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How can my daughter turn her horse into a unicorn?
Short of gluing the horn to the purple bow, which fits in the horse’s forehead, is there a LEGO piece that would enable her to connect the horn to the horse?

I do not think LEGO has produced such a piece, and it makes sense why. Such a small connector would be prone to breaking off during play.

Is "Use a dremel" an acceptable answer? :)

@Pod. Is it ever not an acceptable answer?

I think I just discovered my new favourite SE site :D

A 1x1 cone with an inverted positioned screwdriver just might work here.

So, I'm saying just might based off the the halved cast line of Peggy's head.

The base peg of the horn/drill-bit would be too wide for the hole, but based off the cast fault line, which I hi-lighted in blue, there is a greater chance for the plastic halves to ease the slimmer screw driver in versus the blunter horn/drill-bit peg.  I don't have this Pegasus on hand, but... it just might work here.
This Pegasus first appeared last year and is in only two sets.  I'm thinking the LEGO group just hasn't had the proper time to release a FRIENDS-line compatible accessory.
I see three choices:

We can gingerly test an illegal connection.
We can perform a Blasphemer's Lobotomy.
We can wait on LEGO to provide a piece.

EDIT:
While we wait for option three, let's play with what we got...

  PEGGA-BOO!

I think the screw driver would be a little too wide, and rectangular.

@AlexanderO'Mara I’m afraid you’re right.

@AlexanderO'Mara: Alas, I have to agree. I don't have the parts but I was curious, so I tried measuring the diameters based on the images in this question and its answer. If I'm not mistaken, the hair accessories in the image (which I assume match the OP's bow) have a pin diameter of ~1.5 mm (I'd guess the holes are probably 1.6 mm) while the screwdriver shaft is ~1.8 mm (and the tip is a little wider yet). Overlaying the images shows the size difference pretty clearly.

If the screw driver is too wide, you could always sand/cut it down a little.

If the problem is that the base of the horn is too big to fit in the hole on the chanfron you have to make the former smaller or the latter bigger.  Careful work with a file/scalpel, if you're good at that kind of thing.  Remember that it's a lot easier to take a bit more off than to put a bit back.
Odd that the bow doesn't use a standard size stud anyway (walks away mumbling something about the old days).

Today I learned the word "chanfron" (armor for a horse's face).

A possibility might be using Horse Battle Helmet (unicorn) parts 89524 or 13745:

However I'm unsure if those would fit. The head geometry of the horse part in question (93083c01pb08) seems to be wider than the geometry of the horses in the castle sets (e.g. 10352c01pb03)

If you're not afraid to modify (cut and/or bend) one of the horse helmets, they might just fit.

P.S.: If it has wings it's not a horse but a pegasus. (I know, I'm nitpicking here)

Adding to your nitpick, if it has wings and a horn, it's an alicorn or pegacorn (depending on source material), not a unicorn.

More specifically, outside of My Little Pony, alicorn is the horn of a unicorn.

@AustinHemmelgarn Well as long as we're nitpicking ;)... Using "pegasus" to refer to an entire species of flying horses rather than the specific Greek character, "Pegasus", is a more modern development. The "Narnia" books, for example, call such creatures simply "winged horses". So, really the more generic term would be "winged unicorn" rather than "pegacorn" (again, depending on source material).

A "pegacorn" is a pegasus with a horn. A creature so exceedingly rare it doesn't even exist in mythology. Not to confused with an alicorn, a unicorn with wings.

Yes, you can drill it. Slowly, by hand. You want to end up with a 1/8 inch bit, but I found it easier to step up using a couple of smaller bits to get there. The bit doesn’t need to go in very far when you’re drilling.
It’s certainly not for purists, but it suits my kids just fine

Wow, I'm amazed by the fact how close 1/8 inch (3.175 mm) size is to an officially known diameter of 3.18 mm "bar". Good to know.

It doesn't look like there's currently any way to make this connection by normal means.
While there are quite a few parts with similar 1.6 mm attachment holes as your daughter's horse has (including some mildly surprising ones like this ladybug), parts with the matching pins seem to be relatively few.  Basically all of them seem to be small ornaments like minifigure plumes and other headgear accessories, including some Friends accessories like your bow.  And as far as I can tell, none of them are really suited for attaching further parts.
Screwdrivers, as suggested by Rin Rio-Oki, probably won't fit: the shaft is slightly too thick, as you can see in this composite photo.  The tips of flower stems might fit, but even if that worked, it'd just look totally ridiculous.
So you'll probably have to resort to some "blasphemous" methods.  In that respect, I see two options worth considering:

Filing the base of your unicorn horn down to about half of its original diameter, as suggested by BlokeDownThePub, should let it fit into the hole.  It'll be tedious and fiddly work, and you could easily end up ruining the part entirely if you're not careful, but with practice it should be doable.  Of course, this also means that you won't be able to use the horn for its original purpose any more — although there are plenty of parts that should be able to make the connection in that direction, like the Round 1x1 with Bar and Pin Holder.
You could glue the horn to a part that already has a suitable pin, as you yourself suggest.  While you could use the bow you already have for this purpose, I'd suggest trying a Star with Pin accessory instead:

If the 3D models are anywhere near accurate, the base of the horn ought to just fit inside the star (although not all of it; it's too long).  Alas, it probably won't stay in without glue, but at least it may almost look like a legitimate connection.

I'm very late to the game here, but why can't we use the existing hole as a guide for an appropriately sized drill bit, converting it from Friends accessory size to standard LEGO horn size? If you drilled it slowly by hand, it would be really hard to mess it up.

@mindstormsboi, can you stop making nonsensical and quite rude edits to other peoples answers?

I see coule of issues here: 1) drilling isn't a solution for purists; 2) not sure if such drill bit exist to create a hole of 3.18 mm in diameter.


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6 x 14 plate with 2x12 plate molded on top and metal contacts on the bottom identification
Needing help identifying this part as I was offered a small bag of vintage train parts and this come with some very unknown parts to me.
I just recently got out of a 33 year old Dark Age and have zero experience regarding vintage trains, so hoping somebody could jump in and offer me a hand.

Part# BB0054 - Electric, Train 4.5V Battery Car Roof.
(But Light Gray in color.)

That is it. Now, I wish I started on LEGO earlier, everything now costs a small fortune :)

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


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Can you please identify this set?
I got this set but it is missing pieces and I am trying to figure out which set it is.  Can you help please?

I’m pretty sure that rc car was in a lego advent calendar a couple of years ago.

Looking up all sets that have this piece in tan, had me guessing at Set #5771-1 Hillside House.

EDIT:  At least two maybe a third set...

Looking at white fence in upper right corner of 2nd pic.
Set #3938 Andrea's Bunny House.

Again looking at that upper right hand corner of 2nd pic.
I spy with my little eye a tan cone that is not in the previous sets.
Set #Set 3937 Olivia's Speedboat.

Possible 4th???

Thank you Sir.  Great help

You can see the raised green yard area in the pictures.

Looks like the possibility of more sets.  My initial search was for the white fence in the upper right hand corner of the 2nd picture.  Got back too many results, so I moved on the the tan window, but...  there is no fence piece in the Hillside House set, nor is there a tan cone... Let's search some more...

It's not fair that you keep adding valuable observations, but I can't keep adding +1s :)

Hey Z, I think there's a forth! I saw the r/c car in set earlier,  but now I can't find it...

The previous three sets came out around 2011-12, so I looking at sets release in those years for the 4th set...

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


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Yet, another part ID question: Large blue dish
Does anyone have an idea what the circled piece could be? Picture from this Flickr gallery.

I'm thinking it's circular so I've been scouring BrickLink for dishes and disks but have not been successful so far.  Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Set #4417- Aero Pod.

Top. Part #4767 - Blue
Container, X-Pod Top Cap 9 x 9 x 1 1/3.
Middle.  Part #47674 -
Trans-Yellow Container, X-Pod Barrel Section 10 x 10 x 3 1/3.
Bottom.  Part #47676 - Blue
Container, X-Pod Bottom Cap 9 x 9 x 1.

to be exact is the one from:4417-1: Aero Pod

You guys are the best!  No wonder I couldn't find it, I've never even heard of these things.  Thanks so much!

Like you said Joost!


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Coloring Multiple Bricks in LEGO Digital Draw
I made the mistake of not coloring as I went while building a large object in LEGO Digital Designer.  I don't want to spend hours coloring each individual brick.  Is there a way I can box select the bricks and apply a color to them?

Yes.
I'm using:

Version (Program): 4.3.11.
Version (Brick): 2670.
OS: Windows.

Pre Setup:
We're using Extended Mode (Black Backsplash) of LDD, so we can have full access to all colors.  I have not tested the other two modes, Default (Blue Backsplash) or Mindstorms (White Backsplash).
If the model is in Default Mode.  No problem.

Copy the build to memory (CTRL+A) then (CTRL+C);
Open a new blank file in Extended Mode;
and Paste from memory (CTRL+P);
Give file a different name as not to overwrite the original;
Re-save.

Setup:

Use the "COLOR Selecting Tool" and select a piece's color you want to
change.
All of that color is now highlighted.
Use the "Invert Selection Tool" to reverse highlight everything not
that color.
Use the "Hide Tool" to make everything not that color disappear.
Use the "Single Selection Tool" to block select the visible pieces
that are getting a color change.
Use the "Paint Tool" and pick the new color being used.
Click the "Show all hidden bricks" button.

Done.

In Program Example:
Goal:  Switch Mega-Man blues into Leaf Shield greens.
Setup:

Use the "COLOR Selecting Tool" and select a piece's color you want to
change.

All of that color is now highlighted.

Use the "Invert Selection Tool" to reverse highlight everything not
that color.

Use the "Hide Tool" to make everything not that color disappear.

Use the "Single Selection Tool" to block select the visible pieces
that are getting a color change.

Use the "Paint Tool" and pick the new color being used.

Click the "Show all hidden bricks" button.

Done.

thank you, a very good answer!


