Why was LEGO reluctant to use additional colours for regular bricks in former times? Looking back to what LEGO offered in the 1980s and early 1990s (oh, those memories ...), it looks a lot like LEGO's colour palette had been limited to a small number of colours - unless I'm missing something, and just counting non-transparent colours now, mostly:

white
black
red
blue
yellow
light grey

But wait: A couple of other colours had been around for a long time, but had only been used for quite special elements for many years:

dark gray (some other castle accessories, such as minifig swords, at least since 1981 ... before the colour started getting slightly more widespread in actual buildings in the shape of BURPs, starting in 1993)
brown (some castle accessories, such as minifig spears or bows with arrows, at least since 1984 ... until LEGO finally started using some brown for trees instead of approximating them with black around 1993)
green (granted, this one appeared as plates in castle sets at least since 1984, but was otherwise mostly reserved to plant parts, baseplates, and special decorative elements such as flags ... until around 1992, when the fictional Octan gasoline brand was introduced and green started becoming a "mainstream" colour)

Now, I am aware I have not listed all the parts that ever came in the respective colours; my point is that, at least in my impression, these three colours listed above were mainly used for a rather small number of accessories or other specific elements for many years, as opposed to seeing widespread use as regular plates and bricks, compared to the other aforementioned colours.

Is there any known reason in terms of business/design decisions/the material used for each of the colours for this?

The answer I've heard the most (with a source citing the official confirmation) is that green, brown and gray bricks were omitted from the LEGO palette because the company wanted to discourage kids from building tanks, planes, and other realistic military hardware.


How to sort complete sets from box of unsorted LEGO My son has thousands of pieces of LEGO, but he has them all dumped in a box. Is there any way to figure out what sets they went to if I don't remember the names of them?

First thing to do would be to get together any building instructions you have and attempt to build those sets one at a time noting any missing elements as you go.

Once this is complete and if you still have unsorted pieces, you could use a website such as Bricklink.com to try to identify the sets and then use Peeron.com to source the building instructions for that set.

To begin this process, try to select an odd looking piece that is uncommon in your collection. Use Bricklink to try to identify the piece and then click through to the catalog entry for that piece to see the list of sets that piece is included in. You can follow the links to get an inventory of the selected set and then see how many of the required pieces you have in the unsorted box.

This is not an exact science and will require a fair amount of trial-and-error, not to mention time, but these two websites are two of the best LEGO resources available for such a task.


Can anyone tell me which LEGO set this is? My son was gifted some LEGO bags but with no instructions and I can’t find them on the internet.  It’s bag #4 and the only other number I can find in the bag is 135149. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Y-Wing Starfighter, set 75172 from 2017

It comes in five bags.

Building instructions at lego.com


What's the best way to link two (or more) LEGO Power Functions (PF) train motors together? Last Christmas I built an extended Emerald Night train to run around the tree. To get it to work I had to add a second Power Functions motor. I tuned both IR receivers to the same frequency and slowly applied power by keeping the IR remote within the line of sight of both receivers at the front and the back. The major disadvantage to this was it was difficult to sync the two engines because line of sight was not assured.

I'd like to build a larger train this year and would like to find a better way to link the motors. I've think that putting one motor in the back helps with weight distribution, although this idea may be flawed.

What the best way to link multiple Power Functions motors together without having to rely on multiple IR receivers?

Below are some photos that provide more detail about the train in question.

All photos http://www.flickr.com/photos/craigmoliver/sets/72157628313822041/

Relevant photos

Front engine, standard Emerald Night (10194-1):

Rear power car, custom (MOC):

If the motors are far apart, you could simply connect them both to the same receiver using some extension cables. To the best of my knowledge, there is no problem connecting two motors on the same input of one IR receiver.

If you're using Technic motors instead of train motors, as Zhaph said, you'll probably want to have them coupled through a differential so that no motor can stress the other. That's the standard way of doing it in any Technic creation, and since it effectively adds the two input speeds (from the motors), it means you can create some variation in speed very easily.

I did that to power a PF-modified 7740 engine with two medium motors when the only remote available was the simple on/off one: one motor had its speed reduced to 1/3, so the range of available speeds where 4/3 (both motors on), 3/3 (regular motor on, 1/3 motor off), 2/3 (regular motor forward, 1/3 motor reverse), 1/3 (1/3 motor only), 0, and the same in reverse. Was awfully complicated to use the remote to go from one speed to the next, though. And then LEGO produced a speed-control remote and I didn't look back to that idea again.)


Direct/system command for reading the display buffer of EV3 bricks? I recall being able to read in the display buffer of NXT 2.0 bricks over Bluetooth/USB by issuing Read IO Map system commands. I've looked through the bytecodes and communication documentation for the EV3, but it's not clear how to do this with the EV3. Does anyone have any pointers?

I think you should be able to do this. The screen is represented by a framebuffer device. In Linux, everything is a file, so even the framebuffer is a file, namely /dev/fb0.

So, you should be able to read the display by reading the /dev/fb0 file using something like this:

EDIT: Using direct commands didn't work out so well, so here is a sample using system commands.

Getting file content
--------------------

Used to upload datalog files - file handle is only closed when reaching EOF
and file is not open for writing

BEGIN_GETFILE:

  Bytes send to the brick:

  xxxxxxxx0196xxxxxxx
  bbbbmmmmttssllllnnn...

  bbbb = Bytes in massage, mmmm = message counter, tt = type of command,
  ss = system command, llll = max bytes to read, nnnn.... = path

  Bytes send to the PC:

  xxxxxxxx039600xxxxxxxx00xxx
  bbbbmmmmttssrrllllllllhhppp...

  bbbb = bytes ion massage, mmmm = message counter, tt = type of command,
  ss = system command, rr = return status, llllllll = File size, hh = Handle,
  ppp... = payload

CONTINUE_GETFILE:

  Bytes send to the brick:

  0700xxxx019700xxxx
  bbbbmmmmttsshhllll

  bbbb = bytes in massage, mmmm = message counter, tt = type of command,
  ss = system command, hh = handle, llll = max bytes to read

  Bytes send to the PC:

  xxxxxxxx039700xxxxxxxx00xxx
  bbbbmmmmttssrrllllllllhhppp...

  bbbb = bytes in message, mmmm = message counter, tt = type of command,
  ss = system command, rr = return status, llllllll = File size,
  hh = Handle, ppp... = payload

Opcodes come from here System commands come from here. The size returned may be 0 since this is not a real file, but the framebuffer size is 7680 bytes (comes from here, i.e. (178+2)/3*128). Also, the maximum number of bytes allowable for max bytes to read depends on the connection type (USB, Bluetooth or Wi-Fi). 1000 should be a safe number.

Now, hopefully you have the data, but you still need to decode it. The framebuffer has an unusual format where there are 3 pixels per byte (see datasheet).

Assuming you have packed all of the data read into a single 7680 byte array you can use nested for loops to convert the data to whatever image format you like. For simplicity, I am going to use a .pbm. Just doing this in pseudo code...

// framebuffer data - 60 bytes/row * 128 rows
buffer[60*128]

// write the PBM header
write_line("P1")
write_line("178 128")
for (row = 0; row < 128; row++) {
    // last byte in each row only has 1 pixel, so only loop first 59 bytes
    for (offset = 0; offset < 59; offset++) {
        var b = buffer[row * 60 + offset];
        // 3 pixels per byte

        // bit 7 (or 6) is pixel 0
        write((b & 128) ? "1 " : "0 ")
        // bit 4 (or 3) is pixel 1
        write((b & 16) ? "1 " : "0 ")
        // bit 1 (or 0) is pixel 2
        write((b & 2) ? "1 " : "0 ")
    }
    // the last pixel
    b = buffer[row * 60 + offset]
    write_line((b & 128) ? "1" : "0")
}


Can I control 2 NXT bricks from a computer using bluetooth at the same time? I am thinking about starting a project involving controlling the movement of a mindstorms robot depending on some input from a Kinect device; however the robot will require at least 6 motors. I have access to 2 NXT sets* (provided by university) - is it possible to control both bricks using either one (or two) bluetooth dongles? I've read through the Bluetooth SDK docs but they only mention that a master NXT can control up to 3 slave NXTs. Reading through the protocol spec I see no reason why another NXT could not be controlled by just sending it "direct control messages". Can it be done in a simplistic way without having to make my own low level bluetooth api?

Yes, this is definitely possible! You can connect up to 7 different NXT devices from one computer and one Bluetooth dongle (theoretical limit). I have tested this with the RWTH - Mindstorms NXT Toolbox for MATLAB) successfully with 5 NXTs on Linux and with at least 2 NXTs on Windows.

In real life, it depends on your Bluetooth hardware. Your Bluetooth stack or driver software should provide several serial COM-ports. You can then connect each virtual serial port to a seperate NXT device, and access them via those different serial ports.

If you go the direct way via the official LEGO NXT Bluetooth SDK you mentioned, you can retrieve different handles to multiple NXTs.

Oh, and for the record: You can also connect multiple NXTs via USB, and you can also mix and match with Blueooth.

Regards, Linus


Need help identifying this star wars set Need help identifying this old star wars set, trying to rebuild my LEGO sets!

The parts are from the 8016 LEGO Star Wars Hyena Droid Bomber from 2009.


DeathStar maintenance I have a LEGO Deathstar and have already built stage one of four. However, I haven't been able to get to it lately and it has become rather dusty. How should I clean it? And I travel a lot, so is there any way I can carry it with me by flight without dismantling it?

Which Death Star?

Either way, I can't imagine trying to travel with either Death Star model that LEGO has produced.

Removing dust can be done with a mini-vacuum or some sort of blower, like a hair drier. Canned air is advised against as it has icky propellants that get on your bricks.


Massive collection given to our charity I work as a volunteer for Cancer Research U.K. We have been donated massive amounts of vintage Lego.

Could you please advise how to sell.

BrickLink or eBay. You could get significantly more if you go through the lot and separate out full sets then sell them on BrickLink. But if you don't have the time at least take a lot of really good pictures - in this case an eBay auction would be the better choice.


Do any programs exist that allow you to build your own LEGO manuals? What I'm looking for is a program or website/webapp that allows "virtual" building of a LEGO model, step-by-step, and allows you to save these single steps to get a complete building plan in the end. Like the original manuals, this should include:

An image of each step
A list of pieces needed for each step
Optionally "detailed" views for very tricky parts
Possibility to download/save or link to a plan (as PDF, for example)

The Lego Digital Designer is ideal for this job. Avalible for Mac and PC it allows you to build models from scatch, order them, and get them delivered. Or, if you've got the bits already it can make instructions for you. It has a range of technic items (see image below).

