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

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

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

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

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

Tons of proper propellers to choose from I’d say: https://www.bricklink.com/v2/search.page?q=Propeller. Part 6041 looks like your best match - though the blades are small they are properly tilted and it has an axle-hole. I’d think that running that one on high speed should work.

Proper propeller does exist - lookup 2740c01 on BL. However it is 30 years old.

Great answer, Alexander, though perhaps we shouldn't be surprised it's watertight as LEGO advertises the set as "For the first time ever, this LEGO Technic model toy floats on water!"

I've tried most of the propellers, they've all been either too small or the blades are too long/thin/flat. The really small ones would have to spin really fast losing power to friction, and the really large ones would take much more power than these systems are made for.

Have you tried changing gear ratios?

Could it help to stack several propellers on the same axle?

@AlexanderO'Mara IIRC the Brick Experiment channel on Youtube has made Lego submarines with only some minor aftermarket modifications. Maybe you could try the propellers they use?

I am new to this. I do not understand if the pieces already included are enough to mount the motors you mentioned in your list. Is there a guide?
Thanks

@Adrian As I recall I was able to build it with just the parts in the set plus the extra pieces listed. I didn't make a full guide, but the build is kinda similar to the official alternate model.


text:
Trying to identify a mystery set, mostly black and dark grey
I purchased a lot from Facebook that included a few fully complete with box sets as well as two bags with what certainly appears to be a full set. I started adding several of the more unique ones to rebrickable, but I either need to add a lot more, or I'm doing it wrong. This is my first time at this, so either is entirely possible.
Any ideas or leads would be appreciated. So far I'm leaning towards a Sith Star Wars or Batman kit given the colors. The assembled piece has a twin that is pretty much identical. The only unique pieces I found were a cockpit dashboard thing and the windshield design. The rest were sticker free, and there were no figures included.

Here's a list of some of the more unique parts from the black pile.
https://rebrickable.com/users/DakMorgan/partlists/232220/

I suspect this to be a mix of parts. For example, last picture shows Black Slope 45 4 x 4 Double with Hinge in Black and none of those sets have some of Dark Gray/Dark Bluish Gray pieces found in that assembly. There isn't that much of sets in dark shades of gray included with Trans-Black Windscreen see on second picture too.

I saw that as well, maybe it's from a MOC?  I wonder if there's an easy way to find out what the assembled parts are for at least?

Looks like it's all a MOC - as Alex mentioned, there's only two sets that contain two of that element, and neither of them come with dark grey cylinders or cones :(

I don't know if that is a cohesive set, but all the parts scream 2005 era Star Wars.
There is a x-wing canopy that gives me that idea, but the real smoking gun is the color combination of parts. There appears to be a lot of old (warm) dark grey, prior to Lego changing to the more (cool) bley they use today.
I think its just stray parts from that era. Enjoy all that classic dark grey, its great for mixing in with modern greys.

I think these are primarily Dark Bluish Grey rather than Dark Grey. For example this piece doesn't exist in Dark Grey https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=43712#T=C

While the last image looks like a partial build of an official set, the Slope 45° 4 x 4 Double with Hinge - Black piece was only ever released in 4 sets, none of which have the windscreen piece mentioned by Roger. Therefore the collection can't belong to a single official set.

The windscreen and the tan 1x2 hinge plates in the build are likely both from this set https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?S=4500-1#T=S&O={%22iconly%22:0} ; the tan hinges exist in very few other sets

source: Stack Exchange

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

sort: votes


text:
Wonder Woman Hair Vs Angel Wings
Will this wonder woman hairpiece work with a transparent neck bracket , some clip plates, and white feathered wings ?
I have the longer version and I've verified that they won't fit together, but I'm wondering if the shorter hairpiece can work.

No.
The hairpiece you link appears to be the same mould as the standard non-movie Wonder Woman figure. The hair falls quite close to the back of the minifigure torso, so there's no room for a neck bracket.

If you're looking to add wings to your Wonder Woman, it might be worth investing in a helmet or hairpiece that doesn't cover the back of the torso.

thanks, it looked shorter from it's picture on bricklink.

all_licenses: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/


text:
Mindstorms EV3 - Continuous low battery alarm
My son is facing an issue with his Mindstorms EV3. Every time he turns it on a low battery alarm is displayed and it shut downs.
This happens regardless of the batteries, we have tried 12 different rechargeable batteries and 6 brand new alkaline batteries.
Also, I noticed it takes a lot to start up, I don't remember it being so slow before.
The sequence is something like:

Starting up: it takes 26 seconds
Green light: it is on for 2.5 seconds
Orange light with low battery alarm: it is on for 8 seconds
Shut down: then it shuts down and it takes 20 seconds to complete

I have tried disconnecting every cable, and even opened it up and disconnected the display flex cable, but still the same behaviour. I have double checked the button in the battery compartment to make sure it is not stuck or anything similar, to avoid the brick thinking the Lego battery pack is in place.
Given that it stays on for such a short time frame, I am not able to update the firmware.
I have seen similar posts but none with a solution other than returning the brick to Lego, which is not an option to us given it is no longer under warranty.
Any clues or help?
Thanks!

Are you totally sure you can't do anything with the firmware? I once found a... well, bug, where interrupting and/or interfering with the update process can cause the EV3 to actually have no firmware at all (except for the startup screen, which remains forever)! I'm not sure how exactly to reproduce it, and I recall that recovering my brick was quite a challenge, but there's a chance that this might help you. I can experiment more with my brick later.

Update: we made it work, after trying many things, see below.

Opened the brick and inspected it for obvious signs of problems but saw nothing. Even tried with the screen disconnected.

We tried, as suggested in the comment above, with a firmware update. Even though the brick will stay on for only a few seconds, it was enough for the computer to recognize it and see were able to begin the update. It completed without problem, showing that the batteries were ok. After restarting it behaved in the same way. We tried firmware 1.09 and 1.10.

We tried ev3dev, from an SD card. It will also shutdown once it finished booting. But after many tries, it booted and displayed the main ev3dev menu, on which we could see the voltage being 5.10, getting lower gradually until it reached 4.60 and it shutdown.

It seemed obvious it was a hardware issue so we decided to desolder the battery contacts and inspect the board properly. There must be something in the circuit sensing voltage, maybe a resistor going bad and being unable to divide voltage properly. We immediately saw the sign of acid going through the board, with that green/blue colour. We cleaned it with a wire brush, resoldered and it worked! Both the brick's firmware and ev3dev worked perfectly, now seeing 9.10 volts.

I hope this helps someone else with the same problem.
Cheers

Hi Ati, and welcome to Bricks - many thanks for coming back and updating us on your progress :) If you are also "Atilio" you can request that the CM team merge your account so that you can then also accept your answer.

Well I bought a used EV3 unit, described as needing repair and this is my issue. Corrosion inside the unit and on the board. Not sure which part you cleaned with a wirebrush as the tiny components are easily destroyed. One resistor fell off a sensor circuit while I tried to clean the board. On putting it back together same issue, so now it's a pity call to Lego... Not hoping for much!

I know this is an old post, but when using badly made and malfunctioning handmade cables, there is a chance of making the EV3 brick show an alert of low battery. The fix for this is just to pin out the cable.


text:
How do I specify PAYMENTINSTRUCTIONS in BrickLink macros?
There's a line in the default invoice:
Payment Instructions: <PAYMENTINSTRUCTIONS>

That macro tag is not listed on the List of E-Mail Basic Macro Tags and on my invoices it seems to always be:
Payment Instructions: (not specified)

How do I specify a value for PAYMENTINSTRUCTIONS?

I think this question is very specific to Bricklink and we couldn't really help on that. Searching on BL's forum your question there is the only one mentioning tag you are interested in. So it is highly unlikely we have better knowledge than people over Bricklink have.

I’m voting to close this question because it does not belong to any of this site's topics, as outlined in https://bricks.stackexchange.com/help/on-topic


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

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


text:
Identify Tan Solider caps
Cany anyone identify the small tan caps worn by the soldiers in this clip?

It looks like a cavalry cap, apparently also known as a kepi.


text:
RCX 2.0 usb ir tower. Easiest path to start
I picked up a working set recently and I would like to know the easiest path to get going. I have several old and new PCs and win 98, xp, 7 (32bit) and 10 available. The kit has no CD.
I have LabView on the win7 machine.

Oops. Got a bit ahead of myself. The win 98 machine isn't there anymore. Must have thrown it out last purge.

This article is from 2017 and might be what you need, including a link I haven't tested for the software. But if you can get the XP machine working, the software was supposed to work directly - if you could find the patches from Lego.
BrickLink has CDs for sale including one for 64c.


text:
Spike Prime remote command using screen
I am trying to execute commands using the -X switch on the Spike Prime Hub but all I get is either nothing, or unknown command errors.
Here is what I tried so far:
screen /dev/ttyACM0 -X 'print("test")'
screen /dev/ttyACM0 -X $'print("test")/n'
screen /dev/ttyACM0 | 'print("test")'
screen /dev/ttyACM0 | $'print("test")/n'
The piped commands gave me unknown command errors. When I change the main.py and add some prints, they are shown even if printed before I login. So stream wise that is working no matter when I login.
Another issue occures with the rshell rsync. I had to add a switch to stop the sound files from syncing since they crash rshell. Also rshell stops the code execution on the hub. I tried the above commands before and after rshell rsync call. When I login the hub after rshell I can enter python commands without hitting ctrl+c. Before rsync I have to stop execution with ctrl+c before I am able to type.
But the screen command does not execute python in all cases. Any ideas ?
The main task I want to achieve is that the hub continues execution after rsync. I wanted that with a screen command. But the whole Spike Prime software seems buggy and sluggish from the open source point of view.

With the prime hub you need to exit the hub default process before you can send commands using ctrl-c.
Ctrl-c is the character 0x03.
This is my python script that I use to send micropython scripts over to my hub:
https://github.com/gpdaniels/spike-prime/blob/master/simulator/run.py
It has lots of nastyness in it like this:
port.write(b'\x03')
time.sleep(0.1)
port.write(b'\x03')
time.sleep(1.0)

To try and get the hub to stop the running script and behave.
Also there's functions to read the serial input from the hub until it sees the >>> characters which indicate the REPL is ready to receive python commands.

