text:
How to motorize a LEGO Pneumatic valve?
I am working on a project that requires remotely switched LEGO valves, and I tried many designs I found, and none of them worked due to the valve causing too much resistance. Does anyone have a remotely switched valve design that fulfills the conditions below?

It must be tested and work.
It must use only PF motors.
It must not use 32449.

Why the ban on 32449 (thin liftarm length 4) ?

@MichaelVerschaeve Because I do not have it and don't want to wait for one to be shipped.

I just think that your question would be more relevant to others without this restriction, see point 4 of https://meta.stackexchange.com/help/how-to-ask. Also, even if a presented design contained the forbidden element, you surely can replace it with an alternative element ?

I tried many designs I found

A quick Google search resulted in the following designs. Have you tried them all?
Sariel's Autovalve:
Philo's pneumatic valve:

Sariel's Servo Valve:
Tamas Juhasz's small autovalve with compressor:
Technic-Dragon's Compact Pneumatic Autovalve:

Bonus entries, not using exclusively PF motors, but could be adapted to:
Conchas' Micromotor valve:

Pneumatically controlled valve from the B model of 8868-1: Air Tech Claw Rig

I have my doubts about a couple of these designs. When under pressure, the valve switch takes quite a bit of force to turn. I think a couple of these designs don't have sufficient gearing down to work unless there's no significant pressure yet.

@MichaelVerschaeve I haven't tried any of them personally (except for the 8868), but provided links to their respective websites and forum threads, where comments might be left to indicate such problems and their solutions.

@MichaelVerschaeve The first Sariel autovalve is not super reliable - in my experience, the small liftarms can get stuck in certain positions. The servo valves definitely have more than enough torque. The micromotor valve is definitely questionable, not to mention that it requires a sensor and probably takes 5-10 seconds to flip state. Pneumatic autovalves are pretty common in air-powered creations.


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What piece has one prong on one end and four on the other?
Yesterday I wanted to answer a question with this part in mind, but I couldn't find it in any of the databases I looked in. After finding this part in my collection, I tried to look for its part number to properly reference it, but to no avail. What's more, there was no LEGO marking to be seen either. So now I'm really interested: is this even a real LEGO part?
The material, finish, precision seem all correct, and it fits in the LEGO system in various ways, which is atypical for clone brands.

Ive always used it as a torch piece.

It is called Plant, Tree Palm Top. It used to be green or brown and was a part of the palm trees found in the Pirate kits. It was the part that the leaves joined onto. The four prongs pointed up.

Thanks for sharing, and welcome to Bricks!

@zovits thanks for adding the pic

I have been trying to find this piece for ages but I can't look that piece up on Legos website. Is there anything else it could be called? I need this piece for a build I'm working on

@jacobmarshburn TLG calls it "ASSEMBLY ELEMENT Ø3.2". It's available via LEGO.com Bricks and Pieces in black, tan, and light bluish gray currently. It is available in many more colors on Bricklink.

In a classic rubber duck moment, the solution has dawned on me minutes after asking the question, while browsing the list of sets owned by me to find the one that included this piece...
This is ASSEMBLY ELEMENT Ø3.2 etc. or with Bricklink terminology: Plant, Tree Palm Top:

The complete lack of markings of any kind is still puzzling, but it is reassuring that the part is indeed a genuine LEGO piece.

Update:
After finding a more recent part of the same design, it does indeed contain a LEGO marking on the upper edge, but the older one I found first does not. Curious.

It's a tree top? I always thought it was the handle of a torch of sorts.

@Mast It's been used as a torch in medieval sets (usually mounted to a wall, with a flame piece in the centre) but its first appearance (in this set, I think) was as a linkage to attach the four leaves of a palm tree to its flexible trunk.

This part is incredibly versatile. While it has limited utility as a decoration by itself, it can make all sorts of weird connections possible.

