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Replacement for the Rubber Rim of a 12V Train Motor
The 12V Train Motor Item No: 7865-1 needs a rubber train rim for traction. Unfortunately I could not find any new ones and the old rubber of used items dried out.
The rim must be soft and rough, but also thin. The force of the spring for the contact studs is reduced, if the rim is too thick.
How to replace the rim with products available in Germany?

Some bicycle tubes can be used as a replacement. Depending on the model you find there might be a need to file the seam once you cut a ring from the tube.

While I don't have the original part at hand and so can't compare its physical characteristics, I suppose duct tape (cut to size) might be used depending on the target thickness, pliability and surface stickiness.

Flat square rubber rings like these are used in many types of plumbing fixtures like mixing valves used in bathtubs and showers.
In the USA these are called square rings, Bradley rings or flat rings.
Suggest that the OP look for this at a plumbing supply vendor in Germany.


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What set would these Lego parts belong with?
What set would these Lego parts belong with?
Whites, light gray, and blacks.
Bag is labled #2

Based on:

Light Bluish Gray Plate, Modified 1 x 2 with Clip with Center Cut on Top
Yellow Technic Bush 1/2 Smooth
Pearl Gold Tile, Modified 1 x 2 Grille with Bottom Groove / Lip
White Wedge 10 x 3
Light Bluish Gray Tile, Round 1 x 1
Black Plate 1 x 8

this should be 75248: Resistance A-Wing Starfighter.

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


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This bag of legos has two gears and is labled #2
This bag of legos has two gears and is labled #2
What set would they go with?

At first glance, looks like some sort of ship.

This set of yours has already been identified. Please read and think before asking so many questions.

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


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Can somebody help me find out what set this bag belongs to?
I found a Little bag from a larger set at a yard sale, and im trying to find out what set it belongs to. It comes with a bunch of lime green pieces, some are also gray and red.

Based on the parts:

Light Bluish Gray Technic, Axle and Pin Connector Perpendicular 3L with Center Pin Hole
Lime Technic, Axle and Pin Connector Perpendicular 3L with 2 Pin Holes
Red Technic, Axle and Pin Connector Perpendicular Double
Lime Slope, Curved 2 x 2 x 2/3

this must be 42138: Ford Mustang Shelby GT500.

YO ty so much for the quick response!

@Sogpog You're certainly welcome! Please take a minute to read the [help] and [tour] pages to find out more about how the site works and what to do when you find an answer helpful ;)


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How can I identify a set based on one or more original sealed bags?
I have recently come into possession of one or more sets in the form of factory-sealed individual bags made of transparent plastic, containing various LEGO elements. There is neither box nor any instruction booklets. I have checked the bags and the parts contained within them are definitely genuine LEGO pieces (all non-hollow studs have the LEGO logo relief). How could I determine which set(s) I own? The bags have different texts, numbers and codes printed on them.

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

I don't think that's an exact duplicate, as it's about opened, built and partially disassembled heap of sets - while this focuses specifically on unbuilt, unopened bags.

@Downvoter, what could be improved about this question?

I'm not the dv'er, but it's basically a duplicate of the linked Q.

First of all, congratulations on your new set(s)!
Second, let's just ignore anything printed on the plastic foil itself, as the numbers and codes are independent of the actual contents of the bags - those markings only serve to identify the plastic bag as a packaging material, not the filled bag as part of a set.
Now then, onto the contents of the bags. Take a bag and lay it flat on a surface - you want to see as many of the parts inside as possible without them obscuring each other.
Now try to identify the most unusual pieces, that are most likely to be unique to the set you have. Anything large, transparent, printed or having a complex form is a good starting point; but be prepared to backtrack if needed. Knowledge of the most common LEGO pieces and the most popular colours is a great help in this phase, but persistence can stand in for it just as well.
To identify the exact piece, visit Bricklink's part catalogue, where you can find all LEGO elements ever officially released (and a few more that were never sold!) in neat categories. This is just like a library, where you'll eventually find what you're looking for, but might need to search in a few different sections. Having the dimensions of the part is usually a good idea, as most parts have that in their name. Once you've identified a part in your bag, try to match its colour as well from the list of "Known Colors" under the tab "Color Info". Then count how many times can you see this exact piece in the bag. Note the following for each identified part: 1) Item number, 2) Colour, 3) Amount in your bag.

For example, take a look at this bag:

The key identifiable parts here were:

# on pic
Part name
Part number
Colour
Amount/Quantity

1
Plate 6 x 6
3958
Black
1

2
Brick, Round 2 x 2 with Axle Hole
3941
Yellow
2

3
Brick, Modified 1 x 2 x 2/3 with Studs on Sides
4595
Black
1

4
Brick, Modified 1 x 1 with Headlight
4070
Red
8+

After you have done the above step at least three times, you're ready for the next step. Now open Bricklink's "Appears in" page, of the multi-part variety. Here you can enter the previously found part numbers, colours, and how many times that part appeared in your bag. When done, click the "View Appearance" button.

You'll get either a screen like this:

or one like this:

In the first case, the combination you've entered is not found in the database - most probably due to a mistake in the entered data. Many parts have extremely similar variants, some colours are really easy to confuse with each other and sometimes counting parts is not so straightforward either, so don't get discouraged just now. Try some other combination of parts you've found, maybe attempt to identify another part from the bag and plug that into the form.
In the second case your set might just be among those candidates displayed (but beware of false positives caused by misidentified parts!), so let's find which one. Open the "Inv"entory of the first set (the purple link in the picture) and start matching the parts in your bag to those of the candidate set. If you find a part in your bag that is not included in the set: you've successfully eliminated that candidate - return to the list and open the second "Inv"entory.

If all parts of the bag are found in the inventory, you're (partially) done. Why partially? Because if there are more candidate sets, they might be matches as well! So let's check them too. Note, however, that most sets contain many bags which are seldom separated from each other, so check the other bags to help narrow your list of potential candidates.
After you've found your set, it's time to remove from your pile of bags all that belong to this one. With the set inventory in front of you, this will be a breeze compared to the beginning as you just started to look for uncommon pieces and counted studs.
If there are bags that don't belong to that set, put them to the side for another iteration of this same process.
Having collected all bags in your possession to this set, you can fetch the instructions by scrolling to the bottom of the set page on Bricklink and clicking through to Brickset under "Other Databases:" (or open Brickset and find your set there based on the set number). There you'll find the instruction manual for most sets.

Have fun and feel free to open a new question if you have problems or questions with any of the above steps!

This is perfect - the canonical example of a canonical question/answer on how to do something yourself, rather than a plethora of separate "ID my set" questions.

Perfect answer... but the question already existed. :/

@Downvoter, what could be improved about this answer?


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Selling a physical build from purchased instructions?
I have been trying to find information on this subject including contacting designers. I have heard as long as you don’t include the instructions in your sale, all is fine as that is the intellectual property. But I have also seen instructions barring against selling of the physical model as well. Most information I find is on the piracy of the instructions themselves. I am looking for info on the selling of the actual build. Like, what if I were to purchase instructions of a modular building and after I buy all the parts and build it I see that I don’t like the look of it in my city. Could I not sell the model to someone else?  I believe to understand the intellectual property laws but what about fair use?  Thanks for any help.

For one AFOL to sell a completed build one at a time it's unlikely to be an issue. Doing it as a side hustle or business could be a problem. Your answer depends on the license purchased for use of the build instructions. In the USA there are cases that support the buyers or vendors rights of possession for resale. It will come down to how many pieces can the intellectual property be divided and who owns what. Music, as an example, is quite complex. A song has the writer, performer, recording company, distribution company all with some piece of the "property" and this is just the top four.

This issue is going to be unsettled for some time as any nation's position of the "Right to repair laws" could have an unforeseen impact on your issue.

It would probably be worth your while researching the First Sale Doctrine which provides some precedents about what someone can and can't do with copyrighted material they have bought. Certainly in the case of physical instructions the doctrine suggests you would be within your rights to sell your only copy to a third party, with or without the bricks needed to build the model. With electronic instructions it gets harder because you'd have to find a way of proving that you hadn't kept a copy for yourself.

@john_e, this is the correct answer imho, would you care to expand your comment to an answer?

I'm not a lawyer, so this is purely from a layman's understanding.
You don't say what jurisdiction you're in, so I don't know if what I'm saying applies to you. But in the USA, the First Sale Doctrine means that you have the right to sell your copy of any copyrighted material that you have bought. If, for example, you had bought a physical instruction booklet, you would (in the USA) be within your rights to sell that booklet to a third party, with or without the bricks needed to build the model.
If you received the instructions as an electronic copy, you would still be within your rights to do this, but would need to ensure (and ideally find a way to prove) that you had transferred all copies of the instructions and not kept one back for yourself.
I don't know if there is any precedent for the scenario where someone sells the model (built) and keeps the instructions. Intuitively, I suspect this might violate copyright, as the completed model could be considered a derived work of the copyrighted instructions; either could be used to make more identical models.

This question about who "legally" owns what is a can of worms in a bag of snakes in a room full of spiders.
It is clear that the creator hold a copyright for the instructions but does that creator have any rights to the work product when those instructions are used as intended?
If the answer is yes then it would be foolish to purchase instructions without a clear statement that permits selling the completed build.