Wouldn't it be easier to send the script file in a whole with rsync and force the hub to execute it by calling execfile() ? That might be faster because you call sleep(0.1) between every command. Anyway your script is a big help, thanks man.

The sleeps in my script are just to get the REPL into a good state.
I send the whole script using the paste mode of the REPL.
After which it is executed in one go.

Well, sounds good, but isn't the readline of python reading a file line by line ? Later you pass the file line by line to write_command(...) which then waits for every line 0.2 seconds. Not sure if that might be slow thou, I have to get into the code for a bit longer to clearly understand...

Yeah there is a lot of delays, rather than spending time on my dodgy code, I'd recommend rshell [ https://github.com/dhylands/rshell ] which is great!

I found that repository already but I didn't know it can execute code on the hub. It's in the pyboard.py file. I still have to figure out how it works but accordingly to the header it shouldn't be that hard. Thanks for your help. Btw I tried to use your run.py to paste a larger code file in one big chunk but it fails after some lines. Seemingly the REPL paste mode cant handle big chunks. I used rsync to copy files to the board already before but wanted copy and execute at once.

The pyboard.py program from rshell isn't working out of the box. You have to replace the line where it sends the break signal twice '\r\x03\r\x03' with two send commands sending one break each and a delay in between, similar to the suggested code in run.py above. I wonder if those pyboard.py devs would update their project.


text:
42082 Rough terrain crane
Crane can not be pushed forward or backward. It seems the front and back wheels want to move in different directions.I the rear wheels are lifted off the ground crane can be moved forward and backward and the engine will turn over. The same thing applies if the front wheels are lifted off the ground. The steering operates on all four wheels as it should.
Can anyone give me some clues as to what might be wrong.
Thanks, Tony.


text:
Migrate Lego Boost Android app data to another device
I have a Lego Boost Android application installed on device #1 and the app is logged into my LEGO cloud account (the same used for Lego Life etc. too) and is fully synced with cloud. On this device I made some progress, built about half of the models in the app and hence some models are "unlocked" while others are not yet. There is certain progress I made in comparison to clean Boost app install.
Now, is it possible to "migrate" the progress I made in Boost app on device #1 to another Android device (say device #2)? I tried to log in with the same Lego credentials on device #2 but my progress has not downloaded from the cloud even as device #1 is fully synced. Am I missing something or is it simply not possible to transfer the data of Boost app between devices? Has anyone tried to do this?
PS. Neither of my devices is rooted.


text:
What LEGO sets include minifigure with both arms and hands molded together?
I was looking through my collection and found a minifigure torso with the arms and hands molded together. Does anyone know what set a minifigure like this came from?

Adding a photo to your question would be helpful...

Torso with the arms and hands molded together sounds to me like the ones released with NBA basketball (so they can throw the balls better?)
A list on Bricklink

It's subtle, but I think the word `both' threw me off - without it, this answer is clearly the best. Or perhaps "with hands and arms molded to each other" is clearer yet.

Thanks, your answer is technically still correct, but I thought it might not be what the asker had in mind, since they mentioned the hands at all.

Bricklink calls it Torso Legoland (part 17).


text:
Identify brand of these non-LEGO parts
I bought a bulk of bricks, some of them are not LEGO, but the quality is perfect - gloss, fit, plates have groove, transparent parts are clear.
I would like to know which brand also produces such nice bricks.
There are only numbers at the bottom:

15012-02
15111-01
15113-01
15116-01
15425-01

The fact that there are such small numbers molded proves about the good quality.

Not positive, but these could be produced by the Oxford toy company. They make very convincing clones for their own lines and a number of other companies.

Might also be Sluban.


text:
Robot Inventor Bluetooth not working
A while ago, I started up the Robot Inventor program and noticed the computer was not connecting. When I clicked the "Connect" button, the loading "circle" simply started spinning either indefinitely or for a few seconds until the "Connect" button showed up again. The Bluetooth on my Dell E5540 is on, and the 2 devices are paired.

Did you try pairing the hub using the Windows Bluetooth settings first?

@DavidLechner Yep.

Maybe this project legoBTLE4pi could help you.
It connects a Raspberry PI via Bluetooth to a Lego Powered Up Brick and does all the funny stuff.
The project is ongoing (nice TUI etc) but everything works.

I'm not sure how a Raspberry Pi-based project could help the problem OP is facing with their computer - could you please elaborate on this aspect?

I thought maybe by using a vm with Linux this problem could be circumvented. However, you're absolutely right, I answered quicker than I thought. Please excuse this lapse.


text:
What is water displacement value for LEGO solid hulls?
I'm building a boat model out of LEGO and I need to decide which boat hull to use. I need the smallest that can carry 485g of load. Where can I get information about water displacement of unitary LEGO boat hulls? I can compute upper bound based on the dimensions, but I'm afraid that will be a big overestimate.

It looks like the simpler problem would be to evaluate the boat hulls you could possibly find to see if any would displace 485 grams of water with enough free board to stay afloat.
Here is a list of all of the unique boat hulls I could find on bricklink that looked to me likely to hold water:
Boat Hull Unitary 16 x 8 Base
Boat Hull Unitary 22 x 8 x 2 1/3 (Set 6429)
Boat Hull Unitary 24 x 6 x 3 with Red and White Racing Stripes Pattern on Both Sides (Stickers) - Set 4002
Boat Hull Unitary 25 x 10 x 4 1/3 with 4010 and Police Pattern (Stickers) - Set 4010
Boat Hull Unitary 28 x 8 Base
Boat Hull Unitary 32 x 10 x 1 2/3, Base
Boat Hull Unitary 32 x 12 x 4, Base
Boat Hull Unitary 38 x 10 x 5 2/3
Boat Hull Unitary 41 x 12 x 5 with Light Bluish Gray Top
Boat Hull Unitary 48 x 6 x 5, Base (Catamaran Half)
Boat Hull Unitary 51 x 12 x 6 with Side Bulges, Base
Boat Hull Unitary 51 x 12 x 6, Base
Boat Hull Unitary 52 x 12 x 6 1/3
Boat Hull Unitary 52 x 16 x 5, Base
Boat Hull Unitary 74 x 18 x 7, Base
Duplo, Boat Hull 10 x 18 Bottom Section
Duplo, Boat Hull 12 x 24 Bottom Section
Duplo, Boat Hull 14 x 27 Bottom Section
Duplo, Boat Hull 6 x 16 with 4 x 4 Cargo Hold with Green Bottom
Duplo, Boat Hull 7 x 12 Bottom Section
Duplo, Boat Hull 8 x 15 Deck Studs with Red Bottom
Duplo, Boat Hull 8 x 17 with Police Pattern
Fabuland Boat Hull Large
There are over 200 variations of these parts with colors and prints. Have fun!

can you shorten that list, if there are over 200 then just send one link for all of them

How about the old buildable boat hull parts such as https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=x145c01&idColor=5 + https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=x146c01&idColor=5 + https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=x147c01&idColor=5 ?

The OP asked for unitary hulls, not buildable ones.


text:
What is this 2x10 part with a center console and two holes?
I am fairly sure this part is from earlier than 1990. On the bottom are the characters "A" and "4". I checked Bricklink for yellow 2x10 parts but couldn't find anything. The 2x5 side with the cutout at the bottom is one level higher than the 2x4 back part.

This is
Part # 870 : Vehicle Tractor Chassis Base 11 x 2 x 3


text:
Can I use the EV3 IR Sensor with a power functions remote?
In other words, I want to control my Lego Mindstorms EV3 robot with my Lego
Power Functions remotes. The EV3 has an IR sensor, and the PF remotes are IR Remotes, but will they work together?

The EV3 IR Sensor is compatible with Power Functions 8885 remote the but not the 8879 remote.


text:
Parts for a 4 Candle set
I want to build several stands with 4 candles.
Here's my plan from bottom to top

3 round 1x1 bricks for the base
a palm top to branch into 4 parts
a round 1x1 brick on each of the 4 bars
a pin holder on  top of each of those
a candle flame tucked into the pin holder.

I don't have these parts yet, so I'm hoping someone can verify this will work before I buy them.
If not, do you have any other suggestions?

The four round 1x1 bricks will fit, but I don’t think the bars of the palm top are long enough to reach the hole in the top of the bricks. You might need to fill each brick with a Technic half pin (or substitute the bricks entirely as the pins have a stud on top of them already).

Indeed, the length of the palmtop bars is not enough to reach the narrow part of the 1x1 round bricks. Some 1x1 round plates might help. I'd go for a design using two 1x3 plates (stacked in a "X" shape) instead of the palmtop.

Would designing this in Stud.io or Mecabricks help?

Sorry, I keep wanting to make a 2 Ronnies joke here...

@Zhaph-BenDuguid Well, of course, have some fork handles.

In principle, this will work although as D M notes (assuming a non-inverted build), the 1x1 bricks won't attach to the palm top correctly as they aren't long enough - a 1x1 round plate with hole on the bottom will help - either the same colour as the candle or as a part of the holder.
You might find that the candles are too close together for you as they would end up touching:

If you aren't worried about stability, by inverting the the 1x1 round bricks and resting the pin-holders upside down for a more "used" look, however the pin holders aren't secured:

Other options you might consider include using:

The very old 5x5 Propeller with 4 blades, very limited colour set
Plate Round 4x4 with hole
Two 1x3 plates stacked crossways, with 1x1 plates to provide additional support and conformity (as IvanSanchez suggests)
Plate, Modified 3x3 Cross, only available in a limited colour set, but available in at least black, brown and reddish brown (as Matthew Jensen suggests)
Axle Connector Hub with 4 bars and four Bar Holder with clip to hold inverted pin holders

The Haunted House set uses a Pearl Gold Technic Knob Cog in its chandelier, shown with the Candle element:

A relatively new element, the Plate 3 x 3 Cross would be a bit more compact and stable than 1 x 3 plates, although it doesn't exist in as many colours.

LEGO has dedicated element for "candle wax" - Minifigure, Utensil Candle. This may be another option.

Its diameter is smaller than of 1x1 round brick, so you can put 4 of them together on single 2x2 round plate without touching. Here is an example, where you can see the difference in diameter (1x1 round plate is same as 1x1 round brick). Parts used in pictured build are listed here.