@Mast The beauty of LEGO is that this part is equally a torch, a tree top, a rocket, a four pronged barbecue skewer, a cage for a tiny animal, a miniature Eiffel Tower, a drill attachment, and countless other things, limited only by the imagination :)

It was used as a table-stand (upside down) in the Assembly Square set :)

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


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Schematic and program listing of 28743?
Looking for more info on circuit board of 28743. E.g. what is the processor used? Would like to be able to reprogram the chip. E.g. program the train to stop on the third STOP directive strip, or reverse the train direction if it immediately follows a TOOT directive strip. Ultimately I'd like to program it from Scratch or Python code, but that may be asking too much.

If the schematic you are asking is for the LegoDuplo, Train Push & Go Motor
with the circuit board that looks like:

This schematic is proprietary information that belongs to the Lego group.
This element uses a Bluetooth Low Energy radio and has an FCC ID: NPI28743
Perhaps you could create your own schematic and post it here.

Thanks for the info.  I'll see how far I get tracing the surface mount components.

I found what I wanted at 'https://pypi.org/project/bricknil/'.  This gives me the capability to do what I want.  Thanks

@F Gruhl, That's a great find! Good job

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


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My Mindstorms Spik3r can't turn around
When I use the button for turning it just goes backwards. Why does this happen? I've checked the instructions and didn't find anything.

Thank you but I'm sorry I've didn't sad it correctly. It works once but when it goes forward it just ruins the wheel and then. It is not working.

What do you mean by "ruins the wheel" and "It is not working"? Could you please post images, videos or detailed descriptions of the encountered situation?

I've „meant ruins the position of the wheel and it's tilt" so it can't turn.

I have updated my answer below, check if any of that helps.

According to this article, the turning is supposed to function via a

wheel on the bottom that while the car moves forward stays straight but that once the car moves backward moves a little to the side and forces the car to turn.

If correctly built, it should look like this:

A bit later the article offers a few tips on troubleshooting, among which there is your issue as well:

Problem: My Spik3r doesn’t turn
This looks like a construction problem. Check the above photo to see how the flying wheel is supposed to look like.

Edit after an update to the question
The wheel marked with the red free-hand circle is meant to slide freely in forward motion (the head of Spik3r is seen at the bottom of the picture), as it is pivoting around the axle with the yellow half-bushes, and get stuck in reverse (as the blue pin catches on the black undercarriage), thereby braking that side of the Spik3r and causing the model to turn towards that side.

If this wheel gets stuck during reverse, then it is working as intended and should provide enough friction to turn the whole model.
If it does not get stuck, then it is due to a mistake in the build.
If it gets stuck but does not force the model to turn, then you might need to change the friction between the wheel and the ground it's running on (e.g. use it on a carpet or any other surface rougher than the polished hardwood shown in the background).

@Deatroyer You're welcome! Feel free to read the [tour] and the [help] pages, and don't forget to click the checkmark icon to show that the answer has helped to solve your issue.

Thank you but I'm sorry I've didn't sad it correctly it works once but when it goes forward it just ruins the wheel and then! It is not working

@Deatroyer Wdym "ruins the wheel"?


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Is the LEGO Mindstorms Education (not Home, not Scratch based) Edition for Mac OS gone?
I am starting a robotics and programming club with some 9-12 year olds and for the past week I have been developing activities using my Windows version of LEGO Mindstorms (the education / teacher edition) on my Windows 10 PC.
In the classroom I will be using we have an assortment of Mac OS Laptops (thankfully not running Catalina). I wanted to get the same Education Edition for the Mac because the Mindstorms Home Edition is hideous and lacks many features, plus I have developed a lot of educational resources that depend on it.
However, now that LEGO seem to be testing the waters with the new Scratch based Mindstorms for Mac OS, the Education / Teacher edition of the classic LEGO Mindstorms seems to have vaporized and they have left no trace.
Does anyone know where I can get the educational (not home) version of the Classic LEGO Mindstorms development environment for the Mac OS?

