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How has the basic brick changed over the years?
The basic 2x4 brick has many versions. For example the modern one has thinner walls and funny shaped tubes  compared to an early 1980s brick. What were the changes over the years and how did they affect building?

I can't provide a list of all the minor changes, but I can at least tell the most significant change made in the history of the basic 2x4 brick (which applies to all other bricks and parts, too):

1963: Material changed from Cellulose Acetate to Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS)*

In general, there are no essential changes made: a brand-new brick still fits together with one from before 1963 as long as the Cellulose Acetate hasn't deformed too much during ageing (which is the main reason they switched to ABS, it's more robust, scratch-proof and doesn't deform so easily).
The main "change" that really affects building is the continuously improving precision in production - this happens all the time, so there's no point on the timeline. The effect is simple: better fitting bricks improve the stability of your construction.
*Transparent bricks consist of Polycarbonate, axles consist of Polyamide

You can see from the patent (https://i.sstatic.net/QRwhY.jpg) that the basic design hasn't changed markedly.

The brick as it stands now hasn't seen structural changes since 1958, which is why LEGO celebrated the 50 years of the brick in 2008. The brick before 1958 didn't have the bottom tubes, which were part of the patent you mention.

@Joubarc - Current 2x4 have thinner walls (with vertical "ridges") than earlier 2x4 bricks from around 10-15 years ago.  This seems to have more rigidity as well as a reduction in the amount of plastic.  I'm not sure if it improves or reduces the clutch power.

@CadeRoux — right, but it's not really a structural change. I think the clutch power should be the same, since they've left plastic on the part of the walls where the studs touch it. But they're less plastic, that's for sure.

This diagram from WRme2 on Flickr provides a representation of the mold variations from 1949 to 2022:

Hollow tube 1958 (2×4 weighing 3g)

Gets a horizontal ridge called a flowrib & end pips, holds together better (now 2•68g)

Colours charge & black shine, maybe from being made from ABS instead of CA?

ABS 1963

Flowrib removed (= weight)

In USA gets slits in tubes

As Pat. Pend. ends, those words get obscured, & stud pips instead of side pips 1974

2×3 & 2×4 get cross-members, ribs & thinner walls (2•25g) (sorry I don't get the joke? tubes still round). [2×2 gets ribs]

The N° for 2×4, 3001, inside those bricks.

& for the 1×

1×2 1955

Gets pillars (not for 1×1), 1×6 now has 1 cross-member instead of 2 1959

Gets full depth cross-members, & 1×6 back to having 2 (but there is also some with just the 1)

Cross-members on all pillars, & not full depth again

Hollow pillars

The 1st using tubes, & 1× sans pillars don't hold together well, okay for buildings. Must be bigger under & smaller studs? Some one wrote that the new thinner bricks don't hold as well on underside. I've 1×2 with notch for wires, hold together okay, even though no pillar, but guess the pillars must help.
With cross-members & ribs, when I tested using bricks that came just before, holds less well underneath, using 6 studs there holds less well than 4 atop. But better with the 1st using tubes, 4 underneath better than 8 atop. But no better at holding 1 stud under.

Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us :) But can you please rework the answer to use full sentences and proper words instead of abbreviations and netspeak (i.e. "Some 1 wrote", "&", etc.)? You might want to take a look at other questions and answers to get a feel for the style used on this site if that helps. Normally we'd edit your submission to fit the guidelines, but in this case I see multiple spots where I can't even start to guess your intended meaning (for example "No. 3001 inside"). Thanks!

Sorry, but this answer has a bunch of random text and is unreadable. Could you structure your answer in a different manner and provide additional details in a clear and easy text please?

I could, but not going to, going from what I've noticed mostly, so don't know all date.

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Has anyone made LEGO fly?
It may not be the ideal material. But has there ever been a LEGO model airplane with the ability to glide, under power maybe, or some other kind of successful lifting airship? Helicopter, blimp, kite, even rocket?  Sliding down a string doesn't  count. Has anyone produced any kind of limiting analysis for this problem?

Does it need to be LEGO-parts only? If so, good luck with that.

Mostly Lego will do. Video of Lego with solid rocket motor added on is also acceptable.

All the time... oh, you mean sustained flight, not just projectile...

That's not flight, it's falling. Model must generate at least some lift to win prize.

This (http://www.rcheliresource.com/video-lego-rc-helicopter/) is a Lego replica, scaled up.  Looks pretty cool.

@Erik flying is just falling and missing the ground anyway

What about hopping? I'm sure a hopping Technic model is doable, and that does generate some lift (ok, not much).

I've often wondered whether you could get a 100% Lego helicopter to fly (or at least hover). I suspect that it'd be too heavy if it needed to include the batteries (even rechargable ones), but if you powered it by a wire connected to a battery on the ground it might work...?

I bought a set of FlyBrix last year that work as a passable quad/hex/oct drone. They've made some custom arms to hold their motors, and built some studs into the PCB holding the electrics.

I recently made a machine that kinda flies.. but not really. you know those little machines that you pull a string and a thing flies up and hovers down? thats what I made, but I'm having a few problems. not enough speed. I have a gear box that almost has enough speed to lift the propeller in the air, but not enough. if I had a bigger propeller, or make my gearbox faster, it could work. and it's a hand crank. did not have any power functions pieces or anything like that. only basic technic pieces (Gears, axles, technic studded beams, and a few other parts that require no power). I cant seem to

Does the new 60248 Fire Response Helicopter count?

Non powered/motorized flight has been achieved
Bamboo copter
Anna Vuurzoon made a Flying machine using only Lego parts which uses a ripcord to propel a three blade propeller on a stick (see http://www.mocpages.com/moc.php/288875). I was able to duplicate her results, so can validate it does work. It is really a modification of a bamboo copter. The 2015 Ninjago Lego Airjitzu series
( Lego #70739, 70740, 70741, 70742, 70743, 70744) are bamboo copters and work on the same basic concept as Anna Vuurzoon's flying machine.
Glider design
Daron Williams (via Drat Glider) and Milan "grohl" Reindl from Czech Republic have both reported making working/flying Lego gliders using mainly Technic cross-axles components.  Both gliders travelled between  20 to 30 feet with the Drat Glider with the bigger wingspan going a bit longer.  The wing cross section is more or less flat (one stud tall airfoil) and acting more like an air sail (paraglider) than an airfoil. Williams uses Lego Plastic sheets from the Mars Exploration Rover Set to cover the wing (wing cowling). Plastic sheets is the lightest wing covering that can be used but Lego does not make very large ones. Reindl uses plastic from garbage bag and tape to cover the wing on his glider - this allows for a bigger but heavier cowling. I have made my own Lego glider using the plastic from Lego store bags as my wing canvas using similar construction techniques as Williams and Reindl . My preliminary indoor flying test validate the results by Williams and Reindl.  Milan Reindl is now a Lego Group junior designer (you can see his profile on Lego Technic Designer Profile).
http://www.mocpages.com/moc.php/1769
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CQcCoZ9rcY
The Challenge:
Lego does not make a quality aerial propeller or water/hydrodaulic screw-prop with a fuel efficient power stroke. The aerial propeller design for an all-electric aircraft have already be optimized by the Radio control aircraft community and can be fitted to a Technic axle but modern aerial prop design need to run from 4000 to 10000 rpm and use poly lithuim batery packs and motors that run at higher current and voltage than the Lego power function components.
The Vuurzoon design takes a lot of torque/power to fly and uses the power that it is given inefficiently. The only thing going for the Vuurzoon prop design is that it has the most efficient rotor angle to create lift. The Vuurzoon design uses hand power instead of electrical power and thus avoids the low power limitation of Lego electrical motors and battery pack systems.  Lego motors without gearing don't go above 2000 rpm at their set voltage/current level and have a high weight to power ratio which is bad for flying. Going over an 8:1 gearing causes a Lego motor to lose so much power/torque that any propellers slow down due to wind resistance (even the most energy efficient  light weight two blade electrical propellers has this problem).  Lego motors can go a bit faster if pumped with higher current and higher voltage from a non standard non-lego power source (e.g. poly-Lithium +15V power pack) but many believe this will shorten the motor lifespan.  Lego Power Function electrical packs are also too heavy for flight  the lightest battery pack is a Li-ion rechargable pack which weights about 75 grams. The heaviest Lego battery pack is the AA battery pack with alkline batteries which weights 195 grams — which is enough to sink a two catamaran hull or a large single hulled lego boat.
Standard Lego bricks are too heavy for an heavier-than-air airframe. The lightest Lego parts that can be used as an air frame are the technic axles followed by the half width technic beams— both are only semi-ridge so some bracing is need if air frame rigidity is required. In order to get a battery pack light enough and with sufficient voltage levels to fly as part of the aircraft — Lego needs to have to Lithium polymer battery pack kicking out between 18vdc to 30vdc — at those voltage levels the mini hi RPM motors used on Quadcopters and helicopter toys can start to be posssible.
Analysis of other attempts
Lego Quadcopter
There are several efforts to use Lego to make the frame of a quadcopter and uses a non lego high speed lightweight motors, hi powered batteries, and electric propeller. The high speed  motors usually run at 3400 to 15000 rpm @ 13 to 30 vdc and are very light weight. In addition it is using a non lego Poly-Lithium power pack some output as high as 30vdc even with heavy current drains. Some are using a Arudino microprocessor like device for remote communication.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkrTJh0H1fs
http://robotsquare.com/2012/03/02/flying-lego/
http://tinkernology.blogspot.com/2010/08/lego-nxt-quadcopter-no-really.html
http://www.suasnews.com/2012/12/20276/drone-made-of-lego-takes-flight/
Lego NXT Blimp-Airship
A lighter than air Lego Airship which was made by The Lego Group for a European Lego show/convention — uses Lego education propellers (from the renewable energy kit) and standard Lego motors and power supply. Prototype (non-commerical, custom made) helium balloons are used to create a neutral buoyancy so that the propellers can create lift and push the airship forward.  The Lego airship (called the C5) was demonstrated in an auditorium/stadium with a very high ceiling (there is no wind of any kind that the Airship would have to overcome).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GefwcBUioAE

Some Bionicle sets featured pre-made ripcord propellers as well - not sure that counts, though.