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Print list of parts from various sets in compact format
So I've bought a few big box sets over the ages rambling starts (like just recently, a few 11016 because I could get them cheap, a couple of 11019 (I have an older Mindstorms kit which may or may not still work), 11013 because they're pretty, a 11022 because it was cheap at Costco) rambling ends with the intention of doing stuff and now I'm trying to get around to doing stuff.
This involves sorting and storing them, and that's a bit hard when I'm not as skilled as I pretend to be to people who just see big piles of bricks. It'd be great to have a printout of all the different parts with what categories they belong to and such to help sort them together properly.
What I'd like is to be able to print a list of all the parts I have in something like a set inventory on Brickset (really only need the image > element name columns, although don't care how many in each set column). Several thoughts I've had already:

Sure, I could print the inventory from Brickset for all the different sets, but there'd be a lot of duplicates, and when it can be 20 pages for a set, that's a lot of ink to go through. I could probably mess with the CSS before printing to cut that down a bit, but it doesn't solve the problem with all the duplicates. (Sure, I don't like using too much paper either, but paper isn't run by a cartel  like ink is.)
I can get a CSV list of each set from Brickset, and I can probably merge the files and delete rows with the same part ID, but then it's not exactly a pretty format. (Cue inner geek saying "but Python can do anything!)
Googled this and one of the top results was to create a brick list of Rebrickable and export it as a HTML table. Done that, I mean technically it works, but I'd once again have to mess with the CSS to try and get it to be a lot less free space, and doesn't contain all the info I'd want (like category).
Brickstock is designed for sellers by the looks of it, and has its own print function, but that looks like it's designed for individual orders or something, doesn't contain things like category, and again isn't all that dense (looks prettier yes, takes up way too much paper, yes) and unlike a web service and CSS if I want to create my own look... I could probably figure out Qt Script (looks pretty similar to a lot of C-style scripting languages), but it'd be a lot of effort.

Is there something blatantly obvious I'm missing? Is my mission doomed from the start? Do I just settle for continuing to look at a screen?
Thanks for the help

Do you really need to print this? BrickStock is what I use when I inventory sets. You can change quantities and track what you have this way. Plus it does tell you the category of the element, and you can sort the list by this column,

@PhilB. Thanks for the reply. I'm not really that interested in how many of each piece I have (plus I can't find data for all the sets I've ever bought... but I think that's a matter for another topic) since I'm not planning on selling them or anything, just building stuff myself. I just want to go through my boxes of bricks, pull something out, and be able to flip a page or few until I see a picture that looks like it, then put it in a smaller, more specialised box. Seems like it would be a lot of hassle if I had to keep a device around to scroll around until I find the right picture.


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I have this bag of mostly reds with light grays
I have this bag of mostly reds with light grays.
Some blues, yellows, and orange.
What set would these legos belong to?

A search for sets containing 2 4x10 dark red plates and a 2x2 round brick with grille profile returns just one hit: set 21154.
See also How can I identify a set based on one or more original sealed bags?


text:
help identifying mega bloks parts. AM15057 and AM15049
Good morning, i took a old box i have in my room and i want to know from what sets of megabloks is this thing. The code from the gray parts is: AM15057, and from the big other is: AM15049.
1:

2:

3:


text:
Can you help identify what set these parts belong to?
Can you help identify what set these parts belong to?
There is two blue octagonal parts, two red parts,
dark grays, blacks and bananas.

It doesn't match everything, but it looks a lot like this set.

Those  Plate, Modified 10 x 10 Octagonal with 6 x 6 Open Center only come in dark azure (and doesn't even exist in any other bluish colour) in two sets; only one of them also has Yellow Banana, and that is the set that Heartspring already has pointed at in a comment: namely  Gorzan's Gorilla Striker.


text:
What lego set has bag 435R6, 525R6, 625R6
I was given a box of legos and some in bags. My daughter wants to build the set but not sure what these are. It looks like they were started and never finished. I know where to get the instructions.
I have multiple bags of 435R6, 525R6 and 625R6. They all appear to be star war sets of 2015.
Any help is greatly appreciated.

Hi jgemoll, and welcome to Bricks SE! The codes on the bags are merely used in the factory, and don't help to identify the sets you have. Your best chance would be to add a photo of the bags and of the partially completed model

You can also check out the answer to this question to try your luck at finding it yourself

Hi jgemoll and welcome to Bricks.SE! As the other comments, I'd recommend checking out the linked guide and see if you can use that to identify the set yourself. If you have any problems using that, feel free to edit this question with the steps you took and the problems you encountered and we'll gladly help. Meanwhile I'd recommend taking a look at the [tour] and [help] sections to learn how this site operates and how you can get the most out of it. Have fun!


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2×2 & 2×3 that join by ends

Bought a batch & found these, what are they called? What are their uses?

These are various modified Technic Bricks with "Joint Ball Half" and "Rotation Joint Socket" features as they are called on Bricklink. Technic Rotation Joint Ball Loop with Two Perpendicular Pins with Friction are the connectors for this type of elements. Although there are more ways to attach them. These elements have been used in large number of sets, originally coming in brick-built figures like Danju (8770):

Thanks, I've also 2 for his lower leg, 2 1/2's attach to brick.


text:
Hinge parts between instruction steps in Studio 2
LEGO instructions sometimes hinge out bricks between two steps, as shown in this example taken from an instruction randomly:
Step 25:
Step 26:
Is it possible to do something similar in Studio 2?

I don't think so. The only workaround I can imagine is creating the building instructions on BL Studio until the step with the hinge. Then export as PDF. Do the hinge(s) and go ahead with the instructions. At last merge the PDF files.


text:
Does anyone have any idea what this set is?
I am sorting sets for my grandson. Any idea about this set. I need instructions and parts but don't know the set of set group. Any help appreciated.

This is
Set# 8511 : Frost
key part : Trans-Light Blue Minifigure, Weapon Pike / Spear - Handle with Round End


text:
How to fix torn EV3 LCD Cable
I accidentally tore my lego EV3's LCD ribbon cable while opening it.
I found this post of someone a while back having the same issue, however as my tear is smaller I was wondering if it was possible to fix it:

Nothing has been taken away from the cable, and the torn part still fits in with the rest.

Repairing a flat ribbon is tricky. And since it's not lego-specific, I suggest asking at electronics.stackexchange.com .

@IvanSanchez i made a post and people were very helpful, and now I have a few paths to attempt. How could I close this question?
Funny that the original answered (you) to the question i referenced also answered this!


text:
Is there a good keyboard reference for bricklink Studio?
I'm looking for a good keyboard reference card for Bricklink Studio.  I found this help article on the official site but it doesn't print out very nicely.  I'd like something more like a reference card from the old days.  If it was Mac-focused that'd be great too, but most of the keystrokes aren't that different between the platforms anyway.  Have you seen anything like what I'm describing?


text:
Identify Duplos that were in the Red Bunny Purse
Can anyone tell me what Duplos were included in the Red Bunny Purse?  I believe that was purchased in 1984.

Plush Red Bunny / Rabbit Storage Bag (Bricklink)
Bricklink only lists 1 gear item and no other elements, so I'm inclined to think Mr. Bunny came without any Duplo elements, you had to fill him with your own Duplo bricks.

Rebrickable also lists this bunny under "Gear > Storage"

As indicated in the top photo, the bunny was a "bonus" item sold with some other set. I don't recall ever seeing it sold by itself. One such offer definitely included 2355 Basic Set - Vehicles; don't know if there were others.

Relevant link for 2355: https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?S=2355-2

Thanks so much.  I was beginning to think the same thing.

I can't stand how cute this question is!

It's been a while -- I bought that set for my infant / toddler son probably around 1985.  As I recall, it included 20 or 30 duplo blocks, no special shapes, several primary colors.  There were enough blocks to fully stuff the bunny's innards, as I recall.

Thanks for your input.  I also bought one for my son around that time.  I'm trying to sort out all the Legos that I have accumulated for my kids.


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How could I motorize the LEGO Land Rover Classic Defender (10317)?
The latest LEGO Land Rover is primarily a system set:

Can this set be motorized using Technic or other components?

The set isn't motorized out of the box, but this is possible without too much modification. There is a Technic structure inside the vehicle to facilitate the working steering wheel and suspension found in the model:

We can make use of this to connect both a drive and steering motor to this set.
Driving the Rear Wheels
The real wheels are attached to an axle assembly connected to the rest of the vehicle via a suspension system:

Here's the rear axle:

One way to drive this axle is to replace it with a motorized version that attaches to the suspension. This isn't how a real car would be driven, but it limits the amount of modification that we need to make to the rest of the vehicle. Here's a quick example I came up with:

If you're wondering what happened to that motor, I happened to use one that I've opened previously.
Steering
Because this model already features a working steering wheel, it is fairly easily to motorize.

This is made even simpler because the design uses a central gear that can drive a steering wheel on either the left or right of the vehicle for easy modification.

We can replace the engine in the front of the vehicle with an L motor in order to drive the wheels:

Unfortunately, the linkage used does not support much torque, so the L motor will break this connection if allowed to drive the steering at full power.

At reduced power on the steering motor, this all works together fairly nicely as expected:

There's certainly more optimization that could be done to clean up this build, but this shows one way to motorize this vehicle with as little rebuilding as possible.
Despite the fact that this model can be motorized, it isn't really well suited for it. Being a relatively large system build, there are many bits and pieces that can fall off of this when driving around. As just one example, the wheel arches are just held on by a few studs can can fall off easily. This set can be motorized if desired, but it may be better off as a display model.


text:
Is the NASA Space-Shuttle the object with most reproductions in LEGO sets?
Even within the last twenty years, there have been a large number of LEGO reproductions of NASA's Space Shuttle, e.g.

31117 Space Shuttle Adventure
31091 Shuttle Transporter
10283 NASA Space Shuttle Discovery
7470 Space Shuttle Discovery
31066 Space Shuttle Explorer
3367 Space Shuttle
31134 Space Shuttle

There have also been Space-Shuttles made in Duplo (10944 Space Shuttle Mission ), sets with shuttle-like craft which may or may not be the shuttle (60080 Spaceport ), and actual space-shuttles included in other sets (e.g. 21312 Women of NASA ).
This got me to thinking that perhaps the Space Shuttle may be the object(s) which have been most reproduced in LEGO, but then thinking more logically it is more likely to be something more generic like a police-car (where I can see at least five sets that consist of just a police-car on the first page when searching for instructions on the LEGO website).
Does anyone know what object (or building, character, etc.) has been reproduced in as many independent LEGO sets as possible?

You probably want to define what you mean by object. Does it have to be something that exists in real life? Also, are we only including sets where this object is the main feature?