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Colors common to multiple parts?
New AFOL here, learning the ropes of BrickLink searches.
Can't see how to do this, yet:
For which specific colors are all of the following parts available?

2 x 2 Brick (Part# 3003).

1 x 2   Plate (Part# 3023).

2 x 2 Tile (Part# 3068. Either 3068a or 3068b).

2 x 2 Inverted Tile (Part# 11203).

For bonus points (10000 thanks, give or take), is there a simple way to find these specific colors using the query capabilities in BrickLink?

In my experience from buying pieces ether through BL, LEGO.com, eBay, or the local shop in town, is to take note on the "condition" of the pieces.  These more common colors fade or look dirty over time: White, Yellow, Blue, Light Gray.  It was just easier for me to always buy them "New" vs. "Used".  Tiles get scratched up easily too. Since they tend to be the first thing you see on a build, I would avoid buying them "used" no matter the color.  So, basically, keep an eye out on mixed conditions, which can ruin the desired effect of a project.

The best way to figure out what colors a set of parts have in common is to use BrickLink’s Stud.io digital design software. I am unable to show screenshots at the moment, but here are the steps:

Open Stud.io
Place the parts in question on your virtual building workspace (doesnt matter in which color)
Select all the parts together, either by:

using the mouse to draw a selection square around the parts
using the mouse and the CTRL key to select parts one by one
using the parts list on the right side of the screen (the Step list) and with CTRL pressed selecting the parts there

In the Top of the right sidebar under “Color Palette”, click on the dropdown with the color name in it. This dropdown will show only the colors that the selected parts have in common.

You will have to check the “Hide unavailable colors” checkbox in this dropdown to make it work.

And to you Phil: 8.33626! thanks.

Unfortunately, you need to check available color for each individual part:
3003
3023
3068
11203
From what I can see most of the colors 11203 comes in are available in other parts as well.
Following your edit I can suggest another option for you - Color Guide. Select a color and click on Parts column to find all parts available in particular color.

Thanks Alex - 8.33626! thanks to you.


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How do I create manuals in the same style as LEGO instruction manuals?

Possible Duplicate:
Do any programs exist that allow you to build your own LEGO manuals?

I want to create my own manuals, but I want them to look and feel like actual LEGO instruction manuals. So, I probably need a style guide and / or tool that helps me to achieve this. Are these tools and style guides available?

I'm afraid I'm not clear about my question. :) I'm not asking for actual building tools, but for style guides. I'll update my question.

Ah, would you be talking about getting the right type of paper and printing and assembling it? If so, then this is certainly not a duplicate. :)

That's what I meant. Sorry about the confusion. :)

I thought there was a way to vote to reopen a question. Is there? Cause I'm not seeing one.

The online consensus on this question seems to be using LDraw, and progressively create the model while saving the steps (like this tutorial explains).
However, I remember an other way, but I can't put .. oh wait, it was using MLCad.

LPub is a program designed specifically to produce step-by-step construction documentation from LDraw files. I haven't tried it myself (it's Windows-only) but I believe most of the fan-created instructions out there are made with it.
Edit: As Retracile notes in his answer to a similar question there is a newer version, LPub 4, which also supports Mac.

all_licenses: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/


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LEGO Digital Designer Alternatives
I am been using LDD (LEGO Digital Designer) for my latest NXT project and noticed a major delay in building and making instructions for my Projects (My Mindstorm projects contain well over 500 pieces) and the instructions look all weird for my big projects. And LDD is discontinued so I doubt LEGO will make an EV3 update.
I am curious if you guys know any paid or free software that allows you to make projects for LEGO (Mindstorm). I am looking for something fast, (optional) that will work for Mac and PC, have animation to present my projects, and finally make instructions for my projects.

This is probably a duplicate of Good LEGO CAD Design Software with Technic elements and animation

"And LDD is discontinued so I doubt Lego will make an EV3 update." The DESIGN byME service was discontinued January 2012, but I believe Lego Digital Designer is still being supported.

There are several editors which are based on the open LDraw part database.
I believe that the most popular are MLCAD and LeoCAD. I personally use LDD, so I can't speak to the quality of the instruction generation from these tools, but they do at least offer the ability to create instructions.
LeoCAD is probably your best bet for doing animations, and it is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux.
BrickLink has recently released Stud.io in open beta, and it appears to combine the best of LDD and LDraw - it works with the LDraw part database but will import LDD models and offers a similar interface to LDD as well as collaboration and integration with the BrickLink shops for purchasing the elements for your models.

Not exactly an answer to the question, more an answer to the tile of the question:
For a much more lightweight alternative, check out the new LEGO designer from google.
http://www.buildwithchrome.com/
It only works in Goolge's Chrome browser as it is essentially an experiment to show off Chrome's WebGL capabilities.
There is no download as it is completely browser based and it also gives you an easy way to share your builds with other users and view builds for other users around the world.
Using location tagging you can actually place your build on a specific area of a google map and see your creation rendered in 3D in place.

As of Jan 30th, 2017, http://www.buildwithchrome.com/ no longer allows addition of new buildings - it is essentially read-only now.

As of March 2019 the site is closed.

There is also another solution called Mecabricks which is online based and works with WebGL. Therefore, you only need a browser to start building or check the 3D models already published by the other builders. However it is not compatible with LDD or Ldraw and part library is different and doesn't include as much parts as the others yet.

SR 3D builder is another good alternative I like to use, it uses the Ldraw parts library, but has a more intuitive connection system than MLCad, without the connection restrictions LDD has.
I don't know that SR 3D builder supports mac, but I believe it fits your other requirements nicely.


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Official LEGO charity programs
Many consumer-oriented corporations have official charity programs where products or money are donated to deserving causes. I was wondering if The LEGO Group has any such programs --- and if so, where can one apply for donations?
For instance, I believe it would bring happiness to hospitalized children to receive a simple Lego set (such as a polybag) to play with.

The first hit on Google for "LEGO charity" is this: http://service.lego.com/en-us/helptopics/lego-company/charity-and-donations. From that page:

What charitable activities is the LEGO Group involved in?
We take our responsibility for making children's lives better very
  seriously, so we run a number of charitable programs.
Usually, our local offices use their knowledge of what local children
  need to partner with initiatives and charities.
On a global level, we help children through the activities of the LEGO
  Foundation. If you'd like to know more about how we understand our
  responsibility and what we do, there's lots more information in the
  About Us section of this website.

Sounds like that should cover your question. Check out the www.legofoundation.com website as well.

I could not find much concrete information about charitable activities using the links provided, but corporate buzz words and pictures of happy people were abundant. I guess I have to dig deeper or contact my local Lego office.

Assuming you are looking at getting LEGO to sponsor/assist with a local charitable program (and not a big global reach effort), I think you should talk to LEGO close to you, and find out what criteria they use for sponsoring events. This should give you guidelines as to whether your idea would qualify for sponsorship/donations. The LEGO Foundation seems to be more aligned with larger programs (I can see a tie-in with Unicef on their website).


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Large LEGO Minifig Styles
I'm pretty sure the LEGO figure on the right is the daughter from a 1977 set Nurse and Child. But what about this style of jumbo minifig on the left with arms and legs that bend? When was that from? It might be from a LEGO Basic set? What different styles of minifigs has LEGO produced over the years?

The figure on the left is generally referred to as a Fabuland figure, although I believe that the entire Fabuland line actually featured animals. There were a few basic sets released in the 80s that included human Fabuland-style figures. That one is probably from this fire engine:

Before the introduction of the Minifig in 1978, there was the Maxifig that you noted in your question:

The precursor to the modern minifig was added in 1975:

LEGO released a history of the minifig that you might find interesting.
In addition to the traditional minifig, you may also come across Technic figures which were around for a time.

There were also the Creator figures that were only around briefly in the early 2000s:

The Creator figure look very similar to the ones in the Jack Stone theme.

The link for the timeline is broken, not even a 404 page appears.


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

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

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

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

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

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

If it helps, I'm happy to provide closer-up photos of the image provided in the box - it's the same image above but I may be able to get more detail than what you can see in the image above.

FYI: Parts in lego sets are grouped in bags which have numbers on them. In the instructions, they tell you to open these bags one at a time when they tell you to, but since this is older set i guess i can understand. Did you browse the set number on Brickset and look for instruction archives there?

I appreciate the comment and I'm aware of that - I can make it more clear but the bags in this set were not labeled and the instructions are not all-inclusive. I've watched a silly amount of LEGO builds on YouTube with my son and I'm well-aware of how these sets usually work - but this was not the case with this set. Instead of a paper sheet with all of the instructions or a booklet, there are six plastic cards with images of groups of the builds and instructions for a single build on the back of the card.

I updated my commemt, please read that last sentence. Im on mobile and I accidentally clicked the enter button when I wasn't finshed typing.

Brickset has links to Swooshable and Brickfactory - the former just links to the latter and Brickfactory just has scans of the plastic sheets I have - in fact, it doesn't even have scans of both sides of the sheets. :( So, unless I'm using the site wrong, it doesn't seem to have what I need.

Oh, you're right, those links seem to be broken and/or useless. At this point I'm stumped too, I don't know how to help you any farther.

Given it is an educational set that might follow different rules, I could imagine that the intent of not giving instructions is to make the students figure out themselves how to build the different items or giving the pictures more as an "inspiration". It reminds me a bit of the images on the boxes back in the 90s that showed alternative builds of a set but only in a single photo. Not that this insight would be of any help for your problem, though. ;-)

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

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

Thanks! This is really helpful! I... uh... am a bit of a novice so I'm not sure what an "LBG brick" is - I did a Google search and it said "light blue grey"? Is that a 4x4 of the lighter grey like this?

@Catija I've added clarification about LBG, but you were very close. The brick I had in mind is this

Alex has rendered a great model.
I can only offer my own take by adding the LEM ascent engine.

These are the parts I used:

You can find the LDraw file in my git repository here.

9335 set is from 2010, so it no longer contains any parts in Dark Gray or Light Gray colors.

