult Fan of LEGO. The most common term used to refer to LEGO fans who are adults. Generally pronounced to rhyme with “hay-foal”.

Or from Brickipedia's glossary (also unofficial):

  AFOL - Adult Fan Of LEGO


Can you identify the set? Maybe a crane? We obtained this as part of a bulk lot.  Please help me figure out which set it is from.  A Web search found many cranes, but not like this one. Could be a MOC ;-)

Based on the pieces in the photo is looks like the remains of set# 4957 Ferris Wheel.

They had apparently built one of the secondary/alternative models from the set.

(Building instructions here: https://www.lego.com/en-us/service/buildinginstructions/search#?search&text=4957)


What part(s) can I use to connect modules at a 90 degree angle? I'm looking for brainstorming! All ideas welcome.

I have a design I'm working on which:

is made of a bunch of identical modules fitting into a single framework
has to allow the modules to "plug in" to the framework (be removable)

I'm designing the framework.

The problem is that in some places the modules meet at an internal corner in a way I can't connect: two modules are connected to the same framework brick (which would be in the space next to both of them).

Here's pictures of two modules meeting, without the framework, which would be in the space defined by the corner:

Is there a piece or assembly that matches either of these scenarios?

one suggestion has been Bricklink Part 10197 the "Technic, Axle and Pin Connector Hub with 2 Axle"
however, with this part, since the pins are mid-stud, the axles reach half a brick in.

Questions:

any part suggestions for either of these configurations?
any redesign suggestions?  Does anyone have a favorite combination for an internal corner like this?

Possible solutions so far:

use axles and the above Bricklink Part 10197
use axles and an as-yet unknown part which is a better fit
use pins and an as-yet unknown part which fits at all
use pins and move the pin hole to a single brick Technic brick, which has a hole aligned with the stud
move all the rightmost connectors slightly up and all the leftmost connectors slightly down (this is the least desirable for aesthetic reasons)

See also the question on this site, "What part(s) can I use to connect technic liftarms at a 90 degree angle?"

Here are all possibilities I can think of (most of them already listed in your question):

Use part 10197 Technic, Axle and Pin Connector Hub with 2 Axles together with 2x 4265c Technic Bush 1/2 Smooth, one on each axle end. This will keep it snug and prevents it from moving, but the axles are, as you observed, only halfway inserted into the bricks.

Similar solution, but use 22961 Technic, Axle and Pin Connector Hub with 1 Axle combined with 4265c Technic Bush 1/2 Smooth, and place 18651 Technic, Axle Pin 3L with Friction Ridges Lengthwise and 2L Axle in the hole, together with another 4265c Technic Bush 1/2 Smooth. This combination will have one end solidly inserted (actually sticking out 1/2 a brick) and the other end is halfway in.

Exchange the "standard" Technic 1x2 brick for a 6541 Technic, Brick 1 x 1 with Hole, or even better, a 32000 Technic, Brick 1 x 2 with Holes. Then use a 44809 Technic, Pin Connector Perpendicular 2 x 2 Bent and two normal friction pins to make the connection. This should be rock solid.

The solution would look like this:

BEGIN EDIT 2016/03/04:

I recently came across this piece that would be IDEAL for your original purpose: Part 6553 Technic Pole Reverser Handle.

This piece puts the axle it can accept in the opening at a 1/2 stud distance from the brick it connects to, which would work perfectly in your original design. Combine this with any axle and you get the following solution:

This solution has the advantage that you can take it apart much easier than solution 3, which is more of a "permanent attachment" option. The axle connected to 6653 is 1.5 long, so it does stick 1/2 stud out from the back of the +-shaped Technic brick. You will need to account for this in your design.

END EDIT 2016/03/04


Why are 2/3 height bricks with studs on the side 2 studs deep? This question is regarding the 2/3 height bricks with studs on the side. The two that I am aware of are 99206 and 87609:

If you haven't seen them before, these are functionally somewhat similar to an Erling brick used on its side. I'm curious why these bricks seem to be larger than they need to be. It seems to me that these could fit in more places and be more useful if they were 1x2 and 1x4 respectively. Something like a 1 plate shorter version of 11211 and 30414:

Does the extra plate surrounding these parts create new ways that they can be used? Was mold design a factor in creating these parts the way they are?

In the case of 87609, the piece was first used in 2010 as part of the grill/bumper assembly for vehicles that were the standard 6 studs wide. Its length would appear to be a result of its original purpose. Its width also allows for attaching two rows of detail:

99206 showed up first in 2012. Its design allows for a more compact construction in situations like this:

If the piece were only 1x2, it would have to attach to another part above or below it. The extension lets you attach it flush from behind.


LEGO set restore-er? (Emerald Night) I just dug up my old LEGO Emerald Night from when I was 10 or so. As I lifted it from the box it was in pieces, with the only parts intact being the piston mech, tender, and passenger car. I got it back to its former glory but it's still missing a few internal and external parts. If there was someone out there who could tear it down and look for the missing components that would be awesome!

This is fairly easy to do yourself. You can get a listing of all the parts that you should have for the set via a reference site such as Bricklink. Here's the Bricklink inventory for that set:

http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItemInv.asp?S=10194-1

You can then purchase any missing pieces. The best place to do this is probably on Bricklink as well.

You can then rebuild this set from the instructions. If you've lost the instructions, they are available directly on LEGO.com as a PDF. Brickset also provides easy access to these files. Here are the two instruction booklets on LEGO.com:

Part 1
Part 2


Why are the plastic bag designs different? Bag 4 looks normal, but are the rest legitimate LEGO designs? The LEGO pieces in the bags look legit, but wondered why the bags are different. The box appeared to have been opened when I received. Just want to make sure the bags are official LEGO before I try to sell. The bags have "LEGO Group" written on them, so that's positive.

First of all, congratulations on securing a 75054 AT-AT. This is a very desirable set, and costs a pretty penny to purchase now that LEGO has stopped producing the set.

There is nothing wrong with your bags. The bags with the white band are of a newer design than the bag labeled "4". The white-band style was introduced in 2015, whereas the older style was used as of 2011. LEGO is slowly phasing out the older style in favor of the white-band style, working through remaining supplies of the latter until they run out.