Nice, and the base of the candle fits inside any hollow stud. I'm thinking 2476 2x2 modified plate with technic pin on bottom could work nicely.


text:
Prepare for Wedo WRO
My son is 5 years old and completely hooked on to Wedo. I would like to unlock the possibilities for him to explore his area of interest. One such avenue can be to prepare for competitions like WRO. Please advise on any information about the competitions - what are the things that need to be learnt. Also any open resources available for preparing can help.

LEGO has this page which mentions World Robot Olympiad (WRO) and FIRST® LEGO® League (FLL).  There's a tag for FLL (fll) on Bricks.SE so you can see what other folks have asked about it.


text:
Is it possible to convert .part to .dwg, and if so, how?
Is it possible to convert a Part Designer part (.part file) to a CAD file (.dwg, for example)?


text:
Xbox to Robot Inventor?
Is it possible to connect an Xbox controller directly to the Lego Robot Inventor(51515) intelligent brick?

In 2024, Pybricks added the ability to connect an XBox controller directly to hubs that are running the 3rd-party Pybricks firmware. This works with MINDSTORMS Robot Inventor, SPIKE Prime, SPIKE Essential and the 4-port Technic hub.

Deleted my answer in favor of this one. Xbox control of Lego models through PyBricks is awesome!


text:
more help identifying material
Ok, since my daughter has gotten into LEGO extensively lately, and I've pulled out all the bins that I got good deals on from prior years (like back in 2018/2019, I found one other (hopefully last) bin with some LEGO in it.  Could anyone help me identify any of these potential sets or parts of sets?  Thanks so much!!!

I'm definitely seeing (parts of) the following sets in the photos:

4305: Cyborg Scout:
6836: V-Wing Fighter:
6829: Radon Rover:
6938: Scorpion Detector:
8505: Amazon:
8504: Jet:
6400: Go-Kart:
6791: Bandit's Wheelgun:
2151: Robo Raider:

Thanks!  Those Technic ones really had me stumped!

You can do some research yourself if you want to dig around the set database over at Brickset (https://brickset.com)
Just glancing at the figs that are in the photos, most of this stuff is mid 1990s era sets. Ex: The ufo figures are from https://brickset.com/sets/theme-Space/subtheme-UFO
I'd just take a look at BS lego catalog around those years and you will probably be able to pick out the sets you have.

I do see that the bottom one with all the pink and green, is probably from lego friends set: Looks like this set:https://www.lego.com/en-us/product/beach-house-41428
And I do see some medieval figurines so its probably from this set:
https://www.ebay.com/p/141206538
And I also see moon rovers so here: ROVER
OH and is that INDIANA JONES?! : INDI
yes it is
and also race carsRACECARS
And You're Welcome!

Ebay links are going to expire at some point. It is best to link to Bricklink, Brickset or Rebrickable. These resources are focused on LEGO so, most likely, will survive for much longer.

alright im editing

@Alex I have edited my post

Thanks!  I've been able to figure out that some of the moon rovers are from sets:  1737, 2151, 6818, 6829, and 6836.  And the sealed bags are from set 41119.


text:
Pentagonal shield attachments
Do the Pentagonal Power Shields have 2 anti-studs on the back. Would they attach more firmly to a LegoBrick, Modified 1 x 1 x 1 2/3 with Studs on 1 Side then a basic headlight brick?

Yes, they have two anti-studs. You can see both through the trans-clear version of this part on the back of 76193 The Guardians’ Ship.

Like I mentioned in my comment, it appears LEGO is comfortable using a single stud to hold this piece when attached by its anti-studs. This can be seen when looking at Minifigure, Shield Pentagonal, though it may be the case that adding a second stud to the shield was undesirable for another reason (mold issues, proximity to edge, difficulty removing the tile from the shield, etc).

Using the modified brick you’ve suggested will definitely provide a stronger connection in addition to preventing rotation. I haven’t been able to find an official stance from LEGO on whether they recommend connecting to multiple anti-studs with the same piece.

That shield piece has a lip around the edge, which stops tile from rotating. Single stud, probably, was efficient enough in such case.

The basic headlight brick or Ehrling brick https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=4070 has its side stud recessed half a plate, so there is a bottom lip that's in the way to attach any plate or tile in the central tubes... Any other element with 1x1 or 1x2 studs fits rather tight in the tubes, tighter than other anti-studs but it's a perfectly legal building technique as far as I know...


text:
How to pose figs in LeoCAD?
I’m new to LeoCAD. I find it’s easy to add regular minifigs or Technic figures to a model, but I can’t find a way to pose them. For instance I could build a car and add a driver, but the figure is standing up by default and I can’t find a way to bend its legs so it can sit in the car. Are figures not poseable?

They are certainly posable in LDraw so I would assume the same holds for LeoCAD.


text:
1x1 round plate with studs on both sides
I apologize for the poor picture quality, but can anyone identify this piece I found in my collection. It's a 1x1 round plate with studs on both sides. It looks similar to Wheel Center Small with Stub Axles (Pulley Wheel)
 but it's smaller.

Do the studs say Lego?

The studs are the open/hollow kind, so there's no trademark.

My best guess is what @Joost already answered.

It looks like the double stud part of a 4081b Plate, Modified 1 x 1 with Light Attachment - Thick Ring where the 1x1 plate part broke off.

It comes in a couple of metallic colors
Does your part has a break mark?

yes, there appears to be a bit of a nub where something was broken off.  So, I guess Ican't just buy these on bricklink, right?

Well, you can. But: some disassembly required.

I don't know the make, but I have one of these and there is no sign of a break mark so seems to have been made like this.
Could possibly be one of these Cobi 1X1 1/3 Duo parts:


text:
Millenium Falcon 75192 Disassembled Storage
I recently bought the Millenium Falcon 75192 and built it. I would now like to take it apart and store it. I don't have a LEGO collection, and would like to store it in a way that I won't have to dig for pieces for hours when I want to build the set again.
What would be the most compact and best organised way of storing this set disassembled?

I doubt disassembly will save much space? It looks pretty densely built to me. Can’t you just put it in a box with plenty of packing materials?

I don't have a big place that would fit the Falcon, I do have cupboards that can fit smaller boxes.

The 75192 Millenium Falcon has 7513 Parts (as I'm sure you know) and so you're going to need to a lot of space to be able to store it.  While there are lots of great databases for LEGO parts and sets there isn't anybody who organized parts lists based on the bags in the instructions.  So you're going to be dealing with all of the parts from all of the bags during disassembly and when you get back to reassembly.  Given all of that, I would take it apart gradually and as I went I'd:

Sort the parts by color and shape.  It is good to have lots of plastic bins or cutlery trays to keep it sorted.
Bag up the minifigs.  They're mostly unique and you might as well keep them assembled in a bag instead of risking losing some of the parts.
Bag up the parts.  You will need ziplock or clear plastic bags in different sizes.  In some cases you will have so many of one part in one color that it is easy to just put it all in one bag.  In other cases you will have only a few and so you might put all of the different colors of one part in a bag.  Or you might put all of the bricks in one bag to save bags if there aren't many different bricks.
Consider printing out the part list from bricklink and verify that you aren't missing any parts.
Box up the bags and label the box.

I've had great luck with getting all sorts of different sized ziplock backs from Amazon or Uline.  One thing to keep in mind is that you don't need them to be air-tight or water-tight.  Using a hole-punch to make a hole in the plastic bag will allow air to go in and out and so it doesn't form a balloon in your box.

"Using a hole-punch to make a hole in the plastic bag will allow air to go in and out and so it doesn't form a balloon in your box." Or you can just leave one bit of its zip open while you squeeze the air out before sealing it.

I would think a pinhole would be safer for making sure really small parts don't disappear (like 1x1 round tiles, or light saber blades).

The most compact way would be to disassemble the set only partially, to eliminate all empty volume but keep the parts connected, as a bunch of loose parts take up more volume as the same parts assembled. Sure, that way you will either miss out on the whole building process of will have to start by completely disassembling everything the next time.
Or if you have a LOT of time: to pick everything apart, sort the pieces, then connect the similar pieces into solid blocks for compact storage:

First of all, sort by form or size, not color. You can sort by color, but it is only suitable if you have large amount of exactly same part (no variations) and can keep them together or if they are all different in size but quite large. Otherwise, it will be a nightmare to search for that one small part in a stack of same colored elements.
Although, I have not disassembled sets with this much parts, but my largest Technic sets are being diassembled into 5 portions. I have never had a problem assembling them back.
Here it works for me:

First portion contains all smallest bits: all Technic pins and anything else shorter than 3 studs;
Next portion is dedicated for parts about up to 5-6 studs long (depends on set's content);
Then I collect something about up to 9-10 studs long;
Everything larger or bulk goes into here;
Any delicate, minifigs, larger Trans-* colored, printed or stickered elements no matter what size they are go here. Some may then be packaged individually.

I would then advise storing each portion in ziplock bags. One or another portion could be quite big and won't fit into one ziplock, so just split them. If you used size as as sorting method you won't even need to label ziplock bags as it will be easy to distinguish just by looking at the size of packaged elements.

Definitely recommend organizing by type and not worrying about color.  For same size plates, offset stacking is a great idea.  I just finished disassembling 75192 UCS Millennium Falcon.  I picked up four tray organizers to help with the sorting.  I originally set out to back-bag the whole thing, starting with bag 17, but that approach is very difficult.  Now that I have some general organization, I plan to start bagging everything up, beginning with bag one.  This would be much easier if I had an inventory of each bag.  I wish someone smarter than me would get that website going.  I would contribute!  If I can easily generate a spreadsheet for 75192 of inventory by bag, I'll try to post it to Bricklink or somewhere.

That was my exact thought, an inventory of each bag would be helpful. I've looked around online but haven't found anything. Would you share any images of how you've ended up storing the entire set? I still have the Falcon laying around at home and want to start disassembling when I finally have some free time again!


text:
Advise on my mine
I'm building an old west mine.  My goal is for the mine to burrow into a mountain with tunnels and miners inside.  The front view will be railroad going into the entrance with a light bluish gray foundation. the back view will be of inside the mine with miners, gold deposits, maybe some spiders and other creepy crawlies.  For the mountain itself, my current plan is to play a series of receding  facet pieces on either side topped with some 1x5x4 arches.  Here's some pictures of what I've got so far: google link.
My questions are

Do you have any advice for building the cavern into something closer to a quarter sphere - more cavernous, and less like a pyramid?
What are some good creepy things to put in the back of the mine, besides spiders?
I'm considering putting in a small body of water in part of the mine. Is there a way I can put some creepy little tentacles coming out of the water?