@Alex,  It's unfortunate that the available colours in the set have been reduced. I did this as a CAD build working from the Bricklink inventory and what images Peeron would provide. I found all the parts in 9335 inventory but there could be some variations.


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Serial tower RCX 1.0 works with NQC but flakey with RIS 2.0
Had this baby for 20 years at this point.  Some rubber rot on the cables, but other than that, the set's in great shape.
RCX 1.0 with DC-in port.  Serial tower.  Fresh batteries in tower and RCX.
I have RIS 2.0 installed on a WinXP laptop with a serial port.  Tower works and shows green light.  The entire 2500-step firmware update process happens just fine (from the RIS settings menu).  I've even successfully completed the IR range test, where it makes the RCX beep as long as it's in IR range.
After that, I get periodic "Trouble communicating with the RCX" messages.  Downloading a program often takes 2-3 retries because of this.  This seems like an okay work-around, but then other times, it just can never complete a download at all.
I just tried NQC today, and it downloads programs every time, reliably.  That implies that this isn't an RCX problem or a tower problem.  Some kind of RIS software problem.
I've seen discussions of other compatibility issues with newer Windows, but I'm not having those specific issues.  Just really flaky program downloading with lots of retries.  But the strange thing is that the firmware downloads just fine.... and that's HUGE.
As for why I don't just use NQC.... I'm trying to get this working for my kids.  They've never done anything like this before, and the RIS interface is perfect for their skill level.
Update, More details:
Green light on serial tower comes on each time I try to download a program, so nothing else is blocking the serial port. Though you're right that NQC cannot connect to the port if RIS is running. I've tried both near and far range on the tower. Replaced batteries a bunch of times.
The only other bit of behavior that I forgot to mention is that when trying to DL a program, the green light on the tower comes on, and then sometimes the little "receiving" icon on the RCX comes on, but just for a moment. Other times, the receiving icon never comes on at all. Then, after several retries, the receiving icon on the RCX comes on, stays on, and the little progress "dots" on the RCX fill up.

What a strange issue. I'm not sure the exact cause, but I have a few troubleshooting tips for you to try:

Make sure the serial tower is set to "Long Range" mode (the little switch on the front).
Make sure the RCX is set to "Long Range" mode (Go to the RIS settings page and change the RCX comm range).
Make sure the RCX program slots are unlocked (also in the RIS settings page).
Try replacing the batteries (again, particularly in the tower).
Try downloading the program with the lights off (believe it or not, I've had lightbulbs emitting enough infrared to interfere with communications).
Make sure that when the RIS software is running, no other mindstorms software is running. If NQC is running at the same time it might bind up the serial port.

Thanks for this.  Green light on serial tower comes on each time I try to download a program, so nothing else is blocking the serial port.  Though you're right that NQC cannot connect to the port if RIS is running.  I've tried both near and far range on the tower.  Replaced batteries a bunch of times.  Haven't tried putting a shoebox over them both to shroud light.  Will try.  But again, NQC works fine.  Haven't tried the RIS software long vs short range setting.  Will try.

The only other bit of behavior that I forgot to mention is that when trying to DL a program, the green light on the tower comes on, and then sometimes the little "receiving" icon on the RCX comes on, but just for a moment.  Other times, the receiving icon never comes on at all.  Then, after several retries, the receiving icon on the RCX comes on, stays on, and the little progress "dots" on the RCX fill up.

@JasonRohrer It would be good to add some of those clarifications into your question if possible - just hit the "edit" link under the question to update it.


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Are there LEGO plates without the word “LEGO” on the studs?
Yes, this question has already been asked here. This time, however, I was wondering if anyone can point to official LEGO web page on which this fact is confirmed. I've already read "Fair Play" document and "Fair Play Brochure" but all what they say is that "the LEGO logo is a trade mark and cannot be used w/o permission" meaning that if I have a brick with LEGO logo on it then I can be 99,99% sure that this is a genuine LEGO brick. What I need, however, is the "opposite" i.e. a sentence claiming that "a stud on a genuine LEGO brick has always had the LEGO logo since the year 19xx" or even more: "a stud on a genuine LEGO brick has never had this round cavity on the top" (cavities I mention are present e.g. on studs here).
I've already asked the same question via the contact form on the official LEGO support page but received no answer yet.
Context: I'm currently having a dispute whether a set of bricks that some guy sold me were genuine LEGO bricks. He claims that they were, I know that they were not. I will, however, have to provide evidence to the police. Information on lego.com page or answer from lego.com would do in my opinion. High resolution images of the 42009 set (battery part) on official LEGO page would also be good but this set is no longer present on lego.com this set does not have the close up of the part I need. High resolution images of 8293 (Power Functions Motor Set) are there but are they a proof I don't know yet (one can always say that these parts have LOGO lego now but they didn't in 2013). There is a movie with 42009 on lego.com but it is rendered and does not present real bricks and not sure if can be used.
EDIT: yes, all the pieces of the brick set I received (the supposed 42009 set) are forged. I can tell this because the bricks I received differ in many aspects from bricks from original LEGO sets I've assembled so far (more than a dozen sets, mostly > 1000 bricks): some of them connect poorly, some of them connect so hard I struggled a lot to disconnect; the surface of liftarms is not as straight as LEGO liftarms; the liftarms have this extra filling around holes (google "lepin liftarm" and choose "large images" in "adv search" to see what I mean); some pieces are not cut properly e.g. the bushes have thin pieces of plastic connected to the hole on the side; and the main one: there is no LEGO logo on any of the parts: not only the studs but also the battery box and motor. However from legal point of view I can't just say that I am sure that these are not LEGO bricks. Moreover I cannot even prove that the bricks I present are indeed the bricks that the other guy sent me. So I took a closer look at the pictures from the auction (the pictures the seller made himself = the pictures of actual brick set he sent me) and found pieces with studs with no LEGO logo (Black Plate 2x3 (3021) , Motor 9V Power Functions L (99499c01) ). I was extremely lucky that this seller made pictures with such high resolution. And yes, I contacted the LEGO support and sent them exacly the same pictures as below and they confirm that these are NOT original LEGO bricks. I will post their full answer and some more content soon.

Two questions: (1) From set 42009, do you suspect ALL of the pieces to be forged?  (2) Please follow this link  https://www.bricklink.com/catalogItemInv.asp?S=42009-1 to set 42009's part inventory and tell us which specific part is logo-less. I need to see a picture of the piece in question.  ,

Yes, sharing pictutes of questionable parts would greatly help to assist with your question.

If you would like to get an official statement on this, your best bet is to contact LEGO's customer service. Here are some pointers you might consider when communicating with them:
It seems like your question is about some of the electronic components. So, let's narrow down your question to those. The battery in the #42009 LEGO Mobile Crane has two studs on top with the LEGO logo on them. In addition, right above the studs their is a "2006 The LEGO Group" moulded into the lighter colored plastic. And there are also larger LEGO logos moulded into the sides of the unit. So, five LEGO logos in total.
This battery box has no alternates. It only came in this one version as evidenced by the BrickLink database, which is the most comprehensive database of all LEGO parts ever made: Electric 9V Battery Box 4 x 11 x 7 PF
I would also add to this that smooth LEGO studs always have the LEGO logo moulded into them, and this has always been the case since the earliest days of the company. There are hollow studs (like in some electronic pieces, LEGO Technic pieces, LEGO windows, hollow 1x1 round studs, etc.), however in such cases the LEGO logo will appear on some other place on the piece. The very few exceptions to this rule are when pieces are so tiny that it was simply not possible/practical to print a LEGO logo on them (i.e. hollow 1x1 round stud, some very small minifigure accessories, etc.)
Rather than being too generic like you did in your question above, when contacting LEGO's customer service, I would suggest to focus on two points. This can result in a quicker response and faster action.

Ask them whether the specific electronic parts you are concerned
about (list exact set and part numbers) were ever produced without a LEGO logo (the answer will be no,
but for your legal case it's best to have this in writing directly
from LEGO).

Alert LEGO that someone is selling fake parts and claiming that
they are genuine. LEGO's legal department will be very interested in
this, which can help your personal case. It's even possible that
this seller has been on their radar already, and the information you
provide will be helpful to their case.

There are lots of imitation LEGO out there, but the companies making them do not claim that their products are genuine LEGO. They sell under their own brand names for cheaper prices than LEGO can provide. LEGO's legal department is fighting these companies already. Someone selling fake LEGO and claiming that it's genuine is a whole other level of criminal.
Please keep in mind that if this is someone like a small eBay seller, they may have been duped themselves and they really believed that the parts they acquired are genuine LEGO. So keep your communication professional and you may be satisfied with just a refund. If, however, the seller is a larger online store specializing in fake LEGO parts and selling them as genuine, definitely let LEGO's legal department know and you may pursue your own legal case as well.

I would also add, that not all studs have LEGO text on them. Some studs may be used as plastic injection point (PIP) which may not have the logo or may have just "l" and "o". Some genuine parts may not have logo at all! I've seen some older parts (not bricks) with just a (c) copyright logo on them.

@Alex, yes while this is true with some older parts, test bricks, and some unusual parts, I chose to only briefly mention those in my response, because ultimately OP's question was about modern parts from a specific set.

Hello. Here's the OP. First of all thanks for this awesome answer. You talk about so many aspects that I'm more than satisfied. Second: the actual solution to my problem was to ask the official LEGO support and use their answer as evidence. I will mark your answer as correct because you mention it in the first sentence.

Hello, Here's the OP again. The last but not least: my case is finally over and I got my money back. I've sent all the documents to the police (auction description, pictures, e-mails and the aforementioned answer from LEGO support) and they contacted the seller, then he finally contacted me and offered to give back the money. As you mentioned before, it probably was the case that he believed these were original LEGO bricks.

I'm glad the issue was resolved for you. It's disturbing that someone was selling these parts as genuine. Hopefully, the seller learned their lesson as well.