How to disassemble these parts? I have these parts put together really tightly and have no idea how to separate them. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Sorry for the black color, I do not have them in any of the brighter colors, so I put the separated ones on the photo for clarity.

I don't know what pieces you have in your collection to build the perfect most creative piece separator, so my answer will be based on, "What common items do many people have on hand in a house?"

Try a dull butter knife.

EDIT:

Or we can just ignore what I said, and make something simple with pieces many of us should have.

Find any sized beam 5 pin holes or above.
Insert some pegs in the holes.
Place stuck pieces on top.
Apply downward pressure mainly holding from the black piece (Part 32017) to create a starting point of separation.
Once a gap has started it can be easily "unzipped" apart by running a
finger nail/plastic knife down the gap.


LEGO Power Function PF 2.0 specification Does anyone have the new Power Function 2.0 specification or pin out?

I'm not sure exactly what you are looking for in terms of a spec, but here's the pinout from the Eurobricks thread mentioned by Alexander O'Mara with some help from this post:
Pin 1 - Motor
Pin 2 - Motor
Pin 3 - GND (0v)
Pin 4 - VCC (3.3v)
Pin 5 - ID 1 (UART TX for active devices)
Pin 6 - ID 2 (UART RX for active devices)

The basic spec for motors is that they are given continuous 3.3V power on pins 3 and 4, voltages to drive the motor on pins 1 and 2, and pins 5 and 6 are used to identify the type of motor that is attached. For the basic motors, I believe that this is simply a known resistance between pins 5 and 6.


EV3 program refuses to work I downloaded a 67KB program into my EV3 block. However, the program refuses to work. The EV3 says "Main", the name of my program, but it does not respond otherwise. What is the problem, and how do I fix it?
Thank you.

Try adding a wait block in front of the program and at the back. :)


Which Lego brick number is this? 1 x 3 connected vertically to a base Please can someone help me to identify the brick in the picture. Thanks.

It's part 4169 Bracket 2 x 3 - 1 x 3 (Train Signal Stand)


How to repair cracked/peeling decals? Does anyone have any ideas on how to repair and protect cracked/peeling decals, like these pictured in my 10019 set:

Some kind of film or lacquer?

Oh, those look sad! Stickers with white designs on them are notorious for peeling/cracking.

I have found that the best way to protect stickers like these is to apply a thin layer of clearcoat to them while they are still new. Wait until the clearcoat dries, then apply the sticker to the LEGO set. You can use pretty much any acrylic clearcoat, medium or varnish available at hobby and craft stores. Anything in the scrap-booking/decoupage section should be safe, but it is a good idea to test them on a small corner of the sticker-sheet. Always apply the clearcoat thin. You only need a thin layer over the sticker. If you apply too much the clearcoat can yellow with age.

Once stickers are already damaged it would be pretty much impossible to repair them. Even if you try to put a clearcoat on an already damaged sticker, it will continue peeling, so it is not worth it. It is much easier to just get and extra sticker-sheet for any LEGO set on Bricklink. The stickers for your set above are here.

I have actually made it a habit to always pick up 1-3 extra sticker-sheets on Bricklink when I buy a new set. While the set is still new and readily available the sticker-sheets are much cheaper (often just a few pennies) than trying to get a pristine stickers-sheet for a set that is 10 years old. Just place them in a ziplock bag, and store them away from heat and direct and sunlight. They won't deteriorate that way.


Can you identify this model of a yellow truck? 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.

Can you identify this one?

This model is built from set 8062-1: Universal Set with Storage Case.
Inventory and building instructions are available here.


Who built the LEGO structures for the film "Elf"? My daughter greatly enjoyed the look on my face when the guy destroyed Buddy's LEGO models in the film Elf. She wishes she had a picture of me.

The question is: Does anybody know who built the LEGO models for the film? Was it a LUG?

According to an interview with Elf director Jon Favreau, the Lego City set was built in-house by the Rusty Smith's art department.

The IMDB page for the movie thanks The LEGO Group for the permission to use the LEGO logo and trademarks but has no mention of any further involvement in set design.


Help identifying utensil spear I'm not sure this piece is actually Lego seeing as there is no branding on it.

Note that it looks like some type of spear or arrow.

See picture below (not the minifig) with one in flat silver and the other in chrome silver.

This is an official LEGO piece. It is called 57467a Minifigure, Weapon Harpoon, 4 Grooves in Shaft and has been produced for almost 20 years, appearing in 37 sets.

Chrome Silver is the common color, Flat Silver (the one on the left in the picture) is the rarer color, only appearing in 1 set - 70800 Getaway Glider from The LEGO Movie - but this piece is still cheap on BrickLink, so no real value increase despite its rarity.


What to build with generic set of pieces I have a good stock of used lego pieces, and planning to acquire more. The problem is that I am not sure what to build with them!

Is there a list of sets easy to build with basic pieces, without the necessity of weird very rare pieces?
If I had the patience of inputting every piece I obtain, is there any website/service that would list me sets that are buildable with those pieces?

Many here have commented on the site Rebrickable as being the "go to" for the sort of thing you are looking for:  https://rebrickable.com/

Previous related inquiry on this site:
Is there anything like a 'recipe generator' for LEGO models?


Third-party blocks with a smiling face or an umbrella with 2 dots on each side I bought a bunch of duplos from the thrift store and inside there was not Just duplos but also mega bloks. I was able to separate most of them but there are a few that I just cannot tell which is which. They have a logo in the middle  of the stack but its a picture rather than a word.  I'm trying to find anything online but am having no luck. The logo almost looks like a smiling face or an umbrella with 2 dots on each side.

After some searching, I have finally come up with the brand.

I too purchased a lot of bricks and found these odd ones in the mix, they are Tandem bricks, and there isn't too much information out there on them.


Is it possible to display large text on an NXT using LabVIEW? In RoboLab and using RobotC, it's possible to write LARGE text to the screen of the NXT. In RoboLab, this can be done by just typing [\big] at the beginning of a string constant which is wired into a display VI. For some reason, this doesn't seem to work when programming with LabVIEW, and I can't seem to find any documentation on how to do this. It appears that the larger font is built-in to the NXT's firmware, so there should be some way to achieve this. How can I display large text on the NXT's screen using LabVIEW?