LEGO seems to be way too heavy and not aerodynamic enough to build a plane so the best bet would be to build a zeppelin.
There's a video on youtube that shows such a zeppelin where the nacelle is build with LEGO (not sure if it's pure LEGO, take a look at it at about 1:55 in the video).
Another, much simpler example using only 5 helium-balloons and a 9V-motor: youtube-video
After some more searching I found this video. A LEGO-model of a Bell-Boeing V-22 that looks like it lifts off and flies by the power of his own engine but is suspended by wire.
Conclusion: Flying lego is possible when you add some none-lego-parts - building a zeppelin seems to be really easy using some helium-balloons while building an aircraft without suspension is not possible (or at least: not if you plan to use LEGO-motors as they simply don't have enough power).

Looks cool, but I'd just be too darn afraid of losing my LEGO bricks. "It's not coming back down!!!"

just take an airsoft-gun with you and shoot the ballons if it goes to high ;) - everything comes down sooner or later.

That vid with the Bell-Boeing V22 is faked. The last shot at the end shows the setup, which I also think was faked. Sorry.

...wich is what i wrote: "looks like [it] flys [...] but is suspended by wire"

Some family built a LEGO quad-copter. Unsurprisingly, it uses non-LEGO parts. Also, the design might seem a bit weird and worst of all, it's glued (uuurrrgh).
But it does work and appears to be very stable, enough to provide a nice remote camera view.

Not a pure Lego solution, as it uses helium balloons for lift, but it is (mostly) made from Lego and also uses a Mindstorms NTX for control.
Article on engaget
Direct link to YouTube vidio

The Brick Experiment Channel on Youtube shows a Lego Drone that flies. It's built with a combination of Lego propellors, Lego Power Functions L motors, a Lego frame, and some non-Lego flight-control computer, radio receiver, and batteries.
https://youtu.be/wUVvQk7XLd4
This is a truly amazing feat, showing how deep knowledge of the Lego motors and technic gear ratios can lead to tricks nobody believed possible, such as flight or breaking steel. I didn't think it was possible until I saw this video. A pure Lego solution would have to replace the flight controller, RF recveiver, and batteries with something like a Control+ Powered Up hub, which has a tilt sensor, bluetooth, and batteries, but is so much larger it would almost certainly be too heavy to fly, not to mention not well suited to the task of maintaining level flight for a drone (I doubt it's possible with a stock Powered Up solution to control motor power levels quickly enough in order to correct flight direction, but I've been wrong before).

I'm surprised to see that nobody has yet mentioned Peter Sripol's functional RC airplane constructed from LEGO!
It's not a "pure" solution - the powertrain, electronics, and control linkages are all constructed from hobby-grade products, not official LEGO, some pieces were cut to size, and some non-LEGO components were glued or taped in order to secure them to the LEGO components, but the airframe itself was otherwise constructed from LEGO using legal techniques.
For those who might not be able to watch the video or are uninterested in viewing the whole thing, the fuselage is mostly Technic and 1xN plates, with Technic beams supporting the wings and control surfaces, which are constructed from baseplates, except for the vertical stabilizer, which is constructed from bricks. The plane itself uses a 3-channel control scheme (power, pitch, yaw) controlled by traditional RC hobby-quality servos, receiver, battery, ESC, brushless motor, and propellor.  The dimensions of the aircraft appear to be roughly one meter wingspan by one meter fuselage length.  The wings and control surfaces, being constructed of baseplates, are not true airfoils, and instead generate lift and pitch/yawing moments by airflow deflection, aided by the ample thrust of the powerful motor and large propellor. The plane appears to be very difficult to control and prone to stalls, spins, and fluttering, but it does fly, if only for a couple minutes.

Try Using Foam wings, and if you have the money, you could probably add motors, you would just need a Fast motor and the smallest battery box. I have a science fair and I'm going to use foam wings, Check it out!!!

I made a 100% LEGO flying machine. It's built from three parts:

Propeller number 30333,
An axle (female end) Technic pin (male end two spaces),
A three inch axle.

To fly it you hold it in your hands and slide them past each other spinning the contraption. The highest it's flown is about six feet, I've made other ones similar with different pieces but now this seems the most comfortable to spin.

I made a 6041 (https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=6041#T=C) fly by putting it on a pin and blowing really hard - once you stop blowing it takes off, mostly right into your face, so be careful haha

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpttq5IlPx8
no joke, this video is a flying pure lego helicopter.
he just uses a nxt/mindstorms motor
and the blades do have pitch so it makes sense for it to fly

yes, but there's a giant counterweight so it's not lifting the weight of the model, which is what the question is asking for.

It's definitely cool, but it doesn't really fly.

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Where can I find examples of everyday objects built in Lego?
Suppose for example I am interested in creative ways people have made trees, or minifig scale furniture, or just architectural details like windows. Is there some encyclopedia that organizes pictures this way?

I've been getting a lot of inspiration for this sort of thing from the LEGO video games, which have quite a lot of "destructible" furniture/sets.

The Lego Ideas Book
Recently released last month (19th Sep 2011). Written with the help of adult Lego Fans. I've had a look through the book myself. The book has six chapters focussing on transport, buildings, space, kingdoms, adventure and 'useful makes'. The buildings chapter in-particular focusses on every day objects.

The LEGO Ideas Book, hmillington @Flickr

Flickr
The photography site has a large community of Lego Fans who share there creations. There is an entire group dedicated to Minifigure scale furniture.

If you can go, try attending an AFOL convention. Brickcon is always a great source of inspiration to me. You'll see great examples of everyday objects & building styles & you have access to some of the model builders themselves. You can get helpful hints from them that even the excellent answers mentioned above can't provide.

You can also get ideas and suggestions from the Rebrickable website. You can see what others have built and get instructions for them.

You can visit the website buildingexamples.com A lot of examples are there with step-by-step instructions.


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Why do some minifigs have yellow heads and some are flesh colored?
When did the flesh colors start and why? It seems yellow heads are here to stay too?

I remember back in the old LEGO Club days, there was a guy called Redini who would answer questions by club members. One of them asked a similar question, except phrased more simply: "Why are LEGO people yellow?" While the old LEGO Club site is nowhere to be found, forum posts from the same era quote his relevant answer verbatim... not sure if I should bother quoting it as an answer here since it was answered way before more minifig head colors appeared.

To answer the first part of the question, the Company Profile presentation (deep, direct link) states:

When the minifigure first appeared, it was decided that its face should have only one colour: yellow. And that its facial features should be happy and neutral . The figure would have no sex, race or role – these would be determined by the child’s imagination and play.

It then explains when and why they added colour for their licensed figures

With licensed products such as LEGO® Star Wars™ and LEGO® Harry Potter™ the figure began appearing in specific roles, and with LEGO Basketball in 2003 it took on authentic skin colours. In 2004 the LEGO minifigure assumed an even wider range of skin colours when it was decided that the figures in licensed products should resemble the original characters as closely as possible. One result was that the figures in LEGO Harry Potter™ changed from yellow to a more authentic skin colour.

The first ones I remember seeing were indeed some of the NBA League characters as part of the Basketball theme in 2003, followed by the Star Wars products and then the Harry Potter sets in 2004.
Lando Calrissian was one of the first to appear in the correct skin tone, amongst yellow Han and Leia:

Followed later by pink characters for the rest. The first Star Wars set in 2004 with flesh-toned figures was the Millennium Falcon. By 2005 the transition for Star Wars was complete and all sets used flesh-toned figures.
In terms of other colours, LEGO had already created various monster and alien figures with different coloured heads ranging from blues and greys through to transparent and even transparent neon orange.

Clarification: non-human and monstrous minifigs had non-yellow heads long before the flesh-toned heads, however, they usually aren't Caucasian-skin-peach-toned.

@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 Updated ;)

The answer is very good, but at its level of detail, one somehow also expects a citation related to the fact that yellow is kept as the default skin colour in non-licensed sets. After all, the other decisions from the original minifigs quotation have been revised in the meantime (gender already a long time ago, first by clothes and hairstyles, then by printed heads with red lips; and the bit about a neutral or happy facial expression stopped being completely true when the two-sided heads with a "panicked" expression were introduced).

Cheers, if you have a citation beyond what was in the company profile clearly states (as quoted) "it was decided that the figures in licensed products..."

The Cult Of Lego book (ISBN: 978-1-59327-391-0) had an a whole page about the change in minifigure skin colour:

Page 59, sentence 2:
  Originally, the LEGO Group sought to leave racial and gender
  differences to the imagination of builders by using a stylised,
  generic face with outfits to differentiate roles.
Page 59, sentence 4: The most noticeable feature of the majority of mini-figs is
  their ostensibly "race-neutral" yellow coloration. The paradigm lasted until
  2003, when LEGO Sports' Basketball theme was released, featuring
  minifigs based on real-life NBA players. The LEGO Group decided that
  expecting kids to appreciate figures that didn't really resemble the
  stars they represented was a losing proposition.

Since the NBA figures were released in 2003, beige and brown skin tones have been used only in licensed sets to portray characters. Traditional LEGO themes like Police and Firefighters continue to use a yellow flesh colour.
The distinction between skin tones makes it easy to identify a beige or brown minifigure as part of a licensed set. Licensed sets tend to be based on film and television themes.