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How to make a Lego Mindstorms ev3 self driving car?
I recently got the Lego Mindstorms EV3 kit. I wanted to make a self driving car, but I got stuck on the building part. I saw another question like this, however it was for NXT and had no decent answers. I need to make a rotating disk on top of the robot for the Ultrasonic sensor; otherwise I would need 2 more sensors to avoid hitting walls. Remember that it needs to fit on top of a moving robot, not be a stationary stand! I got the self driving car to work, but because the sensor was not rotating, it could only see in front of it. I do not know if this is possible with the EV3 kit, but if you know how, please let me know! Anyways, thanks for reading this! :D

This question is a bit too broad to be able to provide a good answer. More specific questions like "I built a car, but obstacle avoidance isn't working. This is how it is supposed to work... Here is a picture of my car and here is my program."

Here is a car to provide some inspiration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAvduVtT748

Seen it done before in Sumo bots, the distance sensor rotating from left to right as a sort of radar dish... Programming can get quite complicated then I can imagine...

I don't have a Lego EV3, but I have created a self-driving car with my NXT brick. I found the instructions from nxtprograms.com, but they are for the NXT. (I'm sure that you can adapt them for the EV3 though). The program is also for the NXT, but nxtprograms provides enough comment blocks that I think you should easily be able to build your own program with the EV3 software.
Here are the instructions:
http://nxtprograms.com/NXT2/explorer/index.html

I built mine with an IR sensor on the left, an ultrasonic sensor on the right and some touch sensors in the front and back. It worked really well to get through a track made of wooden blocks and around the room.

Can't you share a program instead of just showing off your robot?

No-I wouldn't for a couple of reasons: First, I didn't show off my robot-I answered the original question at the top of the post- someone was trying to build a mech to rotate an ultrasonic sensor. I offered another way to do it. Second, it would be unhelpful for me to share my program. A program is specific to the build and you plugging in my program to your build would not work. Lastly, why be rude? I was trying to help. I understand how frustrating building these can be when you get stuck but being insulting isn't going to get you any further. Try asking specific questions if you need help.


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Duplo block with facecloth or towel on
I'm currently kitting out a new bathroom for my Lego son, and I would like to modify a set of drawers, including using Duplo pieces as labels for the drawer contents.
I've found Duplo blocks for toothbrushes/toothpaste, toilet rolls, shampoo/soap etc like these ones:

but I'd like one for the drawer containing flannels (washcloths for faces).
So I'm looking for a Duplo block, preferably 1x2x2, with a picture of a towel or a washcloth or similar, but can't find a suitable one. Can anyone suggest a suitable block?
(also a 1x2x2 toothbrush/toothpaste block, if one exists)

I have gone through 32 pages of 1x2x2 bricks, and there do not appear to be any towel bricks.  (There are, however alternate soaps)
The only sets that I can find with towels all use cloth ones

Thanks, I saw the alternate soaps, there are multiple of those, but apparently no towels!

Sorry, I could not find any towel blocks, and trust me, I have looked and looked just as @Chronocidal did, and the closest block I could find was this and sorry its not even Duplo: https://www.brickowl.com/catalog/lego-brick-1-x-6-x-5-with-green-towel-sticker-hairdressing-salon-3754
But I guess you could take a white brick: https://www.brickowl.com/catalog/lego-duplo-brick-1-x-2-x-2-with-bottom-tube-15847-76371
and custom design one of your own by designing a sticker and adding it on.

Thanks. The Lego towel may be a reasonable choice - I was only after Duplo because I knew that several of the pieces existed. And making a sticker (or directly painting/drawing a design on is my backup option.

You might get a good result with a water-transfer decal.  However that could be quite permanent.
A satisfactory effect might be achieved by simply printing a small icon onto some paper, cut out with scissors, and then glue it to the brick.  You can also get sheets of plain white or clear sticker paper for printing onto directly, fill the page with icons to save paper.
Glues and adhesives tend to stick poorly to smooth plastic, so the sticker could be peeled off easily.  Or if you want to make it permanent, tooth up the plastic with some sandpaper before applying.
Another option might be to paint directly on the block with model paints, though this would need a steady hand and an artistic ability.


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I have a LEGO minifigure and I'm trying to determine the value of it
I have a minifigure and I am trying to determine it's value - I'd like to know whether it's worth holding on to it for longer, or if I would get a reasonable price for it now.

Welcome to Bricks @Sarah1973, and glad to help! If you've found an answer helpful you can up-vote them and if it's answered your question sufficiently you can accept it with the tick ;)

At the moment (12/09/2018) there are a few other people offering that figure for sale on BrickLink, varying from £110 to £230 (actual asking prices are in various currencies listed on the results page).
More importantly however, is the Price Guide page - from there you can see that one figure apparently was bought this month for about £72, however in July one was purchased for around £108, while another was purchased for about £83.
From that, you could probably get a sale at around £100, but it might take a while to sell.

You are making a good point, the minifig seems to be very valuable now. However, this does not answer the OP's much more important question regarding the development of the price. I can imagine that the value of this particular minifig will not decrease because it will never be re-released. But this is speculation, therefore no answer, just a comment.

That is true, it's price is likely to increase due to increased rarity, but that will conversely reduce the number of people willing to pay the asking price...


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Why does the Gyro Sensor not work correctly in Virtual Robotics Toolkit?
I somehow found out about Virtual Robotics Toolkit and when I did, I decided that it would be great software to use for Lego League. Later in my research, I found that it automatically had the newest tables.
Soon I was designing a robot and code for my team, but as soon as I tested it the virtual robot started driving off to one side. Even though it was doing this, the EV3 software said that it was at 0°. When I tested the same program in real life, the robot drove perfectly straight.

You can download the source code here. (ORBIT3R-BOT.ev3)
You can download the robot model here. (ORBIT3R-BOT.lxf)
You can download the robot model here. (ORBIT3R-BOT.ldr)
You can download the VRT project here. (IntoOrbit)
You can download all the above (and more) here. (Robot)

Try to reset angle on the gyro sensor. Click on the block and choose reset.

I have already tried that.


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Why do I not have the Brick Datalog app in the LEGO Mindstorms EV3 V1.10E firmware?

I realize a similar question has been asked (you can view it here) however mine is slightly different.

I have a Lego Mindstorms EV3 Home Set 31313 and due to recommendation, I installed Lego Mindstorms Education EV3 Student Edition. I later changed my firmware on my EV3 to V1.09E. The next time I updated my firmware, however, I was unsure that the software was not installing the latest version so I ended up installing V1.10E using EV3 Manager. So it was to my surprise that the Brick Datalog app had disappeared!
Is there any way for me to get my app back without, of course, performing a downgrade and removing the ability for me to use Microsoft PXT?
TIA!

Interesting insight. I didn't notice that it was missing. (I wonder if there was not enough room in the flash memory for both this and the new MakeCode stuff - or maybe it was just an accident).
I managed to find a hack to get the Brick Datalog program loaded again.

Download this zip file.
Unzip the file.
Open Brick Datalog.ev3 in the EV3 programming software.
Download the project to your EV3.
Open the Memory Browser.

Browse to the Brick Datalog project, then click Download.

Select the Brick Datalog.rbf file (from where you unziped the file in step 2) and click Open.

Close the Memory Browser.
On the EV3 brick, you can now browse to the Brick Datalog project and run the Brick Datalog program (it won't be with the rest of the "apps" as in previous versions of the firmware).

How it works:
The brick apps use the same format as user-created programs on the EV3, so I just took the Brick Datalog app from the ev3dev lms2012-compat project (which is identical to the official LEGO version, but easier to get to). Then I created a new empty project in the EV3 Education software and imported all of the images and sounds. The software doesn't let you import .rbf files (the actual program), which is why it has to be downloaded separately via the Memory Browser.
I haven't tested this extensively, but it does seem to work.

It's certainly not an issue with storage or memory limitations. EV3s doesn't really suffer from those like the RCXs or NXTs do. Excellent workaround though!

Thank you very much for finally warning me that my EV3 lacked this app for so many years! What I mean is, My EV3 NEVER had the Brick Datalog app on it. Right when I pulled it out out of its amazon box, I immediately explored the features of the brick and I recall knowing that there was no such app. Especially before I updated to the latest firmware, it still was never there.

Erm... the Brick Datalog project simply does not exist! I can't find it, so I can't follow the instructions above.

Step 1 provides a link to download the required files.


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Hacking the Bluetooth motor in the motorized LEGO® DC Super Heroes 76112 App-Controlled Batmobile
I'd like to hack the receiver / motor so I can control it from my Mac (or a PC if there is no other way).
Recently LEGO released an app-controlled Batmobil - product detailed are here:
https://shop.lego.com/en-US/App-Controlled-Batmobile-76112
The Bluetooth receiver (LEGO Part #6253628) can connect to an app, in our case, an iPhone. I tried to see if it was visible in the Bluetooth elements to connect to, and nope... I cannot also find any MAC address on the receiver itself.
Any hint or clue?
Edit #1
I am looking for a way to connect to the Bluetooth receiver and be able to program it in Python (or C/Java...), but not a GUI.

I think I read Boost and Power Up have the same protocol, so this might help: https://github.com/JorgePe/BOOSTreveng

There's a node.js library that can connect to the Move Hub and control attached peripherals:
https://github.com/nathankellenicki/node-poweredup
This should allow you to write scripts and programs that can control the motor from your Mac.

This is pretty much what I was looking for. I have to see if I can connect to the BT this way as my Mac did not see it, which was the first issue. Thanks for the hint.

Good luck! Let us know how it goes.

If having difficulty connecting, check that you are using  ‘Bluetooth Low Energy’  to connect- if Your Mac isn’t using this protocol, you can get a dongle to use this.

Check out with nRF Connect app -> if you can find it with it, you can read services and characteristics of this lego peripheral and based on that control it. Good luck!