I am not used to LabVIEW... but RIC image files, supported by NXT firmware, can also be used by LabView I guess. So nxtRICEdit may help. See also RICfont utility, more information (though targetted NXC/NXT-G, should be useful) here.


What are some good purist rotacaster / omni wheel designs? In robotics, rotacasters or omni wheels are often very useful.

It's possible to buy LEGO-compatible ones from some third parties, here's one random example:

Unfortunately, LEGO has yet to make any themselves, which means if you are looking for a purist solution (because of robotics competition rules for example) you are out of luck.

Or are you? It might be tough to make a small one, but surely it's possible to build one.

What are some good rotacaster / omni wheel designs?

Here's a design I've been using, based on this model by Lambert Varias:

It's not a perfect circle, but it is relatively small all things considered:

It's pretty simple, but here's a partial disassembled version to better show what goes into it:

Parts shown:

1x 55013
2x 4265c
2x 57585
6x 32013
6x 32556
12x 42610
12x 50945


What is the history of "Modulex" blocks? I have seen a few very small models using something called "Modulex" pieces and have even heard that they are somehow directly related to LEGO? They don't seem to be around anymore so I was wondering what their history was?

Modulex bricks were produced by LEGO mainly for architects as the dimensions were more easy to scale up (they are 5mm in all directions).

You can find a full history (which I confess I didn't read) here

In time, Modulex started to focus more on signage and separated from LEGO, but it still exists nowadays.


LEGO Technic part Numbers My daughter got the LEGO Technic - Service Truck set. When we looked at the instructions, we saw a different notation on parts.

eg: the beams (cross beam) it has number 5 in white circle. what does that 5 stand for. Other instructions in same book have the number 3 or 7 in white circle.

Can anybody advise what these numbers mean?

Beams, axles, panels, and axles connectors usually have numbers next to them, to uniquely identifies the piece:

for beams and axles, the number is the length (length in number of holes)
for panels, it identifies the panel (and the panel mold contains the same number)
for axle connectors, it identifies the angle (again, the same number is part of the mold, and visible on the piece)

Same pieces with different colors have the same number attached


Can anyone identify this blue partial vehicle build? I know this is a long shot, but does anyone recognise this set? The pieces in the photos are all common so not much help;
Black plates
2 x 6 (2 of),
2 x 4
2 x 8.
1 X 1 round (2 of).
Blue plates
1 X 2 (2 off),
2 X 4
2 X 2
1 X 4 (2 off)
And a steering wheel and seat.
I believe the set is after the year 2000 but can't be certain.
All guidance is greatly appreciated!

From a glance it doesn't look like a set as much as something someone might have randomly put together. The two blue 1x2 tiles at the front seem odd, as do the double-stacked black round tiles.

Of all the pieces used it seems the rarest would be the blue steering wheel or the blue seat. It turns out the blue seat piece is used in 'only' 67 different sets.

From that list of sets, only one set seems to resemble this configuration, the 1572 Super Tow Truck from the Town theme, released in 1986. Step 3 of the instructions (as shown below) seems to be quite a close match.


How to retrieve a deleted program file from the lego NXT I have been programming a complex file for my Lego Mindstorms NXT. I accidentally deleted my file from the PC, but it is still available on my NXT brick. Is there any way that I can retrieve the file from my NXT and continue programming it? The file is complex, and it will be difficult for me to recreate it. Also, if this helps (or places restrictions), I made the program with the EV3 software (as is backward compatible - and I do have the NXT software also). I haven't tried any methods (I don't know any to try) so I can't tell you what doesn't already work for me.

Also, the PC I used is not mine, so I do not have a way to recover the file from that PC. If I could recover it from my NXT I can get the program on my personal computer.
Thanks!

NXT programs are compiled into a program the brick can run. It might be possible to pull the compiled code off the brick, but I'm not aware of any disassemblers or decompilers for the compiled programs.

I think your best chance at recovering the program would be to try to recover the deleted file on your PC with a deleted file recovery program.


What is this 1998 lego piece for F-22? Can someone help me identify what set this is from? I've tried searching multiple different things on Google and Bricklink and haven't been able to find this piece. It was in with a set of random pieces that was bought at a yard sale. The F-22 stickers on it may not be from the original set but they were on it when I bought it. The only thing I can find written on it is copyright LEGO Group 1998

It is Electric, Light & Sound 4 x 20 x 5 Insectoid Stinger which was available in 4 sets from Insectoids series. Stickers are custom.


Difference between gyro sensor and compass sensor Does the HiTechnic compass perform the same function as the gyro sensor? I have been trying to find out the difference.

I haven't personally used the HiTechnic sensors, but the difference between a gyroscope and a compass is that one measures absolute orientation and the other measures change in orientation.

The compass measures absolute orientation via a magnetometer that measures the effect of the Earth's magnetic field on the sensor. The gyro sensor uses some form of MEMS to detect changes in orientation. The compass also only works in two dimensions, while the gyro likely operates in all three dimensions of orientation.

You might also be interested in this answer from electronics.se which includes more detail than mine and also compares accelerometers to compasses and gyros.


What does imprinted information inside bricks mean? I just randomly checked the imprinted information inside some of the bricks in my Lego sets and found that it varied.

I found several different types of information:

Most pieces have Lego copyright notice ie. (c) LEGO, but many others don't have
Most pieces have two numbers are thin and italic, but some others are in bigger font.
In some pieces, there is a third number instead of LEGO copyright notice.

How does this information vary by year/set/produced country?

Most elements will have their official "Design ID" imprinted on them - this is typically the longer number, and can usually be used on the Pick a Brick site or sites such as BrickLink and Peeron to track down additional bricks. Note that this is different to the "Element ID" that is printed in the instruction part inventories which has the colour encoded with it.