There was an announcement on the new version that was covered in this answer

It looks like LEGO have indeed completely pulled the previous version.
According to the announcement last year (emphasis added):

Mac Catalina Issues
[…] We have therefore decided to replace the current EV3 Lab software and EV3 Programming App with a completely new app, called LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Education EV3 Classroom. Featuring a coding language based on Scratch, EV3 Classroom will initially launch for macOS in November 2019 and in spring 2020 for iOS, Windows 10, Android and Chrome. EV3 Classroom will offer a consistent experience, features, and content across all devices.

As such, it would appear that this is the only official release you can now download for MacOS from their site.
If you have not yet upgraded your Mac to Catalina, you might be able to use the Mindstorms Lab download from the Retired Products section, where the same warning is included.
If you're unable to locate it on the Retired Products section, a direct link may be available here: LME-EV3_Full-setup_1.4.2_en-US_OSX.dmg

I could kiss you right now. That last link got exactly what I needed. Strangely I did see that yesterday but the file name of the package was the same as the Home version and I assumed it was what I had already tried.

eight nine year old first time roboteers were very happy yesterday, that they could program their creations because of that link. Many thanks again.

Would anyone have a correct direct link to the software? Now when you click in Retired Products for Mac it downloads the DEP installer not the full software. I guess someone put the wrong link.

@Radek Is this what you are looking for: https://le-www-live-s.legocdn.com/downloads/LME-EV3/LME-EV3_Full-setup_1.4.2_en-US_OSX.dmg

@jncraton that's exactly what I'm looking for! Hope Lego will fix their website. Thanks a million from my wife and her students.


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What material are older soft (plant) parts made of?
I've carefully searched through SE and web and haven't found the exact answer.
This 2018 announcement states that new plant parts are made of plant-based polyethylene. It also implies that plant parts used to be made of polyethylene too, but it's just a hint though. I've also encountered some sources on the web mentioning polypropylene as the material.
Here are the examples of parts which seem to be manufactured of the same sort of plastic:

2518 Tree Palm Leaf Large 10 x 5

2536x Tree Palm Trunk

2542 Paddle

30158 Backpack Opening

So now I wonder which material soft parts (plants and similar) are made of prior to the 2018 announcement of switching to plant-based polyethylene.

According to Brickset, these parts have always been made of polyethylene, the only difference is that some of the material is plant-based since the Plants from Plants initiative.

Can you tell the difference?
No! They look, feel, smell and work just like 'regular' botanical elements. This is because, chemically, they are the same. You can safely mix them with your other plant pieces safe in the knowledge that there is no difference.

The material is clearly named in the article. Thank you!


text:
How does one identify the designers of a LEGO set?
I'm looking for tips to identify the Lego Designers that have worked on a given particular released recent set.
Ideally, I would like to find an online resource that has this information for as much sets as possible, but I'll also consider other options as answers.

Are you looking for an universal answer that can be applied to any LEGO set, or would you accept answers that would only work for some particular subset of all released sets?

@Zovits, I'll expand the question to make clear that I consider any information useful.

One resource I know of that can be considered both correct and up to date is the LEGO set designers' BrickLists.
In a few other cases (mostly for larger releases, like in the Ideas line) one might find an interview with the original submitter and the designer who finalized the product for release:

And of course exactly the set and designer I was looking for ;)


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Any idea what this part is?
I have bought a mixed bag, with not many booklets. This LEGO part has no part number, I'm trying to find it's set number.

This should be this part Windscreen 8 x 6 x 2 Curved
which appeared only in one set wit those stickers: Separatist Shuttle 8036

The middle decal seems to be backward between this and the OP's piece...

@DarrelHoffman presumably it was applied incorrectly?


text:
LEGO figures from the loading screen of Instructions App
Where could I find these two LEGO minifigures? I've found this screenshot in the LEGO Instructions app.

That's interesting, this piece appears to be the same printing as the left torso except the shirt color is different. I couldn't find an exact match.