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Duplo Locomotive: What is this inner part used for?
Background
I was forced to completely disassemble a duplo locomotive. My son played with it in a sand box and, guess what, it was not working anymore. I used a small brush to clean every single part (mainly axis and gears). I eventually managed to get rid of all the sand. Then I reassembled the locomotive.
Questions
I ended up with 2 small parts I could not figure out where to put them, neither what they are used for. Everything seem to work without these 2 parts - my son is happy again. These are curved parts, with a spring attached to it.
They are on left part of this picture:

So what are these 2 parts used for, and where should I put them ?

Is there any chance you could improve the lighting on the parts at all? It's a little hard to see the details of the black plastic in the shadows ;)

Skip on over to YouTube and watch this guy fix one of his toddler's jammed up trains.

Comparing your picture to his video, we can see the general area where the "hip springs" should be, but from my vantage point I can't tell if the pieces snap in somehow, or if they were broken off during disassembly.  That's where you'll have to step in to make that assessment.

What are they used for?...
Hmmm... I don't know exactly, but after watching the video we know that the motor sorta floats top heavy, and maybe the "hip springs" help cushion any knocking due to the forward motion at start up.  Should they be called "Thrust dampeners" instead? I just don't know.

Do you need 'em?...
Depends on individual temperament. How annoying would it be to get back in there?

They are protective locks. If something (let’s say kids hair, or part of their clothes) gets stuck and dragged inside the wheel, these tiny blocks will lock the wheels and make sure it doesn’t keep dragging whatever is stuck. As soon as you pull the stuck part back, the springs unlock.


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Lego Mindstorms Ev3 home edition on Mac OS Mojave bug - bricks sometimes go blank
I have a fresh install of Mojave and of Mindstorms Ev3 home edition.  It seems to work fine but then randomly all the information disappears from the blocks at the bottom of the screen, and sometimes in the program too.  See screenshot.  This problem persists until I restart the software.  Any tips?
Note: easy way to reproduce this problem is clicking on a block link from the documentation area, like the 'Loop' block in the screenshot below.  It seems to cause the corruption every time.

It looks like you aren't the only one with this problem: https://www.facebook.com/groups/legomindstorms/permalink/1208245162657041/
Unfortunately, no confirmed solutions at this point in time. Are there any error messages in Console related to the EV3 app?

@DavidLechner lego got back to me with a fix.  See answer.  Good customer support!

For what it's worth, I'm having a similar problem with the EV3 Educational version. After I updated to Mojave the EV3 software wouldn't run at all. I've found the Mono hint some other place and tried downloading and installing it. I can run the EV3 software now but EVERY time I do, I get blank programming blocks. I've contacted Lego tech support and they're researching and will get back with me.

I contacted Lego support and they got back to me with a fix, which worked great.  It also has greatly improved the performance of the application.

For this issue fix, please install Mono for Mac OS found at the link below:
https://www.mono-project.com/download/stable/
and choose Mono 5.10.1

What does installing mono do to fix the problem?  Reading the mono page, it installs support for Microsoft .Net apps.  Would I then install the Windows version of Mindstorms?

I've installed silverlight as mentioned from this page:
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/7431216

experienced the same problem.
Updating Silverlight to the most current version 5.1.41212.0 solved it !

Now the Lego Mindstorm EV3 Software works fine.

I had this same issue after a Mac OS upgrade to Mojave.  (with Lego Mindstorms EV3 Home Edition)
What fixed it for me was to download the latest installer from lego.com and run the installer again.
It doesn't make sense because before I did this, I went to "Check For Updates" in Mindstorms and it says there was none.  But something clearly changed, because before the reinstall, there was a non-intuitive little tab with the EV3 logo on it on the top left (as seen in the original question's screenshot) and after the reinstall, that tab has "Lobby" labeled next to the icon.
Updating silverlight didn't help.  I did not try the mono suggestion.


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How were these building instructions from the 1970s produced?
Have a look at page 7 of the instructions for set 367, produced in the year 1975 (source: Peeron.com):

How were these instructions produced? Were they hand-drawn or computer-generated? If the latter, which computer system and software were used?

They would have been hand drawn.
Technical illustration used to be a highly skilled job, similar but slightly different to design draughtsmanship.  I can still recall the latter being used about 20 years ago in engineering.  There were tricks to remove some of the repetition (drawings were done on translucent drafting film and could be duplicated optically, and templates and stencils were widely used).  Translucent film also means it was possible to work on an isometric grid behind the drawing.
2D CAD software, while it dates back to the 1950s, only became accessible, though still very expensive, around the time these 3D drawings were produced.  3D CAD/modelling with rendering is a 1990s invention, and now any fool can use it (e.g. me), and it can be made cheap and user-friendly enough to give away (e.g. Lego Digital Designer).  Rendering using something like POV-ray (which can still be used with LDraw) could take days for a single image on a fast PC in the 90s (though you wouldn't need to render like that for these illustrations).
Also, while it's hard to tell with the JPG artefacts and anti-aliasing, if you look closely at say the wheels in panel 8, they're not quite a perfect match; they would be if rendered from the same model.
Here's a picture of what's available at the click of a mouse these days (2020):

I used this 3rd party model of a 2x4 brick and a range of view options in Autodesk Inventor (3D modelling software).  The top right clearly imitates the old manuals, and the style is called "Technical Illustration".  Lego tend to use fairly heavy shading on studs, demonstrating that clarity and style are closely related. Newer instructions use thinner black edges (with better quality printing). The bottom right is suitable for box art but doesn't clearly show the joins between bricks - at a glance the bottom could be a 2x8.  This took less than a minute to render on 1 core of my desktop; 20 years ago it would have taken hours.

I doubt in the mid 1970's that The LEGO Group had any computer aided design tools. I was in university during that time and this kind of documentation was all hand drawn illustration.
Remember that computers at that time were big, power hungry and really, really expensive. For what it would cost just to purchase, install and operate one computer for a year you could hire four comercial illustrators for that same year.

Not saying that you're wrong, but if anyone could afford it, it would be a big international company like Lego

@hedgie, In the mid 70's TLG was not that big a company. Organization that did have CAD tools would be in what we call today the Fortune 100 group. IBM, General Motors, Ford, NASA etc... A lot has changed in 45 years.


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How to ship a LEGO sculpture to a contest?
I am planning to participate in an art contest that allows paintings, sculptures, or video clips. I have a LEGO sculpture in mind that would fit the idea of the contest, but it would have to be shipped to the jurors. The contest itself is not about LEGO at all, so I have no idea how they will react to a LEGO set. I just want to use it as a medium to convey my message.
The sculpture would be a diorama with a small figure (not a minifig) and some larger figures. The basic question is: How can the sculpture be delivered to the contest in one piece? I can think of some options:

Glue: Since the figures would stand in the diorama, the glueing area would be quite small, breaking is likely to happen.
Sturdy build, use Technic connections: Having the figures attached to the sculpture with lift arms would look weird and would probably decrease artistic value.
Partly disassemble the sculpture and give instructions for final assembly to the contest committee.

Number 3 is my favourite solution. However, is it acceptable for a contest to deliver a partly assembled sculpture?? I would wrap each figure separately and deliver also photographs/descriptions of the final arrangement.
Do you have experience with shipping sculptures and contests? What is the most feasible approach? Are there other considerations?
EDIT: After Mołot's comment I contacted the contest committee. They were very kind, and obviously, it is no problem to submit half-assembled work (in this case). Lesson learned: Ask!

"is it acceptable for a contest to deliver a partly assembled sculpture?" - No one here can know that. Only way to know that is to ask contest committee.

All 3 methods are necessary when shipping builds.

As @Mołot commented, first ask the contest committee whether they have specific rules. In general though, shipping in chunks is common, ideally few pieces that are simple and straightforward to attach.
Rigid, sturdy builds are obviously going to stand up better to the travails of shipping, so try to avoid spindly construction. Follow good mechanical engineering principles, and if you can use technics for internal support, it may be very useful.
Glue also helps - yes, it's a bit more permanent, but for this type of production, you want that.
Additionally, shipping with "popcorn" pieces densely packed really helps prevent damage. Be aware that whoever unpacks it may be less keen :-)


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Is there any legit positive impact of LEGO on mental health?
Is there any legit research done on the impact of LEGO on mental health?
For instance, does it positively affect kids’ mental development or does it help with stress, anxiety or any other mental-health issues?

If you go to google scholar and enter "LEGO positive effect" you will get a number of publications that describe exactly that. There are several studies that show all kinds of positive effects, not only on children. Creativity, teamwork, math, engineering, success, patience and other areas seem to be improved with LEGO.

Yes.
Here is a study that demonstrates one way to use LEGO in ADHD counseling.
If you are looking for a more rigorous outcomes-focused methodology, there's another study that looked at the impact of LEGO on social skills development in children. It found significant improvement compared to the control in a pre-test, post-test study.
If your interested in the developmental side of LEGO, here's a study that shows a correlation between complex LEGO play in 3 and 4 year olds and their secondary school mathematics achievement.
On the adult side, here's a study that shows a decrease in workplace stress after a group LEGO activity.
I'm sure there are loads more, but that's what a quick search on Google Scholar turned up.


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LEGO Trains 12v: Identify This?
This is a very popular picture, which almost all LEGO Trains' fans from the 1980s would recognize.
I have the train in the foreground, 7740, but not the 4th car (the red one). Can anyone please clarify that from where it came? Also, what other trains are being shown here?
The two stations are probably the same model (7822), just different builds. Level crossing (on left corner) is 7834.

The red car that you mentioned is Mail Van (7820).

There are a number of other trains in the picture including:
7730 - Goods train (the locomotive doesn't seem to be visible)

7710 - Push-Along Passenger Steam Train (just the cars)

7750 - Steam Engine with Tender (pulling the cars from 7710)

7814 - Crane Wagon

7760 - Diesel Shunter Locomotive

7720 - Diesel Freight Train Set (the car in the bottom right carrying rails to the work crew)

It's not a train, but set 6647 - Highway Repair is also present.

Oh man, what a great and detailed answer. Thanks a lot.