Licenced Themes, use skin tone heads since they are based on something. Themes that LEGO Made themselves, such as Creator have yellow heads.

The yellow head was originally used to represent all races and both genders. Later, yellow heads were used to represent non-licensed minifigures, and flesh coloured minifigures were used to represent licensed minifigures, such as Batman, or Indiana Jones, but flesh coloured minifigures weren't used until around 2003

Flesh colored is used for licensed brands, such as Star Wars and Jurassic World.

This answer doesn't seem to add anything beyond what other answers have already stated.


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How can I fix a flattened gear?
I have an old small gear that somehow got flattened to an oval shape. The axle hole is too narrow to slide a bar through, although it is not completely closed shut.
How can I repair this gear?

The material deformation you are seeing is called ‘plasticity’.  It happens when a material under stress is deformed and doesn’t return to its original shape (this would be called elasticity).  In many cases (and it is the case with LEGO ABS plastic), this deformation weakens the material (as mentioned by Kramii).
To fix this part you have to deform it again thus breaking it even more.   Here are two things you could do:

Force it back into shape and put small amount of Krazy Glue in the cracked areas. Hopefully this will fill the gaps and give some strength back to the gear.
You could sacrifice an axle and glue (Krazy Glue) it permanently.  This would strengthen the gear a lot but condemn it to only be used with that axle.

I have a bunch of those small gears, I wish I could just give you one.

+1 for the info on plasticity. Of course, I'm horrified at the idea of sacrificing a perfectly good axle (especially when replacement gears so easy / inexpensive to obtain), but the logic behind your suggestions is irrefutable.

One of these?

I regularly crushed these as a child.
You could try inserting something small into the hole and gently easing it open. I've had modest success with a small screwdriver.
Unfortunately, the gear will be weakened following a flattening. If it is badly squashed it is very likely break - either as you try to repair it or in use.
Your best bet, therefore, is to source a replacement. They're available from BrickLink for a few pence.
The other thing to mention is that in some cases, I've been able to use these gears even though they have broken in half. I just pushed both halves onto the axle and they stuck on well enough for my purposes. Even so, I'd still buy replacements where possible.

I don't think it's really possible to salvage it, as others said, you'll only weaken it more. Even if you can place it on an axle, there's a good chance it will break under stress.
But replacement should be very easy to find, and don't forget you could also contact the LEGO customer service for that. It sounds a bit overkill, but they will usually happily replace the part. It could also be that newer ones will be stronger, but I don't know that for sure. On the other hand, they'll very likely send you a dark grey one, since it's now the standard colour.

Here's what I did:
First I tried a screwdriver and awl, but couldn't get it to work.
What did work was pinching it with pliers to open the hole, and then sliding in a rod.
The piece is intact, but very flexible now. It is very deformed, but becomes uniform when attached to an axle. I'm going to leave it attached for a while to see if it evens it out more.


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Color Specific inventory list
I can't seem to figure out the correct colors for Model #7150 TIE Fighter & Y-Wing inventory list.  My son has four different colors of "gray".  Two seem to be warmer in tone (almost a khaki color), and two seem to be coolor in tone (truly more gray).  He also has a blue-ish slate gray (more light blue than gray).  When the inventory specifies "old gray," is it referring to the light (khaki) gray?  And is the "old dark gray" the darker (khaki) gray?  Or is the inventory referring to the more cooler (truly gray) grays?  I'm SO CONFUSED!  Please help me!

Hi Kathleen and welcome to LEGO Answers - thanks for joining :) I hope that the linked question "What is the bely/blay color" helps you distinguish between these colours. You may also find Peeron.com useful as well: http://www.peeron.com/inv/sets/7150-1. As this set is fairly old, it uses the older, "warmer" greys rather than the newer bleys.

This shouldn't have been closed. Two different questions, although the linked one is related.

Also keep in mind that color will change on some parts as they age (depending on environmental factors). New or less exposed parts in the "old grey" can be a different shade than original, aged parts in the same "old grey".  The blue-grey parts that you have might actually be categorized as a blue instead.
Check out how lego sells the colors today, here:
http://shop.lego.com/en-US/Pick-A-Brick-11998
The peeron color table is here:
http://www.peeron.com/inv/colortable/3020
Check out your set here as well:
http://www.brickset.com/detail/?Set=7150-1
The colors in the grey family (or sometimes confused as grey) are referred to as on brick set (on peeron if different):
Black
Dark Grey (OldDkGray)
Dark Stone Grey (DkStone)
Grey (OldGray)
Medium Stone Grey (Stone)
Sand Blue
Your set has "Grey" and "Black" from this list.  If you ordered new parts from Lego, the lighter shade of grey would be "Medium Stone Grey" form this list.


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How do you store your built models for long-term display?
My wife and I recently started to re-enjoy Lego and had a lot of fun building the Grand Emporium and a few other pieces but now they're collecting dust and we're lucky enough to have a few spare rooms about the place to keep them in.
What sort of thing do you guys use to cover your built models?
I've found one company that's local that'll make custom clear-plastic covers (well five-sided boxes really) but they're a little expensive, just thought I'd ask the experts!

This may sound odd, have you considered using an upside-down fish tank? I've actually seen this used in the past after the former occupant died. It was only a smaller model on a baseplate, but the width of the glass for the tank managed to fit inbetween the studs on the baseplate and worked quite well. Granted, stacking them could produce an issue, and you might want to try plastic tanks instead of glass ones but depending on the size they might start quite cheap.
Something like this (but upside-down, and not containing fish):

Image from http://www.flickr.com/photos/nigelguy/4208026780/in/pool-lego/

I love that, can't believe I've never seen something like it before.

@Chopper3 - Something similar came up in this question: http://bricks.stackexchange.com/questions/568/are-lego-elements-safe-to-use-in-an-aquarium-with-fish

You can pick up used ones a lot cheaper on Craigslist than you would pay for custom made display cases. While not suitable for every model, they do provide a dust free enviroment when placed on a flat surface.

Isn't that, like, overkill-level heavy?

Whatever you do, keep in consideration light will discolor your bricks put in display. I had a little A-Wing model standing on a computer for a couple year and surfaces exposed to sun light discolored.  The exposure doesn't need to be direct.
see this article about the topic

I think some fishtanks may be UV-protected or have treated glass...which might be a added bonus of the fishtank idea. Not massively effective, but better than nothing.


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

Do you mean bending the actual arm, or rotating them within the shoulder socket?

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

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

I tried this on a minifigure with the hands cupped like in this example. It's actually possible to swing the arm 360° without the arm bending too noticeably out of it's socket.


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What's the best way to link two (or more) LEGO Power Functions (PF) train motors together?
Last Christmas I built an extended Emerald Night train to run around the tree. To get it to work I had to add a second Power Functions motor. I tuned both IR receivers to the same frequency and slowly applied power by keeping the IR remote within the line of sight of both receivers at the front and the back. The major disadvantage to this was it was difficult to sync the two engines because line of sight was not assured.
I'd like to build a larger train this year and would like to find a better way to link the motors. I've think that putting one motor in the back helps with weight distribution, although this idea may be flawed.
What the best way to link multiple Power Functions motors together without having to rely on multiple IR receivers?

Below are some photos that provide more detail about the train in question.
All photos http://www.flickr.com/photos/craigmoliver/sets/72157628313822041/
Relevant photos
Front engine, standard Emerald Night (10194-1):

Rear power car, custom (MOC):

I had seen someone running two motors into each side of a diff gear or similar, can't remember if they were PF or others though... I'll see what I can find ;)

In any case, you'll want to make sure to use the same kind of motorization for both power points - to make sure they run at the same speed.

If the motors are far apart, you could simply connect them both to the same receiver using some extension cables. To the best of my knowledge, there is no problem connecting two motors on the same input of one IR receiver.
If you're using Technic motors instead of train motors, as Zhaph said, you'll probably want to have them coupled through a differential so that no motor can stress the other. That's the standard way of doing it in any Technic creation, and since it effectively adds the two input speeds (from the motors), it means you can create some variation in speed very easily.
I did that to power a PF-modified 7740 engine with two medium motors when the only remote available was the simple on/off one: one motor had its speed reduced to 1/3, so the range of available speeds where 4/3 (both motors on), 3/3 (regular motor on, 1/3 motor off), 2/3 (regular motor forward, 1/3 motor reverse), 1/3 (1/3 motor only), 0, and the same in reverse. Was awfully complicated to use the remote to go from one speed to the next, though. And then LEGO produced a speed-control remote and I didn't look back to that idea again.)

Digging around a bit, I found the reference I mentioned:

Jason Stienhurst's LEGO Big Boy Mechanicals on Flicker
You can see there he's using 4 M motors from the Power Functions range in pairs. In the comments for this picture he describes the set up as:

Both motors have a 12 tooth beveled gear. The front motor and rear motor of each driver set face in opposite directions, which allows both of the motors' ouput gears to be meshed into a single gear (another 12 tooth bevel) that is impaled by the vertical axle shaft that runs through the turntable.

These then have another bevelled gear at the end, and mesh with a bevelled gear on the driving axle.
Jason is powering all four motors from one battery unit, and I don't believe he was worrying too much about IR control.

I put 2 train motors in the red cargo train and it worked well though I didn't add cars to the back . . . my goal was to get it to go up an incline so it could go from the "industrial area" around the tree to, well, a table, where I setup the city. I tried adding the passenger train motor car to the back but that didn't work  . . . the weight of the motor cars was too much to go up the incline even without any other cars. Only two motors in the engine car of the red cargo train ever worked and even then it couldn't pull up all of the cars . . . only two little ones or one bigger one would ever make it up. The problem with adding cars wasn't that the motors stalled (which was the problem when there was only one motor), it was that they started slipping. So then I thought I would add some weight . . . but of course that didn't work because more weight made the motors stall.
Learned a lot about physics that week.