I've got the following three elements in front of me at the moment:

The 6x2 plate [part:3795:6] has the following:

© LEGO (highlighted in red)
03795 - This is the padded Design ID (highlighted in blue)
10 049 (highlighted in yellow)

The 4x1 tile [part:2431:6] has the following:

© LEGO (red)
2431 - This is the Design ID (blue)
15-10 (yellow) - 3 others in the same set had different numbers

The Plant Leaves 4x3 [part:2423:2] has the following:

© LEGO Group (red)
2423 - This is the Design ID (blue)
6•02 (yellow) - another one of these in the same set had the same number.

I believe the numbers highlighted in yellow are mould numbers - so the factories can track down imperfections with old moulds or similar.

Looking at an element that I have in rather large quantities now, the Tile 4 x 3 with 4 Studs in Centre [part:88646:0] taking four at random they all have:

© 2009 The LEGO Group
88646

But then each one has a different mould ID: 01-B04, 04-B04, 10-B02, 08-B08

With regards to the copyright statement - as you can see across from these examples, they use different versions depending on the space available. I guess they feel that having the part and mould ids are slightly more important than their copyright statement for tracking purposes.


How to Motorize the LEGO Mars Rover I am looking for some suggestions.

My daughter is building the Mars Rover set (go here for the details: http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=98222) for a presentation at school and I told her I would help make it operate by remote control with one of the power function kits. Problem is that it is a lot more complex than I thought. (I have no experience at the expert LEGO building).

I think I can maybe get it moving with a remote, receiver, and simple motor attached to one wheel, but I do not have any idea how to do the steering and don’t know how to move any of the other functions (camera, antenna, robotic arm).  see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrGmxwcLcUE

So, to steer, I use a servo?

How do I operate the other things, more servos?

And to move things slowly, do I need complex gearing?

Any suggestions to help me figure out what I need to do and what to buy to easily make this work would be much appreciated.

Thanks

With some minor adjustments, you can try adding Lego Power Functions to your Technic parts.

With the appropriate parts, you can motorize your wheels with motors then remote control them with the Infrared Sensor with remote control. It would be rather tight though as sets that can allow space for these functions will show the option for Power Functions on the box. This means that the Lego Mars Rover set might not be compatible with this set unless you can add some major adjustments or make a rover yourself!

You can find pieces and their details here: http://powerfunctions.lego.com/en-us/whatis/default.aspx#HowDoesPFWorkContentProvider


What is Rebuild The World? I've been seeing a lot about this new thing called "Rebuild The World". I tried figuring out what it was, but I couldn't. What is it?

It's "a campaign to help nurture the creative skills of the next generation", launched by LEGO on September 17, 2019.
From the LEGO website:

Today, the LEGO Group and musician Mark Ronson launch Rebuild The World, a campaign to help nurture the creative skills of the next generation.
Over 100 children will meet Mark and other inspiring figures, such as 19-year-old David Aguilar, who built several prosthetic arms from LEGO® elements, at the LEGO House, Billund, to explore the infinite potential of creativity. Their imaginations will also be fired up in a series of workshops, where they’ll be challenged to rebuild the world they see around them.
“My whole career has been about working with brilliant, creative people and seeing where our imaginations take us. Rebuild The World, is a wonderful opportunity to help inspire the next generation of creators who will come up with their own ideas to shape the future of everything from the way we live to the music we listen to,” explains Mark Ronson.
The LEGO Group believes that every child is born with incredible creative problem-solving capabilities, but we need to act now to nurture that creativity so that it can become a lifelong skill, as the future depends on it.
Inspiring creativity is more critical and urgent than ever. The World Economic Forum Future of Jobs Report places creative problem solving in the top three skills the job market will require from 2020. Imaginative play helps children learn how to innovate, problem solve and think critically throughout their lives.
Mark Ronson will also be joined by representatives from other creative fields to discuss why it’s more important than ever to help nurture creativity as a key skill so that the builders of tomorrow can succeed in an ever-changing world.
Julia Goldin, Chief Marketing Officer, The LEGO Group, said: “Rebuild The World is all about seeing where imagination takes us and celebrating the natural creativity of children. We want to encourage kids around the world to develop and retain these skills as they grow older. With this campaign, we want to inspire people of all ages to play and unleash their creativity to create a world of infinite possibilities.”
Meanwhile, British designer and inventor Dominic Wilcox will lead a series of Rebuilder Workshops on the 17th September. He, along with two other creatives, will challenge kids to reimagine iconic landmarks, invent new gadgets and solve everyday problems – all with LEGO bricks. Other LEGO professionals will lend a hand, helping the kids bring their incredible ideas to life.
“Who knows what will come out of today… a house with a hot air balloon for a roof?  A car with long legs to jump over the traffic ahead? No one sees the world quite like children so we’re excited to see what they come up with,” says Dominic Wilcox.
Kids around the world can also take part by sharing their creations on the LEGO Life app or by visiting www.lego.com/rebuild-the-world-challenge
The LEGO system has long been the ultimate platform for creative expression and creative problem solving. Children don’t just imagine what to build, they can build and rebuild. Experiment. Fail. Break the rules. Fail and Try again… This is the cycle of human creativity and the essence of the LEGO System in Play.
Now, we’re going even further. Through Rebuild The World, we want to inspire children to unleash their creativity, join the Rebuild The World challenge and rebuild a world of endless possibilities for real.  Learn more by visiting www.lego.com/rebuild-the-world
About the campaign
Rebuild The World is a fully integrated global campaign which will be featured across a variety of channels including TV, digital, cinemas and out of home. The LEGO Group will also be hosting a series of high profile public events in cities around the where children and grown-ups will be invited to build and rebuild with LEGO bricks to make the world a little brighter. This includes using LEGO bricks to complete a giant heart on the side of the East Side Gallery in Berlin www.LEGOnewsroom.de
The campaign was created by the LEGO Group’s internal agency with BETC Paris and the film was directed by the multi award-winning Traktor collective. It’s a fun-filled adventure that follows the chase between a clever rabbit and an unlucky hunter and unfolds in the kind of world that only LEGO play could create. Every character, animal and vehicle is based on an existing or past LEGO toy, so heads spin 360 degrees, everyday objects are outsized, and a boat can suddenly fly with a little help from a palm tree.