BTW, do you know if the train station in the foreground is really another build of 7822?

I noticed that 7710, 7720, 7730 and 7750 are mixed in to three trains. They don't appear individually.

Regarding the alternative build of 7822 question: The station at the back is indeed an alternative of 7822 as can be seen on the back of the box, see this answer to my question. As for the other build, I would guess it is another alternative build of the 7822, but I can't find any reference to it on the box or in the instruction manual


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What is the difference between these two Technic half bushings?
While randomly browsing some LEGO sites, I came across a weird (to me anyway) looking bushing. Its part 4265c. Below is one of the images describing it and the left one I recognize, but the right one I have never seen. It looks like there is some built-in play to the axis.
So my questions:

Are the two bushings on the image interchangeable?
Are they both really referred to by the same id (4265c)?
Is there any practical difference between the two?
Are there any specific use cases where the second would be preferred over the first one?

Related to: What's the difference between these hole shapes?

They both appear to have the same part ID despite being quite different.
Sariel answers most of your questions in The Unofficial LEGO Technic Builder's Guide.

toothed half bush with a cutout
The second variant, the toothed half bush with a cutout, is exactly
  what its name implies: a copy of the previous version with part of the
  axle hole cut out, which makes the axle hole large (see Figure 4-13).
This modification was introduced to make it easier for children to
  take half bushes on and off the axles, and that's exactly what makes
  it much less popular with builders: These bushes are more likely to
  shift when stressed than the first variant.
Other than that, it has every quality of the original toothed half
  bush except that, having been introduced a few years later, it's newer
  and thus made of strong material.
(Chapter 4. Page 36.)

Pawel "Sariel" Kmiec, 2012. The Unofficial LEGO Technic Builder's Guide. 1 Edition. No Starch Press.

Interesting... brickowl lists the right picture for 4265c while peeron lists the left picture.
This leads me to think that both are interchangeable and that the one in the right picture is a more cost-efficient version of 4265c (using slightly less ABS). Lego Pick-a-Brick also shows the version in the picture on the right.


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What is the set number for these Star Wars parts?
We lost the majority of my son's Lego collections in a flood. The attached pictures are all we have and need them identified for insurance.

Would appreciate your help identifying the set number.

This is mostly the Space Police Galactic Enforcer Set LEGO #5974.  Which Star Wars parts are you referring to?  Can you point them out in the picture?

Thanks for the help.  This was my best guess on the parts that went together.  Others are likely lost.

You have (part of) set 5974 - Galactic Enforcer (2009). This set is missing a few parts, as the back end is supposed to be rather symmetrical and there is a separate space ship (black). See the picture below.

Thanks for the help. This was my best guess on the parts that went together. Others are likely lost.

No problem Tom ... and so sorry to hear about what happened - hope the insurance covers enough to purchase some nice replacement sets!

We hope the insurance covers them.  I have several more to identify - since I am new to this site I am not sure the best way to post the pictures of the rest.  Any advice?  Thanks

You can put multiple pictures in one post and ask for identification of all of them. Alternatively, if you know your way around LEGO pieces and can identify some unique ones per set (e.g. with special stickers, or unusual shape) you can use the Catalog Items search on BrickLink to find which sets they appear in, that way you don't have to ask .... but there are many of us here who like the challenge :)


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I have received a set with a piece which isn't a part of it and I cannot identify it
I feel like I have seen this piece before, yet I also feel like it may not be a Lego piece. I am not sure! I have searched for Bricklink to no avail and it has no number or Lego number on.

It looks like a space gun, part 3959.

These pieces, in black, were also used as torches in some Pirates sets.


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Robot Inventor 51515 - PIN request when connecting via Bluetooth
Just received the item 51515
Managed to connect the Mindstorms controller via Bluetooth from mobile without any problems. Great!
Next step, connect from PC.
When I connect from my Windows machine I get Bluetooth PIN prompt.
What PIN should I put in?

I didn't get a bluetooth pin prompt on my windows 10, latest update. Which version of windows are you using? Also, what bluetooth setup do you have? Perhaps post a picture of the info available in device manager...

W10 with all updates installed. And also, I have accepted the prompt from LEGO software to update the firmware for both the brick and all motors.

Are you trying to pair your Hub directly with your PC or via Mindstorms software?

Via Mindstorm software and when I do so the prompt for the PIN shows up.

Sorted. I remove the brick using OS Bluetooth interface. Then went on to once again add it from Lego software and this time it did not ask me for the PIN.
Thanks for your swift help guys!

I removed the brick using Windows Bluetooth panel. Then once again readded the device using Lego software. And this time it did not ask me for the Bluetooth PIN.


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I have found some torsos from a collection in my dad’s loft; can you identify them?

These were in a set but I cannot for the life of me find them despite many searches online and on Bricklink... Any help much appreciated.

I know the starwars one is a snowtrooper but I am really struggling to find anything else!

The striped one is confusing. What's on the other side? Does it say Lego on the neck?

Hi, thanks for your help. I found similar ones in a stuntman set. It is blank white on the back.

Yeah, the prisoner/convict one is odd - I can find a few ebay/etc. listings for a similar designs but with 23768 on them... The newer (2019) Duplo prisoner has a similar black and white striped top, unlike the System grey and white.

Underside/bottom of that prisoner torso looks to be a tad different shape than other two. Potentially a clone-brand element?

I can't speak to the shape, but doesn't the number look crooked to anyone else? I'm wondering if it's a 3rd-party sticker perhaps? That's why I asked about the neck.

It is a lego piece - agreed it could be a sticker BUT it isn’t. Print matches 100% and is the same as the brick 23768

The last one is from Indiana Jones
Part# 973pb0452 - Torso Indiana Jones V-Neck with Bow and Flower Pattern
It appears in Marion Ravenwood - White Outfit

Thank you - thank makes perfect sense.


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

I'm quite unsure if this is LEGO part. What is the source of the picture? Is this element from part list for some clone-branded model or MOC?

The source of the picture are from the instructions of lego clone brand named Blue Brixx. All the other lego parts in this set look identical to bricks in lego instructions. The part has one stud on top and one stud on the side and a bar on the bottom. Is there a lego part similar to this?

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


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Why do older bricks have greater clutch power?
I have some pre-2000 (rough date to split the collection to old/new) System and Technic sets that are from different sources: some are from my childhood, while others have been acquired in "used" as well as "new" condition. They share a common property compared to newer sets - brick clutch power in older sets is a lot stronger. And this is something of a common observation in AFOL community.
Take Technic 8880 set for example. You can feel greater power is required to assemble and take apart Technic bricks compared to what would modern same parts needed. They are not damaged or bent, and still look the same as new part. I've also noticed, when handling the assembled model, you can hear many connection points squeak, which isn't a case with modern sets.
It is known TLG made a change from pre-colored plastic pellets to "base + colored dye" used in production these days. Newer bricks have slightly different properties too, like they doesn't yellow as much as old ones. So obviously, some changes were made to plastic formula, but it is still ABS plastic (question is about opaque colored bricks).
So I wish to understand what's the reason behind this.

Was the clutch power always like that for bricks of that era?
Is it because of chemical nature where some elements within ABS plastic mixture cause clutch power to change?
Maybe some physical nature like temperature or humidity causing plastic to degrade/shrink over time?

Ideally I would like to see answers with facts, but keeping in mind TLG may be good at keeping their secrets I'm open to all the answers with some sort of proof of the statement.

I don't have a source for this, but I heard that Lego considers the older, tighter bricks to be defective compared to the modern bricks, which clutch less but are easier for children to manipulate.

An interesting reason I have never heard of before. Would love to get more detail on this matter.

This is a partial answer (or theory).
The moulds for most of the basic bricks have been changed over the years to use less plastic while (hopefully) retaining clutch.
2 x N bricks were given thinner walls with 'notches' for the studs. This may have slightly weakened clutch power.

1 x N bricks (and some plates) were given holes through the bottom tubes and had some supporting walls removed. Not sure how this might've affected clutch power though.

Photos taken from here.

I believe they gave up on the hollow tubes again.

It seems like a limited selection of bricks follow this trend of being remodeled. Technic bricks haven't been affected by this, for example, however their clutch strength is changed over time.

I may found a hint onto what's going on with old elements made of ABS on sister website - Chemistry.SE. That question discuss other problem with ABS plastic - brittleness, however answer provide some interesting facts:

The original ABS substance is a copolymer made of acrylonitrile,
butadiene and styrene. It is rather hard and brittle. To make it
softer, some proportion of a plasticizer has to be added when it's hot
and malleable. In the last century, the plasticizer was in general
dinonylphthalate. It works well, but it is a bit volatile. So after a
couple of years, the plasticizer gets evaporated, and the polymer
becomes brittle again. This "illness" can only be cured by remelting
the plastic and adding some new dinonylphthalate. Today better
plasticizers have been discovered that are not so volatile.

The "old parts" I had in mind are from early 90's or so, which fits the description. It also makes sense that ABS becomes less plastic when it looses its plasticizer, thus no longer being flexible enough to adjust to tiny deformations during assembly. This results in, say antistuds, no longer adjusting to studs once attached and now being tiny bit smaller causing greater clutch power.

New bricks (having cross support) are lighter, 2•25 grammes instead of 2•68 (from my own weighing). Fits to older Lego that don't hold together well better, but new bricks not hold to 1990's as well as those of then to their top. Must be changing sizes? The ribs inside squash? Also the yellow is a different shade, can shine a light through, & the new ones light up, so there is a difference.


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Help! What set is this?
I have a lego bag only. I am trying to figure out what set the bag goes to. It's bag number 3 and has pieces that look like they go to a green vehicle of some sort. Possibly a truck?

Spider-Man: Spider-Cycle Chase (Set 76004)

I found this by going to bricklink.com, searching for a recognizable piece, then seeing which sets that piece could be found in.

Thank you very much! Seems to be a good fit.