Importing a model will also enable you to view the part number and details which could be very useful for finding out exact pieces/parts.


Looking for sets with lots of printed parts or other special parts to use as components for my city I'm thinking about building an early 20th century ('30s / '40s) European city, using both complete sets and parts of sets as resources

I'm looking for pieces that add detail to this city, both outside (streets & parks) & inside the buildings... from sofas & benches to kitchen sinks & traffic signs.

I don't really like using stickers and I'd like to avoid them altogether, but I do love printed pieces.

So I wonder... Can some of you folks recommend some sets that have lots of printed parts or other special parts that could help me add detail to my city?

I would prefer sets that haven't been discontinued. However, feel free to recommend discontinued sets if you think they're a great match for me needs.

All of the decorations in the LEGO Juniors (now called LEGO 4+) sets are printed, and they tend to have a lot of nice decorations. Decorated parts in the LEGO Ideas sets are also almost always printed, but double check this because at least some of the sets also have stickers.

There is not one set which is going to be full of printed parts, and sets with printed parts tend to be more expensive when it comes to price per piece. If you are looking for a large quantity of specific printed elements, you are better off to just order exactly what you want from BrickLink, the online LEGO marketplace.


NXT Brick will not update firmware I'm running 6 NXT robots in an introductory class.

Occasionally we've had bricks that would not accept a program and I've reset the brick by pushing the reset button under the battery pack as well as pushing the button under the USB port, experiencing the blank screen and "click..."

Re installing the firmware usually gets them going again. I have one brick that when cleared and reset will accept a download, but when the program is run, port B drives the motor at full speed, and nothing else happens.

I have reset the brick many times, and the problem still exists.  I sent a query to LEGO and got a computer generated response that there would be contact in 1-2 days.... nothing after a week,  Sent the same query again and got tho same auto response.... still no real contact (after 4 days)

I'm looking for suggestions.

I just got an e-mail from LEGO that was the real fix:

  Make sure the NXT brick is unplugged from the computer and take the battery or batteries out.
  On the fourth battery holder down from the top, there is a black rubber button.  Using a paper clip, please press down and hold this
  black rubber button for at least 20 seconds.
  Put the batteries back in and then press the orange button.  If the brick makes a clicking noise, this is a good thing.
  There is a silver button on the top right connector peg hole on the back (there are 6 on the top and 6 on the bottom).  Using the paper
  clip, please hold this silver button down for at least 20 seconds.
  If the brick is clicking, please plug it into the computer and open up the NXT software.  Go to 'Tools' then choose 'Update NXT Firmware,'
  then proceed the update the NXT firmware.   If you get the error
  "Cannot Locate," then please go through the following steps:
  With the brick plugged in and clicking, go to your computers device manager.  To do so you can search your computer and type in device
  manager and hit enter.
  In the device manager, find the 'Ports (Com & LPT) and click to expand this.  You should see something that says 'Bossa' which you
  will right click and choose 'Update Driver Software.'
  In the next window, choose 'Browse my computer for driver software.'
  In the following window, choose 'Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer.'
  Choose the options that says 'NXT' or 'LEGO NXT' (one of the options will say something along those lines) and click 'Next."
  Once the update is complete, please open the NXT software and try running the firmware update again.
  Please note that the NXT brick needs to be clicking the entire time as there is a timeout function on the NXT brick which turns the brick
  off after a certain amount of time.  If the brick is clicking, you
  know it is on


What would total cost of the LEGO® Star Wars collection be in MSRP to date? [Dec 2015] According to this article from 2014, the cost to buy the entire LEGO® Star Wars collection since 1999 would have been just under $15,000 USD ($14,762). I assume the price mentioned in this article is calculated based on original MSRP, not inflated resale or in-store sale values.

Using MSRP as the baseline for all sets across time, what would the current sum total be of the entire Star Wars licensed collection?

According to data collected from Brickset, the total MSRP of all Star Wars sets to date is $18,933.76 USD. This includes a total of 508 sets. I simply used the CSV export feature on Brickset to put this together.

Here's the raw data if you'd like to explore it further:

https://gist.github.com/jncraton/68beb88e6027d9321373


I need information on LEGO part #3001 in Milky White with Sparkles Have a 3001 part i have come across with a color i've never seen before. It seems to be a milky white but with glitter in it. New style logo with pip on short side.

Any ideas to where it came from?

According to a comment from Jan.k 1974 on the source you mentioned (in your comment to 62Bricks answer):

  The milky white brick dates to 2005 and has been been made exclusively for the Allianz Arena (Munich soccer stadium) model in Legoland Günzburg. I remember they sold spares of these in packs of 5 for 1.99 after the grand opening

This is confirmed by Maxx3001 in reply (emphasis added):

  […] that's the left brick with slight sparkle in it.

At the time of posting, ND Toys was listing these at $2.39 on BrickLink under "Milky White" with the description:

  MILKY WHITE 2X4 BRICK WITH SPARKLES (from LL park spare parts)

The arena, and the milky white bricks can be seen in this shot on the LEGOLAND website:


How can I efficiently pick up bricks off the floor? My floor is covered in bricks. My bare feet can't take much more abuse. Is there a way of collecting up the bricks easily, or should I just get on my knees and start scooping them up with my hands?

I actually have somewhere a special Lego picking up device. It has two wheels on the sides and when you slide it across the floor, these turn an attachment at the front. The attachement is basically like the thing on the side of a paddle boat, but taking up the whole width of the front, and it throws the lego pieces into the back of the device as it turns. It works marvelously on carpets!

Edit: It's a Brick Vac.


To sort or not to sort My son is 9 and slightly ahead of the Lego curve. We have both a large number of freestyle Legos and sets of various sizes. When we open a new set, I always immediately empty all the pieces and sort by color.

With the last set my son opened, the 824-piece Volcano Exploration Base, he poured all the pieces onto a beige surface, one bag at a time, but we did not sort. Some pieces took him a while to find, but overall it took him about the same amount of time with about the same error rate as a set we sorted of equivalent size.

So, my question is, moving forward, as we wind up with larger and larger sets, will his method continue to be about the same efficacy, or will he just get overwhelmed?

What I don't know is if the larger sets also have numbered bags for various portions of the whole such that one could open a few hundred pieces from a single bag which then goes on to make a particular structure.

All large sets released in the last few years come in numbered bags. The bags are sorted by logical sections as they appear in the instruction manuals. So for example there will be several bags numbered as #1, several bags numbered as #2, etc.

The intention is that you open all the bags numbered as #1, build that section, then open the bags numbers as #2, etc. This makes building a lot easier, faster, error-free, and a lot less messy.

In very large sets each section usually takes about an hour to build, and the whole set can take 2-5 hours to put together. While some LEGO fans do building marathons and put together sets in one sitting, for most people stretching out the building experience to several days is less stressful and more practical.

Also, note that numbered bags usually allow several people to work simultaneously as, the numbered bags tend to represent chunks of the set that later get assembled. This makes the building process faster. So for example your son would be building the first floor of a structure, while you can work on the second floor.

Another way people work together on large sets is for one person to be the sorter, and the other the assembler. In your case, this may mean that you find the parts for each step of the process, and maybe even build some of the small assemblies, then you hand them to your son who will attach them to the set.

All in all I would say that numbered bags are your friends. The larger the set, the more you will appreciate their practicality. There are still old-school LEGO fans from the pre-sorted bags period, who build differently. They may dump all the pieces from all bags into one pile, or open all the bags and pre-sort pieces by type or color. But for most people, building the way LEGO suggest is the best way to tackle large sets.


LEGO Powered Up substitution for Power Functions Motor Set 8293 We have a Volvo EW160E, for which the product description says

  Upgrade with the 8293 LEGO Power Functions motor set (not supplied)
  for a fully motorised boom and working lights.

Well, looks like Power Functions is discontinued (and no longer in stock), apparently replaced by Powered UP. What would be the best Powered UP equivalent of the 8293 set?

As with old sets and systems (Power Functions (PF) in this case) are being retired supplementary sets become discontinued as well. There are couple of ways you could handle this situation.

Power Functions

In case you have a set which suggest using 8293 set for motorisation it is advised to source that particular set or elements of that set. While LEGO no longer sell 8293 set directly it is still possible to acquire this as set as New or Used on secondary market, like BrickLink, BrickOwl, Ebay, etc.

Depending on your LEGO collection you may already have some of the individual parts included in 8293 set since they are not unique and have been available in other sets too. Here you can to buy just the parts you need.

Powered UP

LEGO has decided to discontinue PF system to make a way for newer one called Powered UP. Sadly, at this point of time new system doesn't have have a similar supplemental set to motorise sets. This means required parts need to be sourced individually.

Another issue with PU system - it is not 1:1 copy of old system in terms of element dimensions and properties. But let's review contents of 8293 set and see what PU system could offer.

8293 set contains 4 items of PF system (below) used to bring models alive. I'm going to dismiss non-PF items as these would need to be acquired individually anyway if PU parts are going to be used.

Battery Box. PF system use standalone battery box, where power to motors is applied directly by using switch on a box itself compared to 88009 PU Hub (LEGO, Bricklink) (which is both Battery Box and Receiver) which will only provide power once signaled from 88010 Controller (LEGO, Bricklink) or smart device via Bluetooth. Next thing is the different form-factor - PU Hub comes in different shape and size (similar to PF small Battery Box), which means it may not fit the originally intended place within a model designed for 8293 set.
M-motor. Luckily, new 45303 M-Motor (LEGO, Bricklink) is very similar to previously used PF M-motor. Not the same, but most won't be an issue.
Pole Reverser / Polarity Switch. This item does not exist as PU element.
Lights. Similarly to PF Lights, newer 88005 PU Lights (LEGO, Bricklink) should work fine.

As seen above, newer elements have quite a different properties and may not fit sets originally designed for 8293 motorisation without substantial modifications or currently offer nothing as a replacement (like a Pole Reverser / Polarity Switch).

It is also worth mentioning that PU system has new connector, so none of the previously released motors/electric components incorporated into new system.


Why is the EV3 Ultrasonic Sensor (45504) out of stock? The EV3 Ultrasonic Sensor (45504) has been out of stock for a long time.  Is the sensor discontinued due to an accuracy problem?