What is the difference between the plastic used in mainstream minifigs and the plastic used to make the popular collectable series of minifigs? What is the difference (if there even is a difference) between the plastic used in mainstream minifigs and the plastic used in the popular collectable minifig series?

It seems to me that the collectable minifigs are a bit more brittle than their average brethren.

On thebrickblogger.com (February 9, 2017) there was a call to report issues with minifigures. Reading the answers I get the impression that issues with clutch-power, cracks and other problems are occurring with all sorts of minifigures, not only with the collectible series. This would mean that it is not a persistent problem with Chinese factories:

http://thebrickblogger.com/2017/02/lego-collectible-minifigures-quality-issues/

Looking at Ebay I also get the feeling that 90% of all problems will never be noticed because the owners won't open the bags!


The four armed minifig How do you put together a four armed minifig?????

I really want one.

The good news is: This Minifig is still available (as of March 2017)! The bad news is, he's only in two sets and they're both quite expensive. He's Nadakhan, the captain of the Sky Pirates in the Ninjago range. There is also General Kozu, but his set is even more expensive.

Misfortune's Keep
The Lighthouse Siege
Samurai X Cave Chaos

As Kevin points out in the comments, Lord Garmadon appears three times in the LEGO Ninjago Minifigures series (Garmadon, Volcano Garmadon (pyjamas), and Flashback Garmadon (suit and tie)), so it's possible the part is now more widely available.

The key part from Nadakhan's body you need is:

  Torso, Modified Short with Armour Breastplate...

Or there are some other options from earlier Ninjago sets available as well.

Which accepts a standard neck post and has holes for the arms.


Can an axle be removed from this Technic 'brick paradox'? This blogpost on Technic Bricks briefly explains a few 'brick paradoxes' or dead ends. This particular model seems impossible to disassemble by hand:

How can I remove the axle without damaging/destroying the bricks?

I reproduced the problem and got the axle out using a sculpting tool (similar to an awl). It's a sharp point made of hard metal. (Soft metal will actually bend, believe me, I tried three tools.)

I inserted the point in the space left by the axle groove and pried the axle out. The point of the tool was against the axle while the body of the tool was pushing against the beam's rim. I made a short video to explain.

After looking at the pieces, I saw that it did however leave some damages to both pieces. On the axle it is barely noticeable, While the rim of of the beam has some little notches.  Because of these small damages, it's not something I would do on a regular basis.  On the other hand, both pieces are totally usable after the 'operation'.


What is the maximum distance between fixed train wheels? I'm working on a train, and I'm curious what the maximum distance is between fixed wheel sets in order to properly navigate all of the different types of track (straight, curved, switch, flex, etc).

In case that doesn't make sense, I'm interested in the maximum distance between wheels that aren't mounted on swiveling bogies. An example of the construction that I'm talking about can be found in set 10014:

With a bit of trigonometry and some observation we can estimate a theoretical limit to the maximum length.

I assume you are looking for the maximum length that would run on the sharpest possible curve, which appears to be one made with flexible track. By observing this photo of 52 flex track pieces arranged in a circle, we can estimate that each piece can create an angle of about 7 degrees.

This seems to be sharper than the average usage, however, and may be placing stress on the pieces. The LDraw version of the flex track depicts it flexing at a maximum angle of about 5.5 degrees:

In addition, the flexible track has a slot in which the train wheels run which is 10 LDU (LDraw Units) wide. By observation, I estimate that a single set of train wheels can be rotated by about 6 degrees within these slots before they bind. That would be the theoretical upper limit of the angle a train car of "zero" length (that is, with just one set of wheels) could be rotated and still move forward through the track.

So with that estimate, we need to look at the curved section of track above and measure the angle a train car would be rotated from the straight position for various sections of the track. Fortunately, rather than being a smooth curve the flex track is really several straight sections of about 72 LDU on the inside (i.e. sharpest) curve. That means we can stay within the realm of trigonometry and measure the angles from the outer edge of the straight section to the end of each segment of the inner curve. That takes a little work, but here is what I determined:

From the right edge of the straight section to the center of the second section is an angle of 3.53 degrees.

From the right edge of the straight section to the center of the third section is an angle of 6.45 degrees.

So a car with a wheel base that extends from the right edge of the section to the center of the third section would be rotated at 6.45 degrees, which is just a bit more than our estimated limit of 6 degrees. Using trigonometry we can determine the length of this wheelbase as 183 LDU, which is just over 9 studs. In other words, a car with a wheelbase of 9 studs would probably bind slightly in the slots on the curve above.

As seen in the original question, LEGO has issued train car models with fixed wheels 9 studs apart. Joubarc's observation in his comment above that the caboose model shown does indeed bind slightly would seem to support the estimate of 9 studs as an upper limit of the wheelbase for fixed train wheels.

We can plot out a wheelbase of 10 studs on the curve above to check. That would produce a rotation of about 7.2 degrees, well above our estimated maximum of 6 degrees. It would seem a 9-stud wheelbase is the maximum.

Of course there is some binding on every curved section, with the power of the motor able to overcome the friction on the wheels. This estimate does not consider the power of the motor.


Motorized speedboat from Technic Catamaran alternate model? The alternate model for the 42105 Technic Catamaran set looks a lot like a remote-controlled speedboat.

This set doesn't actually come with any motors, or even propellers, so obviously this model isn't functional. So what would it take to make a motorized RC speedboat from this set?

With a few Power Functions elements and a pair of propellers, I was able to build a motorized boat similar to the alternate model.

1x: 8881 Power Functions Battery Box
2x: 8883 Power Functions M-Motor
1x: 8884 Power Functions IR Receiver
1x: 8885 Power Functions IR Remote Control
2x: 30332 Propeller 3 Blade 9 Diameter

See it in action!
click to watch the video
Pictures
floating, side view
floating, front view
Close-up pictures on how it's built
propeller motor closeup
center structure closeup
Conclusion
Overall it works pretty well, and the hulls are surprisingly resistant to water leaking inside of them. The only major issue is that direct sunlight can interfere with the IR receiver at a distance. As an alternative, the IR receiver and remote could be substituted with something third-party like an S-Brick (uses Bluetooth). I didn't have any of the smaller and lighter LEGO Powered UP controller and motors, but with some redesigning that could also be an option (also Bluetooth).
I also hope that someday LEGO will make some propellers which are a better size/shape for use with water, and maybe this boat could go a little faster!