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How to make a Lego continuous conveyor belt
So I need to make a continuously working conveyor belt transporting blocks.
I have seen this post, but additionally, as already said, I have to make it work continuously transporting blocks,so I have thought about this:

There are two problems I foresee:

Can conveyor belts be stacked one on top of the other? (they therefore would be slightly uphill)
How could I deal with turns?

For problem 2 I have imagined something like in this video:
LEGO Great Ball Contraption (GBC) Layout 2012.9
in which each ball (bricks in my idea) are stored into "tubs".

Alternatively if nothing else works I will have to fall back on seemingly easier to do rails. But rails are not conveyor belts. That is totally different.
Thank you in advance for any help.

If you run your proposed configuration in the opposite direction, each belt drops its inventory onto the next one, which runs at a 90 degree angle. Doesn't that solve your problem?

The Bucket Wheel Excavator 42055 has a great example of what you want to achieve - a conveyor feeding a conveyor at an angle.  You just need to extend the concept.

If you want the belts to operating in a single plane, you could try having an angled blockage across the corner which diverts the blocks onto the next belt, like this.

If you don't mind them going slightly up hill then all you need to do is make the one it is dropping off finish up high and have the next one be underneath it. In your diagram the dark green belt runs right into the wall, in my diagram below the dark greening finishes mid-air and the block and drop onto the cyan one.

Thank you! The first solution might do. I just could find the site that sells those Thomas Convejor. I just googled that name but all others popped out.

could you please tell me where can I find that Thomas convejor belt?

@Patrick I don't recall the exact search I did for it but I just grabbed it from Google Images with something like "conveyor belt diverter"

Thanks in fact this is an industrial conveyor belt


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Unknown Minifig Accessory (chrome silver/pearl gold)
I got a bunch of these in a bulk bin and cannot figure out what they are. It is possible they are not lego itself as I cannot find a lego logo on it anywhere.
Anyone know what they are?

I cannot id this as LEGO. There's also no such item in Chrome Silver [BL]. Probably something from clone brands. One question though - does the bar end fit in minifigure's arm?


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Identify the set these LEGO elements are from
I have a LEGO set without any instructions:

Which set could it be, how can it be assembled?
Thanks you

These are random pieces, not a set

I thought it was a set, thanks for your reply

No set contains 4 of the rounded 1x2 plates in yellow, at most 2 (https://www.bricklink.com/catalogItemIn.asp?P=35480&in=S&colorID=3&ov=Y)

@MichaelVerschaeve That should be an answer, IMO.

No set listed on bricklink or brickset contains 4 of the rounded 1x2 plates in yellow, at most 2, so this is either no set or it is not listed yet on those sites. Also it's a relatively small amount of bricks (48), too few to amount to a set.

https://www.bricklink.com/catalogItemIn.asp?P=35480&in=S&colorID=3&ov=Y

However, all the pieces shown appear in an even amount:  is it possible that it is a bag of 24 pieces from 2 copies of a set?

No, that would still mean that there are 2 of the rounded plates, which means only 41386 qualifies and it's easy to see that this set does not contain many of the other pieces...

Looking closely at the picture: Those bricks aren't LEGO at all, they are from some unidentified clone brand. I cannot see any logos on top of the studs (neither LEGO or any other).

That's a great observation. PIP on top of studs prove your point.


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Issues with my LEGO Land Rover Defender - Rear Wheel Keeps Popping Off
I just finished the assembly of the Land Rover Defender Technic model and it appears I have trouble in the rear... the rear left tire keeps popping off every time I try to roll forward. It is secure, then it immediately pops off after a very short run. I have tried to review online videos and reassemble the rear end and have also refitted the rear bumper and wheel well arches.
Do  I have something wrong with transmission or do you think it is something with the actual suspension assembly?

Describe the piece disconnect.  Yes/No? Does only the black wheel pop off by itself without any other pieces connected with it?

Sounds a bit odd. But I'd love to hear if you have all wheels spinning same direction when the model is bottom up? Have you tried switching wheels to check if that's a wheel/rim issue? If you try pulling each wheel do they have consistent resistance or rear left wheel is easily removed?

I've read about someone having exact the same problem with the 42030 (Volvo L350 F wheel loader) years ago. And basically, the wheels aren't that different with this model.
Apparently, people sometimes don't realize how much force they need to use to click the wheels on.
The problem is with these pieces:

fitting in these pieces:

You need to use much more force then you ordinarily do building a Technic or other LEGO set. You need to hear a very audible "click". Afterwards, its very hard to separate the pieces without damaging them.


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How do I make a single arm double tap a piano key?
I am trying to make a Lego play piano from ev3, where I have connected two arms to a single motor on either side using Lego elements. Both the arms move counterclockwise to one another (if one plays the key then another won't), the problem is that I need one of the arms to double tap on the key without the motor moving 360 degrees. How do I do it? I have used run_time, run_target, and run_angle but nothing seems to work.

#!/usr/bin/env pybricks-micropython
from pybricks import ev3brick as brick
from pybricks.ev3devices import *
from pybricks.ev3devices import (Motor, TouchSensor, ColorSensor, InfraredSensor, UltrasonicSensor, GyroSensor)
from pybricks.parameters import Port
from pybricks.tools import wait

# Play a sound.
brick.sound.beep()

# Initialize a motor at port B.
test_motora=Motor(Port.A)
test_motorb = Motor(Port.B)
test_motorc = Motor(Port.C)
test_motord=Motor(Port.D)

test_motord.run_target(500,-180)
test_motord.run_time(500,2000)
wait(1000)
test_motord.run_target(500,0)
test_motord.run_time(500,2000)

If I understand correctly, you can already tap once. What is preventing you from repeating the same movement in order to tap twice?

Please don 't upload code as a picture.

This is actually quite simple. Turn the motor enough degrees for it to touch the key, then use that same number of degrees to turn it back (but with a - before it to specify that it go backwards. After that, turn it that same number of degrees again but without the - this time.


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Can you identify this torso assembly
Can anyone identify this torso and arms?
I did a search on Bricklink for torsos with 'fur' and 'belt' but couldn't find it.

Can you please insert the image instead of the link? Usually, the webpage opens with popups, cookies and other unwanted stuff.

I found another listing for the same minifigure on Etsy with extended description, which doesn't mention LEGO parts have been used. Otherwise that would be a selling benefit. Also, two sentences below, extracted from description, make you assume minifigure is built from non-LEGO parts.

This custom Minifigure works with any building block set.
These figures are custom figures and are only compatible with LEGO® but are not in any was associated or endorsed by them.

Now if you are still in doubt, we could check if Bricklink has them. Torso and legs seems to be in Light Bluish Gray color. While such legs exist as LEGO item, checking torsos, assembled torsos, body parts (arms) in this color it can be be concluded that torso and arms have non-LEGO print. These still could be made of genuine LEGO parts, but print is custom.
Hair looks to be in Dark Orange, which exist both in LEGO form as Minifigure, Hair Female Mid-Length with Braid around Sides and a color.

The seller says that it was handmade, and Lego minifigures are not made like that. And it clearly says this in the product description:

Game of Thrones Ygritte custom mini figure.

This most likely means that this is a MOC figure. Like I said before, Lego would not bother to buy the Game Of Thrones license (it is already purchased by Mega Construx anyways) and they don't even spell the word "minifigure" as "mini figure." As told in the comments, the head, hair, and grey pants are not in Bricklink's database, so I'm still sticking with the fact that it's a MOC figure. I typed "head blue eyes" "orange hair" "pants grey" but none of them appear. This therefore offers more proof to my answer.

"Custom minifigure" doesn't always mean all of its components are non-LEGO or otherwise modified LEGO parts. Minifigure could be assembled from existing LEGO elements, but assembly itself doesn't appear as such item in any of the sets.

You also don't need to have a license to build your own GoT minifigure from LEGO elements. So having an answer based on the fact that LEGO doesn't hold the license for Game of Thrones isn't really accurate

And based on the price, I suspect this was not custom printed but assembled from other lego pieces.  The custom printed ones typically sell for much more.

@user3794648 Well, the head, hair, and grey pants are not in Bricklink's database, so I'm still sticking with the fact that it's a MOC figure. I typed "head blue eyes" "orange hair" "pants grey" but none of them appear. This therefore offers more proof to my answer.

@mindstormsboi Hair, Legs


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In what set is this brick used?

In which set is this LEGO brick used? There is no number in it and it's original LEGO. The only number on it is "A 1".

The specific part (870) is identified in the other answer, however it is part of an assembly with its own part number:
https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=827#T=C&C=3
827 Vehicle, Tractor Chassis
870's page mentions it has extra parts that it is used with, and 827 is the complete assembly (steering wheel + mechanism).
This page details what other parts are needed to complete it.
https://www.bricklink.com/catalogItemInv.asp?P=827
870 is the base in the picture, and 871-874 are the mechanism pieces.

The first link in your question is identical to the one in Henrik's answer.

How do I edit this the best way? I see the redundancy but the point here is to give the extra information. Do I just remove the link?..

Maybe post the extra info as a comment to his answer, why not?

I've seen people post add-on answers elsewhere so I figured it would be fine here - especially since when I started searching there was no answer yet

Okay, but in that case just edit your answer to explain that you're posting this to add some context and don't say "this is the real part" because we already know what the real part is.

Oh, with that I meant that while this is the specific part, it is useful to know that it is not a standalone piece. Not good with words, will try to reword it.

I disagree with mindstormsboi here, your answer is just as valid as the other one. Also your answer in original form was fine.

That's
Vehicle, Tractor Chassis Base 11 x 2 x 3
Following the link to bricklink, you can see that it was in four sets in the 1970's.


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Angry birds arms
Is it possible to attach the Angry Birds arms to a regular minifigure, or is the attachment pin different?

I got hold of an Angry Bird, and can confirm the arms are totally interoperable.

I don't have any Angry Birds components, but comparing these pictures:

they look at least similar in construction and scale, so I'd bet they are compatible.


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What LEGO set is this bag with minidoll?
Can anyone help me identify the set that these parts come from?
The bag is number two.