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How can one find old archived issues of LEGO Mania Magazine?
Do any libraries contain old archived issues of them? Preferably ones on the WorldCat system?
I'm not sure if my limited storage space can handle more LEGO Mania magazines, so I'd prefer a format that's either digital or that one can easily check out from a library.

There is currently one public library in the WorldCat system that has cataloged LEGO Mania Magazine, but it does not have it available in digital form.
Other LEGO Club magazine titles have been collected by some WorldCat system libraries, including:
Brickmaster Magazine
LEGO Club Magazine
LEGO Magazine
None of these titles appear to be available in digital format from any WorldCat libraries at this time.

The LEGO Group have now started posting the latest issues of LEGO Club and LEGO Club Jr online, with the competition and member photos removed.


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Mindstorms NXT Bluetooth Slow Connecting
I have just bought a NXT 2.0 and have installed the software on my laptop, and after some trouble getting it to connect I now have it connected any working using bluetooth. However it takes an age to connect, and I wondered if anybody knew why and how to sort it out.
I am running Win7 32-bit, and to get the software running I first had to set it to run as administrator and using XP SP2 compatibility settings, and had to change the bluetooth driver to use the generic MS stack rather than the installed for from the manufacturer. I found these tips on various sites around the web.
Once I had done this I managed to get it working, but now on opening the software and scanning for devices, it takes somewhere in the region of 4-5 minutes to find the device (while it is sat next to the laptop), and then another 2-3 minutes to connect, and then even more annoyingly another 2 minutes when I click close on the devices window. Once this has completed, it works fine and uploads and downloads with no problems, but it just seems really slow getting there.
Any ideas?

I have got that problem too. And this is a bug in the NXT 2.0 system, So there are two solutions:
1- Using the USB Cable instead of Bluetooth as it give no errors and it is faster also it keeps your battery life for longer time.
2-Update your NXT Firmware frequently as the LEGO may be fixed the problem.


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Does the PF Servo motor return to center?
Does the PF Servo motor, which was introduced in the 9398: 4x4 Crawler model, have return to center feature?

Here is another video from Sariel which shows that it returns to center: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_Gvuzsngg8

With the 58122c01 Remote Control Unit it returns to center if the remote is not actuated.
With the 64227 IR Speed Remote Control Unit  it returns to central position when the stop button is pressed.

Yes it does, see http://technicbricks.blogspot.fr/2012/06/pf-servo-in-action.html


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What's a good base collection of tiles?
I recently picked up a copy of the LEGO ideas book, and been inspired. As a novice builder, I've noticed that almost every model makes use of tiles to provide a finished look, which seems like a great idea.
Accordingly, I'm interested in buying some tiles in bulk for assorted building projects, but I'm overwhelmed by the options. Bricklink has many kinds of tile. What would be a good starting set of tile pieces to aim for, and roughly how many? And what's the difference between tiles with and without grooves? Is the groove on the bottom? Is one piece much more useful than the other? Argh! So many options! Can anyone recommend a sensible way to proceed?

All modern LEGO sets now use the groove ones. The without ones haven't been sen new for a long while.

Looks like there are really two different questions here. Allow me to address the question regarding grooves on the tiles:

What's the difference between tiles with and without grooves?

Basically, on tiles without grooves, the vertical edges run continuously straight from top to bottom. On tiles with grooves, there is a small lip at the bottom of the tile just large enough for a fingernail or a separator tool.
A visual comparison between the 1 x 2 tile without groove (red) and the 1 x 2 tile with groove (grey) shows the continuous vertical sides vs. the lip that forms the 'groove':

Is the groove on the bottom?

Yes, it runs all the way around the bottom of the tile.

Is one piece much more useful than the other?

The difference is mainly in the ease of removing the tiles once attached to another Lego element. As I mentioned above, the groove leaves enough space to prise the tile away from whatever other LEGO element it is attached to. In the case of the 2 x 2 Tile without groove that you reference in the question, according to bricklink, it was discontinued in 1978 after the 2 x 2 Tile with groove appeared in 1973, so I would guess that LEGO considered the 'with groove' to be a better design.

LEGO definitely favors the "with groove" option as it's easier to remove. Since they aim their toys at kids, they wanted to remove the frustration linked with the difficulty to remove non-groove tiles. All new tiles have grooves, so when buying some, you can pretty much forget about non-grooved ones unless you've a very good reason to (completing an old collector set for example). By the way, even "jumper plates" are grooved now.

Whilst I can't answer specifics on types and quantities, look out for sets that include a reasonable umber of tiled pieces. The modular buildings all include a fair number and range, as do the Minecraft series of kits. Our local Lego store (Watford, UK) had a whole cup of 1x1 tiles all in a dark colour that someone had put to one side, but they weren't 'on the wall' when I looked.

Note that the Minecraft sets are predominantly 1x1 tiles, which may limit their usefulness.


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How to remove scratches from LEGO windshield parts?
I was storing my windshields from cars with other my bricks. Now they are scratched, nearly not transparent just translucent. Is there a way to sanitize transparent parts from scratches?

I'm not so sure if it's as easy as 'cleaning' the windshield. A scratch leaves a lasting physical mark on the brick.

peanut butter and toothpaste. rub them onto the windshield, and then wipe of and wash with water and soap. (the soap doesnt really matter, it will just get the smell off) that solution works for most scratches, i think it works for plastic. ;)

You can carefully use a lighter to gently melt the plastic, but I would only use this as a last resort.

Haven't tried this with Lego, but here are the first two things that come to mind.
Novus plastic cleaners (they make 3 solutions for various scratch depths, with Lego I would probably buy the one for the finest scratches) work well on my pinball machine plastics.
About the transparency, I would try the standard headlight cleaning solutions for a car.

While we prefer tested solutions, a brief Google does show that Novus could be a good fit for the polycarbonate plastic that is used in transparent elements :)

You've got three different approaches: 1) products that fill the scratch, 2) products that essentially dissolve the plastic material so that it re-hardens smooth, 3) products that help you polish the scratch away.

A silicon-based lens cleaner can do this and works for small scratches or some "cloudiness", but it won't be perfect. For example Bausch & Lomb or a furniture polish with wax.
It is likely that the Novus and similar products fall into this category, but they rely on polishing for the finish... similar to CD or DVD repair.
Here is a step-by-step method using household toothpaste.


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Tools to aid in getting parts from tight spots?
As a builder of some semi large scale projects. I find that I can't always get that dropped part because my arm is either not long enough. Or my hand is too big to reach in and get it. Anyone have any suggestions as to tools one could use to get those lost parts?

Do you mean, parts that fall on the floor, or more likely, parts that fall into your creation and you can't reach?

Parts that fall into the creation itself. My Lego Churches are very tall and are often taller than my arm or hand is long. So it's not easy to reach in to get a stray part. Worse if I happen to have a need for that part.

Yeah, that's what I thought, and shaking the church upside-down is probably not an option either :-)

I use a simple reverse tape at the end of a stick

There are a wide variety of grabbers and pick up tools on the market, primarily aimed at the accessibility, automotive and electronics markets. Some of these would work well with LEGO.
For larger parts, I've had good success with this one:

I've got a small version of something like this. It doesn't work well for larger parts, and I'd be concerned that it might scratch the bricks. However, something similar might work depending on your scenario:

Other tools like long-handled pliers or even scissors can be used - with care - to extend your reach just enough to grab things from awkward places.
Alternatively, some sort of sucking tool could work to pick up rather than swallow up parts: I would be interested to try a hoover with a mesh over the nozzle to see if it could still pick up bricks. You could even try sucking bricks up with a straw as long as you're sure they're too big to actually pass up the straw and become a health hazard (not to mention the potential loss of a precious LEGO brick).
Finally, a true LEGO-head should only consider a proper LEGO solution: you should fashion a grabber from Technic components:

I'd tend to suggest to build your construction in a way that there is no inside spot you can't reach. The easiest way to achieve that would be a modular construction where you can remove parts to reach the inside; also, making it modular helps for the transport should you want to display your creation (and, considering the size of it, you should).
Another solution I can think of is to use a vacuum cleaner, although you'll probably want to dedicate one to LEGO and make sure you can easily retrieve parts which have been captured. I've once seen a "LEGO-friendly" vacuum cleaner which claimed to be able to isolate LEGO parts when vacuuming, presumably for parents with kids such as we've been ourselves. It came with a small free LEGO set, too, but unfortunately I can't find which brand it was.


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Are there more studs or "antistuds"?
I was reflecting this morning about the recently introduced element Brick 1 x 1 with Stud on One Side and the fact that there is no real counterpart for it; that is, a 1x1 brick with a hollow cavity on one side (like the backside of our beloved Brick 1 x 1 with Headlight), and three other regular, flat, sides.
This led me to think that I've a feeling there are, in general, more studs on parts than there are "antistuds", that is, cavities to receive studs. Is this feeling accurate?
To verify, how should count antistuds? Should we consider, for example that a 2x4 bricks has 11 of them (the 8 standard ones and the 3 tubes)? That each hole of a Technic brick  counts for two? And if we settle on that, how could we get an actual count?

I really like this kind of brain teaser

There are more antistuds based on your description, you have to account for the flat bricks that have no studs and any sloped bricks that have at minimum twice the number of anti studs. While there are the inverted sloped pieces the standard wider bottom are more prevalent and there are more variations in length and width. Also many of the flat wing pieces have more antistuds for overlapping purposes. Even counting those as 1/2 antistuds since they do not cover the entire stud, they still possess enough hold to keep the model together. With the more custom pieces used in the Star Wars and newer space kits to give the starfighters the smooth look there are many more antistuds on those pieces. That is not even counting the technic bricks.