Creepy things? Well, some skeletons, obviously. And as for the tentacles, why have little ones? Go Sarlacc or go home! https://i5.walmartimages.com/asr/e5abaa94-4ff3-48c1-b5cb-e4ff211ef28f_1.ccc31ab58b2d7376dded0eeb5a1f977e.jpeg?odnHeight=612&odnWidth=612&odnBg=FFFFFF

Do you have any advice for building the cavern into something closer to a quarter sphere - more cavernous, and less like a pyramid?

Use a circle generator tool (like this one) to plot circles of descending diameter, which can then be built on top of each other - resulting in an igloo-like structure. A few irregularities could help the finished model look a bit more organic.

What are some good creepy things to put in the back of the mine, besides spiders?

Ants
Bees
Demon fish
Bats
Owls
Alligators
Frogs
Rats
Scorpions
Crabs
Snakes
Lobsters
Octopi (or octopuses?)
Snails
Evil pixies
Dragons
Tentacled slimy alien headclingers
Small rock monsters
Large rock monsters
Minecraft creepers (crawling)
The one singular killer beast of Caerbannog

I'm considering putting in a small body of water in part of the mine. Is there a way I can put some creepy little tentacles coming out of the water?

Sure, just add a spiked vine to a trans-blue jumper plate. Or to have a larger tentacle, build the water with a 1x1 part missing, and add an elephant tusk/dinosaur tail/alien tentacle part to a cone set in the 1x1 hole. Other parts could act as tentacles as well.


text:
Missing 1 of 6 bags to a set, how can I identify what parts are missing
I bought a used set and it has 5/6 bags.  How can I identify what parts are in bag 1 so I can order them?   Set is 7964

Lego's own building instructions will show you which bag you open when, so if you are willing to look at each step before bag 2 is used, they must have come from bag 1 (unfortunately, this includes minifigures).

This is fairly easy to do if you add all the pieces to a wishlist in Bricklink (go to the page for the set and then click on the Part Out link under My Wanted List. You can now go through the building steps from the manual and mark each piece needed in the wanted list. When done with the first bag you have a list of all the pieces you need, and you can order them straight away from Bricklink using the list and the Buy All option.)

This sounds like the easiest way to get this done at this point, but hopefully somebody will compile a database of these someday.  This is a good bricklink project for TLG to fund now that they've taken over. :)

I, for one, would prefer they spend their money elsewhere, instead of on maintaining a database that almost nobody ever uses. If they already have the data (and surely they must, to fill the bags) in such a way they could easily export to BrickLink (much less likely), then sure, why not.

Perhaps they would rather not share that data as not to help the clone brick manufacturers

True. They already publish it in the instructions, but there's a difference between making information available and making it easy. Anyone who wants to can measure a 2x4 brick, but that doesn't mean Lego needs to go out of their way to publish the size.

I'm not aware of any LEGO related online catalogs keeping track of individual bag contents. So there is no convenient way of knowing what's missing.
One way is to do as mentioned by RSchulz, but I find it tedious to identify each piece and make a note of them.
If you are willing to open the rest of the bags you could check against existing set inventories on Bricklink or Rebrickable. Such way you don't need to identify the name (the most tedious, probably), part number and color. Only thing is needed is to note the quantity you already have.

peeron.com used to have a bag field, but that hasn't been maintained for a long time.


text:
Is there any good comparison of Lego Electric systems?
Coming back to Lego after a 20 year break gave me headache when discovering the electric systems available. Is there a good comparison around or could we make one here? What connector fits, what voltages etc. What will my 9V system fit with? Anything compatible with Mindstorms?

Is this what you are looking for: https://bricks.stackexchange.com/questions/1605/what-are-the-electrical-properties-of-electric-lego-systems It could use some updates to cover Powered Up.

That looks spot on, wonder why it didn’t show up when searching. Anyhow, thanks!

Guess it need update with power up and the new robot inventor system.

I've expanded and updated that answer to include Powered Up.

@jncraton wow great!


text:
EV3 file opens to lobby and won’t open any of the saved programs on it
Help!! I am using the Mindstorms app on a HP laptop to program missions to an EV3 brick for a robotics team.  We saved our programs yesterday after finishing programming a couple missions. Today, the file will only open in Mindstorms to the lobby with no programs opening at all!  The file itself says I last saved to it yesterday, and it says there is 40 KB in there, but it won’t open.  I have tried restarting computer and Mindstorms app, sending the file to another computer with that app (won’t open) and searching for it saved somewhere else on the laptop…all a no go! I have also opened last years file and it opened just fine, so I don’t think it is the Mindstorms app.  Can anyone help with suggestions on how to get my file opened and get the programs back?  We have 2 1/2 months of programming on there and we have qualifiers in 3 weeks!

I’m voting to close this question because this question is not about LEGO but rather about recovering files in Microsoft Windows.

Do you have a backup copy of the file available (possibly an older version) ? Can you open the ev3 file as a zip file (and if so what's in it) ? Did you transfer the program to the ev3 brick ?

I agree with Phil: this question has little to do with the site's scope. Still, I feel sorry for you for losing all your hard work - this must be truly terrifying to you all. What you still can do: 0) Create a backup of everything that is left NOW. 1) Try to find older versions to restore. 2) Try to rename a copy of the file to .zip and open it, comparing it to a working file. 3) Get in touch with the Mindstorms app developers / maintainers - they might have a tip about possible backup file locations or recovery steps.

I don’t think this question is about LEGO, but rather about Microsoft Windows (assuming that is what runs on the laptop) and hence it doesn’t fit here on this forum. However, here are some suggestions:

It looks like your file has been corrupted during the previous save. To prevent this in the future, it is best to make a copy of the program at the end of each day and keep it somewhere safe, for example on a USB thumb drive. This will also save you if your computer were to crash some day.
In the meanwhile, try going to the File Explorer in Windows, find the saved file and right-click on it. Hopefully it shows something like “show versions” which might allow you to find the state of the file from a previous save.
If that option is not there (and it very well might not be), use this as an opportunity to teach your grouo about the value of backups, and redo the programs. If this is for FLL, you might have printouts of the programs for your binder, which you can use to recreate the program?

Good luck.


text:
Are Technic and Education sets overpriced because they're "educational"?
It seems like to get a Technic set of any substantial size costs hundreds of dollars. It's kind of insane. Technic is marketed as "educational". Sometimes I wonder if The LEGO Group is assuming all parents who value educational toys are loaded.
I realize LEGO can be pricey in general, for various reasons. But whether you measure it by weight in plastic or number of pieces, does being Technic or Education make sets more expensive on average?
Of course we have to take into account when a set has a motor or other electrical parts, but I've seen sets that are all plastic, seeming to be priced above average, possibly just because they have a lot of gears and other "machine" parts.

In order to make this question answerable more details are needed. Especially which sets you have in mind. There could be reasons why certain sets are valued higher or lower, compared to others, some (but not all) of the reasons could be: age, size, distribution area, production numbers, and so on. Another thing to mention is that Technic isn't the same as Education as they are targeting different audiences. It would be nice to have country/region mentioned as well, since it is known that various themes have different interest in each region, which could affect the pricing as well.

@Alex Okay, all fair points. I will try to provide some more examples and expand my question. It might not happen today though, so please bear with me.


text:
Boost on laptop
How to manage the Boost set using laptop (with Windows)?
It seems that the Boost Application for Windows 10 earlier available on Microsoft Store is no longer working:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/p/lego-boost/9nzn5q1ck1qk
I tried BlueStack emulator of Android to use mobile version of Boost Application. It installs properly, but now the problem is that the emulator doesn't support Bluetooth connection:
https://support.bluestacks.com/hc/en-us/articles/360061235612-Bluetooth-support-on-BlueStacks-5
Are you able to somehow use your laptop to code and run Boost?

Sorry to hear that windows is no longer supported. Feels like a mistake


text:
Is there a parts list for Light Stax pieces anywhere?
Light Stax is a clone product that focuses on electrically lit bricks.
It basically works like the 1990s era Lego 9V connector plates - contacts embedded into studs and negative studs, so any Light Stax pieces you put on top of each other do not only hold together physically, but also conducts electricity.
On the Light Stax website, some of the boxes are shown from various sides, which reveals a parts listing of a couple of sets, but there does not seem to be a complete listing of available parts anywhere. For instance, the box photo of the connectors and cables set reveals there are also unlit conductor plates.
Is there a complete list of the different parts (especially the ones that are not just bricks, but that have any of the power functions) Light Stax produces anywhere?

The building instructions on the website do have a part list of the respective set. However, I am not aware of a complete list.


text:
Attaching a laptop to a table
I want to give my minifigs a few laptops. Specifically, 62698 "minifigure utensil, laptop"s:

I've seen laptops in sets and MOCs, but always either (a) closed, being held in a minifig hand or clip, or (b) open, laying on top of a tiled surface (like a desk), unattached.
But instead I want the laptop to lay securely on top of a table/desk while open. By "securely" I mean "if I shake the model, the laptop should remain in place" (no need for technic-level sturdiness).
AFAIK, an open laptop is too thin to be held by a clip, and has no obvious way of fitting over studs. What technique(s) can I use to attach an open laptop to a table?

If you're not limited to pure LEGO solutions, a tiny piece of blu-tac rolled flat could work?

I would like to avoid adhesives. Besides, blu-tac doesn't qualify as [tag:building] :-D

Do rubber bands count as building? A Technic plate underneath with a rubber band through the holes would surely be sturdy enough for a little shake.

Rubber band was first thing on my mind too, but they rarely come in Black color. There are some larger size, but they are a little pricey. Maybe string with end studs could be used to instead of rubber band.

I guess I could use sewing thread. Put laptop on top of 2x2 tile, wrap sewing thread around both, place tile on studs, thread underneath tile gets stuck. But I was hoping for a solution which doesn't involve flexible parts (or folded used sticker sheets, for that matter)

You can use elements with clips to hold the laptop on 2 or 3 sides so it won't move when shaken.

I can't test this idea as I don't own that laptop piece, but wouldn't the flat circular end of a minfig lever / antenna fit into the front slot of the laptop?