How do I keep LEGO boxes looking their best for as long as possible? I want to buy a few cool sets for investing purposes or to give to my kids later on if they prove to be poor investments. I'm not going to open the boxes they'll just be stored but it might be nice to display them on a shelf or something to remind me of why I like them.

So how can I keep the boxes looking their best for the next five or ten years? I assume that fading from sunlight damage is the biggest problem so what needs to be done to prevent that?

Note that I'm asking about the boxes here and not the bricks which is covered in this question: How can I store LEGO bricks as long as possible?

While the LEGO plastic elements are very durable and should be considered as safe as long as they remain in their box, the boxes themselves are much more vulnerable.

As you mention, direct sunlight may be damaging to the printing, but you'll also need to be wary of humidity and possible shocks.

As a minimum, I'd recommend storing them in another cardboard box, if possible an original one from LEGO as dimensions will match better. If not, you'll need to make sure there is sufficient padding so that your LEGO box doesn't move freely in the cardboard box. Padding might be a good idea anyway if you aren't too sure of how careful you'll be with the outer box, a dented corner happens very fast.

Of course, you'll want to store the boxes in a dry area, and out of reach of other hazardous elements (cats come to mind - shredding boxes is the raison d'être of some, the rest prefer peeing on everything which you'll want to avoid too).

All this isn't exactly specific to LEGO, but my last bit of advice would be to turn the boxes from time to time so that the weight of the elements settling inside don't always affect the same side. Or at the very least, store your boxes flat. If you were to store a big box on the same side, the bricks inside will put enough pressure on the side that they'll eventually deform them.


How can I automate orders from Lego Pick-a-Brick? Is there a way to automate the process of ordering from Lego's online Pick-a-Brick?  I'd like to be able to go from a .csv with part IDs to a filled cart on their site, or even all the way through to a placed order.  Are there any options short of using a web testing/automation framework to drive the site?

I believe that many AFOL user groups had previously been able to buy in bulk from LEGO, but I don't know if that's still an option with the release of pick-a-brick - however as Joubarc points out there are often limits on the number of different elements, as well as a group limit on the number of bricks. Couple that with the fact that the process often takes months to deliver, and it's not an easy option.

Another option would be to take it offline: the LEGO catalogue often lists Pick-a-Brick elements and has a postal order form, so you could format that up in your spreadsheet application of choice and mail it in.

Doing a quick snoop around the network traffic when adding items from Pick-a-Brick shows that currently it uses a fairly simple post to submit the details to the basket:

ba     0
bricks 4239601,1          <- ElementId,quantity
cat    UK
id     4239601,1          <- ElementId,quantity
sid    0.4886243118128015

So something could possibly be created, but as Joubarc points out, there's no guarantee that the site would continue this way.


Will the Duplo train track extension set 10872 work with Duplo train set 2700? I am thinking about buying the Duplo train expansion set 10872 Train Bridge and Tracks for my niece, but her primary Duplo train set is actually a vintage 1983 2700 Freight Train set from her father's childhood.

Will these new tracks work with the old train and tracks? I've been looking at pictures and the tracks appear identical except for color, but, considering the 37 year difference, I wanted to check with the experts first. I am aware the the musical actuator almost certainly will not work with a 1983 train. I'm really asking whether the tracks will interconnect and whether there will be problems running a train from one era on tracks of the other era, or, if as I suspect, they follow the same standards and any differences are cosmetic only.

From a train point of view those wheels will fit happily within the guides of the bridge, and the connections on the tracks should just about fit as well.
I'm fairly sure we bought our bridge when we were staying in a holiday cottage that had a load of the old black track, and it connected to the track successfully, but you may need to work with some curves to find the ideal length as the black ones tend to be slightly longer than the newer grey ones.
LEGO Customer Support have the following to say on compatibility:

DUPLO® train tracks haven’t changed much over the years, so older tracks are fully compatible with the current ones. You can tell old and new tracks apart by the colour: the older ones are black, while the tracks we currently make are grey.
While the different tracks can be used together, we do recommend alternating between them since the older, black tracks have less grip. If you’re building a track with a bridge, we’d suggest using newer rails around the slope.

Their recommendation for using grey around the slope may be aimed at the motorised options so that the train isn't slipping in the build up to the ramp, or skidding at the bottom.


How to get double the speed from 2 regulated EV3 motors? So I've noticed that if I connect two EV3 motors to one another (with gears), I still get exactly the same maximum speed as if I had a single motor.

So, my question: how can I get twice the power/speed out of two motors?

Update: here's an interesting observation: if I get both motors to spin as unregulated, I get a much higher speed than if I get them to spin in a pair (e.g., B+C move tank).

Update 2: ended up building a differential as per accepted answer:

By adding two motors together with gears, you have doubled the torque the motors provide. Power = torque x speed, so if you don't want the doubled power from the motors to go to the torque component but to the speed component instead, I think you should use a differential and put the motors on both outputs of the differential, and use the input to feed your construction. I haven't tested this out though.

EDIT: Here is a picture I found that shows how 4 motors can be joined into a single output with 5 different motor combinations (and many more different speed combinations):


Why are LEGO slope bricks textured? Why is the slope part of bricks textured instead of the usual flat & glossy edge?

Are there any non-textured forms of these bricks?

This is likely a hold-over from when these were used primarily as roof pieces, and the texture provided some realism to the house/building sets.


Is the Technic hub putting the battery in series or parallel Can anyone tell me how the battery in the Technic Hub is connected? Are they connecting the batteries in series or parallel? It is the hub that powers the motors, right? If all 6 AA batteries are installed, how many voltage could it give/receive?