Very valid points in favor of antistuds, I can't believe I completely forgot about tiles and other smooth or partially smooth parts

It seems like the studs have an advantage and here's two reasons why:
1) The base plates have only studs and no antistuds.  So many base plates were made that this is stacking the numbers in favor of the studs. There are a lot of studs on those big grids.
2) There are many pieces with extra-studs like this type:

but I don't remember pieces (other than LEGO Technic beams and rounded beams) with, and only with, extra antistuds.
So this brings me to another question, "Do LEGO Technic beams create more antistuds than the base plates and extra-stud pieces combined?"  I don't think it does.
...on to the next part of the question "how can we count this?"

The pieces you depicted have hollow studs which could also count as antistuds ;-)

"but I don't remember pieces (other than LEGO Technic beams and rounded beams) with, and only with, extra antistuds" - well, there's a direct "complement" of the pieces you are showing in your picture: 6061, which has 16 extra antistuds in addition to the regular 8 antistuds on the bottom (that are matched by the 8 studs on the top).


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Serial tower stopped communicating with RCX 1.0
I recently bought a RIS 1.5 with brick 1.0 and serial tower (no CD). I got a cheap USB adapter and installed the RIS 2.0. It worked almost fine for a few days. Everytime I started RIS I had to autoconfigure tower, which used COM2. I had to try two or three times to download programs, but it worked.
Later, I installed Bricxcc and connected as well, although I downloaded no program. I did download the original lego firmware with Bricxcc and since then RIS is not able to connect to the RCX.
I have tried with new batteries, uninstalling Bricxcc and then RIS. Installing RIS again, with reboots in the process. Nothing seems to have changed. I cannot connect.
Any previous experience?
I was thinking about buying an USB tower, but I don´t know if it will work with RCX 1.0.
Thanks for your help

You could try with NQC.  By default it supports the Serial Tower and you can specify if you are using a USB Tower with -Susb .  It works on Windows, Linux and Mac.
The man page (documentation) can be found here or the in pdf format here.


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Displaying the Star Wars Super Star Destroyer in a small apartment?
It has been several years since I played with LEGOs.
Three weeks before the holidays I got the LEGO Star Wars set 10221 Super Star Destroyer as an impulse purchase at a local sale. Now I am stuck with a 125 centimeter, 3.5 kilogram LEGO figure.
Has anyone got any suggestions or tips on what to do with such a huge display figure in a relatively small apartment? I really should have planned this a bit better before completing it.
I have considered hanging it from the high ceiling, but I am afraid the construction is not strong enough to prevent it from falling apart. Not that it would look particularly good from the underside either.

Hummm... take a picture, frame & display it, and disassemble the kit :-) (and if you can't even store the pile of parts as itself, send it to me or something)

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

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

Very neat idea, beats a picture :-/

It must be very impressive in person

that's pretty awesome.

One of my friends who had a similar issue with the LEGO Millennium Falcon (10179) beastie, got a custom coffee table built for it, it has a toughened glass top, and glass side panels, to show off it's true beauty (I believe the next step is to hook it up with some strip LED lighting too).
I don't know how feasible that would be for the SSD, I don't know the size differences between it and the MF, but it's something you could do too :)

You can use a tv holder to attach it to the wall or ceiling. 3 kg should be no problem. If this would be like a movable arm you could easily set views from any perspective.
EDIT
I mean something like this

or this one

The latter can carry up to 17.5 lbs which is 8 kilograms.


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Mindstorms start block is missing
the start block is missing on my mindstorms NXT 2.0 programming space. i cannot run any program without it.
i have tried, restarting the programming window, placing a block and even just undoing to the point that it dissappeared.
So far nothing has worked

It's buggy software. What OS are you using? Can you post a screenshot?

maybe if you contact LEGO they'll send a replacement

to be clear, you're speaking on the software platform on your computer, right? not the brick itself?

Try uninstalling the software and installing the latest version (if you weren't installed it)

First try to reinstall NXT 2.0. This should help you.
What's your OS ? Can you give screenshot ?


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Simplest approach for rail sets automation
How would you tackle the automation of a lego rails set. I am looking for a solution that can be achieved with available parts.
From the answer I will chose either to invest into lego rail sets for my son or into digital H0 sets.
What I am looking for:

start given engine and run to given destination, stop.
when approaching a rails crossing stop if segment busy.
change switches for engine to send to destination.
run multiple engines independently and concurrently.

Optionally:

if multiple routes are available sent train to free route.
if train is running low on power send to service station.

I am not interested in setting timings. I want to be able to simply run the different engines each on their own. This requires detectors which are able to return the ID of the engine entering and leaving the different segments.
I'm pretty good at programming and I would appreciate a doable solution running from a computer.

You might also want to check out our question on cost comparison too - although I've seen a video of a very impressive Mindstorms controlled LEGO train set, if it's really an automated train set you're after I'd probably have to recommend a DCC or similar HO set - they're certainly going to be simpler to set up and configure.

I've wanted to do something similar since I took part in a public event last year and we had trains running continuously on separate little ovals. My ambition was to have two stations, each with some switches, and run one train at a time between them and switch it to an empty track where it would stop.
Since I already had two RCXs, my solution was to place one at either station with light sensors to detect incoming and outgoing trains. I motorized the switches (using a modified version of instructions I found online - I could make some instructions if you wish), and wrote a program that allows the RCXs to communicate with each other about the state of the trains and the switches.
There were two tricky parts: one is that although you can send PF commands from an RCX, there is no feedback from the PF receiver so you'll have to resend the command several times and hope for the best. The other is that the communication between the RCXs is affected by the PF commands. When you send a PF command, the receiver in the RCX will end up in a state where the next serial byte is lost, and although there is collision detection for the communication between the RCXs, there is nothing similar for the PF commands (the sending of which requires the disabling of all interrupts on the RCX).
My solution was to design a protocol for communication between the two RCXs such that they, in effect, negotiate whose turn it is to send PF commands and stay silent when the other RCX is sending. This worked very well in my living room, where the trains would happily run and stop and be handed back and forth between the two RCXs (since you can't easily ID the trains, you have to know where they are). I then tried to set this up at an event, but unfortunately the room was anything but compatible with PF. Possibly because of the fluorescent lights, the PF IR range was severely limited and the trains would not receive the signals from the RCXs.
A solution based on NXT (or EV3) could probably be a lot more powerful and reliable, especially since you'll have much better ways of detecting the trains. Even so, I suspect they'd run into the same problems in some showrooms as my RCX solution.

I found that places with white walls work better for IR communication. The fluorescent lights can in some instances completely mess-up with the IR networks, but most of the time when there is no line of sight the signal is transmitted by reflection from the walls and ceiling. A solution a friend uses now is to setup a white ceiling over his installations in large open spaces. The ideal solution would be mirrors, but they are expensive and cumbersome. His preferred solution for shows remains a white waxed fabric. I hope this will help you for your future installations.

LEGO trains are primarily toys, and the recent ones aren't even using metallic rails.
As such, they're usually considered ill-suited for automation purposes. That doesn't mean it's impossible, but it'll prove challenging. In any case, you'll definitely need some computing, so it's good that it's OK with you.
For trains themselves, sticking to available parts will be an issue. PF trains are supposed to be remote controlled via RC and have no awareness of the track of or anything at all. The problem you'll have here si to make sure that whatever signal you send, the train will receive it. Some your RC emitters need to be very well placed, and the bigger your layout, the more this is going to be a problem. Forget about tunnels. And your number of trains is limited, too.
You'll probably need to use a Mindstorms Kit and an IR Link Sensor; the NXT itself can be programmed directly or easily controlled by a computer.
Since you'll be using Mindstorms, sensing trains shouldn't be too much of a problem, either with available sensors (not sure which one would be best though) or by making your own (a reed sensor on the track usually detects LEGO train magnets if there are 2 or more of them together); but you'll be limited by the number of sensors you can plug on a NXT. You can of course use several, or grab some sensor multiplexers. When using Reed sensors, you'll probably hav enough with touch sensor multiplexers.
So far, you see using only standard material (and admitting HiTechnics or other third-party vendors as such) is already becoming a complex solution - feasible, certainly, but not cheap either. And we haven't touched switches yet - not that it's complicated to motorize, but if using NXT motors, it's going to take some place.
In the past, some people have had some success transforming 9V trains for DCC, but I wouldn't consider 9V trains as available any more, and this solution does also require a lot of work and good understanding of DCC and whatnot. I have none of this, so I won't talk much more about it, except to say that this usually doesn't address the problem of switches either, and that you'll need a lot of non-LEGO stuff to make it all work.
In short, I think you can do a lot of fun automation even with current trains, but if you want a complete solution right from the start, LEGO may not be the best suited for that. On the other hand, the challenge of making it work may be a greater experience for you and your son, so I'd advise trying anyway. You can start with simple things, keeping the most complicated things (switches) for later.
One other thing you can do to simplify is make sure that the layout itself is simple. For instance, you can have a single track with a train going back and forth (mimicking the good old 4,5V system shouldn't be hard with a PF Polarity Switch, and that by itself adds a lot of movement to an existing layout, without actually requiring any automation at all.

Thank you for the detailed answer. It brings material to explore and ponder over before making a choice. I will take the time to explore the options. Have you noticed the headphones hat makes your avatar looks like a demon?