@zovits I just tested that out in LeoCAD and, in theory, there's a fit. The width of the laptop is roughly equal to the width of the lever base gap (less than 1 LDU difference, in any case). I think it's also possible to clip the screen part of the laptop (AKA top half) to a lever base. I currently lack a lever to test this physically.

Having received a copy of 41755 Nova's Room as part of the 2024 Q1 Activity Support I could test my idea mentioned above - but it turns out the handle slot of the laptop piece is just a hair too small for the flat end of the antenna lever piece:

Undeterred, I kept searching for possibilities and even managed to find some solutions that offered a somewhat stable but definitely illegal connection, made possible by the flexibility and thinness of the laptop material at the slot:

Of course, integrating these connecting pieces into any kind of meaningful MOC is a nontrivial challenge in itself. Not that the Legoland OSHA would approve of them for office use, anyway. But the flame piece might even serve as a power LED (with the possibility of adding actual lighting from below!) if the rest is hidden well.
Another solution is offered by the thickness of the lower part, which can just be held by a Plate, Modified 1 x 1 with U Clip Thick (Vertical Grip) (presumably other clips would be compatible too), if the protruding upper half of the clip is not a visual problem. (Suggested by Hugo)

Or, for more absurd options, one claw of a chain piece can also fit in the same slot - but only if the other claw has free space in front of the laptop.

Then I recalled that a childhood friend, Johnny T. has exactly such a laptop in his office on the Ice Planet, so I asked him to provide some details about his desk and the attachment solution he devised (the same idea suggested by RSchulz).

Apparently, he simply used a black rubber band (presumably from a decommissioned 8000 Pit Droid) to hold the laptop to a black tile, a black 1x2 brick to hold the band taut, and built a desk with two holes for the rubber band to pass through the surface.

The black color of the desk surface and the back wall underneath helps camouflage the openings and the retro desk lamp actually supports the screen of the laptop to prevent it from tipping backward onto its spine.

I hope some of these ideas can serve as an inspiration. And if anyone has other ideas, I'd gladly give them a try.

Great pictures, amazing variety of ideas.  Brilliant work.  Bravo.  Bravo.


text:
How To Ensure Only One Brick is Fed Into a Lego Sorting Machine at a Time?
In this video, they create a machine that can take a bunch of legos put on to a conveyor belt and, using a camera, sort them into a number of categories. I am building a (smaller) version of this, and a problem I am running into is how to take the dozens of bricks from the conveyor belt and feed them into the sorter one at a time. The bricks are all different sizes and shape.
In the video, they use a vibrating sloped plate (seen at 1:49) to prevent bricks from being on top of each other.
However, I can’t seem to get the slope or vibration quite right, or get it stable enough so that it doesn’t fall apart.
Is there another way this can be done, or is there direction on how to do this anywhere?

Do you have any photos, videos or illustrations of what yo have built so far? It sounds like an good question and I would be interested to know more about your build so that we can help give an answer.


text:
mindstorms ris2 on XP memory error
I have installed mindstorms ris 2.0 on an XP system. Initially it worked fine now I get an “insufficient memory” error. I have reinstalled and tried a different hard drive. No change. Possibly the usb tower is plugged into a different port, should this matter? Any ideas?

I honestly feel really bad you're having so much trouble getting this working for your grandson. I have a classroom set of Robotics Invention System kits I still use to teach robotics, and it's really frustrating the hoops we have to jump through to get the software working on even semi-modern hardware. Kudos to you for sticking to it!

Thanks for that. I started out teaching this back in 99 had a classroom set that worked well also used Dacta, which I still have an interface but want to get two copies of Mindstorms working first.

In response to the error:
"A critical error has occurred. You may be running out of memory, or you may need to reinstall Robotics Invention System 2.0"

This is a bug with the Quicktime version (4.0?) installed with Mindstorms. Two possible solutions:

https://wittykeegan.blogspot.com/2011/12/running-lego-mindstorms-ris-20-on-newer.html
https://listserv.jmu.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A3=ind0911&L=VADCFLL-L&E=quoted-printable&P=1799439&B=--0-2097542931-1259040070%3D%3A26632&T=text%2Fhtml;%20charset=utf-8

To summarize:

Delete the following temporary file. You may need to make Hidden Folders visible to see the AppData/Application Data folder:
Vista/Win7: C:\Users<user>\AppData\Local\Temp\Ris 2.0.mov.#res
XP: C:\Documents and Settings<user>\Application Data\Temp\Ris 2.0.mov.#res

In some cases Step 1 fixes the problem entirely. Sometimes the file reappears and the error message returns. In this case, it's helpful to have a script which automatically deletes the file and launches Robotics Invention System. Copy the following code into notepad, then save as "LaunchRIS.bat":

@echo off

rem Author: Keegan Witt
rem Description: Deletes temp file that prevents RIS 2.0 from launching correctly on newer versions of Windows then launches RIS 2.0

del "%TEMP%\Ris 2.0.mov.#res"
if %PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE% == x86 (
    "%PROGRAMFILES%\LEGO MINDSTORMS\RIS 2.0\LaunchRis2.exe"
) else (
    "%PROGRAMFILES(X86)%\LEGO MINDSTORMS\RIS 2.0\LaunchRis2.exe"
)

Make sure this is saved as a .bat and not a .txt! In notepad's Save-As dialog box, select filetype "All Files" before you type in "LaunchRIS.bat" so it doesn't automatically add the .txt extension.
Double click the script to run it. For convenience, you can make a shortcut to LaunchRIS.bat and use that instead of the default shortcut. You can even change the icon back to the yellow RCX brick by selecting the LaunchRIS2.exe executable in the shortcut properties.

If the problem persists, it's possible you already have a later version of Quicktime installed which is conflicting with the version installed by RIS. Open the add/remove programs menu from the Windows control panel to see what Quicktime versions are on your system. Then do the following:

Uninstall all versions of Quicktime
Reinstall Quicktime 4 from the RIS installer
Reinstall the later version of Quicktime to a different install directory so the two versions can coexist better

Thanks for that I will try it but I think I have found an easier fix. I have set up another user and it seems to be working on that…….almost, it won’t recognise the usb tower…yet. I am working on that.

Possibly try reinstalling the USB tower driver? I know there was at least one revision after RIS 2.0 was released. See here: https://www.philohome.com/sdk25/sdk25.htm

Thanks for that have downloaded. The working second user has now stoped with the same memory error grrrrrrrr

The troublesome temporary file I described above reappears when RIS is launched. Have you tried deleting it yet? You may not even need to go past step 1 to fix this.

No temp directory found. I did a file search and that did not find the file. Reinstalled QuickTime from mindstorms and now get an error “QuickTime error detected, please reinstall QuickTime from RIS” tried several times same error. Any other ideas ?

Got it working with QuickTime installed from the mindstorms folder. First, though I couldn’t find the files shown above, I did a search for all QuickTime files on C:, there were lots in various directories, and deleted them all! I reinstalled mindstorms, without QuickTime then did a separate install of QT. So far that works. The tower is not working yet but that is next when I have tried starting the computer and MS a few time to ensure the QT error has gone.


text:
2 Questions, 1: LDD V4.3.12 not connecting to internet 2: I can't find any EV3 electric parts
(I'm new to LDD)
Hi, I'm trying to use LDD for designing a robot for my Lego Robotics Class. It's just whenever I launch LDD, it just keeps saying that I'm not connected to internet and asking if I want to launch offline mode. (This may be fixed when the internet is fixed) I also can't find any EV3 parts in the menu's for that sort of stuff. I've tried the filter thing and it did nothing, so I don't really know what to do for either problem.
Any help?


text:
Blue transparent piece

Which piece is this? Seems space related.

On bricklink, that's called Trans-Light Blue Windscreen 5 x 2 x 1 2/3 with design number 6070 and item numbers 607042 or 6153478.

What sets does it appear in that color, out of curiosity?

@nick012000 - Just click the BrickLink link! All the info is there. Here, a shortcut for you, it says there are 12 sets with this piece in this colour: https://www.bricklink.com/catalogItemIn.asp?P=6070&in=S

@Vilx- The Bricklink link didn't seen to be working fore on mobile, since it went all greyed out and unresponsive, but on a second look, it seems like the issue was a cookie permission popup that appeared outside the field of view of my phone screen.

@nick012000 - Ahh, yes. Been there, done that! Glad you could figure it out. :)


text:
Identifying blue dragster?
I have bought this model as is without building instructions. So I don't know if this is an original model or a fantasy car.
I'm interested whether this is a original LEGO model, which one it is and if there are instructions available to rebuild it / let my son rebuild it.

I suppose it is older as there is a big figure in it (bigger than a minifig), with bendable arms.
special bricks: the motor parts are translucent

This is definitely a MOC - as noted in the answer below, parts used to build it come from various sets. And looks like this was build quite long time ago with much more limited set of bricks, thus making it it great looking model in my point of view. I would clean it and keep it. Or improve slightly with period correct bricks.

It's the work of a very imaginative and talented child I'd think, as such it certainly has value...

Inclined to think this is someone's own creation rather than an original LEGO Model.
First hint, I could identify the 2x3 slope with the X on bricklink here:
https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=3298pb016
And this element only seems to be available only in 3 sets, none of which are a blue dragster or even Technic sets for that matter.
Also, the sticker with the red X and the three lines is part 6567stk01 which only appears in one set, and should be applied on a 1x6 black brick, not on blue technic liftarm.
Likewise, searching for motor blocks (both types) in sets in trans-clear color also doesn't turn up anything.
There's also quite a bit of a mismatch between the elements in the model... studded Technic, non-studded technic, city elements, old tires, new tires,...
Also, the quality of the build and aesthetics are not up to the level of an actual Lego model in my opinion...

I think it would be great to document even though it's not a "professional" model.  OP and Son can take it apart and put it back together with some improvements or make two of them.

What would you like to see documented about it ?

Thanks for that identifying, although I could imagine that one single brick would be used as spare part from another set for replacing an original one. This happend once in a set I bought in a garage sale where the instructions were included and where we in the rebuild noticed some replaced single parts (probably the original parts were lost and replaced with similar ones). Maybe the stickers with the same X could give some hints.