I don't want to impose too many conditions on the question, since I already think it will be difficult to answer. So, my answers to your questions would be: "Both real and fictional objects are welcome.", and "Whatever makes it easiest to answer the question".

Is a car tire an "object"?

I assume the object has to consist of multiple parts, and single parts don't count ? Otherwise a "brick" object would yield many different sizes and shapes of brick parts. Any other size/type constraints ? The line has to be drawn somewhere, otherwise objects like "rock" or "wall" or "undercarriage" would easily win.

Additionally, the specificity of the object needs to be defined, otherwise "space craft" easily wins over "space shuttle".

@NeilTarrant I don’t really understand you not wanting to impose too many conditions, you currently don’t have any. As others have pointed out, there are many uninteresting trivial answers which could be avoided with some kind of specification

Without a more precise definition of what you are looking for it is very difficult to say what has been done most. For instance, a "building" is something you can find in several thousand sets of Lego.
So, if we narrow it down and say we only consider something which has an actual name it can be identified by, the highest reproductions I can find is the Millennium Falcon from Star Wars.
This varies from a small polybag set to the Millenium Falcon with over 7500 bricks
According to Brick Land there have been 25 reproductions so far.


text:
Help Identify this Lego Item/Set
The photo is from December 30,1991.
Colors are red, yellow,
black, green and white. It was a Christmas gift for our 10 year old.

I remember those tootsie roll containers from those days.  Fun times.  :)

That would be:
6956: Stellar Recon Voyager


text:
Building technique for modelling Thomas the Tank Engine faces
I'm building Thomas the Tank Engine trains, and I'm looking for techniques to build realistic faces. I'd like the trains be able to run on standard LEGO rails, so I'm targeting 8-wide engines. This series has been visualized a number of different ways over the years. In terms of style, I'd prefer to stick as close as possible to the live action models:

This leads me to the following requirements:

Faces must be no more than 6 wide
No stickers or non-LEGO elements
Faces should enhance the recognizably of these models as Thomas trains
Faces should generally be cute from a child's point of view

There have been many attempts to create Thomas models at LEGO scale. Here's one of the best examples that I've seen:

That's a larger scale than I need, but hopefully it helps provide context. I've tried emulating these techniques at smaller scale using 1x1 round eye pieces, and my attempts look a bit off. What approaches could be used to create appropriate faces at this scale?

slightly tongue in cheek, but still to the point : Duplo, Train Thomas & Friends Face, Thomas Pattern ;)

The problem is, with 6 wide to play with, and 2 of those taken up by 1×1 eyes, you're left with either 0 or 2 for the nose - and you need a nose.  So 5 wide might be better, but I don't think you can make a very good circle in 5, and a centred mouth is then 1 or 3 unless you can squeeze in an offset without adding too much depth

Rebrickable has a few Thomas tank engine MOCs that might help out.


text:
Which minifig is this?
I have this minifig in a set I bought. But I cannot identify it.
Does anyone know which one this is?

A few image searches can identify the components of the minifig.
Helmet is part x164, AKA "star wars rebel helmet" in plain light bley. It's Luke Skywalker's alternate headpiece in two millenium falcons (set 7965, set 75192).

As pointed out by fellow user Sander De Dycker, the head is part 3626cpb0817. It appears in more than 100 Star Wars sets, most of the time as part of an imperial stormtrooper.

Torso is part 973pb1944c01, AKA "Ultron Prime torso", which appears only in set 76031.

Legs are part 970c00pb0316 AKA "Ezra Bridger's legs" (a character from "Star Wars: Rebels"). It appears in three star wars sets.

whow, I didn't see that one coming. Thank you for the quick response.

Nicely found - to complete the ensemble, the head looks like Minifigure, Head Black Eyebrows, Cheek Lines, Chin Dimple, Grimacing Pattern.

@asusk7m550 You're welcome! Since you're new, let me remind you of https://bricks.stackexchange.com/help/someone-answers - if the answer is satisfactory, then it's customary to "accept" the answer.

It looks like Rando Calrissian to me.


text:
Do Dreamzzz sets include multiple builds?
I've seen the Dreamzzz sets, and I am curious if they generally include multiple builds per set. For example, here's a shot from the back of Dream Village (40657):

Is this a different build than the main model pictured on the front of the box? Are there separate instructions for this model?

The Dreamzzz sets are not 2-in-1 sets in the same vein as sets such as Exotic Parrot from Creator 3-in-1 that include completely distinct builds using using the parts included in the set:

However, they do tend to include a choose your own adventure element as part of the build. There is commonly a point in the build where the builder gets to decide between different paths that lead to somewhat different final models. Here's what this looks like specifically for Dream Village:

In the case of that set, there are no new parts to add after this point. The choice is between assembling the six modular components created so far into a single large structure, or 3 smaller structures. In essence, each of the smaller building can split into a lower and upper story. If desired, these have connections points on certain edges that can allow them for form a larger structure:

This approach is common in the Dreamzzz line. Many of the larger sets include customization instructions after a barebones model has been completed. Here are the two included options for Stable of Dream Creatures:

Instructions are provided for these 2 styles, but the intent appears to be to demonstrate that there is opportunity for modification, adjustment, creativity and rebuilding with these sets.
Some sets go even farther than this by providing alternatives for significant portions of the build. Fantastical Tree House includes a pair of options:

These options may look similar at first, but they actually require building completely different modules:

The modules used in that set are the same basic size as those from the Dream Village, so there is opportunity to remix between different sets within the theme:

Overall, these sets don't provide the same experience as true multi-build sets, but they do have additional build paths beyond a standard set.


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If I put the bushing wavy side the wrong way will it affect my build? (Technic Ferrari car)
I am on step 81 and just realized that the small parts have a wavy and straight side and that I have to put them a certain way, I’m not sure if all of them are the correct order will this affect my build? If it shows that the wavy side is on the inside and I put it on the outside?

Could you please clarify which set number you are referring to? LEGO has produced at least 6 Technic/Racers sets over the years with two (42125 and 42143) in just last 2 years.

Assuming you're talking about Technic Bush :

The wavy side is such that it can interface with studs. For example using a Technic, Plate 2 x 4 with 3 Holes :

As long as the bushing isn't sitting against studs (like the example above), the orientation doesn't really matter.

I assume your set is Ferrari Daytona SP3 (42143).
The step 81 you refer to looks like this:

In this particular case and most of the time it doesn't really matter which side you place Technic Bush within the model. Well, maybe for reasons of aesthetics you may want to keep symmetry. Modern sets have a tiny ring around both end to reduce surface friction. As long you don't push bush too much it will allow rotation no matter which side you place it.
"Wavy" feature isn't really used that much these days. But the reason one of the ends is wavy is illustrated in answer by Sander De Dycker.

Thank you so much


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Can't find the stickers!
I have an Indiana Jones 8+ 77012 box, but I checked for the stickers and there weren't any of them for the fighter plane, the car, and the sign for Berlin in the box or lego bags, I remember that someone from my Mom's office bought this for me.

Contact customer support.


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Caterpillar D11 (set 42131). will not calibrate the blade tilt function
I finished building my LEGO technic CAT D11 set and I tried using the C+ app but the first try It did nothing so I searched and found I accidentally missed a gear and put it in my extra pieces box so I put it where it went and tried to calibrate again this time it raised the blade but did not tilt it. I did some research and found it might be the shifter so I looked and could not find the problem. when I calibrate it shifts into the first mode but when its done it doesn't shift into second gear. (desperately looking for help) if you can help please respond. thanks. :)


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Instructions for bag 2 with id 135149
My kids thinks it’s something form a Star Wars bag but we don’t have instructions anymore.  Appreciate your help.

Based on the red & blue 1x2 brackets, the 2x2 dark blue curved slopes and the minifig binoculars, this can be identified as set 75317 "The Mandalorian and Child"


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What's the best way to store a fragile assembled set?
I am new to Lego and a few years ago I bought a Winter Holiday Train, as well as the remote control and battery pack. I assembled it and use it each December as part of my Christmas tree setup. Every year I pack it up carefully, by using tissue paper to wrap all the train cars and engine. I wad up some of the tissue paper and I carefully fit it around the different parts to protect them. Then I pack up the track and the parts and they still, even with all the wrapping and protection, fit in the original box.
The issue is that every year when I open it up I have parts that have fallen off the train cars and have to look things up in the manual to make sure they go back in the right place. Pulling the battery pack of the coal tender always means that car falls apart and has to be re-assembled again. There are other parts that are problematical.
On the engine, the smokestack and smoke repeatedly come off. You can see there's not much smoke because it falls off so easily it's lost. The cow catcher and the wheel assemblies also tend to fall off easily.

On the caboose, the lanterns, the doors, the man, and the "lights" on the side of the car frequently come off.

There are more parts that easily come off over the holidays or during storage. (While the tree display is generally protected, sometimes the train is the victim of the car or grandkids.) However, breakage during the holiday season is not nearly as frustrating as having to re-connect so many parts every year when I unpack this.
I get that, for true Lego fans, the idea of gluing anything is offensive. I did find a good answer on here about what kind of glue to use, if one wants to use that. I understand the reasoning behind not gluing. My intent, with this train, was to have a train that looked nice around the Christmas tree (and the kind of trains I played with in the 60s and 70s as a kid are now in the $300 range or more and the trains I had as a kid, while functional, have older tracks that aren't as "failsafe" for the train, when running, as this set).
I'm sure a lot of people have reasons to store assembled sets, such as for transit to shows, or to keep them safe when not on display at home. Are there any other ways to store this set to keep it intact from one year to the next?

I haven't done this so I don't have the voice of experience, but the first thing I thought of when I read your description was "pick and pluck (aka pick and pack) foam." You can find it in different densities and it lets you create foam forms for custom shapes. If you get small enough pull-out cubes to match your train outlines, that would protect better than tissue paper.