Now that you mention it, indeed. I guess I should take the time to make a correct avatar though before worrying about what putting an hat on does to it :-)

LDCC provides a lego solution if you are willing to look for 9V track and modify the motors. There are an endless number of things you can do combining DCC and Mindstorms NXT amoung other things. It really has a lot to do with how much time you personally want to invest. It doesn't matter if it is HO or L(LEGO) scale, they both require a large investment of time to get good results. I have both HO and L scale experience. The LEGO train club I am part of has all kinds of lighting, sound, and action in the exhibits, including light rail that stops at platforms and multiple trains on the same track.
The long and short of it is that LEGO will require more initial investment, but it can do the same things as HO except it is infinitely more reusable. I use LEGO my father used as a child, I am sure my daughter will play with mine when she is old enough. Once something is made in HO, it is very hard to unmake it, but LEGO can be a new creation every day.


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How do I remove orange (rust?) stains from white elements?
I'm building with some yard sale Lego, and have several elements that have orange stains on them. If I had to guess, I'd say something seeped onto the bricks while they were in storage. At this point I'll probably bury them inside my MOC, but I'm curious to know if there is a method to unblemish white Lego elements?

I guess the first step would be to identify what the stuff actually is (the only idea that comes to mind being cat urine, since an unguarded box of small LEGO parts could be mistaken for a litter box by some); and then whether is comes of or not - I supposed you've tried regular cleaning options already? And are you sure it's orange spots, not simply sun-yellowed bricks?

If it's really rust stains, oxalic acid may be worth trying...

So far I tried a warm soapy water scrub with a soft toothbrush... Still have orange stains. Thankfully, there was no litter box aroma. I shy away from those yard sales. ;)

Does it happen to look anything like this?

@Ambo100 Quite simular. Sorry, I should have posted an image. I'll do that soon.

UPDATE: Buried the bricks in question while building for this weekends display. Will need to wait to disassemble MOC before a pic can be posted.

Maybe you can try with toothpaste and a toothbrush as toothpaste is one of the mildest polishers.


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What element modifications are incorporated by the LEGOLAND builders?
I know they glue their sculptures together, and sometimes support them with an inner frame. Is that the limit to their element modifications, or are there more tricks to the awesome LEGOLAND builds on display?

The glue is one obvious thing, and I think they recently also experimented with a new sort of transparent stuff to paint the finished models with so that they would be more resistant to direct sunlight. I don't think they'll paint bricks to change their colour, though.
However, In the same category of things any respectable AFOL would never do, I'm fairly confident they'll also resort to cutting elements if needed. I'm unsure if that happens often and it's probably limited to parts where the cut isn't visible from the public. Another thing is the use of generic plastic sheets for some large windows, for which no LEGO elements exist.
Then, as Kramii said, electrical and mechanical components are never LEGO. For the vehicles, they do have a generic frame (metallic, with motor, battery, and all control electronic) on top of which they build a LEGO exterior. Presumably, trains follow the same logic.
So yes, they are very lax with what they can or cannot do. I know the work area of the designer in Windsor is visible from the public, not sure it is so with other parks (I don't remember that in the two others I've seen); but if you get the chance it's nice to see them. With some luck, they'll have some time to spare to chat with you.

LEGOLAND builders appear to be quite "rules free" in their use of parts, as long as the final model looks as though it is made of LEGO.

Not exactly a "part modification", but LEGOLAND builders have sometimes had access to parts in colors not available to regular builders.
The builders often add lights or other mechanisms to their constructions. The moving vehicles are particularly interesting in the way that they follow predefined tracks under the roads, and stop on recharging points when their batteries are low.
The trains don't use standard LEGO rails.
Some of the models outside the "miniland" areas in the park are made from what appear to be extra-large LEGO bricks.

The first one isn't true any longer - they can only order parts which are currently in production (for sets thus). Note they may still have some stock of older parts produced in colours never released in sets; but new part orders are strictly limited.

I remember reading somewhere about how some participially large models (like the LEGOLAND Windsor Dinosour) had steel frames for support.


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RCX 1.0 downloaded firmware successfully with RIS 2.0 but does not run any program
I have installed correctly the RIS 2.0 in an old laptop running Windows XP and I successfully downloaded the firmware through the RIS 2.0 to the RCX 1.0, following the standard setup instructions.
Now when I turn on my RCX 1.0, the display shows the full function mode. I can also change the activated sensor port and the outputs pressing the View button. Yet, the Prgm and Run button do nothing.
I cannot change or run any program. It stays in program 1, which does not run when I press the run button.
I would appreciate any help please.

This sounds like it could be a hardware problem. Do you by any chance have access to a RCX remote (or NXT with IRLink) to see if you can run programs that way? Can you actually download programs without trouble? (I'm not sure anymore if the standard RIS interface allows to start a program remotely, but if it does, you should try it too)

Simple solution: ensure that the RCX is connected to your computer and that they are both updated to the latest version. if this doesn't work, downgrade the firmware to the previous versions if you already had the RCX before updating.


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Set to run a program within another program using NXT-G
I'm using NXT-G to program my robot to do few tasks autonomously for so many possibilities. When using C programming, we can call a function from different file into the main program. So, I wonder if it is possible to write a program that can run another program for one possibility and run another program for other possibility?

As far as I remember there is no possibility within NXT-G to programmatically execute another program. Moreover, as I understand it the default firmware simply doesn't have that possibility (the command to start a program is a direct command which must be sent via bluetooth and can't be used in a program). Maybe other programming languages using other firmware can do it, but I don't know about that.
However, you could encapsulate certain parts of your program in your own blocks, which I would say are similar to C functions. As such, it will simplify your main program, and you can reuse blocks in different programs (but the blocks themselves are included in the program file, it's not like a library which would be a different file). You should probably read a tutorial on how to make your own blocks to decide if it's a valid solution for you.


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Which LEGO boxes are compatible?
TLG has produced a number of sets which come in reusable plastic boxes. I'm curious to know which of these are able to be easily stored together. Primarily, I'm wondering which boxes can be stacked, but if there are any that are compatible in other ways, that would be interesting, too.
As an example, these two boxes can be stacked on top of one another:

There are other variations, even in production currently, which aren't compatible with this style. For example:

I'd like to know which boxes are compatible with others.

There has been a staggering amount of different size and shape LEGO buckets, tubs and boxes. A lot of them are stackable with each other (meaning the same size and shape box produced at the same time can be stacked). I think narowing down the question would be helpful. Are you looking for LEGO boxes currently in production? Or all boxes LEGO ever produced? I just did a quick search on Bricklink and over 300 results came up just for LEGO buckets (similar to the ones you are picturing above): http://www.bricklink.com/catalogList.asp?pg=1&q=bucket&catLike=W It would be huge work to try to work out the compatibility of all of them.

I was hoping for a relatively complete list. I was assuming that there were a few basic styles which were all compatible and then a bunch of outliers. For example, looking through the Bricklink search you provided, it looks like there are a lot of containers which have 4 studs on top. I assume these are compatible, but I don't have any of them, so I have no idea if they actually fit together.

I see what you mean. Yeah, if the tubs were produced around the same time (you can check the date of production at Bricklink), you can safely assume they are compatible with the tubs that look similar in size and shape. If you still have doubts, I would suggest contacting the seller(s) who have them listed and ask them to make sure the tubs can nest together nicely. I don't know any other way to check. I have never seen a comprehensive list like that. Maybe it's time to make one. ;)


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Replacement stickers
Can I purchase a sheet of stickers for 4643 Power Boat Transporter?  My son got the item as a gift and a friend of his put the stickers on wrong and he is very upset about it.

Since the set is still being produced, you can call Lego Customer Service at 1-800-835-4386, and they will most likely be able to help you.
Failing that, the BrickLink website is a popular place to buy replacement parts. Here's the link for the sticker sheet:
http://www.bricklink.com/search.asp?itemID=102237
It looks like there are a handful of sellers in the US selling the stickers for $1-$2. Registration on the site is easy, and most of the sellers accept PayPal.


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Where can I find Lego x-pod playoff pods for the game?
I have some of the original pods but cannot find others, where do I get them?
I would also need sheets for the things to build and their attacks.

These are no longer in production, so your best bet to find the sets that you are looking for is Bricklink. Here's a list of all the X-Pod sets for sale.
These are the sets that were included in the game:

4348 Aero Pod
4347 Auto Pod
4346 Robo Pod
4349 Wild Pod

For building instructions, I'd recommend the instruction scans on Peeron. Take a look at the X-Pod theme there.
Here are the instructions for the game. See this question for more information on those.

There was an X-pod game?! I have to admit finding them late, but wow... a game?

Considering the x-pods didn't use too specific parts, it's possible you can build them using parts from recent sets.


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Will learning about EV3 transfer to Lego RCX software/hardware?
If I attend a workshop on EV3 will that knowledge help me get up and running with RCX software and Lego Mindstorm kits we already have at our school? I know EV3 is backwards compatible with NXT but they said nothing about RCX. Guess it's a bit obsolete?

As far as the standard software is concerned, it's probably way too different so that your knowledge of one won't translate easily to the other. If the workshop uses third-party software, though, the gap might be smaller.
As for the construction of a robot and the principles of how to automate it, this should be closer, but there are still noticeable differences, for example using studless beams in newer kits versus studded construction in the RCX.
There is some backward compatibility, mind you, but it's more on the hardware level (meaning with the aid of converter cables you can use RCX motors and sensors with an NXT and that should hold true for EV3 as well).


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How tall is a standard LEGO minifigure?
Sometimes I build towns of LEGO buildings, and occasionally the minifigures will get stuck in a low roof or underhang (pun intended). Does anyone know the height of a standard LEGO person in bricks as well as inches/centimeters? Also, does a standard LEGO cap affect the minimum roof height of a LEGO building?

Already answered: http://bricks.stackexchange.com/questions/666/what-are-the-practical-bounds-of-a-minifigure


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

Some kind of film or lacquer?