The batteries are in series. Which gives (in theory) 6x 1.5 = 9V.
Actually it is a little less than 9V as batteries drop voltage a little when they are used.
They can drop as low as 1.2 V when they are nearly empty (giving about 7.2V minimum voltage).
The motors can make do with as little as 7V so they keep working with nearly empty batteries. The hub most likely (I'm not 100% sure) has an electronic cutoff switch that stops it from working at all if the voltage drops too low for reliable operation. This also prevents problems if one battery empties earlier than the others or someone inserted a mix of empty and full batteries.
When using multiple batteries in a device they should ideally be from the same brand, more or less same age and same usage level. Mismatched batteries are never a good idea in multi-battery operations.
Please note: Measuring output voltage on a battery is complicated. If you just apply a Voltmeter to the battery you measure without power being drained (aka without load, the Voltmeter itself is negligible). When under load a battery usually has a lower voltage then when unloaded. How much lower depends on both the load and the condition of the battery.
So it is really problematic to give you a precise answer on "how many Volt does it give". It all depends.


Identifying a late 90's early 2000's LEGO Space Fighter/Bomber We're moving out some of our grown kids' LEGO sets that have been in storage for a long time.
We came across a bag with all these parts in it that look to be a LEGO space ship or bomber (I say this as the canopy is more rounded leading me to guess it to be a bomber of some type. I think a fighter might have a more angled rake on the windscreen.)
I have provided some photos too. I have looked through the entire database at eBay and could not find one like it. I don't think this is custom made. Although my boys can't remember what it is either, so I decided to try the Stack Exchange


How to prevent PF M-motor from springing back I'm currently building a car with a simple 2-speed remote controlled synchronized transmission, shifted by a PF M-motor.  Everything is fine except for one thing, the transmission driving ring is disengaging under the high torque due to the changeover catch going too far.

I have added parts blocking the catch from going too far, but when I stop sending current to the motor it spring back somewhat, disengaging the driving ring. Are there any ways of preventing this effect, or do I have to use a different motor altogether? Any help would be very much appreciated.

It sounds like the motor is "winding up" from drivetrain deflection.  Lego parts "give" a little when stressed and therefore store some energy like a spring.  This is likely being caused by the high speed of the PF "M" motor.  A picture of the assembly would be very useful in determining a solution.  Without seeing it, the simplest fix would be to gear down the motor.  Given the fairly high speed of the "M" motor output, I would suggest doing this with a worm gear assembly.  A worm gear will greatly reduce your output ratio to the driving ring while also giving you more precise control that is less susceptible to back-tracking from deflection wind-up.

Here is a photo demonstrating how a worm gear can greatly reduce output ratio in very little space:

Another potential solution, if you have the part, is to affix a linear actuator to the "M" motor.  It would have the same benefits as the standard worm gear:

One last thing... Which version of part# 6538 are you using?  6538a & 6538b have ridges that allow the drive ring to "click' into place.  If you're using part# 6538c then swapping it with one of the others may be all you need to fix your problem.

A picture of your build would be appreciated to help reduce speculation.  It would also be nice to see this just for the "neat-o" factor :)


Is it possible to damage a pneumatic pump/motor by applying too much pressure? I've recently bought the Mercedes-Benz Arocs model, which contains a compressor (i.e., a pneumatic pump which is operated by an L motor).

I was wondering whether you can ruin your pneumatic system and/or the motor by simply "overpumping" and thereby creating too much pressure? It doesn't look like there is some kind of "overpressure valve"...

If I just run the motor in pneumatic-pump mode and let it pump for a few minutes...

...is there a chance to ruin the pneumatic hoses or even the cylinders?
...is there a chance to ruin the motor?

If not, why not?

No, it would be practically impossible to damage LEGO pneumatic elements by overpressurizing them.

It turns out that LEGO pneumatic pumps actually have a very simple "slip" mechanism that prevents overpressurization.  Once the pressure reaches about 35-40psi (the exact threshold varies slightly pump by pump) the rubber plunger disk will give way and bend back, allowing a small amount of air to slip by and escape out the top of the pump.

Here is a GIF illustrating the effect, watch the rubber plunger disk bend back as I pump it:

Sorry the quality is so bad, it's hard getting under SE's 2MB limit.  The number markings on the pressure gauge are multiples of 10, so it is slipping at around 37psi.

If you don't have a transparent pump or a pressure gauge it is still quite easy to tell that this is happening since the air escaping makes a fairly obvious pfft sound.

Some have also correctly pointed out that the tubes will pop off long before any damage is done to the components.  While I have experienced this, the pump will usually hit its max pressure before any pipes pop off if they are attached securely (i.e. pushed as far as possible onto their connections).

Some pipes also tend to come off easier than others, in my experience the older ones along with the clear types tend to make looser connections.  This is why I try to use the newer opaque tubes first since it can be a pain in the neck fixing and repressurizing when a connection blows off.


Can 10153 9V train motor be powered by the Power Functions Battery pack? I am currently making the switch to Power Functions with my Lego Train collection and am wondering if I can power the old 9v motors that I used with the metal rails, with a battery box from the power functions line? I tested it and it does run but I'm concerned that it may burn out or not be safe... Any advice?

In short, yes it's perfectly safe to run your old 9v motors from your Power Functions battery box.
This excellent online reference has a lot of information on various LEGO motors. Both the old 9v train motor and the Power Functions train motor are listed.
The information on the site shows that the characteristics of the two motors are very similar with the old 9v motor drawing 0.38A @ 9V and the Power Functions motor drawing 0.38A @ 9V.
The old 9v motor does draw slightly more current, (0.40A), @ 4.5V compared to 0.36A @ 4.5V for the PF motor, but this difference is negligible and will not translate into any damage to your motor or battery box.

Also there is official confirmation from LEGO via their Power Functions FAQ

Can I use Power Functions elements with my old 9V elements?
Yes, with 8886 Power Functions Extension Wire or 8871 Power Functions Extension Wire 20” you can use most of the 9V elements with Power Functions.


Can anyone please tell me what these old white 4x4 circles are? What are these?

They are from a box of very old LEGO bricks, circa 1981.

It looks like 3 of Turntable 4 x 4 - Old Type Complete, Perfectly Round which came in 13 different sets from 1963 - 1970.

I'm guessing the one in the middle is either broken or disassembled (if that's possible), and the top of it attached to the bottom of one on the right.