I believe this is Heartlake Hot Air Balloon (41097).

The red striped torso only appears in a few sets, and it's fairly obvious from the rest of the parts which one this is.
Here's what that bag builds specifically:


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Repairing a 12V switch motor
My son caused me to dig up my old 12V LEGO trains. Surprisingly they mostly work, except for one part - Electric, Train 12V Remote Control Switch Motor 4 x 8 x 1 2/3:

This is the motor that drives the switches and railway crossings. I have 2 broken ones (and 2 working ones). One of them vibrates and buzzes a little but does not flip.  The other one is completely dead and the ohmmeter gives a broken connection.
Does anyone have anything that might me help fix them? Photos about how to open them, etc...

I doubt getting in there will be very easy, but I'd start on the vibrating one.  My 4.5V Technic motors  of similar vintage spin over but are very easily stalled.  I suspect the bearings need at least a good clean, possibly light grease but it depends on the details when you get inside

Just repaired one...
https://youtu.be/XGyY8KtDnfA
Pry it open by using a precision knife on the lip of the bottom, using care to not damage the case:

Inside you'll find a coil of copper wire. Check that the ends of the wire are properly soldered to the terminals, and re-solder if needed.


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Night's watch torsos
Are the torsos in this eBay listing made by LEGO? If so, can anyone identify them?

Bricklink doesn't even know what is "game of thrones" so I think these are from a third-party company. In fact I see that game of thrones sets are actually made by Mega Construct and Lego wouldn't buy this license anyway. Should I post this as answer?

The capes look a little fuzzy, those minifigure heads don't seem to exist, and I'm failing to recognize the hair anyways, which increases the chances of it being from clone-brand.

From the EBay listing you posted:

Precise Molded & Printed Items (MOC-My Own Creations)

Ergo, these are custom minifigs, not made by LEGO.

Indeed. Anyone could've found out whether they were real or not with a few google/BL searches.


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How should castle doors be attached?
I'm trying to plan the pieces I'll need for a castle door.
I know I need 2 of these doors.
Based on the part list for Adventurers Tomb set, it looks like I'll need several shutter holders, right?  Is there a way to fill in the curves around the top so the front is solid?

It appears there's some parts that fill in above the door in the dark fortress landing set (#8802-1). But I can't tell which parts they are from the parts list. Any help on that?

Since this is the only arch in the set, it looks like it might go perfectly on top: https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=3455&idColor=9#T=C&C=9

It looks more like 3307, Brick, Arch 1 x 6 x 2 - Thick Top with Reinforced Underside

Related: https://bricks.stackexchange.com/questions/6265/how-do-you-eliminate-the-gap-between-castle-doors

The Adventures Tomb 2996 set you mentioned uses shutter holders to mount the door and a 1x6x1 arch to cover the space behind the doors:

It is also very common to use a 1x6x2 arch, as was done in Dark Fortress Landing 8802:

As I mentioned in another answer, these clips generally attach to the back of the door, not the side. The geometry is more complicated to completely fill if you want to have the doors hinge from the side.

I have those doors, and you're right about the shutter holder bricks, which are pretty fragile. The doors each cover half the space under a 1x6x2 arch. Besides the shutter snaps, the only connection point is the stud/doorknob.


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What set does this brick come in?
This brick is part of a 1980-1990's set.
Does anyone know which one?

That's Slope 45 2 x 2 with 3 Gauges and 3 Knobs Pattern and was available in 23 sets.


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Does anybody know the part number of this tile?
Does anybody know the part number of this tile? The size is 2x14.
It has an unusual height. It's higher than 1 plate, lower than 2, so it's an exact 1/2 of a brick. See the given picture for the bottom:

Are sure this is not 2 plates high? Could you take another picture with plates side by side?

Hi user15123.  Welcome to Bricks.StackExchange.  If Alex's answer is what you were looking for it'd be nice to click the checkbox by the answer to accept it.  https://bricks.stackexchange.com/help/someone-answers

That's Train Level Crossing Center Rail Cap Insert 2 x 14 x 2/3. Although as naming suggests it is 2/3 of a brick, so it must be two plates high.
Picture from Bricklink:

And here is a list of 6 sets it was part of.


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Connectivity graph for a digital model
I'm looking for a way to take a digital representation of a model (e.g. an LDD or LDraw file) and extract from it a representation of the model that describes which pieces are actually connected to each other as a network graph. Bricklink Studio is able to calculate how many "detached sections" a model is comprised of (i.e. connected components) so this is definitely possible with available tools, I'm just not sure how to export this information in a format I could work with outside of Bricklink Studio.


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Received 2 LEGO bags with no instructions
My wife and I received 2 LEGO bags and we are trying to identify what they are so my son and I can find the manual. I’ve attached pictures, thanks!

Also this picture shows the figures included.

Both are from Jungle Tree House (41059)

First polypag is identified by Container, Barrel Half Large with Axle Hole in Medium Lavender and Sand Green Mini Doll Friends Hips and Skirt
Second polybag has combination of Tile, Modified 4 x 4 with Studs on Edge in Dark Pink and Brick, Modified 1 x 2 Log in Lavender color.
Instructions can be downloaded from LEGO Service web page.


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What set do these pieces belong to?
Black pieces rotate, if it helps?
Thanks

Having checked various different parts (including severely underestimating how widespread Trans-Light Blue Brick, Round 2 x 2 with Axle Hole is) I believe that this may be LEGO Friends: Pop Star Show Stage, based on Bright Light Orange Plate, Round 4 x 4 with Hole, which only appeared in 10 sets


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LEGO train 60198 isn't working
Battery box on my LEGO train 60198 is flashing green and orange, then after few seconds it suddenly turns off itself.
I've tried resetting it by pushing the button on the train until it turns purple, but then straight away it starts flashing orange again. After that it turns off itself.
Please explain what is wrong with it.

I got same issue as above. Changed all 10 batts (Remote and hub) in to Energizer max - and still same thing. Blinks Green (1x) and Orange (2x). Blinking is only at Hub. Remote is ok. Measured batts (if the voltage is ok - measured 1,54 to 1,64 V at 1,5 measuring routine) - should be ok. Once it rides - it makes like 2-3 meters, than simply power-off (Without White blinking). Any suggestions?

@Adam Welcome to Bricks.SE! I've added an answer with a few suggestions that might help when you know the batteries are good: https://bricks.stackexchange.com/a/15698/708

Same issue - TL;DR; Some Rechargeable batteries don't give out enough power.

LEGO guide shows the orange blinking appears when batteries are flat.
.
Have you tried using fresh batteries in your train?

Yes, all The batteries are new

I found following meaning for blinking colors:
Purple: network has been erased (or hub is waiting for new firmware)
Orange: low battery
So purple means your controller and battery box are no longer paired and this doesn't effect your issue. However if you still see orange color blinking there seems to be low batteries somewhere (either controller or battery box/hub). I would suggest taking out ALL batteries from both controller as well as battery box/hub and changing to fresh  batteries. Try not to mix and match different different brands.

Your batteries should also be non rechargeable ones. Rechargeable ones might give a too low voltage even when fully charged (about 7.2 V instead of the expected 9V). If you are certain that the batteries are not the issue, you could contact lego support, they will issue you replacement parts...

@MichaelVerschaeve does this come from experience? Because TLG is fine with rechargeable batteries and the following is included in instructions for 60198 under "Important information about batteries": "Rechargeable batteries must be recharged using the correct battery charger under the supervision of an adult. You cannot recharge batteries while they are still in the product, and you must never try to do so. Never attempt to recharge non-rechargeable batteries."

@Alex, the 7.2V I'm certain, and also sure that for EV3's rechargeable batteries were detected too fast as empty so I'm assuming this might be the case for boost as well.There was a trick however, you could insert a paperclip in a hole for the EV3 to let it know you were using rechargable batteries. This hole was also pinned when using the lego battery that came with the educational versions of EV3. I do not know of such trick with boost.

A note to everyone that the battery cell voltage at the end of capacity in around 0.8 volts for primary alkaline or zinc carbon and rechargeable nickel metal hydride battery chemistry. What this means is that the end of charge indication may appear sooner for rechargeable cells, but the actual endurance in the product will be similar as long as the cell capacity in WATT HOURS is similar between the various types of cells being evaluated.

A further note is that there are a lot of just crap AAA rechargeable nickel metal hydride batteries available for sale. So just be aware that just because there is a big number printed in the battery that claims it is "high" capacity do not believe it until you test that battery yourself. Also get a good charger that charges each cell individually. The ones that connect two or more cells in series for charging are crap.

I had exactly same issue with same model.
The battery box HUB NO. 4 was blinking green (colour of connection) and orange.
I changed to brand new batteries.
Still the hub was blinking green (colour of connection) and orange.
As they mention above it's due to the batteries is out.
What I like to add and to highlight is that there is x6 batteries to change.
LEGO - Powered Up troubleshooting - Changing batteries

Changing the batteries in your LEGO® Power Functions Train

Remove the LEGO Power Functions Battery Box from the train.
Remove the two screws on the bottom of the battery box.
Replace all six batteries with fresh, high quality AAA alkaline batteries.

We don't recommend mixing brands or old and new batteries.

LEGO - Building instructions for 60198 - Book 3 pdf
See page 9 instruction 2.

In my case I been to lazy and didn't check any instruction.
I only open the box, change the 3 batteries I saw and mount it back.
After changing all of the x6 batteries issue solved.

Here are a few other suggestions for folks that are still struggling with this issue or something similar after putting in new batteries.

Pair the hub with your phone and update it to the latest firmware using the Powered Up app if you haven't already done so.
Try controlling the hub using your phone. This will help to isolate the problem to either the remote or the hub.
Pull the batteries out of both devices and just let them sit for a couple of minutes and then put the batteries back in.
Contact customer service. This obviously doesn't help much with Christmas morning strife, but if your hub is indeed faulty, TLG will be happy to replace it at no cost.