Is there an alternate version of "Gyro Boy" that works without the Ultrasonic Sensor and uses Infrared instead?

https://le-www-live-s.legocdn.com/sc/media/lessons/mindstorms-ev3/building-instructions/ev3-model-core-set-gyro-boy-f8a14d8e3d0e63fa23b87f798bf197f4.pdf

Balanc3r is a good alternative for gyro-boy:
http://robotsquare.com/2014/06/23/tutorial-building-balanc3r/

However, why do you conclude that the 45504 sensor is out of stock?
In my region (Belgium) it can be ordered from the lego website and is listed as "Available", also it is contained in the core educational set (45544) which is certainly still available from various sources...


Help with identifying LEGO sets Our family (with very big hearts) gave us some LEGO they found.
But... I do not know what sets they are from. I already identified 11 sets, but cannot find the last 4 (I think)

Could you please help?

Construction machines

Recycling truck

Girl car

Firetrucks

Please, do not pay attention to the state they are in. I still need to clean them. But I'm reluctant to dismantle them until I know what set they are on ( and have a manual to put them back together) .. yep, I'm a freak ;-)

Please, any hints are welcome.

I believe that this covers everything:

Construction vehicles:

Diesel Dumper (6532)
Backhoe (6662)
Landscape Loader (6512)

Recycle Truck (6668)

Friends car (30103)

Fire vehicles:

Jetport-Fire-Squad (6440)
Launch Evac 1 (6614)
Rescue Runabout (6511)
Looks like just the car from Shell Convenience Store (1254)


How to use Power Functions with Mindstorms EV3? Having learned that Mindstorms EV3 doesn't work directly with Power Functions,

Q: Can you use Power Functions motors with the EV3 programmable brick?
A: No, the connector does not match.

I still wonder what could be possible workarounds to use them together?

As mentioned by @guestguy123 and @eficker, it is easy to combine an EV3 cable and a PF cable to make a custom cable that allows the EV3 to control. This can even be done without soldering - I just twist the wires together and tape them with electrical tape. The full schematic is here:

All you need is 2 resistors (1x1kOhm and 1x10kOhm) which are cheap to get at your local electronics store (e.g. Radioshack or Maplin's) and the willpower to cut through 2 good Lego wires (1 PF cable and 1 EV3 cable). But once you do, it recognizes a PF motor as an NXT style unregulated motor and you can send it commands.


Cleaning between the studs of a build I've unpacked a few of my models after moving home some time ago, these models have been in a cardboard boxes for several months and need cleaning:

I've tried compressed air, which only makes some of the dust airborne. I've also tried cotton buds but the process is tedious and they end up looking like this after several stokes.

More importantly, I would like to be able to clean my models without going through the tedious process of taking them apart, washing, drying and building them again.

When cleaning dust from scale models, sculptures, figurines or LEGO models I use an artist 'Fan' brush.  This is the best method I've found to clean dust rapidly without damaging models.

The fan brush's long hairs combined with the thin spread enables you to dust 'any shapes and surfaces without risk of damage.  For example, it would clean a LEGO antenna (1 stud attachment only) without making it fall.  You can can really push the brush into the bumps and cracks and the long hairs will bend and reach around the features.
Also, when dusting a big piece, I also set an electric fan a low power to blow air across my work table. This prevents the dust from just going up and settling back down on the model.

A huge advantage, learned after cleaning model boats, is that it is also perfect for dusting ropes (small cables).  This worked like a charm on my LEGO Technic crane with all the complex cable system.  It is also good on cloth, so it would work for the minifigures capes.


Is it possible to build 3 or more concentric circles / nested circles / telescoping pieces? There are round 2x2 pieces.
There are round 4x4 pieces with round 2x2 holes, the 2x2 can slide/rotate inside of it.
There are "macaroni" pieces to make an 8x8 circle with a 6x6 hole.
But are there no 6x6 rounds with a 4x4 hole?

I've also seen sets use curved slopes, curved inverted slopes, and arches to make circles or nearly-perfect-circles. Are there ways to make nested circles from those pieces?

There is only one piece that fits all your criteria: 41823. Placing four of those pieces together will create a 6x6 circle with a 4x4 interior gap. Albeit, it is a decorative fence piece and it's two studs tall, so it might not work for what you are trying to accomplish.


How to find out which set contains a higher plate percentage? I want to gather various types/colors of plates to do some mini model MOCs. How can I find out which set has the best plate percentage or price per plate pieces?

I know there are a lot of ways to find out which set has what kind of parts, and brickset.com also has a statistic for each kind of part including plate percentage of every single set. For a single type of plate there are also a lot of ways (bricklink, rebrickable, brickset, etc.) to find out how many of them are available in which sets.

But I wonder if there is there a quick way to get a list of the plate number/percentage for all the recent years' sets? To check out each set for this information is really painful.

Or if there is no quick way, which sets could be the best candidate to gather various plates? I know a few sets have many plates (e.g. 10230), but their current prices are also very expensive thus potentially making them poor candidates.

The best set from 2014 is Furry Creatures (31021) at $0.20 per plate.

Here's one possible way to do this:

Download the listing of all parts in all sets from Rebrickable.
Join this data up with pricing data (perhaps from the Brickset API) to get yourself some pricing information for each set.
Define which parts count as plates.
Write yourself a little program to count the number of plates in each set and divide by the price.

If I use the plates in the plates service pack from 1999 as my plate list, here's what I get for the best price per plate for sets containing at least 150 parts released in 2014:

 id          price_per_plate  plates           us_price
 31021-1     0.201919         99               19.99
 21020-1     0.235802         212              49.99
 31020-1     0.246438         73               17.99
 40182-1     0.249875         80               19.99
 40090-1     0.262895         38               9.99
 40183-1     0.277639         72               19.99
 21107-1     0.286803         122              34.99
 31025-1     0.302955         132              39.99
 40180-1     0.307538         65               19.99
 31024-1     0.319043         94               29.99
 10243-1     0.323866         494              159.99
 31023-1     0.336966         89               29.99
 10242-1     0.352077         284              99.99
 31026-1     0.354291         254              89.99
 60058-1     0.356964         56               19.99
 31019-1     0.356964         56               19.99
 79116-1     0.372287         188              69.99
 75038-1     0.384462         65               24.99
 21117-1     0.402241         174              69.99
 41056-1     0.403065         62               24.99

This is quite expensive if you aren't interested in the other parts as well. You'd be better off buying these on a secondary market like Bricklink or perhaps even directly from Pick-a-Brick.


How can I power an NXT motor without the NXT brick? I know almost nothing about robotics, so I was wondering how can I power the nxt motor without using the nxt brick, and how can I send signals to it?

I think the simplest way is to use an NXT Converter Cable (Available from Bricklink).
This has an NXT connector on one end and the standard 9v connector on the other. You can connect the 9v connector to any 9v battery box, (e.g. Battery Box with Switch (9V)) and, depending on the polarity, power the NXT motor forward or backward.

Now, the issues:

The speed of the motor is determined by the strength of your
batteries. With new batteries the motor will run at full speed and
you have no ability to vary this speed. Off/forward/backward are your
only options.
There is no way to receive feedback from the motor, so no way to
control the number of rotations as you can when connected to an NXT.


does Lego make bricks with a stone, brick or concrete block design? Does Lego make the bricks with a stone, brick or concrete block finish on the sides?  I would like to use these for walls and buildings on a train layout. Thanks!

As usual with LEGO, the best solution is often to make your own.

You can make quite impressive brick walls using tiles, like this (image from Brickshelf):

There is a tutorial for something similar here.

A range of other techniques can be found in an article called Avoiding the "Big Gray Wall" Syndrome  at Classic-Castle.com. In fact, Google LEGO castles for a great source of inspiration for stonework of all kinds. For example, check this and this out.


Can you program an RCX using the Mindstorms NXT 2.0 software? I was asked to teach a robotics class and found several RCX bricks in storage.  Can I use these bricks with the Mindstorms NXT 2.0 software?  If not, what would be the software I would need to use the RCX bricks?

No, the standard NXT-G software provided by LEGO will not allow you to program a RCX brick.

Outside of official software, your best bet is probably to use NQC which is C-like; there's also NXC for the NXT which is similar.

There are a lot of others which have been discussed in the following questions: Is there any other way to program the Lego Mindstorms NXT other than the provided software? and Can I write programs for the LEGO RCX 2.0 in Java/C++?.


Missing LEGO instructions for this set from 2015 I have 3 bags of LEGO without any instructions or boxes. The bags all say 2015 on them. I have attached a picture of the first bag. Any help in identifying it would be great!

Judging from the beige 8x8 plate at the back it should be one of the ones in this list

http://brickset.com/sets/containing-part-4624223

Without seeing any of the other bags my first guess would be this one

http://brickset.com/sets/41101-1/Heartlake-Grand-Hotel


12V LEGO train tracks splinter I have an older 12V LEGO train (several actually) but of course the rubber tires wore out long ago.
The trains still run quite well (I even used them as a motor parts in some Technic designs), but the pieces for the tracks have become very brittle, meaning that re-designing tracks has become a nightmare.
Just uncoupling the dark-gray underside from the light-gray rails is not just painful to watch but often leaves you with more pieces than you intended, particularly the small pinch-like top sections of the dark-gray parts splinter, as well as where they fit in the light-gray rails.
Similar things happen with the larger change-direction sections and cross-section parts, so it's imho mostly due the design click-on system that is failing.
What would you suggest on handling such pieces? Can these parts still be replaced?

While I can't speak of the handling of these parts, the possibility of receiving official replacement parts from TLG is surely zero. That leaves us only the second-hand market, which fortunately offers genuine LEGO replacement pieces, sometimes even in brand new condition. Note though, that even though the brittleness problem might stem from lots of play or improper storage (for example being stored assembled), if it is a property of the material being used for these parts, then other pieces made the same time of the same material will exhibit the same problems.


Does this scabbard really exist? My son has seen a kind of backpack scabbard in a Ninjago magazine, and would like to get a real one for his collection. It holds a single large sword - all the others he has hold two swords, either in parallel (in the style of the Witcher!) or in the form of a cross.

I have found this unofficial 3D model, but would rather be pointed towards the real thing if there is such a thing.

It seems to me drawn item might not represent existing element accurately. It is very close to Minifigure Armor Shoulder Pad Single with Scabbard for 2 Katanas. Could be pictured at an odd angle.