All-purpose Technic set? For LEGO Classic there are plenty of "build anything" kinds of sets, but is there something like that for Technic?

Ideally, I'm imagining a box of the most useful 1000 or so Technic pieces, so that whenever one wants to build an original (and functional) robot or vehicle, the parts required will most likely be found.

Is there such a set?

I find that most of the Technic sets are specialized for building one specific machine, but after building that, when you want to build something else, the parts are not necessarily all-purpose.

The EV3 expansion set 45560 comes to mind: https://education.lego.com/en-us/products/lego-mindstorms-education-ev3-expansion-set-by-lego-education/45560

Although intended as a extension to the educational EV3 set, it's mainly technic elements.


Which Star Wars set is this? It is from the Star Wars theme but which one?

Based on the silver jetpack, Jango Fett head, Phase I clone helmet, and orange battle droid parts, I believe it is 75015 Corporate Alliance Tank Droid.


How to find out if an element is out of production Is there a way to know if Lego has officially stopped making a certain Lego element?

As an example, from the 580 Lego set, I haven't seen this conveyor belt (along with those wheels and the "Legoland" stamped brick, etc) since the 1970's, so I assume it's out of production:

But is there any official word from Lego that certain elements are no longer in production?

I don't know about official word, but according to BrickLink, that Conveyor Belt hasn't been included as part of a set since 1975, so I think it's safe to say that it's not in production any more.

However, if you're looking to buy one, people are selling them.


What parts are include with this light blue bike? I need to find the part numbers of parts on this bike.


How does one get a job as a LEGO designer? I always fantasized on the mysterious (and admittedly cool) job of LEGO designer. Is there anyone who knows what it takes?

Do you need to go to the Lego university and get good grades?
Is there any Job post in some secret place?
Do you get a job by being on the LEGO fan club for long enough?
Or do you need to participate in competition and get recognition for your own designs?

There's a nice interview with LEGO Designer Mark Stafford on The Brothers Brick:

  From LEGO fan to LEGO set designer - the Mark Stafford interview

The basic process was:

The position was advertised, and Mark's portfolio was sent in. He was then invited to a two day recruitment workshop along with a number of other candidates.

I've also read other interviews such as this one from The LEGOLAND Discovery Center asking about how Alex Bidolak became a LEGO Master Model Builder, and he came in through the competition route.


Has anyone created a analogue LEGO clock that runs time accurately? I've seen someone on YouTube create a LEGO Clock with all the wheels and a pendulum, but I was wondering if there is any project or building instructions available to build such a clock with an efficient movement. LEGO Technic seems ideal to build such complex mechanism.

Building a clock is easy, building an accurate clock is hard, even without lego.

To have accuracy you must have something happening at a fixed frequency.
A pendulum is the easiest way to provide a regular timing.

Next you need a power source for the clock.
Weights falling down is classic, and easy to do with lego : a pulley and a string.

The force generated by a spring is not constant, it decrease with time as the spring wound down. You need a constant force to have accuracy.
Real clocks have mechanisms to compensate this variations by I am not sure it is possible to replicate with lego.

An electric motor is better, but the charge of the batteries determine the power generated by the motor.

Then you will loose power with friction so you must limit the number of moving part or limit friction with lubricant for example.

I have built a clock myself, it works but stops after 15 to 20 minutes for too much friction.
You can search the web for other lego clocks, but the best I have seen works for about 6 hours.

A lego clock is a fun project but you won't use it to tell time.


Piece identification (Sphere) I was wondering if this LEGO piece is a valid LEGO, and what is its part number?
Can it be used in FIRST LEGO League competitions?

It looks like there are three individual pieces.

A small metal ball (Probably not LEGO)
A translucent connector (Probably not LEGO)
A red LEGO Technic Cross Axle (6538)

The red piece seems to share the same amount of ridges ridges (three) and seems to be a good match in size and colour. I'm not familiar with this connector being used in this manner, I'm fairly sure the other two pieces are not LEGO.


How can I separate 1 x 1 round from boat mast base 4 x 4? I have two pieces I cannot seem to separate. The parts in question are:

3062b: Brick, Round 1 x 1 Open Stud
6067: Black Boat Mast Section Base 4 x 4 x 1 2/3

The 1 x 1 is transparent in this case, in case that makes a difference (I think the plastic type is different for transparent pieces).

The center of the mast base fits snuggly inside the 1 x 1. The outer wall of the mast base blocks access to the bottom lip of the 1 x 1. There is a hole through the bottom of the mast base, but it's narrow enough that if I try to stick a 3957 antenna through it, the tip of the antenna doesn't catch the top lip on the inside of the 1 x 1 round. I tried pinching the top of the 1 x 1 and wiggling it, but it is too tight.

Separate:

Assembled:

How about a straightened paperclip pushed through the hole in the mast from the bottom? You could put a small piece of paper in first so that it'll catch on the 1x1 on the way out.


How can I loosen my Minifigures arms and legs? I'm trying to make some Stop Motion animation but some of the parts on my Minifigures are very stiff, which reduces the control I have when making small adjustments during each frame.
Is there a safe way to loosen the joints that will still allow them to hold their position once set?

Both arms and legs are held in place through a fairly simple compression pin.
A small dab of washing up liquid applied to the joint should lubricate it quite well - avoid oils as they can cause discolouration of the plastic.
If that doesn't work for you, then you could try physically loosening the pins - gently pull the arms out of the sockets and the legs off the hips and replace them a couple of times - this is usually enough to compress the arms of the pin enough while still maintaining a grip on the part. Going further you can obviously compress the pins manually and fairly permanently - however this will likely make the joints too loose for your needs - I've certainly got some older minifigs with very wobbly hip joints that can no longer stand up on their own.


Why do several of the 2016 Star Wars sets include stands for the minifigs? I've noticed that several of the new Star Wars sets include stands for the minifigs. For example Droid Escape Pod (75136):

What is the purpose of these? I don't see how they add play or display value.

The stands you see aren't actually part of the set. They're there to make it easier to photograph the minifigs, and get photoshopped out in the final version of the set pictures.