I have the torso's in the Spike Prime education set, but indeed in different colors but same print.

Added the entire screeny of the app launch image, then broke them down to their alpha-numerical goody two shoes.

I can't figure out what kind of hoodie the girl is even wearing.  What is it?  A ninja scarf with pull strings? Can anyone provide a real life link to this type of clothing?

At this point in time we probably won't get an exact match for each piece, but this is what we've got so far:

A01. Part #87991 - Minifigure, Hair Tousled with Side Part.

A02. Minifigure Head: Unknown ???
A03. Part #982pb062 - Arm, Right with Blue Short Sleeve
Pattern.

Part #981pb062 - Arm, Left with Blue Short Sleeve Pattern.

A04. Minifigure Torso: Unknown ???
Alexander O'Mara and Michael Verschaeve have pointed out this unknown color variant of Part #973pb2346 - Torso Hoodie with Zipper
over Lime and Green Striped Shirt Pattern.

A05. Part #53118pb01- Minifigure, Utensil Video Game Controller
with Silver Controls, Blue and Red Buttons Pattern.

A06. Part #41879 - Legs Short.

B01. Part #15427 - Minifigure, Hair Female Ponytail Off-center.

B02. Minifigure Head: Unknown ???
B03. Part #981982 - Arm, (Matching Left and Right) Pair.

B04. Minifigure Torso: Unknown ???
Michael Verschaeve has further pointed out this unknown color variant of Part #973pb2680 - Torso Female Hoodie with White Laces,
Blue Scrollwork, Kangaroo Pocket Pattern.

B05. Minifigure Utensil: Unknown 2x2 Tile w/Instructions App Pattern???

B06. Part #41879 - Legs Short.

"?" Minifigure Utensil: Unknown Utensil in Girl's left hand???

Becacause there're unknown parts, can we decide that the picture is photoshopd?

Let's think about what we can say and can not say...  We can't say it's been Photoshoped just becasue they use parts currently not in Bricklink's inventory.  What if they aren't using the Photoshop program itself to forge these unknown smiles, but the 3D rendering software they used from their movies to make facial expressions?  What if they have parts like the torsos that simply haven't been released in a set yet, and that's why we can't find them.?  So, at this point in time,  we probably won't get an exact match, or get a definite answer, until we ask LEGO directly, or wait for more info.

I may suggest to improve this answer by providing colors for each known part. They are quite easy to identify and contribute to exact part identification.

Have at it, Alex. The links do point to the right corresponding colored pictures on BrickLink.   Didn't include on this end because with some parts I couldn't decipher exactly which color it was.  For ex. the girl's hair.  Is it Dark Brown or is it Reddish-Brown? How about the blue on the sleeves?  Is what's available on BL the same blue (Dark Azure) as the guy's sleeves?  On this end my initial scenario was to either name them all, or don't label any.  But, hey, I'll leave this to you, if you're game to do it right.  Also, I didn't include minifig fingers of either figure too.

Edited this answer to indicate that the 2nd torso is also known in different colors (B04) https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?id=154627 https://brickset.com/parts/6176217/mini-upper-part-no-3688

My edits seem undone ? Perhaps Rin Rio-Oki can edit himself?

Thanks Michael Verschaeve.  Was currently scrolling through 83 pages of Torsos 200 deep looking for a variant color.  Your eyes must be beet red.  I have my browser magnification to 300%, but was still feeling my brain sliding out one ear...

@RinRio-Oki. Regarding the edit -> probably my mistake. About the torso, didn't need to search, I have it. It's also in the spike prime set like the other torso.

In the second picture the girl's left leg (to the right on the picture) seems to be pointing a little forward/(her )left, which the short legs can't do, so they might be longer (I think there are three different parts they could be) - but as much indicates that this is a rendering rather than a photograph of real parts, that might also just be an artistic liberty.