OR
Some modification of Minifigure Armor Shoulder Pads with Scabbard for Two Katanas and Bar Hole

The only one I could find for holding single katana is Minifigure Armor Shoulder Pad Single with Star Lettering and Scabbard for 1 Katana, but shoulder piece is covering minifigure's right side.

There are some other elements that could hold two katanas:
Minifigure Armor Shoulder Pads with Scabbard for Two Katanas

Minifigure Scabbard for Two Katanas


How can I convert an image's pixels to actual LEGO colors? The LEGO Group released a few "mosaic" sets a while back, which came with clear baseplates and a bunch of 1x1 bricks. I have been wondering recently if it is possible to use an image as a reference when building one of these.

Unfortunately, this is hard because digital images can have a lot more colors than there are actual LEGO colors.

I am not interested in anything more than 1x1 bricks on a baseplate, regardless of the fact that the image has some other bricks added onto those 1x1s. The scenes which I would be interested in building would effectively be two-dimensional.

Is there perhaps a way (besides approximating) to change the pixels of an image into actual LEGO colors? Is there perhaps some type of web-application for this?

Related: How many different colours of LEGO bricks are there?

You can use GIMP for this.
First you need to scale the image to the size you want. (If you want to stack bricks on top of each other instead of a baseplate, use a different y-scaling to correspond the bricks height.)

Now create a palette by going to the Palette tab and click the "New palette" icon.

In this add the bricks colors you want. You can find the colors RGB values to a brick color here: http://www.peeron.com/cgi-bin/invcgis/colorguide.cgi

Now convert into these colors by going to "Image->Mode->Indexed...". (If indexed is already selected, select RGB first and then click Indexed.) A "Convert Image to Indexed Colors" dialog box should appear.

Select "Use custom palette" and select the palette you just created.

Click "Convert" to get your result. If you are not quite satisfied, click undo and try to change/add some colors in your custom palette and convert again.


How do I make my logo/mascot into a custom LEGO model? I operate an Indoor Playground & Cafe and would love to find out how to make my mascot/logo into a 4' custom LEGO sculpture.  Any assistance appreciated!

A bit of looking indicates that LDD will generate instructions and parts list but I am not competent with this type of CAD software.  Additionally, LEGO no longer 'makes my model'.

The cheapest way to go about doing this is to design it yourself, like you said, using one of the LEGO cad softwares (LEGO Digital Designer, LDraw, MLCAD, etc.).  Then, buy the pieces and build it.  However, that takes a lot of time, and unless you are experienced, may not turn out so good.

The easiest (but also likely expensive) way to do this is to hire a LEGO certified professional.  The LEGO certified professionals are LEGO enthusiasts who have turned that passion into a business, and are officially recognized by LEGO for their work and skill.

http://aboutus.lego.com/en-us/lego-group/programs-and-visits/lego-certified-professionals

I would contact a certified professional and see how much they need to design and build your logo.


Does a 1x3 Lego technic liftarm with two round holes and one axle socket exist? (for tank suspension usage) I have been searching for some time for parts like these (with no success):

But with two holes (instead of three) and one socket for Lego axles at one side.

Likewise two holes (instead of one) and one socket for Lego axles at one side.
So does any of the above parts exist?

What I am trying to do is to make the roadwheels of the suspension more sensitive to movement. Now the Lego sword blade goes through the axle hole of the 3l liftarm, but that creates a lot of friction and the roadwheels won't spin with the tracks. If the brick I was searching for existed, I would attach the roadwheels to a Lego axle which would go through the round hole of the liftarm generating minimal resistance. But anyways...

Do you guys have any better ideas?

I can't see a lift arm with two round holes and one axle hole on the same plane, but there is one where the holes are perpendicular

https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=42003

If you have the space you could try joining a standard 3L arm to one of these

https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=60483

Updated suggestion
Now that I see what you're trying to do, have you considered one of these

https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=32449

It's 4L but the extra axle hole would be concealed by the wheel, and the wheel would have it's axle through a pin hole and spin freely.


What set is this piece used for i have a Lego from the 80s. I can see there are space pieces in grey and blue. I am wondering if this piece is for a space set and if so which one. Any help much appreciated!!

These are Panel 4 x 4 x 6 Corner Convex Ribbed

They were mainly use as decorative pieces on corners in classic space sets.

In light grey they came only in one Set: Solar Power Transporter

(photo from Bricklink)


How to sell built Lego sets? I have 4 UCS Star Wars sets: Slave 1, Airspeeder, TIE fighter and Sandcrawler. I'm not interested in keeping them anymore. They take up a lot of room and don't do much.

I was wondering how to sell them: Ebay, Craigslist?

Any suggestions would be good. Also how much do you think they are worth (built)?

I have all of the mini-figures and no pieces are missing. I have the boxes and instructions.

If the sets are indeed complete with all parts, minifigs, instructions and even boxes then I'd recommend Bricklink, as the collector community there would be more appreciative of these features. Whereas on Ebay and Craigslist you'd find more people who just want a playset and couldn't even tell if a set was complete or not.

For higher value sets (like yours) and for the european market I'd give Catawiki a look as well, as their reviewer and escrow system helps avoid scams and other pitfalls - for a higher fee for both buyers and sellers.

For price suggestions check these links below:

Slave I
Sandcrawler
TIE Fighter
Snowspeeder


Can I Conect 2 NXTs so that they work together? I am building up a robot and I want to use 2 NXT connected together because I need more than 3 ports A,B,C. So my question here is: When I write the code, is there anything different I have to do?

For example do I write the same code I would use for 2 NXT and just connect them together or do I have to do something more than this?

I found a way to connect them but I have not found examples yet of the blocks (nxt code software).

Without 3rd party hardware or software, the only way to do this is to use Bluetooth messages. For example, you could write motor power to a Bluetooth mailbox on one NXT. The other NXT just has a simple program with a loop that reads the Bluetooth mailbox and connects it to a motor block.


Can anyone tell me where to donate a lot of Hero Factory parts and pieces? Wondering where to donate gently used Hero Factory parts and pieces. Surely there are people who might want them. Not sure if Goodwill will take them. I have already tried eBay. Any other ideas? I'd hate to put them in the trash. I'm in the metro Atlanta, GA area.  Thanks!

If I were you, I'd try one of the following:

If you wish to get some money for them, post them as an auction on eBay without a minimal (reserve) price. This way somebody will surely bid at least some amount, and the lot will be off your hands and on it's way to someone who actually wants it at least a bit.

Posting on local marketplace boards (like Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, etc.) could attract some interested recipients as well, either for money or for free.

If you don't want to get any compensation for it, you could try local kindergartens - I suppose they would welcome additional toys for the kids there.

If all else fails, you could just pack them up in a bag, attach a note abut what it is and what are your intentions, then leave the bag in a playground for someone to find. This is the most risky option, as parents in your area might be rightfully hesitant to let their kids pick up anything remotely suspicious, but it surely beats throwing the lot in the trash.


Help identifying a bag containing many white plates I have a bag with number 135149. Can anyone help identify the set it comes from?


How do I take out this pin from an axle connector? I have an axle connector with a blue pin stuck in it. How do I get it out?

It looks like this:

It's on very tightly. I tried removing it for 5 or so minutes, but it's too slippery.

I usually attach it to a Technic beam, then put something to fill the hole so it can't squeeze together and come out, to give a handle.

The flexible rods tend to be a nice options for filling the hole, the older ones may be a bit better, but I've had success with other pieces that fit minifig hands.

Once you have the blue pin attached to the beam instead of that red piece, you can take the rod out and push it out with an axle or something if needed.


Identify partially built LEGO set Can anyone help me identify what LEGO set this is from?  My son has it half built and we cannot find the instructions and the bricks have been mixed with his other LEGO.

Based on the different shades of gray and the odd placement of the ball joint, I believe this is not a Lego set. Its more likely that it is something your son made out of his imagination and other Lego pieces.


How can EV3 Gyro sensor drift be handled? EV3 robots can use a Gyro sensor to determine the direction the robot is heading.

The initial conditions are important.  The sensor needs to be still and then the sensor reset.

However, once in a while the Gyro returns values that drift over time.

What can be done to handle Gyro drift?

Step one would be to remove the drift using the

Hardware fix:  unplug the gyro sensor, make sure the robot is still, and then plug in the sensor.
Software fix: Gyro Drift Simple Fix which should only need to be run once.

However, I'm aware of several FLL teams using this fix and even then, once in a while the robot goes crazy, because the Gyro sensor has acquired a drift.

Applying the Simple Fix at the start of every run does not seem to fix it every time.

Is there a way to handle this?

There are two options that I can think of.

Do the "hardware" fix before every run of the robot to reboot the sensor along with the "software" fix to zero it.
Don't use the Angle reading at all. To calibrate the sensor, sample the rate (d/s) 10 times or so and take the average to get the "at rest" rate offset and store it in a variable. Subtract this variable from the rate returned by the sensor to get the actual rate. Integrate the rate over time to calculate the angle. (I haven't actually attempted this myself, but this is how you use, for example, the HiTechnic Gyro sensor since it does not provide an angle).


Does anybody have pictures of a minicon? I first heard of a minicon in this question on LEGO Answers.  I have searched in a variety of ways but I can't find any pictures or more than a side-mention of this on the vast Interwebs.  There is a sci-fi convention in Minnesota since 1968 (!!) of the same name which adds to the confusion.  :)

So:

does anyone have pictures of the sort of minicon described?
does anyone have pictures of the specific minicons mentioned in Seattle or Melbourne?
can you share these pictures with the world?

It'd be great to see what was described and how close I have come through imagination.

These three images are from BrickCon 2016.
I've rearranged certain portions of this moc to make a 4 foot square section of Emerald City Comic Con 2016. It's on flickrvid ECCC

This image is from BrickCon 2014 and was taken the night before the public viewing... It was almost set up. Once the other builders added their mocs, it was.


Realistic Lego car sets containing gearboxes and engines? Lego Technic 853/956 Auto Chassis contains a car chassis, complete with a transmission gearbox. Other sets like Lego Technic 858/8858 Auto Engines contain parts to build working models of real-life Inline engines, V6 engines, Boxer engines, and 2-cycle engines.
Most Lego cars are unrealistic as they only have wheels and axles. I am looking for sets that contain a chassis, a transmission gearbox, and an engine. In other words, I am looking for Lego sets that model real cars. Are there any such sets in the 21st century?