Oh, those look sad! Stickers with white designs on them are notorious for peeling/cracking.
I have found that the best way to protect stickers like these is to apply a thin layer of clearcoat to them while they are still new. Wait until the clearcoat dries, then apply the sticker to the LEGO set. You can use pretty much any acrylic clearcoat, medium or varnish available at hobby and craft stores. Anything in the scrap-booking/decoupage section should be safe, but it is a good idea to test them on a small corner of the sticker-sheet. Always apply the clearcoat thin. You only need a thin layer over the sticker. If you apply too much the clearcoat can yellow with age.
Once stickers are already damaged it would be pretty much impossible to repair them. Even if you try to put a clearcoat on an already damaged sticker, it will continue peeling, so it is not worth it. It is much easier to just get and extra sticker-sheet for any LEGO set on Bricklink. The stickers for your set above are here.
I have actually made it a habit to always pick up 1-3 extra sticker-sheets on Bricklink when I buy a new set. While the set is still new and readily available the sticker-sheets are much cheaper (often just a few pennies) than trying to get a pristine stickers-sheet for a set that is 10 years old. Just place them in a ziplock bag, and store them away from heat and direct and sunlight. They won't deteriorate that way.

Replacement stickers from a third-party site are an option, but they can be expensive - the sticker sheet for this set is currently between $75 and $200!
You can repair printed paper stickers, if you want to take the time and care to do it. The basic steps are:

Remove the sticker from the piece. I use a razor blade. Hold it
nearly flat against the brick and very carefully start around the
edges of the sticker until you have enough pulled away that you can
hold an edge with your fingers. Then it's a matter of pulling evenly
at the sticker while separating it with the razor blade. This takes
patience. Go slow.
Once the sticker is removed, flatten out the wrinkles and re-align
the torn spots as much as you can. I usually do this on a piece of
waxed paper. Any glue left over on the sticker will hold on the waxed
paper, but it can easily be peeled off. Once you have it flat and
smooth again, put another piece of paper over it, then a piece of cardboard, then some heavy books or even a brick. Leave it under weight for a couple days.
Clean the sticker residue off the brick. You might be able to rub
most of it off, but I have also used products like Goo Gone (which is
petroleum-based, so use very sparingly). After getting the residue
off, wash the brick with warm soapy water.
Take your sticker out from under the weight. You can do some cleaning
of the sticker, if needed, using a kneadable eraser. If the sticker
is mostly intact - that is if the layers of paper haven't peeled
apart - you can now carefully remove it from the waxed paper and
reapply it. In some cases, there will be enough glue on the back that
you can just re-apply it to the piece as is. In other cases (like the
example above, for instance) glue is missing or the layers of paper
have peeled apart.
In the case of peeled layers, you can re-glue them together using a
thin layer of glue - like from a glue stick. Carefully apply it to
the top of the lower layer of paper, position the printed paper
smoothly over it and put it back under the weight to dry. If part of the backing paper has torn away (and is left stuck on the piece, for example) you can replace it with very thin tissue paper.
If the layers are intact, you can restore the stickiness using
"repositionable" glue. This is glue that you apply and let dry for a
minute before putting the sticker back on the piece.


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How long does official Lego monorail track last?
Given the high cost of official Lego monorail track, I was wondering how long it tends to last/if there are any maintenance tips or tricks? I'm planning on using power functions to reduce the start/stop strain, but is there anything else to increase longevity?

Try to keep the track in mint condition. For example, don't expose it to extreme heat or cold. Keep it away from any pets or children who don't know better. Looking at some pictures, it seems that the vehicle on the monorail runs on a gear. Try interchanging gears every so often so that the gears don't wear and the teeth don't get bent or break.

One of my concerns is that since the gear is metal it may wear away the teeth on the track. Is there an oil (perhaps vegetable?) that won't attack the plastic?

Yes, vegetable oil would make a good lubricant as it does not wear away plastics or rubbers when applied.

The track is pretty durable.  I have several pieces of old track that the motor runs on well.
With the 3D printers now available I am hoping to be able to "print" some of the track with ABS filament.  Getting the gear teeth just right will be the tricky part and the end connectors.

The track seems to last quite a while.  There are people in my LUG who have been using the same track for over a decade of pretty routine displays.  Those same guys are currently working on using 3D printing to create something to build a mold on.  It seems to be working pretty well for them, so far.

I am hoping to use something like Autodesk to make a prototype, then get the files into STL format and send it to a 3D printer.  The 'teeth cogs" are just a few millimeters between each one.  I am sure there will be many renditions before I get it right.  It would be great to be able to make a cross track, but that could be a challenge right in the center of the X.  I will start with straight and curves first.


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Is it possible to shrink down a wheel?
I have a tire 6581 which is stretched to the point it doesn't fit perfectly with the balloon designated for it, at one place it is kinda popped out. It is caused by my stretching it when I was younger for the sheer curiosity how much it can stand. Is there any way to undo this stretching and make the tire once again fit perfectly?

Some more information about this type of damage can be found in this answer from another question http://bricks.stackexchange.com/questions/739/how-can-i-fix-a-flattened-gear/745#745

You won't be able to make it fit perfectly again. If plastic is stretched over a certain point it is irreversibly damaged.
But you can try to heat it a little to shrink the wheel overall. But it's not guaranteed to work. If you use a lighter you can affect a smaller area but be sure not to burn your part.

If using heat to try and shrink something round, it might be worth putting a Jubilee clip (hose clip) round it first, tightened slightly to apply pressure inwards, and left on until it cools

As someone already mentioned, I doubt there's any way to make it fit "perfectly" again but it may be possible to reduce the damage.
Another way to apply heat is to use hot water.  As for how hot, I've got no clue what temperature that particular material starts to soften at, but I'd start out with the hottest water you can get from the tap and increase the temp gradually from there if that doesn't work.  According to LEGO, 104F is the maximum "safe" temperature for most of their products, so it may not take as much heat as you might think.  Since it's only a specific area, I'd recommend using kitchen tongs to hold the tire and dip only the area that requires softening in the hot water.
You describe it as both "stretched" and "kinda popped out"... without a photo, it's hard for me to picture what exactly the damage looks like.  If it's to the point where part of the tire is misshapen rather than just stretched, a pair of thick plastic gloves (ie for house-cleaning) might allow you to reshape the damaged area while it's hot enough to be somewhat malleable.

I'm thinking sunlight heat. My rubber sandals shrunk about 3-4 sizes after I left them out in 85+ degree F (30 C) heat and direct sunlight. But be careful with this because the sun will also cause your tire color to fade


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LEGO stormtrooper variation
I found several LEGO stormtroopers on a toy box.   They each have a plain yellow head and the words "LEGO 2002" in big letters in their backs.  Did they come from a set?

These are promotional items. Not from a set. They can be related to a store-opening, a give-away, other special events, etc. Looking through the Bricklink catalog I found one listing with a stormtrooper torso that you might be referring to: http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=973pskac01
If you can add a picture we can probably identify them more precisely. Hope this helps some...(c;


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Can I change the Bluetooth identifier for an EV3 brick?
I'm coaching a number of FIRST Lego League teams and wish to set up our lab so that each computer could potentially be paired with each brick, but I want to uniquely identify the bricks (EV3-Team1, EV3-Team2, etc). Is there a way to change the brick's Bluetooth name?

I'm teaching an after school robotics program and the kids are using the LEGO MindStorms Education Core Set #45544. I was dealing with the same situation when I had to connect 10 EV3s to Bluetooth or Wi-Fi and I couldn't distinguish from one EV3 to the next.  Anyhow, I figured out how easy it was to give each brick it's own unique identifying name. You want to make sure that the EV3 is connected to the computers via USB cable and that the LEGO MindStorms program is opened. In the bottom right corner of the screen, you'll see the hardware page. Click on the brick info and then just change the name.  See image below.

You can change it in the NXT 3.0 software itself. Connect the robot to your PC, and in the software itself you can change it in the bottom right hand corner, above the firmware number and the connection type. Hope that helped.


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How to use NXT device as a keyboard key for computer
Is there any way for me to set up my Mindstorms robot so that when I push one of the touch sensors it sends a signal to the computer to press a key?

Is the computer in question capable of receiving Bluetooth messages?

Yes, this is possible.
First, you'll want to connect your NXT to the computer using Bluetooth. Make sure you can connect to it with the official LEGO Software programming environment, NXT-G, and that the computer connection will show up when you go to Bluetooth > Connections.
Next, you'll want to create a simple program in NXT-G and download it to your NXT. It should basically send a Bluetooth message to the computer, using Mailbox #1 and a number variable containing the value of the key pressed. If you need help with this part, I can provide detailed steps.
Finally, you'll want to use a program called InstantEXE 3.0 (the free version works!) to receive the Bluetooth signal and use the command "Keys" to simulate the key or key sequence that you want to be triggered when the button is pressed. You can expand this with your sensors, e.g. when touch sensor #1 is pressed send it with a value and intercept this on the computer, using InstantEXE 3.0 to convert it into a keysequence. If you need help with this part, I can provide detailed steps and/or a sample program for you to use. You could use some basic labels like the following script:
:Left
Keys "L"
:Center
Keys "C"
:Right
Keys "R"

I know this is an older post but I've just bumped into the same problem. May I ask where can I find InstantEXE 3.0 nowadays? The original site is down and I don't really want to use any of the "download" sites that claim they have it. If its completely dead, may I ask where can I find a similar program that can do practically the same? (If I get it right then it converts bluetooth messages to keystrokes)


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When and where was the first "official" fan organized Lego Convention held?
I just attended BrickCon 2013 here in Seattle (I wore my new StackExchange T-shirt). When and where was the first "official" fan organized Lego Convention held?