Models that are transported for shows are often built by the person who then has to set it up, meaning they have first hand-knowledge of what how something was build - and the things that come off during transport often don't need to be placed in the exact same place, e.g. if I had build something like that caboose and the red light came off during transport to some show it wouldn't matter if I placed it on that stud, most people who would see it at that show wouldn't know, and the small number of fellow fans that had seen it before wouldn't  care (because they know the situation).

@FredricShope I'm looking into that - never heard of it before. That might do it - expensive, though!

@Henriksupportsthecommunity Good point about those transporting. As for the placement, yes, the little colored "lights" don't have to go in the same place, but I also have things like the wheel carriages fall off, along with other parts where placement matters - or needs to be symmetrical so it doesn't bug a young family member who gets confused when I don't keep things lined up or balanced.

Something that comes to mind to prevent losing parts is to put each train section inside a resealable bag. That way when things fall off, it's easy to see which section they came from, and makes sure they don't get lost. Depending on how much you enjoy the actual construction process of Lego sets, you could also just dismantle it each year as you pack it away, and rebuild when you set it up.

@MatthewJensen I already wrap them up in such a way that when the parts fall off, they're still with the particular car they belong to. While I like the assembly, getting things up for Christmas and taking them down is not a time when I can just stop and take the time for something like that. Reassembling the train would take hours and I definitely do not have that much extra time with all the other things going on to get ready for Christmas.


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Why is my powered up system allowing only 1 speed, & only with the remote button held down?
My new MOC has a powered up battery box & motor, but only will run at the fastest speed. There is no speed control, when there should be many speed options. Also, it will only operate at all, if the button on the remote is held down. The moment you release the forward or backward button, it stops. Is anyone able to help with figuring this out?

Hi Warren and welcome to Bricks.SE! You say this is your new MOC, but if it's your own creation then we can hardly offer support without knowing what you have built and which parts are you using to control it. Please post a photo of it, so that we can see what's the issue.

What you are describing is bang-bang mode. If the hub isn't connected to a smart-device running the powered-up app and the connected motor isn't a train motor, it's how a powered up hub connected with a powered up remote behaves.
It's reasonably straight-forward to create a project in the powered-up app to implement gradual speed control, but I dislike this option because it requires you to have an additional device (smartphone or tablet) running along side your moc.
My go to solution for this is Pybricks. It installs alternative firmware on your hub, allowing you to upload python programs to the hub.
For example here is code to control the LEGO Technic Audi RS Q e-tron (42160) with the powered up remote.


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what set are these from
Have some lego bags with 232g9 printed on them. What set would these be from? Thanks in advance
Cheers Curtis

Hi there, welcome to Bricks SE! The printed code on bags is meaningless when trying to find the set. Have a read of the answer above, and if that still doesn’t help, then please upload a photo of your bags


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What is this 2x2 part with one corner curved up?
I recently came across this LEGO part:

What part is this? What can it be used for?

The part is Plate Special 2 x 2 with Double Inverted Curve, 1 Stud (4190).

It was introduced in a few sets in 2023. It's original use was to provide an upward curve on roofs. This can be seen very easily in Himeji Castle (21060):

It can of course be used for many other things. Trivially, these parts can be tiled to create small peaks in a 4x4 area:

These parts are also compatible with some of the other recent inverted curved slope elements. For example, here it is next to Brick Curved, Internal Double, 3 x 3 with 1/3 Inverted Cutout, Corner (73682):

This is the same profile as Brick Curved, 3 x 1 with 1/3 Inverted Cutout(70681):

This curve also aligns perfectly with the curve of the telephone bow, assuming that is can be inverted:

Here's one way those parts can be used together:

Because the telephone lines up with a pair of these, the 2x1 bow slope also lines up easily:

The notched variant (29119/29120) of those slopes are also compatible:

In fact, those parts can be used to fill both sides of this part at once:

There are plenty of ways to use this part, either by integrating with other slopes, or arranging it using SNOT techniques. For example, here's a quick window that I made to demonstrate how these can be combined to create a nearly circular outline:


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Best way to store baseplates
I recently acquired a large number of 32×32 baseplates (including the now rare tan ones) and old-style road plates that are no longer in their original packaging, but are still pristine.
What's a good (hopefully not too costly) way to store a bunch of baseplates? Currently, I just have them stacked in a cabinet, but I am sure they might get scratched if I keep them that way? Should I be sandwiching something between baseplates if I keep them in a pile? (Of course, a pile/stack makes it difficult to extract plates near the bottom, so better ideas are most welcome.)

I don't think you need such an extra care of the baseplates. I have a couple of used and abused baseplates with broken corners (from used bricks haul) and they still work. Yes, underside is scratched heavily, but the studs on top still hold the bricks.
My only suggestion would be - whatever you do, make sure baseplates do not bend while stored. Slightly bent baseplates still will be usable for your creations (like a buildings), however flat applications may no longer be flat.
Another observation I have is that even though baseplates do not have stud holes underside they still kind of "lock" when placed on top of each other and don't move too much. So I make use of that. Storing them vertically in a deep box proves helpful:

easy to "lock" so they don't slide too much;
easy to locate particular color/type you need;
easy to remove without significant scratching (personally, don't consider them scratching this way);
easy to transfer large numbers as single item/box.

Your suggestion to store baseplates vertically gave me an idea: since the four types of roadplates are all the same color, if I store them vertically, I can separate the different kinds with folder tabs (appropriately labeled) so I wouldn't have to rummage so much.

Also, your mention of broken corners reminded me of my old 48×48 gray baseplates (acquired way early in childhood); those always seemed to be more fragile than the smaller plates.

@高砂健吾 When storing them vertically, make sure they are packed tight together so they stay vertical. If you don't they will gradually bent/warp a little. I personally would rather stack them horizontally, like Alex says. I also have a fair number of space base-plates (with craters). I stack these as well, making sure I only stack plates with identical protrusions on top of each other (but I usually place flat plates below them on the bottom of the stack to save some space).

Baseplates are a handy way to start a variety of LEGO projects.  So I've accumulated a variety of baseplates from sets, bricklink, and stores that I want to keep organized.  The best way that way I've found is to use "art storage boxes" that are about 12"x12" often.

The typical bins are a bit large for a 32x32 baseplate, but it keeps them together and flat.

The bins stack so you can grow your collection.
I would not recommended these for the weird ridged baseplates, but I don't have those to deal with yet. This has been working for me for the last few years.


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Building set 9396 Rescue Helicopter
I found an old box with set 9396 “Rescue Helicopter”. I have one problem: If I build the two double wheels at the back according to the instructions, they seem stuck and the wheels cannot be lowered. I found a way to change the design slightly and they move up and down just fine.
Question: If you have the set, am I doing something wrong? Or are there instructions that just don’t work correctly?
The problem are the light gray, yellow, dark grey parts from left to right. According to the instructions they go at some weird angle, I built them side by side.

I've built this model many years ago and I had no issue when following the instructions exactly. This is a great model, with 4 motorized functions (assuming you put in the motor) with the landing gear extending and retracting being one of them (front and back wheels simultaneously). I cannot imagine this working correctly if you've built it like you've shown.

Due to an angle it seems to me you may have built something a stud higher/lower than intended. I would suggest checking entire section, rather that landing gear alone.


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What Lego set does this bag belong to
Not sure what Lego set this bag is from can anyone help.

Hi Tina! We'd gladly help, but your question lacks any details or photos. Please edit to add more information and we'll do our best. Welcome to Bricks.SE :)


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i cant find that and i need help :((

mảnh cần tìm là cái được khoanh đỏ như trong hình.mong được các bạn giúp đỡ tìm và nơi mua chúng

Hi Quân, and welcome to Bricks.SE! Please note that Bricks.SE is an English-exclusive site, can you edit your question with a translation? It does not need to be perfect, we'll gladly polish it if needed - but it needs to be in English at the first place.

That is Wedge, Plate 2 x 2 Pentagonal with Center Stud and 1 x 1/2 Raised Tab on Top (27928).

However, BrickLink does not show that it has been released in that color. From the little bit of the image shown I guess that it is from a render instead of a physical model and that the designer chose a part and color combination that might not exist.

I've spent a lot of time looking for it and I'm lucky to have your help, thank you very much

@Quân, please check out the [help] page, specifically the following article: What should I do when someone answers my question?.


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How to troubleshoot an inert Power Functions Servo motor?
I tried to test a PF servo motor before building it into something larger to see if it works - it seems it does not. When connecting it to a 59510c01 9V PF Battery Box and toggling the switch of the box, the motor does not move at all but emits a faint beeping sound (about two beeps per second). The axle of the servo motor can be turned manually, so the gears are not jammed or broken in an obvious way. When I do so, the LED on the PF battery box lights up - indicating that the current generated by the motor can travel back via the PF wire, so a wire breakage seems improbable.
When testing with a more elaborate setup, using the PF IR remote, the PF IR receiver, and the PF battery box from a 42065 RC Tracked Racer, the beeping starts as soon as the battery box is switched on. Then sending a signal (it does not matter which direction or which channel: even the unconnected channel gives the exact same result) from the IR remote stops the beeping but refuses to turn the axle of the servo.
At this point, I see several possibilities:

I could contact LEGO (as I bought the PF servo directly from them and haven't used it since), but seeing that it is a retired product, I doubt they could support or replace it. Or could they?

I could try to open up the servo to see if anything is broken or stuck inside, but that seems to have a slim chance of success (if something is broken, I doubt I could replace it if it involves more than soldering or gluing a piece) and I still could not close up the enclosure properly. Or could I?

I could try to get another PF servo motor for over 60€ - but at that price, it is not a purchase I would like to make without excluding other options. Or is it the only sensible solution?

I could get a knock-off PF servo motor for 15€, which is 15€ more than I prefer to give to IP thieves. Or are there no other options?

Has anyone had experience with one or more of the above options and could offer me guidance on what to try next?