LEGO sets
There are more than one set with such characteristics. While first four are from 20th century, I've included them anyway, since they are well-known and include characteristics you are interested in.
Let's begin with 8860 - Car Chassis from 1980. This model has steering, 4-cylinder engine, 3 speed transmission, adjustable seats, rear suspension, differential:

Second one is 8865 - Test Car with steering, V4 engine, 3-speed transmission, adjustable seats, 4 wheel suspension, differential,
retractable headlights:

Next is 8880 - Super Car from 1994 with 4 wheel steering, V8 engine,
4 speed synchronized transmission, 4 wheel independent suspension, 3 differentials, all wheel drive:

Then 8448 - Super Street Sensation from 1999 with steering, V8 engine, 5-speed synchronized transmission with reverse, suspension, differential:

Now moving forward to 21st century.
8466 - 4 X 4 Off-Roader is the first set from 2001 with steering, V8 engine, 5-speed synchronized transmission with reverse, suspension, 4 wheel drive:

42056 - Porsche 911 GT3 RS from 2016 has steering, rear flat 6 engine, rear wheel drive, 4-speed synchronized with reverse and paddle shifting, suspension:

42048 - Race Kart from 2016 is another, while small model, but still has 1 cylinder engine and 2-speed gearbox:

42083 - Bugatti Chiron from 2018 comes with steering, rear W16 engine, 8-speed gearbox with paddle shifting, suspension:

42110 - Land Rover Defender from 2019 with steering, in-line 6 engine, 4-speed sequential gearbox, suspension:

And the latest addition - 42115 - Lamborghini Sián FKP 37 from 2020. It has steering, V12 engine, 8-speed sequential transmission with paddle shifting, suspension:

LEGO MOCs
In case you are not limiting yourself to LEGO sets there is another option - MOCs produced by AFOLs. You can find them mostly on Rebrickable. There are a lot of creations based on real life vehicles with functions sometime (quite often for larger models) exceeding those you can find in LEGO sets. Not all of them are as sturdy as LEGO model, but that is a personal preference. Although all of them come with free/paid instructions. Here is an example of MOCs in Technic theme.

Features for sets from early days up to and including 8466 are sourced from Technicopedia. Here you can find animations and more details for each of those sets. Newer sets, sadly, have not been reviewed on Technicopedia.


Is there a database of original Minifigure configurations, including their personal gear? Is there a minifigure museum? I have a gallon jar (& more) of minifigures that my kids have mixed and matched. Is there a website I can reference in order to put the minifigures back in their original configurations (including their gear)?

The website Brickset.com has an extensive database of sets, digital copies of instructions and a Minifig database built in cooperation with Bricklink. The layout and style may be a little more user friendly than the Bricklink catalogue and if you register on the site you can keep track of your collection.


Is there a way to convert stud.io files into LDD files? Is there a way to download stud.io files from Bricklink and convert them into a format that Lego Digital Designer understands?

Yup.

Both programs (Stud.io and LEGO Digital Draw) can read the LDraw extension (*.ldr).

Overview:

I'm using Windows 10.
I have NOT ungraded to the Stud.io 2, but I think it shouldn't matter
in this case.
In Stud.io, we will be exporting the file into the *.ldr format.
In LDD we will be importing a *.ldr file to be readable in LDD.

The Method:

Download ".io" file from BrickLink to your PC.
Open in Stud.io. and export save as a .ldr file.
(File > Export As > Export As LDRAW...)
Open LDD and import file. (File > Import model) Here you will also have to toggle the file format, *.ldr, you wish to import.
Find your *.ldr file and get to modifying.

Know Annoyances: Ghost Switching 1x4 Bricks.  Tubeless vs. Tubes files.

The final leg is to order your model through Bricklink via Stud.io, but Stud.io can't recognize the default tubed version of this 1x4 Brick. So, you'll be saying to yourself, but I've never used this tubeless version in my build, so what gives?

Apparently, the conversion into the LDraw format changes tubes into tubeless. This is annoying becasue it's not immediately clear why you're not able to find sellers for 100% of your wanted pieces, not understanding that a switch happened early in the conversion process.

Just a heads up.  In LDD you could search for these 1x4 tubeless pieces, and manually switch them out to tubed then re-save the file, or just mentally note to add the proper amount of tubes pieces in Bricklink.  Either method is just as annoying as reading this brick of text...

See  ya!


Options for powering Winter Holiday Train Is there a way to make the Winter Holiday Train powered without the IR receiver or Remote Control?
I only set it up at Christmas time and just want it to go around the track at the one speed. I want to avoid the expense of purchasing all the parts. I understand I can reduce the power supply of the recommended battery box by adding dummy batteries but I read somewhere that LEGO has a rechargeable battery box with variable speed. Can I use this instead of the recommended battery box and connect directly to motor?

If you want to “turn on and forget” you might want to look into obtaining a circle of old 9V track (metal rails produced by LEGO until 2007) and a power supply, plus a 9V train motor. It will not be cheap (the track pieces, especially curves, won’t be too expensive but a working 9V train motor is a $50-$75 purchase) however it will allow you to turn the train on and keep it running.

(Image copied from this thread which will be useful to troubleshoot if you have issues with your 9V setup).
FOLLOW-UP: After writing this answer, I realized I too need a circle of 9V track for my Christmas tree train :). I went ahead and bought an incomplete but working 9V train set on EBay for $100, which gives me the transformer, power cord, power supply, a 9V motor and some track. I then added the missing pieces of track from BrickLink (<$1 per curve, $4-$5 for straight, plus shipping) and was all done for less than $150, with extra pieces from the incomplete set such as wheel sets, magnetic couplers and the sunken train bases which are quite valuable nowadays. If you compare that with buying the retired rechargeable battery box and all the PF components, that is similar money, with the downside for PF that you still need to charge every so often - which is what I used to do. One watch-out: these 9V tracks were made both in Dark Gray as well as in Dark Bluish Gray, so expect color differences if you try to mix and match these. I don’t mind as I intend to ballast my tracks anyways, and color differences make for a more “natural” look.


How can body segments be moved to precise angles in snake robot? I want to create an EV3 robot similar to this:

I've glanced at the mentioned papers. To me it seems that some simpler equations to govern the motors will work also.

I have 9 segments, articulated by 8 motors (two intelligent bricks daisy-chained).

I want the angles of the segments to be proportional to a sine. Doing some calculations in some graphing software, this should be sufficient to have the snake move in a wave.

However, there seems to be no robust, reliable way to set an angle on an EV3 motor. I have a MoveTo myblock, where I use the motor first as angle sensor, calculate the difference to the desired angle and then set the motor "on" for that amount. I also tried setting the power proportional to the difference. But I do not succeed is setting the angle accurate enough, it starts drifting or overshoots. I can't synchronize all the segments that way.

Is it feasible to attempt this in the graphic programming language that comes with the ev3 software or do I need to look to something more advanced?

Any hints would be appreciated.

Edit: Made some headway, rather than putting the motor "On" for a number of degrees, I simply place the motor "On" with a power proportional to the error between the measured angle and desired angle. Works good enough for now. This is the P in a PID-controller, adding an integration and derivative part might help.
The problem I'm currently facing is the weight distribution, the segment that is the head of the snake doesn't have a motor and hence is much lighter. I need to find a better set of factors to multiply the errors with for each motor. I'm confident I'll succeed in this by trial and error whenever I find the time.

You could use worm gears, or worm gears, or compound worm gears, because you can slow the rotation down as much as you want, which means you can have super fine rotation.

An extreme example of this would be the 120 years timer here

This uses a compound worm gear and spur gear train.

Worm gears also have a lot of torque in a small space.

if you want the snake to sway left but then automatically sway right then just hook do something like this but like the following:

The red pin goes to the snakes body which should 'sway' because of the linkages converting rotary motion into oscillating motion. just make sure that the other half of the snakes body is anchored to the motors housing other wise it will be a retarded snake :)


Fixing poorly applied stickers Does anyone have any tricks to removing a sticker and reapplying, after a significant period of time?  I recently purchased a lot of sets from 2000-2010 range, and the stickers look like they were applied by my 4-year old, while blindfolded...

I'm dealing with sets like Town Plan, and Joker's Ice Cream Surprise, so purchasing new stickers is not an option, and unfortunately stickers really make the sets in these two instances.  I'm hoping someone has experience with using a glue or something else to repair the adhesion.

Unfortunately older stickers are difficult to remove and reapply because the sticky part of the paper tend to rip off and leave a residue on the LEGO element itself. But the fact of the matter is that applying that taking off and re-applying even a new sticker is a challenge and it will almost always be visibly damaged at least a little bit.

Your best bet is just to get new stickers. You can find pretty much any sticker-sheet LEGO ever released all the way back from the beginning, and many times in new condition. In fact several Bricklink stores specialize in selling old stickers.

Just go to Bricklink, type in the set number and look at the inventory listing. The sticker sheet will be included there. Then see which seller have it at what prices and choose the one you like the most.

Here is the general listing of all LEGO stickers: http://www.bricklink.com/catalogList.asp?catType=P&catString=160


What changes were made to Maersk blue? I read that LEGO recently changed the colour of Maersk blue. Is this true? If so, why did they make a change?

Considering that color has been produced explicitely and exclusively for Maersk sets, it's highly unlikely they would change it. Most people seem to agree that the same color has been used for all Maersk ships sets.

That said, you'll also need to consider that even if LEGO never intended to change the color, small variations in hue are always possible (red and purple are much more susceptible to this). Also, in the case of Maersk, LEGO used their entire supply in 2006 and said at the time that they wouldn't issue Maersk sets again because of that. However, Maersk realized the demand was high (LEGO did consider making a version fo the ships in another color altogether at some point) and agreed to have LEGO make a new batch to later on. So these are in effect different batches, separated by a few years, which means any hue change will be more likely to be noticed than if it appeared gradually over time.


Where can I get threads compatible with LEGO pulleys? Have LEGO threads ever been produced? Even the biggest LEGO rubber band is too short to meet my requirements.

I need them for this year's WRO challenge. Note that the challenge only allows Lego products, so I can't just buy the rubber band I need elsewhere.

There are many kinds of LEGO string, which are compatible with pulleys, but they are not closed in a loop, but manufactured as a single thread. You could tie a knot on them to form a loop, but the string lacks the traction of a rubber band, so you should definitely consider this if you plan to transmit power via a belt drive made of a string.