@ Henrik, yeah, I'm leaning more toward a liberal artistic zeal of those pesky designers vs. them switching in long legs.  Take a moment.  Step back and look at the overall image.  What message is it saying to the viewer? Can we agree that the boys legs are short?  So, If his legs are short, and her legs are long, what story is the image telling us?  Is he hanging out with his long legged older sister or mom?  Nah, LEGO's targeted audience, their main demographic group, are youngsters.  Look at their outfits:  Gamer casual hoodies and game controllers. To much overall evidence for short legs.


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Is this a real Technic cloak?
I found a cloak piece in some used LEGO I bought from a former LEGO employee. The cloak does not say LEGO on it, but it fits perfectly onto Technic figures with a satisfying pop and matches the contours of their bodies.
Is this a real LEGO piece?
I should note that the LEGO I bought had a small amount of junk mixed in from other toy brands.

None of the Technic figures had cloaks, so I would guess this is not Lego. Lots of playmobil figures have cloaks...

The way It molds around his shoulders does seem like it fits snug as a bug, but in all my youth growing up with these Large Action figures, I've never seen the "Technic Theme" waver into fantasy based comic book heroism, evil space cyborgs, yes, but never capes.  Can you list the non-LEGO brands that came with the box?

Is this an off-brand head? Since when do LEGO minifigs have noses?

@MechMK1 This is not a minifigure, but a LEGO Technic figure.

@zovits I have played with a lot of LEGO Technic as a kid, but I have never come across any of those. I am shocked that some of those were released in 1986. I wonder if they were more popular in the US than in Europe.

this is a Playmobil cape, from the Zorro figure

Yeah, what Michael Verschaeve suggested in comments.  Looks like a Playmobil cloak.

On the grey example, the part around the neck in the front looks different from the OP.


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How can I upload .ev3 files to my brick under macOS Catalina
After updating my Mac to macOS Catalina I can no longer run the previous Mindstorms software. The new tool "Mindstorms Home" doesn't allow for opening .ev3 files and uploading them to the brick.
Does anyone know of another way to upload the contents of .ev3 files to the EV3 brick?
Via the Mac or via iOS perhaps?

The only way to compile a .ev3 file to a .rbf file is with the "EV3 Lab" software that is not compatible with macOS 10.15 Catalina.
So your options are:

Run Windows or an older version of macOS in a virtual machine, such as VirtualBox
Find someone that can send you the compiled .rbf file, then use a tool such as ev3duder to transfer the program to the EV3.
Write a new program in the new scratch-based programming software.


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EV3 program runs fine when connected to PC but does not respond when copied to the brick
I am building the race car mentioned in the LEGO Mindstorms discovery book using an EV3 brick.
The problem I am facing is that the driving program runs fine when the brick is connected to the PC via USB. I can run it, I can use the remote control and test the car to steer, move back and forward as long as I like.
However, once I transfer the program to the brick, and run it without PC, it responds to the remote only twice and then stops responding.
This is very weird because if there was a problem in the program, it should not run in the first place even from PC directly, right?
So I guess there is something wrong in my program when it gets transferred to the brick.

Hi and welcome to Bricks.SE! Just to be clear, have you checked for the usual suspects, like loose cables, near-empty batteries, etc? By "stops responding" do you mean there are no outputs at all, for any combination of inputs? Does the EV3 respond to pressing its own buttons, as opposed to those of the remote? Is the "only twice" part reliably repeatable, or is it "usually twice, but sometimes once or thrice"? What do you do that enables the next two responses? Can you test a program that waits for a remote button press and in response turns a motor and increases a number on the display?

The difference between being connected to the PC and not is that the PC is constantly polling the EV3 for sensor values when it is connected, so it does change the timing of the program. Although I would not expect it to make a program "get stuck".