There is a way to check which elements are available for replacement. Unfortunately, LEGO no longer has PF servo in stock. Do you have rechargeable PF battery box to test with? It has speed regulator, which acts as angle of rotation for servo, if I remember correctly.

@Alex sadly no, I only have a few toggle switch battery boxes.

When you you power your servo it should auto-center. If it doesn't do that - maybe it doesn't know the position? I found some suggestions that it could be caused by dirty contacts or other contact related issue. There seems to be at least two versions of contact implementation, where one has gaps and the other doesn't. Might consider checking this video and EB post if cleaning contacts make any difference.

@Alex Thanks for the suggestion! My servo does not move at all, but is stuck in the factory standard center position unless an external force (i.e. my hand via an axle) turns it. The first video you linked gave me the idea to try and disassemble it (point 2 in the question), but seeing that it is a brand new (that is, unused, although bought 6 years ago) motor, I figured I should really attempt other, less destructive options first.


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How are the sounds from the Sorting Hat produced?
I've seen the Talking Sorting Hat set:

How are the sounds for this hat produced? Could it be used to produce other sounds?

Before I saw that this was about bricks I thought "What a dumb question, obviously through magic!" :-)) And in a way, it is ...

This set includes a single novel element, 102723c01 Sound Brick 4 x 4 with Random Talking Sorting Hat Sounds, that does all of the hard work:

That element is integrated into the hat so that Technic elements are able to activate it by pressing its button:

This is then connected to the top of the hat to activate the sound brick along with motion of the mouth and eyebrows:

The element can be disassembled by removing two screws:

This makes it simple enough to replace the 3 LR44 batteries. We can also remove the PCB:

This shows the speaker attached to the PCB along with a button, a single capacitor, and an unmarked 8-pin DIP. There is nothing on the back of the PCB:

Following the tracks on the PCB, the circuit seems to be as follows:

(The indentation on the DIP marks pin 1. The switch connects to one of pins 1-4 via a track underneath the DIP which is not fully visible, so pin 3 is a guess. Pins 1,2,3,4,5 and 7 are connected to pads on the PCB surface)
The inscription "OTP" on the PCB suggests a One-Time Programabble chip, and the contact pads on the PCB are most probably used to program the chip with the sounds during manufacture. The DIP pin-out and OTP characteristic suggests a Waytronic OTP voice chip, or one electrically compatible with it.
There doesn't appear to be an easy way to repurpose this part to produce any sound other than the 31 pre-programmed phrases.
It should be possible to desolder the DIP and solder a new one then program fresh sounds, but there is no (known) way of ordering a hobbyist-sized amount of compatible sound chips.

The fact that there's "OTP" written on the PCB suggest a One-Time Programmable sound chip (which should tell you that new sounds cannot be added). In a DIP-8 package, with pins 1-4 on contact pads (for programming) and pins 5-8 having GND/VCC and audio output, a possible candidate would be the waytronic series (https://waytronic.ca/otp-voice-chip/). It might be possible to de-solder and solder a new one, then program fresh sounds.

Interesting how there's a (c) 2022 on there! Does this imply that the sound bricks were already produced back then, and that the set has been in development since at least that year?

More likely that's just when the PCB was designed, having no bearing on production schedules. With a circuit this simple, there was probably very little in the way of iteration on the design. However, product development and the go-to-market process can be pretty slow.

@JakeRobb under two years from PCB design to go-to-market would often be considered blindingly fast.

Yep. And yet, seems feasible in this case.


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How can I convert EV3 Lab code to the new EV3 Classroom?
I have been running a robotics club at our local school for ~10 years, and just starting up again after covid. We are still using all our old EV3 kits, which work fine, but now have new laptops running the new (Scratch-like) EV3 Classroom coding environment. But the robot instructions here are all based on the old system (EV3 Labs). Is there a way to convert the old block-based code to the current Scratch-based code?


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Full contents list of Lego gears boxed set 802 (unknown year)
Is there a definitive complete list of what should be inside one of these boxed sets?

In particular, pins, rods/axles, bricks, clips, and other general accessories (including their quantities)?
I know that there should be:

4 x red
3 x blue
2 x yellow

but what about the other, smaller, parts?

Please note that the box above differs from the 1970 box (see below) - the image is subtly different - so I don't know if that makes a difference. I also don't know what year the box (in the above image) represents.

For questions like this, check a site like bricklink or brickset or rebrickable (links go directly to the inventories for the set you're interested in).

From Brickset.com - 802: Gear Supplement:


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What is inside the SPIKE Essential battery?
What is inside the 45345 SPIKE Essential battery?

This battery was glued when assembled, and it can only be opened destructively. The best way seems to be cutting with a knife around the seam to break all of the tabs that are glued in place.
Here's how it looks with the top removed:

The guts include two LiPo cells in series to give us the 7.3V nominal voltage.

The two cells are taped together with a charging circuit.
We can see on the cells that they each have a 2.44Wh capacity at a nominal voltage of 3.65V:

Here's a photo of the board with the connector:

And the back of the board showing the protection circuitry and cell connection points:

There is some additional information about this battery in TLG's official test report. That document includes a few photos of the components as well:

The materials safety datasheet (MSDS) may also be of interest. Both the testing document and the MSDS come from TLG's battery documentation.


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EV3 Brick not connecting to computer
I have a classroom set of 12 EV3 bricks. We are using microsoft makecode to program these bricks and putting the files on the bricks by dragging them over to the ev3 file drive. This worked fine for several weeks, but one by one the bricks have stopped showing up as files. They also aren't detected by the EV3 classroom app, or the older LEGO Mindstorms education app (which I used to update the bricks to the latest version in the first place). I have tried resetting the bricks, swapping cables / computers and power cycling the bricks with no success. Any other troubleshooting steps I could take?

Did you try reinstalling the firmware? Version 1.10E is the only version that works with MakeCode. Version 1.09E works best with the official LEGO apps.

All of the bricks have 1.10E. I'm not able to connect to the computer to reinstall the firmware (the online flasher and the older Lego app both dont recognize the bricks)

Is there any chance a policy was rolled out to the Windows computers that disallows the use of USB drives?

If you hold down the right button while powering on the EV3, it will force the EV3 into firmware update mode, they you should be able to flash the firmware (https://bricks.stackexchange.com/q/8630/3498).


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I dont know the set and have no instructions
Can’t find out what the set is or instructions for it. It’s a red brown and tan set with a secondary bag of just red with red transparent nibs.

Welcome to Bricks StackExchange.  Experience shows that this will go much better with a picture.  Can you upload a picture of the parts you have?


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How to distinguish if Technic connectors without a Lego logo are genuine
I have a number of Technic like pieces which don't have Lego logo on them. See images below, where always one piece has a Lego logo on them but the other doesn't.
I'm wondering if they are genuine but maybe older Lego or some other brand like COBI because of the narrow high C symbol in a circle.

I'm not saying it's the case here, but it might be that they just moved the logo somewhere else.

I looked carefully and I didn't find the Lego logo anywhere else (for the pieces which don't have the logo on the picture)


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Halo Mega Bloks set identification. Pics included
Short version, bought a gunpla kit at a flee market and there were bags of megabloks stuff in there as well. I believe they came from a Halo set based on the included figure. Included are some pictures of 2 of the bags. Last picture is the second bag flipped over to show more of the contents. Seems to have 3 smaller bags in it. There were a few more bags I can post pictures of if needed or empty one to show its contents
First bag was labeled x1033a and the second's outer bag is xstd975431

Hi lexcia and welcome to Bricks.SE! If you have any more pictures, please attach them as well, especially since Mega Bloks products are not nearly as well documented and catalogized as LEGO sets. The two bags we can now see all have quite generic pieces too, and I can't spot the figure you mentioned, but which would be helpful for the identification. After having done so, please take the [tour] and check out the [help] pages to learn more about how this site and the community functions and what are the expectations and rules. Play well!

Got it Zovits. Off to work right now so I'll add more tonight after work.


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Functionality of new purple, orange and green Duplo train action bricks
From what I can see Duplo train set 10427 will have new purple and light green action bricks. Set 10428 will have new orange, dark green and purple action action bricks.
With the current trains I have seen these action bricks:

Red: Stops the train.
White: Turns the light on/off
Blue: Stops the train for a few seconds and plays a sound
Yellow: Plays a sound
Green: Reverses direction

What will the new colors do? Will the existing trains support the new action bricks?
From Lego.com these are the action bricks shown on 10428:

Looking at the description in the specification for 10428 which states:

They can load the train with cargo, charge the engine or wash the carriages. Each activity is brought to life with lights and sounds when the toy train passes over one of the 5 action bricks.

I imagine that they trigger different sounds from the engine, such as running water, zapping/charging or general clanking, based a little bit on the pictures and that description
Set 10427 also offers:

The 3 action bricks bring play to life, prompting the toy train to make realistic noises as it passes over them, boosting toddlers’ prediction skills as they guess what sound the train will make. They can also use the special customization brick to play their own sounds recorded using the free LEGO® DUPLO® Interactive Trains app, which also lets them drive the train using a portable electronic device.

Again suggesting that the bricks will trigger specific sounds (birds/woodland, etc.) judging by the video on that page, the Red "House" brick acts as a Stop brick.
I expect the older trains might pick up some of the bricks for example this answer from Jan 2024 notes that the sensor was cycling through a series of colours to find a match, so the more recent trains may well do something for some of the colours.

Fully expect a better answer to be provided once these sets are released in Jan, but there wasn't enough room in a comment ;)

I have been wondering why nobody had yet bought one of these just to answer the question, but the train not coming out for another month explains it.  :)

Sadly my expertise with Duplo trains stopped about 12 years once the kids moved on to System. Did still dig it out now and again for visiting relations when they were interested.

It is a new application where the two new Duplo train sets that will be marketed in January are already shown. It is different from the one that already existed. And in theory there are the purple pieces that would allow recording

Hi Ramon and welcome to Bricks.SE! Can you please detail what do you base this theory on? You can edit the answer to provide more details. Thanks and play well!