According to the What is BrickCon? page, BrickCon claims to be the "longest running fan-based LEGO® convention". Its first edition took place in 2002.
Note that there are events which are older (LEGOworld in the Netherlands for example which I believe started in 2001), so I suppose BrickCon's claim is specific for conventions, and not exhibitions - although I doubt the line between both is very clear to start with (While LEGOworld is definitely directed to the public, there are fan-only happenings in the evenings)

I remember attending LEGO exhibitions at the Meier and Frank department store in Portland, OR in the 1970s. These were exhibits of large-scale models similar to those at LEGOland. I do not recall if the exhibitions were officially LEGO-sponsored or not.

+1. Although BrickCon is the longest consecutively running yearly Lego Con in North America, I'm not sure that it was the first fan organized Lego convention.


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Where can I buy replacement stickers for the set 8018?
I need replacement stickers for set 8018. I've bought a used set and I'd like to change around the sticker position.

You can get replacement stickers on BrickLink. Here is the link to the 8018 stickers: http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=8018stk01


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How can I control the building instructions generated in LDD?
Is it possible to control the building instructions in LDD?
Specifically, I'd like to make sure that every step stands on its own without falling apart on my build.
If not, is there any software I can use to create customizable building instructions?

You may want to check out this answer to "Do any programs exist that allow you to build your own LEGO manuals" - it points to LIC (LEGO Instruction Builder)


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Lego MOC joining query
I have a building query.
As you see the picture (attached).
I really don't know how the creator can attach the "3829c01" steering wheel to the "4070".
I try so many rod like parts can't get through the hole of "3829c01"
Hope anyone can help.
Thanks!

There might well be a "legitimate" way to achieve this build, but we have to be open to the possibility that the builder is "cheating". Many MOCers are happy to use "non-purist" techniques that wouldn't be acceptable in official LEGO models. For some, that includes modifying parts or using non-LEGO components. It is possible that the designer of this particular construction has used unorthodox methods. Do you have any other examples of work by the same builder? If s/he is a serial part-modifier then I wouldn't be surprised if that is what is going on here.

IE, where do these pictures come from?

I was able to find a few elements that are able to make this connection possible. I'm guessing the designer used some type of bar-sized element which is made from a different material that is able to compress slightly more than regular ABS. For example, the softer plastic used on some minifig weapons seems to work nicely:

Another option could be flexible Technic tubing. I was able to make this work, but it feels like a very tight fit. This tubing could also be cut to length under some definition of LEGO purism.

Of course, as Kramii pointed out, this could also just use non-standard elements or part modification.

They used a "lightsaber blade", more generally called a Bar 4L or some other Bar element. Bar elements are used extensively in SNOT building since they can pass through both Technic axle holes, Hero Factory double holes, open-hole studs, as well as many other elements like the Erhling/Headlight brick with the standard bar sized hole. The standard "clip" type elements also use the same diameter and so can also be added to these combinations.

Bar elements don't seem to fit through the hole in 3829c01 as noted in the question. You might be thinking of 30663. That part is commonly attached using bar elements.

Yup. "Bar 4L" can't get through "3829c01" steering wheel. I tried. Thanks for helping anyway :)

I'm fairly confident he forced the wheel to make it fit


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Do you know where I can get a Brick Vac?
I am in dire need of a Brick Vac.  The 2 boys 5 and 7 are building daily, but still have plenty of strays on the floor and the end of the day. With the growing popularity of Lego City building sets, along with Star Wars sets and Legos in general, we need to get Lego to start making the Brick Vac again, to save on mom and Gramma's feet. !

If you really want one, these can still be acquired on Bricklink:
http://www.bricklink.com/search.asp?itemID=45363


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How can I order an Ev3 gyro in Europe
I just bought the Ev3 kit, knowing that the gyro sensor is not included. I obviously want a gyro sensor, perhaps also the ultrasonic sensor. Is there any official channel to order them in Europe? All I can find is US-delivery-only and schools-only sites.

You may want to check with the LEGO customer service if they can help; it could be that the part itself is available. In any case, give them a call, they're usually very friendly. Also, note that since we're very early in the life of EV3, it could be that options are limited at the moment but may expand in the future. I fully expect the battery to be available on shop@home, for example, and I don't see why the gyro sensor wouldn't be.

I can't comment since I signed up for real with another address than earlier. Thank you both for the help, I will contact customer service to show interest. I probably have to go with ebay anyway to get it before Christmas.

The EV3 Gyro Sensor now appears to be on "general release" and available in both US and UK stores:
http://shop.lego.com/en-GB/EV3-Gyro-Sensor-45505 - these seem to be available in most EU countries the LEGO Shop ships to.

You can order the gyro sensor from the UK Lego Education site http://education.lego.com/en-gb/lego-education-product-database/mindstorms-ev3/45505-gyro-sensor.
OR
If you look at the shipping options in the US Educational site, it will ask you a series of questions to determine if the item can be shipped to your area. If no other options are available, they will ship to you for a fee and ask you to approve the shipping fee before they send it out. It looks like you can get the parts from Lego if you want them bad enough.

The same goes for Belgium as well, actually; buying directly from LEGO is not possible and official distributors usually only deal with schools.

I just called the 800 number to find out if there is a process for shipping overseas and was politely told that they "avoid it if at all possible." They really should take that option out of their Shipping Wizard.


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LEGO turing machine using Rascal
I followed the instructions on LEGO Turing Machine and succeeded to build it. Next I've tried and failed to program it using NXT Mindstorm GUI. The site mentions a Rascal framework, but it doesn't mention how to install it onto the NXT.
I'm not so keen using Rascal, any other well documented framework will do.
Any suggestions ?
I'm using NXT 2.0

Rascal is a meta-language, a language to write languages in. Have you had a look at the repository https://github.com/DavyLandman/TuringLEGO/blob/master/BitFlipper.nxc Maybe one can load nxc files onto the nxt. Also you can try asking the repository owner via email.

Right, I'll check the BitFlipper. Sending the owner an email was my first action, thank you for commenting !

Actually, you can't build a turing machine, as it require an infinite tape.

"Alan Turing's original model has an infinite tape, but LEGO had a slight problem supplying infinite bricks.", from (http://www.legoturingmachine.org/). Even though it serves as an awesome model.


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piece information
I found a lego item that I can not fiugre out what it is or what set it goes with.  I was hoping someone out there could give me some info on the item. I'm attaching a picture of the item in question.  Its beige and blue the red buttons on the sides spin the what looks like blue legs at the end of it.


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In lego mindstorm EV3, can you make the individual programs in a project into functions which can be used in the other programs?
The bit where you program what the robot does using your computer. I'm making a project and I can't fit it all onto the screen, so if you can't do functions, is there any way to zoom out of the screen or something, so I can add more?

You can turn parts of your program into custom blocks by selecting them and choosing Tools -> My Block Builder from the menu. See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CApCoGQJRcU for a  tutorial on this feature.

In the MINDSTORMS EV3 software you can Zoom in and out to be able to view your complete program (there are magnifier icon and an 1:1 on the top right)
You can also create MyBlock ... select a group of block that do something specific like rotate till object detected - then click on Tool in the menu  - then on MyBlock Builder -- once a MyBlock is created they appear in the CYAN colored block tab below (the one on the far right) Now every time you want to seek for object just call that MyBlock

MyBlocks are the right way to go, but you can still end up with a program that is larger than will fit on your screen.
The canvas on which you create your programs can be scrolled left to right and up and down.
In MS Windows, hold the Alt key and click and drag on an empty space in the canvas. I don't know the equivalent key on a Mac, but I'm sure there is one. There should also be arrows you can click on at each edge of the screen if your program is not fitting in the window. If you have a scroll wheel on your mouse, you can also use that to scroll up and down.
Blocks need not be adjacent. Though not considered a best practice in EV3 programming, you can "snake" the program on screen by breaking code up into sections of blocks that will fit the width of the screen in consecutive rows. Non-adjacent blocks can be connected with a "Beam" by dragging from the exit point of one block to the entry point of the next block.

I'm not particularly familiar with Mindstorms EV3, but I know that NXT-G has the capability to call other programs from a main program using MyBlocks.
As far as I know, you can't zoom out of the EV3 and NXT programming environments, although in NXT-G there is an overall view you can get by switching the tabs in the lower left hand corner.


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Logging and performing mathmatical calc. during run?
Is it possible using the new EV3 to log data, and peform mathmatical calculation on the data while it's being logged, and peform some and thereby trigger some event if some value has been reached??
As far i can see, it is possible doing seperatly..

Instead of using the datalog block from education version, you can create a custom version using the file access block. It's a bit more difficult, but more flexible...
You won't be able to directly use EV3 datalog management, but you can structure the file to be directly compatible with csv format, readable by spreadsheet programs.

As @Philo mentioned, the EV3's native datalog block is very limited. Instead, you can use the File Access block and then export it to your computer.
CSV Format is as follows:
Year,Make,Model,Length
1997,Ford,E350,2.34
2000,Mercury,Cougar,2.38


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How do I Build a LEGO Digestive System?
How might I build a LEGO model of a digestive system? I think it could be a good way of helping my son with a science project.
Either building plans, instructions, or any help with getting started would be appreciated.

Unfortunately, this may be a question which we will have a hard time to answer. However, you may be interested to know that Nathan Sawaya, LEGO Certified Professional, once made a heart model for an hospital. I suppose contacting an LCP for this might be overkill, but it might inspire your kid - although it probably doesn't need to be so accurate for a school project.

I would keep it very simple with just building the organs with regular bricks. Color code each organ. I have never seen anyone do this with LEGO bricks so can't link to a picture, however I can imagine than it could be done easily. Basically you would end up with a pipe-system. ;)