The X indicates the city subtheme "Extreme team". There are 21 sets in this subtheme according to rebrickable, none of them are dragsters of this size. There are also quite a bit of other elements to help identify this set, the wedges in blue are probably also unique enough, also the wheels...


text:
Black Universal Joints
I'm seeking black universal joints for a project. Do these exist in genuine LEGO form? I'm guessing the answer is no, despite hints (here and here). Ideally, I'd like the 3L size.

Do you know of a non-LEGO source that sells black u-joints?
Do you know if dying the standard gray LEGO u-joints black is possible, especially given that these parts are relatively small and complex?
Do you know if any rapid manufacturing process, e.g., 3D printing, could produce a nice u-joint?

They don't show up as black in any inventory, but that doesn't rule their existence out. But they do seem unlikely to be available by the usual not-in-set means (test bricks, Pick-a-Brick wall, etc.). As far as coloring, I'd think it'd be a lot easier to dye (or paint) something light to be black instead of the other way around.

I'd also recommend searching for "build your own lego universal joint" - some of the solutions may be exactly what you're looking for.

@RSchulz I don't see why you couldn't post your comments as an answer.

Don't think painting UJ's is a good idea, the hinge points are rather small and paint likely would add friction there or glue the hinge points fixed...

@RSchulz I don’t think a build-your-own would work for my project. I’m looking for the 3L u-joint specifically.

@Alex I appreciate the note of confidence, but I was hoping someone would have something positive and more helpful to say. Mine is all speculation and doom and gloom. And I agree with (no at allowed) Michael Verschaeve that this part seems like the worst case scenario for painting.

There is one on thingiverse. I haven't tried it.


text:
Identification tool for LEGO parts
I wounder if a lego part identification tool or POC already exist?
I would like to try to build a small POC software using a such recognition concept. Where should I look first?

Possible duplicate of https://bricks.stackexchange.com/q/550/13403 and/or https://bricks.stackexchange.com/q/6064/13403 :-)

See also https://brickit.app/ - although details of the internal workings are rather scarce. And read https://towardsdatascience.com/machine-learning-lego-image-recognition-using-virtual-data-and-yolov3-f12e0544012 too.

Instabrick has been around for a couple of years. That is the only product that I'm aware of that has actually made it to market, though plenty of other people have talked about building their own.


text:
Grill decal on a sloped white piece
In this bag there is a grill decal on a slope white piece and a minifigure in a black suit with brown hair.  what set would this belong to?

BrickLink calls the part 3297pb051 Slope 33 3 x 4 with Black and Pearl Dark Gray Vertical Grille Pattern and it's only in 75302 Imperial Shuttle

I initially made a mistake and used 3297px4 Slope 33 3 x 4 with Black and Dark Gray Horizontal Grille Pattern but BrickLink has an entry This Item is similar in pattern to the following Item(s): which saved me there.


text:
There are tan and gray pieces
And the two flame pieces, with smaller bag inside.

Indeed there are. What's your question though?

I started looking at sets containing a 6L technic axle in red, and I soon came across 60216-1 Downtown Fire Brigade :

Your bag looks like it contains the main building there - 1x6x5 tan panels, 1x4 bricks with brick pattern, 1x6x1 grey arches, they're all in there.


text:
The bag includes a minifigure, whites, grays, and black
windows, doors, and blue opalesence parts.  minifigure with dark gray suit but I have no clue on these.

Using orange Tile Round 2x2 with hole and white Brick 1x16 I found 60228-1 Deep Space Rocket and Launch Control. This set also has windows and rounded white pieces visible in the bag.


text:
many round white pieces and gray
I don't see any parts that are unique here.

Based on the number of 4515347: PLATE 4X4 ROUND W. SNAP in white, this bag is from
75302: Imperial Shuttle


text:
Only green parts and there is no bag number for this bag
Three different colors of green in this bag.

Does this answer your question? How can I identify Lego sets from a box of parts?

11005-1 Creative Fun based on Lime Slope, Inverted 45 2 x 2 with Flat Bottom Pin, Green Brick, Round 2 x 2 with Axle Hole, Lime Tile, Round 2 x 2 with Bottom Stud Holder


text:
This bag has reds, yellows, grays, blacks, and wheels
This bag has reds, yellows, grays, blacks, and wheels.  Includes a shovel.

60183-1 Heavy Cargo Transport based on White Tile, Round 2 x 2 with Open Stud, Red Plate, Modified 1 x 8 with Door Rail, Dark Bluish Gray Plate, Round 4 x 4 with Hole


text:
I just finished the typewriter set and everything works fine but the type-bar is a little higher than it should be. Is there any way of fixing it
The typewriter works perfectly fine. The only problem is the typebar being a little higher than it should be.

Please add a photo to your question.

I've built this set and the typebar that works is more raised than the others. I believe that is intentional/unavoidable, but one thing you can do is raise the other ones to be more inline with the middle one.


text:
Are there any resources with 3D models of every Chima piece w/prints?
I'm looking for Chima pieces for a 3D animation project. Preferably compatible with Mecabricks. The characters in question do not matter though I would like if the resource had parts from an Ice Bear minifigure. I have tried LDraw and they only have parts for Worriz.


text:
Plate perpendicular to bottom of square brick/plate: is this connection legal?
This is closely related to the question about jamming plates underneath 2x2 round bricks, (and indeed prompted by a comment there), with differences explained later.
It is possible to attach a plate (or tile) to the underside of a square rectangular brick/plate/tile, between the wall and the tubes, like so:

Note how the distance between a brick's wall and its inner tube seems to be the same as the thickness of a plate:

A few observations:

This connection feels looser (seems to have less clutch) than using a round brick.

For 1-stud-wide plates, this connection doesn't guarantee a straight angle. The edge of the plate sits loose inside the brick.

For post-2005 regular bricks (i.e. non-sloped), since they have thinned walls with notches at every stud, the connection is particularly flimsy. A 1-stud-wide plate just won't get any grip at all.

The walls of rectangular bricks are connected to each other, so bending a wall "outwards" (to jam a plate/tile inside) means bending or stressing the perpendicular walls (as far as I understand the physics of solid materials).

So:

Is this connection "legal"? (i.e.: Does this connection stress the parts involved?)

Has this type of connection been used in any official sets?

I'm guessing the "thinned walls" comment is the key indication that Lego doesn't consider it legal - otherwise they'd have had to preserve the old style of wall.

Would this connection be considered "in system"? it seems the parts are offset by half a plate in two dimensions, and half a stud in the other, which would be in system.

Indeed - the offset is 4 LDUs (half a plate) in two axes. The plate, however, can slide along the third axis. This becomes obvious when using a 2x8 brick: a plate/tile can slide between the wall and the tubes.

To answer your second question: The technique was used by Lego in 1976's set 726 (12v Western train with 2 Wagons and Cowboys), to attach the horse's tail.
See page 13 of the instructions:

Amazing! And look at the old legs used for the horse, too!

I'm not quite sure this is still legal, keeping in mind 46 years have passed since quoted use in 726 set. There are cases where TLG used certain building techniques, but then marked them as "illegal".

@Alex: That's why I didn't venture an opinion on the 'is this [currently] "legal"?' part of the question.

Great find! I remembered this technique from when I was a kid, but didn't know if it was in a set, or discovered by me. I could only find 'plate between studs' connections.

Some anecdotal evidence against legality: I have built such connections with rather old plates a long time ago and one of the outer plates failed (the wall breaking off). So it certainly puts the plates under some stress.


text:
Convert 9V train to Powered Up
This is a follow-up from question "Can I convert my train 9V 4563 to the Power Functions motor?", now that Power Functions motors have been phased out in favour of Powered Up motors.
How can I convert a train locomotive from the 9V system to the Powered Up system?
Let's assume the oldest 9V locomotive, the one from set 4563-1.

This is possible, if you place the hub in the closed van and couple the van behind the locomotive. Swapping out the 9v motor for the Powered Up motor is straightforward; you will then need to remove a 1x2 brick from the back of the locomotive cab and a 1x2 panel from the front of the van to allow the wire to pass through.
I would also suggest modifying the van roof so that it is easier to reach the power switch on the hub.
Adding lighting using 88005 is left as an exercise for the interested reader.

That's neat! Would it be possible to place the cable further down, closer to the couplings, in order to hide it a bit?

I think you could replace the rear light prism brick with a couple of headlamp bricks and run the cable between them, if you wanted it at that height.

Let's assume the oldest 9V locomotive, the one from set 4563-1.

I don't think you can convert that locomotive without dramitically changing it's appearance.
The basic components of a powered-up locomotive are a train motor and a hub, the train motor is basically the same size/shape as the old 9V track powered motor but the hub is a large additional component to accomodate.
There are a few different hubs, but the one included in the train sets is 4 studs wide. That basically means that either the section of the locomotive where the hub is located ends up at least 6 studs wide, or the sides of the hub and possiblly the connectors plugged into the hub will be visible.
It may be possible to put the hub in a wagon pulled behind the locomotive to try and preserve the appearance of the locomotive, but I expect wire management to be a challange.

4563 includes a closed van; it is very likely possible to put the hub in the van and couple the van behind the loco. I have done this with 12v trains of similar dimensions such as 7760 and the diesel-outline alternative build of 7730.


text:
Does the LEGO Mario app support three player?
There are 3 playable characters currently in the LEGO Mario theme (Mario, Luigi, and Peach).

The app makes a two player mode available. Is it possible to play with all three characters in the app?

I ran into this issue recently. Unfortunately, this is not currently supported in the LEGO Mario app. Any two characters can be used together (even matching characters), but you can't connect more than two characters simultaneously.
This was clear in the app update that added support for Peach (emphasis added):

LEGO Peach comes with a bunch of new reactions and can be connected to either LEGO® Mario™ or LEGO® Luigi™ (sets are sold separately) to win bonus coins for teamwork.

Subsequent updates have not upgraded the multiplayer mode to support additional players.


text:
Help identifying sealed Lego Bag 4 from 2017 set long red flat pieces, blue flames, green bricks, blue tint windows misc small black parts
Need help to identify which set bag 4 came from?  Have a random bag #4.  No idea which set it goes to.  Bag label is 706R2. Bag year is 2017.  Has green bricks and red pieces, four blue flames, and 7 blue windows like pieces.