This does not provide an answer to the question. Once you have sufficient reputation you will be able to comment on any post; instead, provide answers that don't require clarification from the asker. - From Review

A new app for controlling Duplo trains has also been released in December. It says that it is compatible with the old trains, but does not indicate whether they will interact with the new coloured pieces.

Do you have a link, a name of the app or the source of the information?

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lego.duplo.interactivetrains&pli=1


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I have 2 sealed bags but can’t seem to figure out what set
I have bag 2 which is 606R1 and bag 5 which is 721R1 the QR code comes up with 617-2089 (bag 2) and 617-2091 (bag 5).

Those numbers relate more to the bags than the set.

These numbers are irrelevant. Please add clear pictures of your bags.

Hi Heidi and welcome to Bricks.SE! Please take a look at the method described in Henrik's comment and let us know if you have any issues following it. You can also take the [tour] or check the [help] pages to learn more about the site and community here. Play well!


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2017 Bags 521r9 and 621r9
Bags 3,4&5
No instructions
Any help identifying?
https://stackoverflow.com/image.jpg
Thanks

Hi BVR and welcome to Bricks.SE! It seems the uploading of the photo has hit a snag, can you please fix it? Refer to the [help] pages to see how editing works. Play well!


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2017 Bag #243R1
Need help identifying 2017 Bag #243R1

Please add clear pictures, since codes are useless.


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Winter village display
I really want to start collecting  the Winter village set as I’ve only recently discovered my love for Lego sets!
I would like it to be something I displayed every year. Would it be worth gluing it so I can get it in and out of the loft and so it’s a bit more secure when displayed? I have a 4yo who would be interested in touching it, which I think I would mind a lot less if it were glued. I’m still at the age with my children where they are inquisitive. I want it to be enjoyed and I don’t have a big enough house to have a custom display cabinet so it would just be set up on a table every year.
I’m sorry if this question has been done to death I’ve only just discovered this forum.

Talking about gluing LEGO is a sin!

If it is worth gluing is up to you. No one knows what you prefer.
However, if you glue it are you sure it will hold if someone knocks it off a table? I have disassembled sets which were glued. It made it more robust, but not indestructible.
Are you sure you won’t regret it when the kids are a few years older and you might want to take it apart and rebuild it with them as a Christmas tradition?
Most types of glue will be visible. It makes it far less appealing as a display piece. When Lego glues sets together for display in their stores or similar, they actually don’t glue them. Instead they dissolve a small part of each piece. Sure, you could do this, but the assembly process will be far less fun and more akin to work.
Personally I wouldn’t glue it, but place it on a shelf high up until the kids are older where you can place it on a table.

"Sure, you could do this,", that's only true with some major caveats. The product TLG uses require good ventilation and I believe it's quite hard to actually buy.

Clarification: bricks are glued, not dissolved, for public LEGO models. Yes, the glue dissolves the plastic a tiny bit like any plastic glue does. Also some models are not entirely glued - only some sections of them, which allows them to be disassembled for transportation.


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Why does display output affects motors?
I'm making a simple program with LEGO EV3 Education. It makes a little tank to follow a black line over a white-ish floor.
Here it is:
[]
This works very smooth: it makes the tank follow the EDGE of the line and substantially takes in account the amount of light the sensor recevies.
Black is 11, White is 75: if the light is near 75, then take the power of the B (left) motor higher than the C (right) motor. if the light is near 11, then take the power of C motor higher than B. Otherwise, make C and B power similar.
I want now to add some output on the display, like this:

The idea is: if B power is between C+10 and C-10, then show a forward arrow. else if: if B < C show Right arrow, else Left arrow.
Problem is that, adding this code, the tank doesn't move straight anymore! C and B motor ,on a stright line, alternate power making the robot zig zagging the line.
Why does an output operation on the display affects motors power?

Because it takes time to write to the display. The motor speed cannot be changed until the display blocks have finished and your loop repeats.
Try this instead... create a second loop in parallel to the first that handles the display. You will need a new logic variable to send information from the motor loop to the display loop.

I tried, same result! What do you mean with "new logic variable"? I used the same "B-Power" and "C-Power" variable that I'm using in the main motor loop

I have added screenshots to show what I mean. I imagine that it would be better to move the math blocks from the motor loop to the display loop, then you wouldn't need the "Forward" variable.

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


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What is the biggest base plate available?
I'm looking for as large a base plate as possible. Below is a 48x48 stud base, it's the largest I've seen.
Are larger plates available? Either the thin type (as pictured) or the regular plate thickness will do!

As  a kid, I remember longer but narrower green, thin plates. The full set included streets. It was midseventies. Of course, I was a kid, it might not have been longer, but it took up a big portion of my room.

The largest baseplate (thin kind) is 50x50 studs: http://alpha.bricklink.com/pages/clone/catalogitem.page?P=4186a#T=P
The largest regular plate is 16x16 studs only: http://alpha.bricklink.com/pages/clone/catalogitem.page?P=91405#T=P

The largest official baseplate that I'm aware of is 50x50 modules.

It's only slightly larger than a 48x48, and it's a bit more difficult to use in large setups since most other common baseplates have side lengths that are a multiple of 16, so you might actually be better off with a 48x48 depending on what you are trying to do.
This part hasn't been available since the 70s, but you can still pick it up on Bricklink.
You may be interested in this answer which includes other raised baseplates:
What is the largest single LEGO piece?

There is a 48 by 64 Lego-compatible baseplate available.

From whom? How do you know this?

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


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Best adhesive to fix a model for long term display?
What is the best adhesive to make a model into a permanent display like into a Christmas decoration or an ornament? I want for this model to withstand being packed and unpacked year after year.

I would suggest standard Elmer's glue (also referred to as school glue). It won't harm your LEGO so you can later remove the glue if you need to, but it is strong enough to keep a set together under normal use.

Have you used it with success?

Yes, it is fine for most models. LEGO has good clutch-power already, so it only needs a little help from glue. If the model is very fragile though, and there is not much holding it together (for example something like a snowflake model), you may need to use superglue. However superglue will damage LEGO and you won't be able to ever separate the pieces again. It is best to just make the model stronger instead of gluing it. Glue is a real no-no in the eyes of most LEGO fans. LEGO ornaments I have seen are pretty compact and strong on their own. Those are the best kind. :)


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How to tape something to the bottom of a brick
I'm installing lights in my buildings (I'm using Neopixel strips, which have a flat back), and I'm trying to tape the lights to the ceiling. Of course, bricks and plates aren't smooth on the bottom, so double sided tape isn't working out too well.
Can you recommend either:

A plate or similar part with a smooth bottom (I'm familiar with the 2x2 round plate that has a rounded bottom, but I can't think of anything flat)
An alternate method of affixing small parts to the bottom of bricks and plates

Take a look at 11203 - Tile, Modified 2 x 2 Inverted. Works like your 2x2 round plate but is flat at the bottom.

Ah, that's exactly what I was picturing, but I wasn't sure how to identify it. Thanks for the part number!

authors: سامح عبدالستار


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Mid-sized black plate options
I'm looking for a mid-sized (16x16, 20x20 ish) black plate for mounting on a wall. It can be a regular plate or baseplate since what I am mounting it on is not Lego and it doesn't need to fit into studs underneath.
So far I have only found this piece but no-one seems to sell it in black
http://alpha.bricklink.com/pages/clone/catalogitem.page?P=91405
Are there other pieces I should consider?

You can piece together a 16x16 black plate in two layers, by making a base layer consisting of 3867 - Baseplate 16 x 16 (not available in black, but Dark Bluish Gray is a good option and given the minimal thickness it won't show)

and then putting 4 of 41539 - Plate 8 x 8 in Black on top side-by-side.

I'd probably skip the 16x16 baseplate and just join the 8x8 with smaller pieces for my particular design. Strange that anyone selling more than 20 8x8 charges a lot more per piece though. I need 40 and anyone with that many wants $1.21 each, where as individual pieces sell for as little as 33¢ (NZD).

That's how the market works - if you need a lot, you pay more :) But think about the money you save versus having to get them from individual sellers and then paying for shipping for each smaller bundle. Good luck with your project!

I was really hoping for economies of scale :/

LEGO Pick-A-Brick has 6x6 black plates for $0.87(NZD) per piece ... you would need 9 of them to create an 18x18 surface ... you're probably cheaper off getting them from BL in the 8x8 format.


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Information on the new Death Star
Is there any additional information, such as price, piece count, appearance or minifigures for the upcoming LEGO death star? Leaked, announced or rumored answers are acceptable.

The only information available as of today is the set number. It is #75159. No other rumors or leaked info is available. The speculation is that it will likely be based on the new movie, but even this is simply a speculation, not even a rumor.

Darn. I thought there might be a rumour I had not yet heard. Oh well, I suppose I'll have to wait.

Caleb, no, The Force Awakens. Sorry if that wasn't clear.

I've heard the Starkiller base rumours as well, but I don't think it would make sense for Lego to reveal it as a Death Star if it isn't.

It's an update of the previous minifigure-based Death Star, according to reliable hints.  It certainly is not a pure UCS model Death Star as many have hoped for.


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Which 3307 Arch 1 x 6 x 2 is correct for 10225 R2D2 Set? "Thick Top with Reinforced Underside" or "Thin Top without Reinforced Underside"
BrickLink shows that the 10225 R2 D2 set contains 3307 Arch 1 x 6 x 2 "Thick Top With Reinforced Underside", but I purchased that set and mine contains the newer "12939" variation which is described as "Thin Top without Reinforced Underside". Does anyone know which is the correct ORIGINAL arch variation contained in this set? And when did the change take place?

I got my R2D2 at launch in 2012 for the May the 4th celebrations through the Dutch Lego@home web shop. This set contains the old 3307 part.

Good to know! Thanks for sharing your experience. I was wondering, because I bought one off EBay last fall, and it was new and sealed, but I was concerned because my arches were not 3307's, even though the bags were sealed, it just made me suspicious, but now I see that it is perfectly possible to have the 12939 arch too...