Any tips for aligning gears in LDD? I'm trying to create the 42052 (Heavy Lift Helicopter), and other Technic sets. Aligning gears' teeth is relatively difficult, and the 'Hinge Align' tool rarely works. Please help!

Use math.

Here is a simple example... Suppose we want to line up two 8 tooth gears. Start by placing two axles and one of the gears...

Since there are 8 teeth on the gear, we can figure out that the teeth are 360° / 8 = 45° apart. So, to put the next gear on, the space between the teeth of the second gear needs to line up with the tooth of the first gear. This space is half way between the teeth, so we need to rotate the axle 45° / 2 = 22.5° to make them line up. Select the hinge tool, then select the axle that does not have a gear yet. Notice that the hinge tool allows you to enter numeric values directly....

The axle is already at -180°, so we need to rotate it +/- 22.5° from there. Let's say, we want to rotate it clockwise. In mathematics, counterclockwise is positive, but apparently in LDD, clockwise is positive, so we need to add. We simply type in -180° + 22.5° = -157.5°...

Now, the axle is exactly where it needs to be to add another 8 tooth gear...

There are no collisions preventing the gear from being placed...

Now, the second gear is precisely aligned, making it easy to place additional gears.

Tip: All (modern) LEGO gears come with multiples of 4 teeth, so adding a gears at right angles will line up the same as gears in a straight line.


Will it be fun to go to Legoland with my family? I am 31 years old . My elder sister and mother are going to visit me. I want to see whether it is suitable to bring them to LegoLand.

My wife and sister-in-law enjoyed our trip to LEGOLand with our sons, everyone enjoyed the models, however not everyone was as keen on the rides, you mileage without kids to share the rides with may be different.

The question then comes down to whether you feel the model world is going to justify the entrance fee, personally I found the UK park to be (comparatively) expensive compared to other theme parks in England.


How do I connect the LEGO Powered Up remote control? I'm trying to use the Powered Up remote control to control my new train set, but it doesn't seem to work. Is there some process that I need to follow to connect or pair the remote with the Smarthub?

The Powered Up system uses Bluetooth for control, so the remote needs to be paired with the Smarthub. To accomplish the pairing between the Powered Up remote and the Smarthub, you simply press the green buttons on both devices at the same time as shown in the instructions and in this review by Beyond the Brick:

If the pairing process works correctly, both devices should have their lights lit up in the same color.


Please help identify this LEGO set that has owls and snakes? I cannot identify this LEGO set my grandma gave to me.  I want to help her build it for my cousin, but my grandma did not have the instructions.

That white snake appears in two sets, and in quantity either one or two. My best guess is that it was from a Pick-a-Brick wall at a Lego Store, or something very similar. I'm basing this on the many, many repeated pieces.


Why are my Technic blue pins breaking? These connectors are cracking very easily:

This happens if the parts are under a lot of strain, usually as a result of unevenly distributed weights or improper gear assemblies.

Also make sure that the parts are being handled gently and teeth aren't being used to remove them. Since these can sometimes be hard to remove, students (especially younger ones) often try to use their teeth to grip them while pulling them out. This will almost always lead to the pegs breaking down.


Trying to identify a bunch of parts from sets I had as a child 20 years ago I'd love some help to identify some/any of the kits I have from the following pictures of parts I have:

Most of this LEGO would've been purchased around 1999 if that helps but I think it could range from 1995 through to 2002 ish.
I have many thousands of pieces from my childhood collection these are some of the more unique and I figure more easily to identify pieces.

These parts belong to a ton of different sets.
1st picture

Black Engine, Smooth Large, 1 x 2 Thin Top Plate can be found in 6 sets.

Black Tail with Rounded Top, Aquazone Aquashark Blue Shark with Red 'X' Pattern belong to one of three sets.

Slope 33 3 x 2 with Exploriens Logo Pattern was available in 6 sets.

White Hinge Train Gate 2 x 4 with Satellite Orbiting Earth Screen Pattern (Sticker) - Set 6458 is part of Satellite with Astronaut (6458) set:

Light Gray Tile 1 x 2 with Groove with Dynamite Pattern was in 40 sets.

Tile 2 x 2 with Groove with Alien Egg Pattern (Magnetic Sticker) - Exploriens Sets was in 8 sets.

Tile 2 x 2 with Groove with Dinosaur Skeleton and Bone Pattern (Magnetic Sticker) - Exploriens Sets was in 8 sets too.

Tile 2 x 2 with Spyrius Blue Screen with Plus Sign and Silver and Red Panel Pattern seen in 15 sets.

Container, Box 2 x 2 x 2 Door with Slot and Spyrius Pattern been in 3 sets.

Yellow Tile 1 x 2 with Groove with Underwater Navigation Pattern seen in 8 sets.

White Tile, Round 2 x 2 with Zebra Stripes Pattern been in 6 sets

Tile 1 x 2 with Groove with Blue and Yellow Controls Pattern (Ice Planet) available in 14 sets.

Red Tile 2 x 2 with Groove with Number 2 Bold White and Stripes Pattern been in 2 sets.

White Tile 2 x 2 with White Arrow in Blue Circle Pattern have been in 17 sets.

White Brick 1 x 3 with Radio and Dual Cassette Pattern Dark Pink/Green (Sticker) - Set 5895 has incorrectly applied sticker and has been available in Villa Belville (5895)

White Slope 33 3 x 2 with Number 1 Pattern has been part of 8 sets.

Black Slope 45 2 x 2 with Yellow Grille Pattern has been in 4 sets.

Black Slope 33 3 x 2 with Number 4 Pattern been in 8 sets.

White Tile 1 x 2 with Groove with 'POLICE' Red Line Pattern has been in 20 sets.

White Tile 1 x 2 with Groove with Arrow Short Yellow with Black Border Pattern been in 18 sets.

White Slope 75 2 x 1 x 3 - Open Stud with Shuttle and Blue/Red Circle Pattern, Model Right (Sticker) - Set 6614 AND Panel 1 x 2 x 1 with Blue -V- and two Red Lines Pattern (Sticker) - Set 6614
are unique to Launch Evac 1 (6614):

Assembly which feature distinctive Tile, Round 2 x 2 with Flame and Sand Green Border Pattern belong to Red Planet Cruiser (7311) set:

Blue Slope 33 3 x 2 with Number 2 Pattern been in 6 sets.

Blue Slope 33 3 x 2 with Ice Planet Logo Pattern been in 7 sets.

Windscreen 6 x 4 x 1 1/3 with Bottom Tabs and Hollow Studs with Number 7 and Blue, White and Red Swirls Pattern (Stickers) - Set 8223 AND Panel 1 x 2 x 1 with Number 7 on Right and Blue, White and Red Swirls Pattern (Sticker) - Set 8223 as name suggests is unique to Hydrofoil 7 (8223) set

One of the red tails is from Aero Hawk II (8812)

Other Red pieces are from Eagle Stunt Flyer (6615)

Tile 1 x 4 with 3 White Stars Pattern has been available in 6 sets.

2nd picture

Flag 7 x 3 with Rod with Space Port Solar Array with '2000-XZ' Pattern (Sticker) - Sets 6454 / 6456 / 6458 been in three sets. Conveniently, these are mentioned in part description.

Panel 3 x 5 Solar/Clip-On/Deltoid with Reflective Trapezoid Pattern (Sticker) been in 7 sets.

Electric, Light & Sound 4 x 20 x 5 Insectoid Stinger have been part of 4 sets.

Both Wing Insectoid Large with Arm Hinge and Circuitry Pattern Left (Print on Top, Tip on Left, Logo at Back Edge)
and Wing Insectoid Large with Arm Hinge and Circuitry Pattern Right (Print on Top, Tip on Right, Logo at Back Edge) been in same 5 sets.

Windscreen 10 x 4 x 2 1/3 Canopy with Blue Outlines and Red Square Pattern
was in just Deep Sea Predator (6155)

While Windscreen 10 x 4 x 2 1/3 Canopy with Black Aquasharks Pattern is seen in the same set it has appeared in 3 sets overall.

Trans-Neon Green Cylinder Hemisphere 4 x 4 Multifaceted was in 9 sets.

Trans-Neon Green Dish 6 x 6 Inverted (Radar) Webbed - Type 2 (underside attachment positions at 90 degrees) was in 5 sets.

Trans-Green Dish 5 x 5 Scala was in just 3 sets, all from Belville theme, despite the use of "Scala" naming.

Trans-Light Blue Windscreen 4 x 4 x 4 1/3 Helicopter with Coast Guard Logo Pattern (Sticker) - Set 6342 as name suggest is specific to Beach Rescue Chopper (6342) set.

Trans-Dark Blue Windscreen 6 x 6 Octagonal Canopy with Axle Hole has been part of 7 sets.

3rd picture

White Tile, Round 8 x 8 seen in 4 sets.

Both White Wedge, Plate 7 x 12 Wing Left and White Wedge, Plate 7 x 12 Wing Right have been in 17 sets.

White Wedge, Plate 8 x 6 x 2/3 with Grille has been in just two sets.

White Brick, Round 1 x 1 Open Stud has been in whooping 472 sets.


What are the torque limits of gears? I am using Lego in the classroom to introduce students to geared machines.

As part of this I am asking them to design a winch, using a small 1.5V DC motor and a collection of the common Lego gears, i.e. the 8, 16, 24 and 40-tooth spur gears, and the special worm gear.

Based on rough back-of-the-envelope calculations, I will require about 5 N.cm of torque at the winch drum.

Do I have to worry about breaking any gears due to excessive torque?
Do I have to worry about gears slipping (skipping teeth) due to high torque?
Has anyone performed experimental (destructive) tests to quantify the
maximum torque these gears can withstand? Order of magnitude is OK - will the gears break at 1 N.cm, 10 N.cm, 100 N.cm, ... ?

Do I have to worry about breaking any gears due to excessive torque?

LEGO Gears are one of the strongest LEGO components. When you apply great amounts of torque, they may slip or grind, but never break.

  Do I have to worry about gears slipping (skipping teeth) due to high
  torque?

If you apply high amounts of torque, your gears will slip. This happens even with moderately high amounts. They may also slide down the axle and grind the side of the other gear, or the axle.

  Has anyone performed experimental (destructive) tests to quantify the
  maximum torque these gears can withstand? Order of magnitude is OK -
  will the gears break at 1 N.cm, 10 N.cm, 100 N.cm, ... ?