This appears to be the bag for the car wash in Town Center (60292):

Thank you so much!  You are amazing.


text:
When bricks with bottom holes were released?
I always try to build my sets with bricks from that era. The older ones and their release dates are pretty well known but what about that D variant in the picture with bottom pin holes ie. the modern LEGO block? When did we start to get them? From my understanding 80s sets did not have them yet but were they available already in the beginning of 90s?

Please [edit] your post to identify the source of the photo.

@shoover I took the photo myself :)

Do you mean "hollow tubes" when you say "bottom holes"? Then TLG has gone a bit back-and-forth on that for certain elements, and never considered them different elements, so they might have been mixed in some sets - and I have no year(s) for when it was (re-)inroduced/dropped for specific elements.

Well, yes and no. Around the 90s is a pretty big timespan. The 1995 social media quote is a bit better but there is no link to any social media post it uses as source. Also, would be great to get a more direct answer from a reputable source.

I don't see the cross support on C, you're missed 1 out. Was going to say that all of what I call pillars, not knowing that hollow in future, others call them tubes, have cross support, but now see 1×8 only on 1 2 4 6 & 7.


text:
Anyone identify this gold piece mixed with some vintage Castle, Pirate, etc sets/minifigs? No LEGO imprint, but all other pieces are LEGO
Gold piece next to minifig for size comparison.Interior of part.[]

There's plenty of space for a LEGO logo on that piece, so my guess is that the absence of such a logo is a major clue, so my guess would be that it isn't LEGO.

Thanks, Henrik. I was thinking the same thing but the gold matches the king’s crown perfectly. Since it would be the only non-LEGO piece in a box of about 1,000 vintage parts (yes, I verified every part), I just can’t imagine how this one random non-LEGO booger got in there. I’ve tossed several pieces away that I thought weren’t LEGO only to realize they were just unique LEGO parts - Oops! Maybe I’ll hang on to this one a few days. Thanks again :)

I believe the part in question is actually from the Wave 1 "Iron Man: The Animated Series" figure: Hydro Armor with “Deep Sea Weapons”.

(Image from https://www.action-figure-resource.com)
If you look at where the armor is "assembled", the piece in the thigh position (which will go on the forearm), seems to match the piece in question.
I actually have this figure, but can't get to it at the moment.


text:
How to get IR codes of Magformers RC?
Some of Magformers blocks comes with Remote Controller:

The controller is lost. Is there any way to get RC codes to use with some universal remotes (for ex., with Moes UFO-R11 or with Android app irplus)?
I tried RCs from other devices and also tried hundreds of devices from irplus, but it didn't help.

I’m voting to close this question because even though we accept questions about other clone brands that produce LEGO-like elements, but in this particular case it isn't related to bricks of any form or brand.

@Alex, there are similar questions about ir codes on this site.

It's not the IR codes that are relevant in this case (otherwise TV remotes were on topic too), but the nature of building blocks. While a point can be made about Magformers being a building system, IMO it's sufficiently different from LEGO and its on-topic clones that it might not belong on this site (just like with KNEX).


text:
How to run Power Functions LEDs from a 12v supply?
I am considering building a train that uses a 12v motor from the 1980s and Power Functions LED lighting. For this to work it would be necessary to run the Power Functions LED set from one of the 12v sockets on the motor.
Obviously the physical connection is not compatible, but it should be straightforward to remove the connector brick from a Power Functions cable and fit 12v-style plugs instead. Where I'd welcome information is the electrical aspect. Since the LEDs are designed for 9v,  exposing them to 12v may damage them, and they will need a resistor in series to reduce the voltage across the LED set to 9v.
Has anyone determined the correct value of the resistor? Or the current that the LED set draws at 9v, which would allow the necessary resistance to be calculated using Ohm's Law.

https://www.philohome.com/pf/pflights.htm
So the leds draw 2mA, a voltage drop of 12-9 = 3 V is required.
So Ohms law says you need about a 1.5 kOhm resistor in series to have the leds shine at the same brightness...
On the other hand, it could very well be that the only consequence of omitting the resistor is that the leds shine 30% brighter... you could test and monitor if the leds heat up. If you cut off power fast enough as soon as you feel them heating up, it's unlikely that they would be damaged.

It is very easy to burn out LEDs when you leave out the resister in my experience.  Even AA batteries can fry an LED without a resistor in seconds.

Note that there IS already a resistor internally of 4.7 kOHm, so you are not exactly short-curcuiting the LEDs. Knowing Lego, the resistor in place is probably on the safe side. What one could do is use a potentio-meter and regulate from the 1.5 kOhm slowly to 0 Ohm and see what is appropriate...

@user253751, perhaps you should expand your comment to an answer


text:
White bricks slightly different, real, fake or old?
These white bricks are slightly different, one of them has the copyright lego on the bottom and the other only has the ID number and some other numbers on the bottom, and the way light enters the brick is totally different (see photos)
They all have the Lego logo on the studs, however.
What is this?
Are they old, fake or just a mold variation?

These are almost certainly genuine LEGO elements. I've personally never encountered a clone brand that misused the LEGO trademark on bricks. The issue with the light that you described is well known.
TLG has adjusted the way to color is added to plastic, the color of the pigment used, and the amount of pigment used at various times. This leads bricks produced at different times to have slight color variations and differing levels of translucency. This is a known issue even in current sets. For example, LEGO is aware of an issue with the white tiles the Great Wave (31208) set:

Here's an example showing obvious color and translucency variation that was present in the tiles that was shared on the LEGO Ambassador Network:

Is there any explanation on why some of my bricks do not have a copyright symbol nor lego on the bottom?
As mentioned they still have the ID numbers and such.

@StarrySkies64 There have been many minor mold variations over the years. Here are some examples: https://bricks.stackexchange.com/a/17809/708


text:
Lego Creator - Ford Mustang 10265
I open the box I purchased - the box had been opened prior - no instruction manual nor stickers - not a big deal, but how do I know how many bags I'm supposed to have in the box. I watched video and someone said 11 - but his numbers 22 were different. I have 1, 11, 2, 3, 33, 4, 44, 5, 6, 66 - am I missing 22 and 55?   In total I have 1-6 big bags, and 11, 33, 44, 66 little bags. Help please. I don't want to open each bag and count the parts individually

There should indeed be 11 bags :

6 big ones numbered 1 through 6
5 small ones numbered 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 (each has the number on it multiple times, which seems to be why you mention 11, 33 etc.)
the instructions and sticker sheet are in a protective plastic bag as well.

So, you appear to be missing small bag number 2.


text:
Bags in Lego 21029 Buckingham Palace Architect
Does anyone know how many bags are in Lego set 21029 Buckingham Palace Architect set
Thanks in advance

Based on this video there are 5 unnumbered bags with few non-packed plates inside.


text:
Need to find the set these belong to
Need to find the set these belong to.
Blue octagon, a shooter, mostly black.
And bananas!

Vince, you have asked 55 questions so far and haven't accepted yet a single one. Please take the time to do so for the sake of those who took the time to help you - and for those who are looking for unanswered questions.

This belongs to Gorzan's Gorilla Striker (70008)

Identified by combination of following elements:
Dark Azure Plate, Modified 10 x 10 Octagonal with 6 x 6 Open Center. Dark Azure is the only shade of blue this part exist in, event though on a picture it looked like to be blue.
Projectile Arrow, Liftarm Shaft with Hollow Yellow Rubber End


text:
How can I build a Lego slope of a rough 50 degree angle with preferably legal building techniques?
I am currently building a functional Lego minifigure-scaled escalator that can transition from flat platforms to stairwell. My first iteration for its guiding rail includes a slope of ~39.5 degree inclination as thus:

And here is the first staircase which the guiding rail is designed around:

But now I've been looking into a newer staircase design that has an additional plate of thickness, and its slope is ~50 degrees as measured in Stud.io. Here are views of the staircase design with the guiding bars colored red:

And here are versions of the slope with attempts of hinge bricks and SNOT to uphold the slope angles:

Note that both slopes are not properly aligned with the studs regardless of hinge bricks or Technic connector pegs. On the left design, the colored bricks (blue is of the slopes, and green is aligned with the studs) had an offset that disallow peg connections; and on the right design, the gap between the hinge brick and the SNOT brick is actually thinner than a plate.
Is there any way of building a framework for this 50 degree slope? Preferably a legal method that produces minimal stress due to the technical nature of this build?
Please note that I have limited bricks at my disposal to physically test this out, and I don't intend to use Lego's dedicated escalator piece as it is incompatible with any of my designs.

You can always invert your "escalator piece" to use as a base as it will make exactly same angle. Then it is up to you how you want your guiding rail to be attached. Here's one idea:

Please note both Blue pieces may not alighn to stud/half-stud grid.

Any connection points where the ratio of the vertical separation to horizontal separation is 6/5 will do, one does not need to limit one-self to clips and bars... In my opinion however, a non-integral alignment along the hypothenuse is very undesirable...

The bar elements in your step part are vertically separated 3 plates and horizontally 1 module which is 2.5 plates. So the exact angle (rather than approximately measured) is atan (3/2.5) = 50.1944289 degrees.
You might want to consider designing a step part where the bars are separated vertically by 4 plates and horizontally by 3 plates (or vica versa) which gives a slightly steeper angle (53.13 degrees) so that the sides of the triangle describing the main stairs are in ratio of 3-4-5 (pythagorean triangle). As a bonus the multiple of 5 plates will correspond nicely with a multiple of 2 modules...

Making the step part 4 plates thick would make it rather tall for the average minifigure, therefore I would prefer designing a slope to accommodate the steps rather than the opposite. Also I don't understand what you mean by the latter, could you demonstrate with some kind of schematics?

Surely you've heard of Pythagoras ? A²=B²+C², where ABC is a right angled triangle A the length of the hypothenuse and B and C the lengths of the legs. A=5,B=3,C=4 is the best known such triangle... Any triangle in ratio 3:4:5 is easy to build in lego... if you can have the bars in the step forming a 3:4:5 triangle, creating a slope using legal techniques is easy. Anything else is difficult or impossible


text:
EV3 Education does not recognize NXT ultrasonic sensor
How do I get the NXT ultrasonic sensor to work in the Education EV3 Classroom application?

OK: I have connected a NXT ultrasonic sensor to the input port 1 of an EV3 control brick.
OK: For testing, one motor is connected to port B.
OK: In the EV3's "port view", I see that port 1 is reported as 1:NXT-US-CM.
OK: In the EV3's "port view", I see that port B is reported as B:L-MOTOR-DEG.
OK: A simple program in the EV3 Home Edition works: the motor turns according to the sensor output.
Problem: A simple program in the Education EV3 Classroom application does nothing. The application shows only the motor is connected. The ultrasonic sensor is not shown.