I cannot give you the definite answer, but LEGO changed the design of the "Brick, Arch 1 x 6 x 2" two times over the last 6 years. The original version is 3307 which was in production/circulation until 2014. It then produced 12939 which entered production/circulation in 2010 and is still out there in new sets, however, in 2014 LEGO started producing yet another design numbered 15254.
Since 10225 R2D2 was produced for about 2.5 years from 2012 to 2014, it fell right smack in the middle of the change-over between these 3 molds. So per set it really depended on what mold had been printed and was sitting in the supply for the given production facility - some sets will have gotten 3307, other sets 12939 and even some late sets will have gotten 15254. For LEGO there is no difference in these parts and they will have been substituted.
Bricklink indeed mentions 3307, but has 12939 listed as alternate, so it recognizes both came in this set. Brickset has both 12929 and 15254 as parts for this set, and Rebrickable has 3307. Finally, BrickOwl is missing this piece from its inventory altogether.

See here http://www.newelementary.com/2015/11/bow-window-3307-15254-12939difference-lego-arch.html for more details about the three arches 3307, 12939 and 15254 that are not always interchangeable!

@Philo that is a great article - perfectly explains the whole 3307-12939-15254 switchover. So 15254 is the final design, with R2D2 falling right in the middle of the 3307-12939 switchover, but too early to have the "rectified" 15254. Thanks!

This was a great informative answer, thank you so much! I'm impressed. I just discovered this website, and, holy cow, how awesome it is because of the knowledge of people like yourself!

@Sharkfin182: You're welcome. If you think my submission answered your question, feel free to use the checkmark to indicate your acceptance as "the" answer.

@Philo: Thank you as well, I didn't at first see the difference between "Phil" and "Philo" in these answers! Thanks for the article that went along with Phil B.'s answer, I appreciate you knowledgeable ones!


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LEGO Minifigures Series 14 Female Ghosts!

Do all of the LEGO Minifigures Series 14 Female Ghosts have a smaller, more square-ish neck part?

I checked all of mine, and they the same smaller mark as well.

I just checked a random handful of my collectible minifigs. Most of them have no black mark at all. Some of them, such as the Siren you posted, have a small black mark. Other recently produced minifigs do or don't have the mark: my Dr. Who figs have the mark, the Ghostbusters Firehall figs don't. Only the collectible minifigs seem to make use of the smaller mark, as far as I can tell. The standard figures have a larger mark.


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Do WHITE LEGO elements fade or yellow while sealed for years, or do they stay their perfect white original color?
I was wondering if anyone has opened a sealed set like Taj Mahal or Star Wars UCS Imperial Shuttle after it had been sealed for years, and if so, were the white LEGO elements still perfectly white, or did they fade or yellow even while sealed? I'm debating about buying an expensive UCS Imperial Shuttle that's still sealed, instead of Bricklinking, just so I can have one looking brand new, but wanted to know if it might already have faded or yellowed even while sealed.

Lego bricks typically turn yellow due to a chemical change that occurs when UV light interacts with flame-retardants in the plastic. So bricks stored in darkness shouldn't turn yellow at all.

Yes, like your answer says, 45 minutes after I posted it.

Ok, ok, let's keep the peace here! Caleb answered it hours earlier, but I appreciate details in both of your answers. I agree with Mr. Shiny that they're not even a little bit yellow-proof. If they're better than a decade ago, great, but it's still a major problem, especially with the color white.

@CalebWoodman, "indoors" isn't enough.  "Indoors, away from direct sunlight and south-facing rooms" is more like it.


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Cutting a LEGO baseplate
I have a regular LEGO baseplate that I'd like to shave down to fit into a car travel kit. Does anyone have experiencing cutting a baseplate? I'd love tips on tools or technique!

What sort of size are you trying to cut the baseplate down to? Unless you plan to permanently attach the baseplate to something, you might be better off getting a few plates and using those. 8x8 or 8x16 plates are large enough for a small base while still being easy to transport.

I do want to permanently modify it. I only need to take about two rows off.

The easiest way to do this is to score the baseplate with a straightedge and knife. Once you've made a deep enough cut, you should be able to bend and break the plate where you've scored it. You may want to sand the edge to clean it up a bit.

There's a more detailed set of instructions in this Instructable.

You are a beautiful person - thank you! This is EXACTLY what I needed!

I'll also add that I used a nail file to smooth the edges when I was done and it worked perfectly.

I was shocked at first to see someone cutting a black baseplate: I didn't even know that part existed; it must be rare. Who could do such a thing?! Oh, it's a clone part. Carry on.

Press down 8 x 2 / 10 x 2 / 16 x 2 plates etc. to the board to give you a cutting line, make sure they are firmly pressed down.
On a flat surface, gently score the board tight up to the edge of the plates 2 or three times then firmly bend to snap the board and finish by trimming a small 45 degree.
Cut at the new sharp corners and hand finish with fine rubbing down paper. I retail vintage / used Lego and we often cut down damaged boards to make smaller ones and this method works well so long as you don't try to cut too hard and lose the line up against the guiding plates.

I advise you to use a sandpaper. First use a clamp to fix the part you want to cut, then use sandpaper. Instead of trying to cut it i think you should grind it with sandpaper.


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How to find a set(s) contain most parts of my wanted parts list
I have a parts wanted list (in BrickLlink) and I want to buy a set contain most of my parts wanted list.
Does there is a way to import a part list and find which set(s) contain most of them?

I've never tried it, but I suspect you can do this with Rebrickable.com. It lets you upload MOCs, which must have an inventory. It then lets you see how close your collection comes to building that set, including some possible piece substitution (i.e. similar parts, related molds, ignore colour, etc). Finally, it recommends sets to buy to increase your total. To my knowledge it doesn't try to optimize the "purchase" list to maximize coverage or keep costs down, but it should at least give you some candidates.
For example, when I try to build this MOC, it tells me I'm missing a bunch of black pieces:

Then it suggests some sets I might buy:

Note that the suggested sets are not always practical.

It's really a very nice workaround !! Thank you !


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Why didn't LEGO make a Creative Building Box for Technic parts?
LEGO has many great Creative Building Boxes, especially the LEGO 10697: XXXL Box.
Why hasn't LEGO come out with a Creative Building Box that consists of Technic parts?

One answer is that TLG actually has done something similar in the past. They used to produce universal sets that were roughly equivalent to the Creative Box that you're referencing. Here's an example:

These sets all included lots of basic Technic parts and instructions for 3+ models to get you started building.
This is getting into the realm of speculation, but TLG stopped producing the universal sets right before Mindstorms launched, so I would guess that they felt that Mindstorms filled the free creative building niche and didn't want multiple subthemes in that space. The primary Mindstorms sets include a wide variety of multipurpose parts, instructions for multiple models, and encourage free building and exploration rather than just building a single main model. So, a second answer could be that Mindstorms is the Technic equivalent of the current "Bricks and Pieces" line.

I do think that it would be nice to have sets exactly like what you are describing. I grew up with a few of the universal sets, and they were great. If you're looking to get something like this, it's worth noting that there have been some sets like this recently in the Education line, such as Simple Machines (9689), but those tend to be overpriced in my opinion. You're better off just picking up the parts the you want from Bricklink.

The price difference between a Mindstorms kit and the old universal Technic sets is really big though.  Surely there's a niche for free creative building without spending hundreds of dollars at once.

Just to mention there is a book from Klutz "LEGO Crazy Action Contraptions Craft Kit" that might fill in the gap at the lower and smaller side


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How best to plan and design a custom LEGO creation?
I'm curious how best to proceed with my own creations. I have several ideas that I want to take a stab at implementing but know I probably don't have the all bricks I need. I am not new to LEGO, but I am definitely new to building high quality custom creations and am a little unsure where to start.

This is going to be different for everyone, but there are several different options.
I personally prefer to get my LEGO bricks out and just start building, this usually doesn't turn out exactly how I want initially, but I will take the bits I like and try again; building multiple versions to find what I like and come up with a finished item.  For larger builds, I will break it down into specific areas or elements to focus on and then work to integrate the sections when I am happy with each.
A very useful set of tools are the various computer Lego CAD systems, I prefer LDraw, the official Lego tool is the Lego Digital Designer, and there are others.
I have used these to start from scratch to generate a finished design, to generate a rough idea before moving onto the bricks, or to organize existing elements together into a larger build.
Depending on your experience they can be very useful tools not just for planning, but to generate build directions, parts lists, or high quality renders of you creation.  They will come with a large number of Lego pieces and colors allowing you to experiment beyond the Lego you have.  They are a little cumbersome for certain advanced SNOT techniques but can generally do most things Lego would.


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How to speed up assembly for big LEGO technic sets (e.g. 42043 Mercedes-Benz Arocs)
Is there any ways to help speed up the assembly process when building big LEGO Technic set such as the 42043 Mercedes-Benz Arocs?

Despite what it superficially looks like in (for example) Sariel's build videos, having a big pile of parts spread across the table is not the fastest way. Pour the contents of the smaller bags into containers (I use old plastic take-away containers). That way you are looking through a container of blue 3 long pins and red 2-long axles for a 2-long axle, rather than rummaging through a mound of everything. I tend to pour the black 2-long connector pins onto the build space because there are so many and that way they're close to the build, but everything else goes in a container.
A little time sorting will help a lot. Sort things like beams and large parts, but also axles if there's a lot of them. Having a row of beams sorted by size and getting a 9 long one is much faster and easier than rummaging and comparing randomly grabbed beams for length.
I find pulling out really large parts early makes things easier. Wheels/tyres, power functions, large panels etc. A stack of 5x11 panels is easier to deal with than when they're randomly in a container hiding little parts underneath them.
I find piling the parts to be used in a step up, then installing them avoids missing any. If you need to add 3 axles, but you have one left over at the "end" of that step... you missed one. This is less necessary with modern kits because you put so few parts in per step, but still occasionally helps. If you look at instructions for pre-2000 sets there's often 10 or more parts installed per step, which made this technique much more useful/necessary.
skim the online forums for build errata and common mistakes. For example, there were quite a number of people asking "the back wheels on my crawler turn one way, the ones on the front turn the other way" because they had mis-assembled one of the differentials. There's also a mistake possible in the core of the more recent wheeled loader, but the detail escapes me.
test mechanisms early and often. Spin every axle, make sure that it does spin and whatever the gears on it seem likely to mesh with, do.
read ahead. If you have an idea of what you're building you can often do things like making two mirrored sub-assemblies at the same time. But be careful, as you can easily end up building the wrong thing.
I build on a towel, rather than straight on the table. That way if I drop a pin or something small it doesn't bounce as much. Specifically, it doesn't end up on the floor under my desk.
have enough space. The days when you could build a set "in the box" just by opening the lid (or these days, cutting round the top) are gone. A towel is not a bad estimate of the space required for building something like the Arocs.