Your gears will withstand the torque quite well - it's probably other components, like the axles and beams, that will give way first. Don't worry about breaking the gears - the worst situation might be that an axle or two might bend.


Can you help me find this specific part (looks like a mudguard) anywhere? I have 2 of these pieces and don’t know where they came from (already did some searches), but it looks similar to some mudguard pieces. I think the numbers on one piece say  0704 and 0401 and the other 0704/0402 but it doesn’t lead anywhere. Any ideas?!

Looks to be a KRE-O part (clone brand), perhaps from one of their GI-Joe sets. Dunno which set, but this should point you in the right direction.


Is this an official Lego minifigure? I have a spiderman figure, that does fit to Lego bricks and who's hands are the same as a Lego Minifigure, but I can't find out if it is an official (albeit somewhat older) Lego product.  Any ideas?

This looks like Spider-Man (Junior-fig). Although it is not so easy to confirm if your item is LEGO or clone-branded minifigure. You could look inside the legs if there are any LEGO logos.


What colors does the NXT Color Sensor support? Quick question, what colors does the NXT color sensor support? Is it the entire rainbow or only specific colors?

It depends on which version you're talking about.

NXT 1.0 Light Sensor: This sensor should detect up to 100 shades from white(100) to black(0).

NXT compatible Hitechnic Color Sensor: This sensor will detect 17 colors including white(17) and black(0) or 100 shades from white(100) to black(0).

NXT 2.0 Color Sensor: This sensor can detect 6 colors including white(6) and black(1).

To complete the list (even though it is not backward compatible with NXT) -
EV3 Color Sensor: This sensor can detect 7 colors which are the same as the NXT 2.0 sensor plus “No Color”?  Yes, according to LEGO's website, this new sensor can detect when there's no color.  Does this means white or that the detector is not sensing a color?  This needs to be validated too.

This is one area where, as new versions are coming out, the possibilities of the sensors are diminishing.


How can I tell which LEGO minifigure I found? I found a mini-figure on the the ground by a recycling bin. I want to figure out what set/collection he belongs to but can't find anything other than how to tell what you're getting in a blind bag.

He's normal size for a mini-fig, not a shorty or anything.
He has a dark red pirate bandanna type hat with a "tail" hanging down his head.
His head is grey or grey-green with green eyebrow and cheek markings and pointy looking bottom teeth made to look protruding from his mouth.
His torso is a dark orange with a silver breastplate and brown straps on his back. Also there is a dark red belt. His arms are black and his hands are brown.
His pants are red but not dark red like his hat.

He's a mean looking guy and doesn't seem to match Pirates of the Caribbean or Lord of the Rings/Hobbit but looks like he would fit in with those sets.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

The torso is from Lando Calrissian.

The rest of the parts are from Kithaba.

They both came in the 2012 Desert Skiff Star Wars set


Raw sensor question? What is raw sensor and what is on port 3?

Is this code only for robot to go completely straight without errors?

PID stands for Proportional-Integral-Derivative - which is an industry standard way of controlling processes and minimizing the deviation from a setpoint. It assigns 3 factors (K_p, K_i and K_d) to three calculated variables all based on the measured process, in this case the deviation from the ideal sensor value coming from the color sensor connected to port 3.

Those three calculated variables contain the proportional deviation (i.e. just the difference between the ideal value and the measured value), the integral of the error (sort of like the sum of all errors over time) and the derivate (the change in the error value over time). The final adjustment the motors need to do is calculated based on those three deviations (P, I and D) to get to a "turn" amount, which is then passed on to the motor to execute.

You can read all about the PID control implemented here in the link in the left top corner of your diagram, which is this: http://inpharmix.com/jps/PID_Controller_For_Lego_Mindstorms_Robots.html. It actually explains the concept pretty well and is relatively easy to follow, as it is targeted towards FLL students (i.e. 9-14 year old kids).

The author of the article also explains why he uses the sensor in RAW mode:

  Using raw light values (0 to 1023 scale), instead of uncalibrated
  light values, might increase the dynamic range of the light sensors.
  For our example light values black would be 400 and white 500. The
  offset would be 450 with a range of +/-50 instead of +/-5. The raw
  light values is available from a data port on the light sensor block.
  If you calibrate your light sensor under your lighting conditions and
  use the calibrated values then white will be about 100 and black will
  be about 0. This is another way to increase the proportional range of
  the light sensor. In both the raw and calibrated modes the light
  values probably are not accurate in the last digit but hopefully the
  values are somewhat more precise than using a light value range of
  just 10 or so.

In short: the range of values coming from the default light sensor is more coarse (0-100) than when using the sensor in raw mode (0-1023), so you get better control over the motor output as there are more light levels to play with.


You know you have been LEGOing too long when Inspired by this webpage on raytracing I was trying to find out whether something similar exists for LEGOing (playing with LEGO). However, I couldn't find any references to jokes like "You know you have been LEGOing too long when you are getting excited about the difference between bright light orange and yellow".

Are you aware of any jokes about playing with LEGO, possibly by people who think that LEGO is for kids only?

You know you have been LEGOing too long when

you have permanent stud prints on your fingers

(That's technically a tattoo pictured, but you get the idea)


My DUPLO railroad engine stops after 20cm My DUPLO railroad engine stops after 20cm moving.
I suppose the sensor in the front axle is damaged.

So is it possible to repair it?

If you have red floor or carpet, that could be recognized as the Stop Rail Accessory by the engine. Otherwise I would contact Lego customer support.


Why does LEGO avoid 2x4 plates on these occasions? As this year's LEGO city advent calendar gradually gets opened, I have repeatedly been astonished by the choice of parts: At least twice so far (in the oven and in the catapult target), two 2x2 plates of the same colour had to be placed right next to each other.

Why in the world would LEGO design a (mini-)set this way, rather than use a single 2x4 plate? Note that I have seen LEGO prefer two 1x2 plates instead of a single 2x2 plate in a recent build, but those were placed right on top of another 2x2 brick. Thus, presumably, differently sized plates were chosen for the ease of later disassembly. However, in the case described here, that's not the case, and arguably, the resulting mini-models end up a little bit fragile like this.

I wondered whether it's just some less usual colours that this happens for, but in the catapult target, the colour of the 2x2 plates is white. Certainly, LEGO has not stopped producing white 2x4 plates?!

What's the reason for this strange part choice? Is LEGO trying to achieve a certain part count across the calendar?

While it's unlikely that we would get a somewhat official answer on this, there can be a multitude of reasons for that, some logical, some economical, some motivated by marketing. Of course, there are some more obvious reasons for the sake of the build and the art of LEGO, but they might not apply in the case of a calendar:

Design. This isn't necessarily the case for using 2x2s over a 2x4 in a calendar. But for example think of something as the Architecture Robie House, where they used 1x2 and 1x1 plates, about 1000 in sum, to simulate the actual brickwork of the real house when they could as well have built it from much fewer bricks. While this also significantly increased the part count, I would still argue this was primarily done for its aesthetic value and it works.
Reusability. Again not too relevant in the case of a calendar, but a lot more important for something like a Creator 3-in-1, when building something else from the pieces is not only encouraged but intended and part of the product's appeal (you could say it's implicitly part of the appeal of LEGO bricks in general, but that's not necessarily reflected in the actual marketing and business philosophy anymore).

A more economic look at the situation opens a few more possibilities that might apply more specifically to your case. While LEGO certainly has more freedom by basically holding all the cards, I found it sometimes helps to think about your own MOCs and why you'd choose one part over the other. When designing a model the first intuition is to use the most fitting part, but there are various considerations to switch them out, almost all of them economically motivated:

Available colours. This is certainly the strictest consideration since you can't use a part that's just not available. While LEGO would have the freedom to simply create the part in that colour, there are still considerations of bringing yet another unique colour-shape combination into production, especially if you don't need it in too many other sets, above all something as much of an afterthought as a calendar. Though, this might not apply so much to something as simple as a 2x4 plate, there's still a ton of exotic colours that don't even have that, even if white is anything but exotic.
Item price. Now for MOC designers, this is motivated a bit differently, since the price of a piece isn't driven "naturally" by actual material cost rather than "artificially" by the demand and supply created from its availability in official sets. That's why 2 2x2s can be much cheaper than a 2x4. But even for LEGO, who basically could mold as many parts as they want, this isn't really driven by material. The material really costs about zero, no matter if you print 2 2x2s or 1 2x4. It is the factory configuration, the logistics of bringing pieces to together, the use of the piece in other produced sets. These all figure into the production cost.
Lot count. In fact when designing a MOC, especially if I intend to build it myself, another consideration is keeping the lot count down. If you already need 2x2s anyway and you don't need a 2x4 for structural integrity, then it might improve your model's acquirability if you have to shop for 1 lot less, since someone offering 5 2x2s is likely offering 7, too. I'd think this isn't too much different for LEGO if you consider the above points about the logistics of molding parts and then packaging them into a single set. Better mold two more than bringing another machine configuration, production lane or, god beware, factory into the mix. And in fact, I often observed that in official sets, where I wonder why they'd use two parts instead of a more fitting one only to see that there's already 20 more of those two parts in the set and it starts to make sense.

All these factors are driven by purely economical reasons and based on the assumption that production and logistics make much more of the cost of a piece than just its material, especially when amortized over tons of pieces and when the difference in material between 2 2x2s and 1 2x4 isn't that big to begin with. But of course there could be another, still economical but less directly, reason based on marketing:

Part count. As noted in the question, this might very well be to just amp the part count of a set, or a calendar where the individual part count of the models isn't too high anyway and you can basically increase it to quite some degree with just adding a few more pieces. A higher part count makes the set seem more valuable (since it suggests more material and a more complex design). This can be the truth but doesn't have to, depending on what factors you measure value by and how it's practically implemented.

Though, I would agree that structural integrity should prevail over all these reasons since a model that just doesn't stay together is of no use at all. But it can still be relative how fragile is too fragile and you also have to figure into the matter, that the advent calendar is somewhat of a side thought that might not be driven by the highest of quality and design considerations from LEGO, especially regarding the buildable items when many people seem most interested in the figures.


Unable to change program name in EV3 IDE My students are having a weird problem in the EV3 IDE. When we try to change the program name, in the IDE, the name reverts to program.

As an example, if the student is creating several programs, such as 1-2, 1-3 ... they click on the + button to create a new program. They then select that new tab named "program x." Then overwrite that word with something like 1-3 to indicate chapter one, program three.

However, after clicking on the workspace, the name of the program reverts to, program x.