EV3 Home Edition:

Education EV3 Classroom application:

EV3 Classroom only supports LEGO EV3 sensors. It does not work with NXT or 3rd-party sensors.

Drat. Thank you. Can you provide a source?


text:
Purpose of the four rubber tires in The Globe set (21332)
I just finished building The Globe (set #21332), and I'm curious what the purpose of the four rubber tires on the interior of the model is (highlighted with red box):

I had hoped that towards the end of the construction process their purpose would somehow be revealed, but sadly that didn't happen.
My best guess is that they are some sort of counterweight to prevent the globe from always settling into a certain orientation, but due to the tilted axle and the overall weight of the rotating part there seems to be enough friction to prevent the globe from moving by itself. Also, the tires, though somewhat heavier than regular Lego parts, don't seem to be adding a significant amount of weight.
My second guess was that the tires are some kind of assembly aid that would help with handling the (admittedly somewhat unwieldy) globe in a later construction step. However, I did not encounter any point in the assembly process where those tires would have been helpful in some way.
Does anyone know what the actual purpose of these elements is?

It's indeed a counterweight for the landmass (plates and tiles) missing in the pacific part of the globe. Friction can vary on how tightly the model was built, or perhaps the globe wobbles slightly when motorized. Or perhaps the designers added this just in case...

I have received this set as part of the 2024 Q3 Activity Support, so now I can provide a sufficiently sourced answer. Spoiler alert: the obvious suspicion was true - the tires are to balance the Globe. But how much are they needed and how well do they work?
To find it out, I first built the Globe as intended, with all four tires anchored deep in the mantle. Then gave it a good spin, long enough to consider the position the Globe ground to an inevitable stop a truly random outcome, determined only by the weight distribution of the model. Then I noted the plate that was directly above the "The Earth" nameplate.
Then I repeated the above process (starting from the spin, I certainly didn't rebuild the Globe for each spin!) a nice round hundred times. Here are the results:

Equatorial tile above the nameplate
# of spins

East Atlantic Ocean
6

West Atlantic Ocean
4

East South America
8

West South America
9

East Pacific Ocean
8

Mid East Pacific Ocean
11

Mid Pacific Ocean
8

Mid West Pacific Ocean
5

West Pacific Ocean
1

East Polynesia
4

Mid Polynesia
7

West Polynesia
2

East Indian Ocean
7

West Indian Ocean
8

Mid Africa
5

West Africa
7

For reference, with 16 equatorial plates, each plate should have come up exactly 6.25 times. In hindsight, I should probably have spun the Globe an integer multiple of 16 times. Anyway, it can still be beautifully seen that the distribution is quite far from the ideal one expected from a uniform or at least a well-balanced globe.
Having "Mid East Pacific Ocean" come in at first place means the plate with the "Atlantic Ocean" tile is the heaviest and on the opposite side, "East Polynesia" directly north of the "Australia" tile is the lightest - with the tires in place as planned.
But what happens when the tires are removed?
The results quickly showed why this was a fool's errand, but here are the initial data points from the first 25 spins:

Equatorial tile above the nameplate
# of spins

East Atlantic Ocean

West Atlantic Ocean

East South America
18

West South America
6

East Pacific Ocean

Mid East Pacific Ocean

Mid Pacific Ocean

Mid West Pacific Ocean

West Pacific Ocean

East Polynesia

Mid Polynesia

West Polynesia
1

East Indian Ocean

West Indian Ocean

Mid Africa

West Africa

Clearly, this is not just "not 100% fair", like the above table provers for the tired version, but beyond broken. In fact, the Globe without its tires can't even stay in any other orientation, as the combined weight of the European and African plates pulls that hemisphere towards the arched support. The only fluke was when the heavier side somehow ended up on the highest point, in an unstable equilibrium, which nevertheless was attained due to the frictional forces overcoming the moment arm of the overweight plates.
So that is the purpose of the tires: to balance the model so that it can actually hold any orientation.
Otherwise, it just settles with the heavier side down:


text:
How could I add fire-like lighting to Rivendell?
I'd love to add lights to the Rivendell set to improve the look of the displayed model in low light.

Ideally, the lights would provide a flame-like effect where appropriate.
What is the best way to do this using official LEGO parts?

Here's a still photo showing the final look that I came up with:

Here's an animation attempting to capture the subtle flame effect:

Parts
I've used 3 City Powered Up hubs (28738) in this modification:

I used 5 Powered Up lights (88005-1) connected to those hubs:

I also used a few very common parts to make minor modifications to the model and secure the lights.
Modifications
This set is composed of three distinct sections that can be moved independently. I chose to maintain this independence for easy portability.
Left Section
From left to right, the first section is the tower and the bedroom. I chose the hide the battery box where the bookshelf would have been in the lower room:

The hub itself provides a modest amount of light on the lower level and drives an LED in the roof of the bedroom:

The second LED on that pair snakes up to the top of the tower:

Center Section
For the center section, I chose to hide the battery box in the roof. I found that it fits quite nicely once it gets wiggled into position:

One pair of LEDs is used to light the main section. I've attached them via 1x2 Technic bricks in the rafters above the shards of Narsil:

The second set of lights from this hub are split up. One goes to the small tower:

The other light is hidden in roof of the small structure jutting out from the main hall:

Right Section
One pair of lights is used under the bridge to accent the water. These are affixed to a pair of 1x2 Technic bricks placed under the bridge:

The second set of lights are split up. One provides general moonlight-like illuminate for the gazebo:

The final light is placed behind the fire for the forge. It is attached to a Technic brick that replaced the black panel behind the fire in the original build:

Software
I wanted to use the City Hubs for this project, as they are relatively small, widely available, and most compatible with System building. Unfortunately, these hubs can't be used without a constant connection to a smart device using the default firmware.
This limitation can be overcome using Pybricks. I wrote some basic code to the hub that would turn on any attached lights without the need for a smart device. From there, it is fairly straightforward to add a flickering algorithm.
While I was making things more complicated, I figured that it also made sense to leverage the RGB LED built into the hubs. I set this to also flicker in a nice orange hue. The code for all of this is available on Github if its useful to anyone.
I like the final look of the flickering quite well. Here's my attempt to capture it again:

Final Model
Here are few shots from various parts of the model showing off the lighting:

That's nicely done.  I saw something quite interesting about flickering a while back, but I can't find it now.  One thing that's interesting is that a flame that goes steady (after flickering) gets whiter as well as brighter. I played with flame flickering on a Arduino - it was quite effective but I don't seem to have uploaded the code anywhere.  You could simulate different fires flickering separately, but also a breeze causing them to behave in sync


text:
Brick, Round Corner and/or Plate, Round Corner with Curved Cutout fitting radius of 88293 - Brick, Round Corner 3 x 3 x 2 Dome Top
I would like to build a rounded edge with 713 - Plate, Round Curved 4 x 8 Right as base and the 88293 - Brick, Round Corner 3 x 3 x 2 Dome Top on top.
Are there any rounded corner bricks or rounded corner plates (with curved cutout) that fits the radius of the 713 and 88293?
Or is there a construction technique that closely matches the radius?

To my knowledge there are no 3x3 macaroni bricks like you'd really like to be able to use here. There are 2x2 and 4x4 macaroni bricks:

A 3x3 plate exists, but it actually has an outer radius of 2 and a short straight segment:

There are some parts that might be useful, depending on exactly what you are trying to accomplish. There is a 3x3 round window element that could be useful if you are willing to add glass from floor to ceiling:

There is also a half-circle panel in this radius the could be useful:

3x3 wedge bricks could be an option if you can compromise on having a truly round edge:

There are also various ways you can get close to this angle using studs-not-on-top techniques. This can be especially useful if you are going for a brick or stone look. Here's one example:

That's not quite the 3x3 corner you are looking for, but the basic idea could be adapted to best suit your particular needs.
Here are some other possible ideas from existing sets. The towers in Kinddoms Joust:

The lighthouse in Lighthouse Point. This uses 2x2 macaroni bricks to build a not-quite-round 3x3 corner:

The windows on the Pet Shop achieve a good estimation of this radius using 2x2 bricks and hinge plates:

Here's the technique in detail:

Hopefully something in there is useful for inspiration. Feel free to ask for clarification via comments or ask other new questions about how to solve specific issues in your build.


text:
Mostly gray with two dark gray wheels
Mostly gray with two dark gray wheels.
What set would they go to?

Half cylinder 3 x 6 plus Viking wagon wheel means 75292-1 The Razor Crest.


text:
Here I have mostly white and yellow Legos bu need the set they go to
Here I have mostly white and yellow Legos bu need the set they go to.
Can you help identify the set?

Pearl Gold Plate, Modified 1 x 1 with Tooth Vertical in pearl gold plus Plate, Modified 1 x 2 with 3 Teeth in white plus Slope, Curved 6 x 1 Inverted in bright light orange (not yellow!) means 41179-1 Queen Dragon's Rescue.


text:
I have these Legos that are reds, browns, and grays. Trying to find the set
I have these Legos that are reds, browns, and grays.  Trying to find the set.
What set would they go to?

Does this answer your question? Lego Gray, green, and black parts. What set would these parts belong to?

Turns out it's not a duplicate - I missed the 3x3 round tiles.

Base on 3 parts that identified:

8x8 plate w/ 4 feet (66790) in Red
4x4 plate w/ 4 feet (66792) in Dark Orange
And an 3x3 round tile (67095) in LBG

If finding all 3 identified parts on BL results.
This refers to set # 71380: Master Your Adventure


text:
I have these two bags. Top one is mostly grays. Bottom mostly whites with blues and yellows and one gold piece
I have these two bags.  Top one is mostly grays.  Bottom mostly whites with blues and yellows and one gold piece.  Would you know the set they go to?

The top bag appears to be from one of these two Death Stars (almost the same set).
Based on this search for sets with these three parts:


text:
Which alternative electric connector is compatible with 12V plugs?
Which alternative commercial off-the-shelf electric connector matches with the LEGO 12V connector?
Are there for example mini-banana-plugs which match with the LEGO standard?