(the build videos are usually made by experienced builders who have excellent spatial memory, and they get things out without disturbing it, so parts stay more or less separated by bag despite being "in a pile". If you look for this it's often obvious. Especially If you're building with kids you'll generally have to struggle not to rummage until the pile is completely randomised)

What a great and detailed response!

There was an issue in the orange Technic Porsche, released in 2016 the gears in this model are not sequential: http://brickset.com/article/21758/lego-responds-to-instructions-issue-in-42056-porsche-911-gt3-rs Feel free to add this as an example of your 5th item.

There are errata for an awful lot of models, I left it fairly general deliberately. Eurobricks has a whole thread of "suggested minor tweaks" for the Porsche that starts with the drivetrain friction, then two gearbox fixes (the other for the partial shifting problem).


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Are there any LEGO sets that have these two parts?
Are there any LEGO sets that have the following parts:

Part 57518 (Link Tread Wide with Two Pin Holes)

Part 15035 / 18405 / 95292 (Large Shock Absorber with Very Hard Spring)

See related answer http://bricks.stackexchange.com/a/7895/7359 for an less expensive alternative to the shock absorber if size is not critical.

In the spirit of "teach a man how to fish and he will have food for a lifetime", here is how you can find your own answer to this question.

Determine rarity of the parts by going to BrickLink and search for the part name or number using the Catalog Search. BrickLink is a little finnicky with names and part numbers so it might take a few tries to get the right part (or to get it to return anything at all). For your items, 95292 only occurs in 3 sets, whereas 57518 appears in 29 sets.
You have several ways to go now - but the easiest is to have 2 tabs open, one for each of the list of sets. For each item in the shortest list, check if it occurs in the longer list (if the longer list is long, you can use Ctrl+F in your browser to do a text search on the page). Sorting each list by year might also help in doing this comparison.

For your selection of parts, it is quickly clear that there is no set that contains both. Not only that, the shock absorber you are looking for only occurred in 3 sets, all pretty limited in distribution (one of them being a truly Limited Edition of only 20k sets). Expect to be paying $10 per piece on BrickLink if you must have these. You might want to consider its shorter cousin 731c04 which occurs in 22 sets, including some lower-priced starter Technic sets. It can also be bought from many sellers on BrickLink for less than $2 per piece.


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LEGO Large Shock Absorber alternatives
Are there cheaper alternatives to Large Shock Absorber with Very Hard Spring (Part No. 15035 / 18405 / 95292 / 95292c01)?

As per the answer to your other question, please consider part 731c04 - Yellow Technic, Shock Absorber 6.5L, Complete Assembly - Hard Spring. Not only is it still in production compared to 95292c01, it also has a much wider range of availability and hence costs you less to procure as a piece on BrickLink ($2 vs $10).


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Are there LEGO Hygrometer sensors?
Currently, there are light, ultrasonic, touch and sound Mindstorms sensors, but is there a hygrometer sensor from LEGO?

Is this for a specific version or any Mindstorm?

There is not one made by LEGO. However, there are a number of 3rd-party options:

Fatcatlab makes a Humidity Sensor (EV3 only).
Vernier makes a relative humidity sensor that can be used with the Vernier sensor adapter (EV3 and NXT).
There are also several temperature and humidity sensors from Grove that can be used with the mindsensors.com Grove sensor adapter (EV3 and NXT).


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How to convert a bar into an axle or pin - Using the Axel Hub with Four Bars
I would like to utilize the Axle Hub with 4 Bars (#48723) in a way that the four bars would become axles. What is the most concise way to accomplish that?
Here is a diagram of my end goal:

Here are couple of ideas. You could use pins:

Or axles with studs on the end:

Or axle connectors and axles:

Thanks a bunch, the picture references are great here! It looks like that third option would be the most stable so I may try that first.


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Best set to build a tracked vehicle?
I want to build a tracked "all-terrain" vehicle myself (MOC), which should have the ability to climb over obstacles. Something alike https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXVO-wbWKxo
Now I'm looking for the technic model which has "the best" tracks to use. What would you recommend? It looks like I have the following options:

http://brickset.com/sets/8043-1/Motorized-Excavator
http://brickset.com/sets/42038-1/Arctic-Truck (is it even possible to combine multiple tracks into a bigger one?)
http://brickset.com/sets/42042-1/Crawler-Crane

What's the recommendation?

Another set with a lot of track parts to consider: http://brickset.com/sets/42055 (comes out on August 1st)

Thanks for the information, this one is a little bit too big for my taste. I think I'm not going to buy this year's flagship model and will instead go for the Porsche GT3 :-)

All 3 of the sets you listed actually use the same type of tracks, they are Technic, Link Tread Wide with Two Pin Holes #57518.
In my opinion this type would be your best option for driving a robot for a number of reasons:

Since they come as links the tracks can be made any length you want, allowing a lot of flexibility in designing the robot.  These are virtually the only link-based, variable-length tracks LEGO makes that would be suitable for driving a robot.
They are very sturdy and do not break or come undone easily at all.
They fit very securely on the cogs and practically never slip.  This is true even with a moderate degree of slack on the line, making it not necessary to measure the distances between/around the cogs to perfectly match the length of the track.

If you are going to be using these on your robot, you will need some cogs to drive them.  These tracks can be driven with the Technic Tread Sprocket Wheels #57520 (small - 6T) and 57519 (large - 10T).
I would also recommend getting some Technic, Link Tread Attachment, Double, Rubber #14149.  These handy little rubber grips fit on the tracks to give them better traction.  They work especially well on smooth, hard surfaces and for gripping stuff to climb over.

We just built the Crawler Crane and were very impressed with the treads.  Solid and no slipping as you said.  The net effect was that our crane acted more like a tank when going over surprisingly large obstacles.  Excellent design.


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How to create a LEGO Technic tank steering system
I found this video containing a steering system for tracked vehicles. Are there any steering system(s) that are more simple than the one shown in the video, and include a guide (in LDD or pictures format) to replicate for a tracked vehicle, such as a tank?

The simplest method would be to just have two motors, with one motor driving each side of track.
To go forward, both motors forward; backward both back; to turn set one motor to go faster than the other, only drive one side, or set one forward and the other backward.  It is a fairly common treaded vehicle steering system.
The linked system with dual differentials, a drive motor, and a control motor, seems quite excessive to me.
However, it come with some cost as the system move without feedback, it's unlikely that both motors will be driven at the exact same speed. Variations in the build (e.g. how tight bushings are) and the motors (torque curves) means that it'll generally drive in a (large) circle unless you actively correct for it. To make it move relatively straight, it involves a lot of fiddling with loosening / tightening parts, and even then one may often find that it no longer drives straight on a different surface.
With a dual-differential drive, there's generally enough friction that it will indeed drive "exactly" straight when the drive motor is on - and if it doesn't, one can just add a bit of friction (e.g. clamped bushings around a stud) to the control motor to make it drive straight.

Note that it can be a pain to ensure that the tank actually drives straight with the 2-motor system.

@TLW, is it possible to let me know what type of pain you are referring to?

@user275517 - "pain" in the sense that, without feedback, it's unlikely that both motors will be driven at the exact same speed. Variations in the build (e.g. how tight bushings are) and the motors (torque curves) means that it'll generally drive in a (large) circle unless you actively correct for it. You can make it relatively straight, but it involves a lot of fiddling with loosening / tightening parts, and even then you'll often find that it no longer drives straight on a different surface. Hence, "pain".

@user275517 - With a dual-differential drive, there's generally enough friction that it will indeed drive "exactly" straight when the drive motor is on - and if it doesn't you can just add a bit of friction (e.g. clamped bushings around a stud) to the control motor to make it drive straight.

@user275517 - At one point I was part of an (informal) competition to see who could build a robot to drive in a (relatively large) pentagon and return to the start most precisely. 'Twas fun, but I ran into this problem at first.


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Where can I obtain the software called “Instructor”?
The instructions on JK Brickworks state (boldface mine):

Publishing was done using Instructor version 1.6

However, if I search the Internet, the only pertinent results are the aforementioned instructions and the creator of that site does not provide any means to contact him to ask.
Where can I learn more about this software or obtain it? Is it known under another name?

An older version (1.4) of Instructor is advertised in this forum post and can be downloaded here.
As you can see on the Google+ post, the differences between 1.4 and 1.6 are mostly cosmetic.

It seems Instructor is actually being developed by JK Brickworks themselves, according to this Google+ post. Your best option would be asking them directly, as there is no download link on their website.

Your best option would be asking them directly – Sadly, I fail to find any contact information …

If you're on Facebook you can send them a message.  https://www.facebook.com/JKBrickworks/

authors: Наталія Кіндіченко


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Is 9585: WeDo Resource Set compatible with 45300: WeDo 2.0 Core Set?
As title, not sure if these two can work well together?
Or, should I wait for WeDo 2.0 Resource Set?

As far as I have understood from talking to one the people who developed WeDo version 2, it's not compatible with the old.