This is not consistent, sometimes using an underscore instead of a dash works, but none of this is consistent. I would appreciate suggestions in regard to what I am doing wrong.

I believe this only happens when there is already a program with the same name.

If you start a new project and add 3 new programs named 1-1, 1-2 and 1-3, it works as expected. But if you try to add a 4th program named 1-1, 1-2 or 1-3, then the name will revert back to the default name because there is already another program with the same name.


How can I use the EV3 educational firmware instead of the retail version? I have an EV3 brick from the retail kit, which is currently running the retail firmware. I would like to replace the EV3's firmware with the educational version. How can I do this?

Update: LEGO Education software is now available for free.

https://education.lego.com/en-us/downloads/mindstorms-ev3

Original answer:

You need to purchase the EV3 Education version of the software. It includes the EV3 Education version firmware.

EV3 Education Software (single user licence)
EV3 Software v1.1 Update (includes v1.06E firmware update)


The Mindstorms EV3 Software crashes on OS X Yosemite 10.10.3. What do I do? It's crashing on startup which is really irritating. When debugged with terminal it says this:

Unhandled Exception: System.UnauthorizedAccessException: Access to the path is denied.

[ERROR] FATAL UNHANDLED EXCEPTION: System.UnauthorizedAccessException: Access to the path is denied.

What should I do? I've already tried reinstalling it.

System specs: MacBook Air '11, Late 2010, Mac OS X 10.10.3

Latest version of Mindstorms software

Updating the iOS version to 10.10.5 seems to have solved the problem for me. Hopefully this helps someone else out there.


Why is LEGO usually uppercase? Everyone I see on here and mostly everywhere else (including LEGO boxes) LEGO is written as LEGO. I always thought it should be written like Lego until I came here.

Why is it always written in uppercase? This seems to also be done by The LEGO Group, as it is on their boxes and website. Is LEGO an acronym, or is that just how it is?

No, it's not an acronym.

  The name 'LEGO' is an abbreviation of the two Danish words "leg godt", meaning "play well".

All-caps is how the LEGO company asks to have their brand treated.

  Using the LEGO® brand

  ALWAYS write the LEGO brand name in capital letters.
  ALWAYS use a descriptive noun after the LEGO brand name, it must never appear on its own.

  E.g. wrong use: I play with LEGO.
  E.g. correct use: I play with LEGO bricks.

  ALWAYS accompany the LEGO brand name by the Registered symbol ® in headlines and
  the first time it appears in copy text.
  NEVER use the LEGO brand name as a
  generic term, add a possessive ‘s,’ plural ‘s’
  or hyphen.

  E.g. wrong use: LEGO’s, LEGOs, LEGO-bricks.
  E.g. correct use: the LEGO brand’s, LEGO
  bricks.

  NEVER use the Registered symbol ® in connection with a company name.

  E.g. wrong use: LEGO® System A/S.
  E.g. correct use: LEGO System A/S.

  NEVER change or adjust the graphical design of the LEGO logo.

  Thank you for helping us protect the LEGO® brand!


Lego with hollow posts underneath - dates? When did TLG change the small posts on the underside of the modern bricks and plates , eg 1x6 and 1x4, to hollow ones?

I can confirm that some bricks have hollow posts.  I ran across this in attempting to answer a "how much does a brick weigh" question.  What I thought was a homogenous batch of bricks turned out to have a few with hollow posts.  The bricks were all purchased new in the last three years.

From a "material cost productivity" standpoint, it will be in TLG's best interest to migrate to the hollow posts since parts from these molds will require less material to serve the same function (but not immediately).  An expedient time to do this would be when a mold is at end of life requires replacement.  So, I would expect to see significant variation continue for years to come.  The balance point is the cost of replacing a single mold with the reduction in processed material costs over the expected remaining life of the mold.  So the older the mold is the less cost effective it is to replace prematurely, but the newer one represents less time in service to amortize the mold over fewer piece parts... both of these things mean that the replacement will likely be when the mold normally reaches end of life.  Since the useful life is very long, it is more likely that we are seeing parts from line or factory expansions.


How should I remove a Hinge Tile, especially in the middle of a plate? I've recently had some trouble removing a 1x4 hinge tile from the middle of a plate:

Even when they are on the edge of the plate there isn't a lot of areas you can use to gain the traction to remove the hinge plate. Unlike the modern jumper plates these don't appear to have been "upgraded" with a groove.

I want to avoid breaking the fingers, especially on some older elements that I own.

Often in these cases, I have been able to flex the plate the piece is on a little.  This allows you to get a fingernail or small tool under the lip of the thing in the middle of the larger plate.  If you don't flex too much, you won't do any permanent damage to it.


Can I re-use my LEGO Store Pick a Brick cup? I was wondering if anyone went into a LEGO store with their old Pick a Brick cup and got a discount for re-using it, or do you have to buy a new cup?

Yes, you can. Or at least I've been able to reuse mine in the past. I believe it was $0.50 off for the big cup and $0.25 for the small cup.


2016: which Power Functions for controllable car? I want to make a car or truck that can be driven by a controller.

Q: what Power Functions sets do I need in 2016? Any other suggestions?

I have no Technic nor Power Functions
I'm willing to buy anything
I am at an Expert level for brick-based construction
...but know almost nothing about beam-based construction
my existing library of beam parts comes from whatever parts happened to come with brick-based sets

References from older questions:

What are the best options for building a LEGO RC car?
Does the Power Functions IR Remote Control 8885 make a good remote for a car?

If you have no technic and no power functions you will need to get quite a lot. You could buy small technic sets to get enough parts to build the moving parts and you your current collection, or buy a big set and just add power functions to it. The Customized Pickup Truck is a good starter set that has all the right moving parts, but pretty much any Technic truck/car contains steering and a drive chain that you can attach a motor to.

For steering I recommend the servo motor. As a kid I spent a lot of time making cars that would lock left or right but not flick back to exactly straight afterwards.

For propulsion you have a whole array of motor options, the biggest and strongest (but also the slowest) is the XL motor. I've seen the Customized Pickup Truck converted to full RC using two M motors.

One IR receiver can control two wires so if you're only thinking about propulsion and steering one will do.

You'll need a battery pack. I prefer there one that takes AAs because years from now AA battery will still be purchasable and may be even longer lasting, plus you can keep spares near by, as opposed to the Lego rechargeable battery which will wear out over time and not be available forever.

And finally a remote. The speed remote lets you control the speed of the motors, not just forward/backwards at a fixed speed. However you'll need some extra parts to make left/right steering make sense on there. The other option is  the basic IR remote. Either one can control two functions.


Is there a Ubuntu Linux LEGO instruction manual creator? Is there a good LEGO instructions manual creator for Ubuntu? I can't seem to find one.

Also, are there any online ones?

LeoCAD is available for Linux based OSs as well as Windows and Mac, and supports Step creation as well as general model creation.

There are a few other workflows detailed in this answer to a similar question.


Can I store LEGO in negative (minus) Celsius? I've found this question: How can I store LEGO bricks to prevent damage? and the answers don't tell, what happens below 0°C.
Can I store unopened LEGO boxes where temperature can go down until even -15, -20°C?

Generally yes, as long as:

there are no electronics inside (like Power Functions, Mindstorms, etc.)
the temperature stays below freezing
you allow plenty of time in dry environment to thaw out

No, if the temperature rides up and down and you want to keep the box and paper booklet intact - it will draw moisture with each thaw cycle.

No if electronics, especially with integrated lithium batteries, are involved (but even without batteries it's not good to freeze electronic components).

LEGO is made of ABS and sometimes some other general purpose plastics. They become brittle when cold, but go back to normal once temperature returns to room levels.


How do you program mindstorms to keep doing a task until either the IR OR the colour sensor state changes How do you program mindstorms to keep doing a task until either the IR OR the colour sensor state changes. I would like to use the wait block but it can only be either the colour sensor or the IF sensor. i want to continue the activity until either sensor changes to a specified condition.

One way of doing this is using a loop and interrupting it.

How it works:

The "Loop Interrupt" block stops all blocks running inside of the loop, so by interrupting the loop after either wait block, it will stop the other wait block. The type of loop doesn't actually matter because we never reach that point. I chose to wait for "Logic" with a value of "False" just so that it is more clear that we are not actually looping here.


Unsure what set this is I have a LEGO set without box or instructions. Some information about it is that it has a brick that’s kind of odd. It’s clear but at the bottom it isn’t and it has some type of metal in it the bag should all over say 135149. And I’m pretty sure it is not the Star Wars set. As I remember the box faintly.

This is:

31051-1: Lighthouse Point

based on the 1 x3 brick in Medium Blue and the Red Plate, Modified 1 x 4 with 2 Studs without Groove

The "odd' brick is  Dark Bluish Gray Electric, Light Brick 2 x 3 x 1 1/3 with Trans-Clear Top and Yellow LED Light (Glows Orange)


Should I buy the retail or education version of Mindstroms EV3? There are other questions that list the differences in the retail and educational version but I cannot judge which one I should buy (educational or retail).

I am buying Mindstorms for the first time, The educational kit looks more appealing to me as it has more parts, gyro sensor (I need this) and it is also $10 less than the retail version.

I am 27 year old and want to buy the best value for money and one I can get most out it. Any add-on suggestion will be also great as it is not available in my country and I would like to buy most of the stuff in one go.

Note that the Education version doesn't come with any software - if you want to use the full features of the Education EV3 brick (mostly around Data Logging), you will need to purchase the Education version of the software - thus making the price about £70-85 higher (which may still be cheaper than purchasing the Retail edition and adding the extra components).


Mindstorms EV3 brick does not play sound file to the end I have a 16 seconds WAV file and am trying to play it. It plays only the first 8 seconds both on the brick and on the Mindstorms programming software.

It looks like EV3 supports sound files up to maximum 8 seconds. You can split the files with sound editor and play one after each other.


Interface between keyboard and NXT mindstorm I want to make an NXT program that handles key presses from a user. First, I'd like a message to display asking the user to choose a key on the keyboard (S or M), and then depending on the chosen key some actions take place (e.g. starts counting the time). How can I do this? Do I need Bluetooth?

I think you should buy a Bluetooth Card for your PC to connect the NXT with your PC. After that you should program your Bluetooth Card to send specific Bluetooth Signal to the NXT while you are pressing a key. Next you should program your NXT to "react" to the specific signal sent from PC... That's all, it's not too easy...