Thanks for the comments. I figured it out and the mistake was simple. I had two separate and independent program sequences each with its own start point in one program window. One sequence was for testing purpose to see if everything works and
 the 2nd sequence was the actual driving block. As I am new to this setup, I guess one window should have just one program sequence.
Once I deleted the test block and kept only the driving sequence, everything works fine. Posting this just in case some newbie might find it helpful in future.
For the veterans, I hope my understanding is correct that in one window, there should be only one start point.


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Overview on how to use special Technic parts?
I just came out of my "Dark Age" inspired by my kids growing up and getting more and more out of Duplo and into Lego. I bought a mixed lot of Technic parts and man, there are a lot of new parts!
So the question is: Are there any resources on how a part is typically used?
E.g. how are this 2 parts used?

In general, the best strategy would be to look up instructions for a set in which the piece is used.
Also a good strategy: ask here ;)
For the specific parts you mentioned, this picture might be helpful:

The 6641 element switches a driving ring in three positions, either engaging the left clutch gear (18946), the right clutch gear or neutral position in which neither is engaged...
My favorite set these elements are used in is is 8043:

This set has 4 motors, however one of the motors is used to turn switches consisting out of the discussed elements to ultimately provide 6 functions: left & right driving and turning the upper part on one position of the switch, while operating the digger (bucket, middle arm, lower arm) on the other position.

The best way to see the intended usage of a part is to look at its name, or to find the sets the part appears in and check the instructions where and how it is used.
For your particular examples:

This is called Technic Changeover Catch and it is used mainly to engage the transmission driving ring to the clutch gears.

This part is the previously mentioned gear with clutch, which is used to connect the driving and driven axles in transmissions.
Their combined usage is for example illustrated in the instructions for 42039:

Here, depending on the position of the changeover catch, the thick gray driving ring is either connected to the red gear with clutch or not, thereby making or breaking the connection between the parallel black axles.


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Identify this dinosaur build
I acquired a random lot of LEGO bricks and came across this small dinosaur build. I can't find it anywhere. Pictured is about 35 pieces, but It is probably incomplete because even this had been broken in 2 parts.
Includes 4 dark green cheese wedges and 2 lime inverse 2x2 45 degree slopes and 2 white eye print 1x1 round tiles. Searching through sets that include those parts however did not help me.
Is this an official build? It seems a bit too polished to be just some kid's MOC.

Creative Supplement Set No: 10693-1

Searched on the curved green slope (the tail)

thanks you! I can't believe I missed that!


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Can you identify this modified plate?
A friend asked me to identify an element, but I have no idea either. Customary search on BrickLink modified bricks/plates/tiles categories didn't give results.
I do not have any additional information besides this picture.

This looks like
Plate, Modified 2 x 8 with Door Rail in yellow.
It's not easy to find because you would think it's a 1x8 plate modified rather than a 2x8.
Additional link: Plate, Modified 2 x 8 with Door Rail at rebrickable.

Also, looked over it because it's in black... just a smudge on my cellphone for my poor old eyes


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Can you identify these arch-way pieces
I'm considering starting a project inspired by some of the Arab-style buildings I've seen. Most of them use a sort of curved archway around the windows. I can't figure out how to duplicate it. Can anyone identify the pieces used here to form the curved archways?
Any other suggestions for making a cool arab scene (for a relatively new builder)

It would help the volunteers here if you would include at least part of the picture in your questions, as well as the link to the full version.

Your question have two questions - looking for parts to identify and ideas for your MOC. If you need suggestion regarding last bit please split this question and submit another question for your inspurations.

You are, most likely, interested in identifying following arch:
Brick, Arch 1 x 3 x 2

The other arch as seen in second picture is the following one:
Brick, Arch 1 x 3 x 3


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Can you identify these column decorators?
I want to decorate some columns with these little round ionic scroll-looking things. Does anyone know the part number?

Brick, Modified 1 x 1 with Scroll with Hollow Stud
https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=20310&idColor=2


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Adding custom / recorded sounds for power-up
The Powered Up application offers many more sounds than the BOOST app, but the later allows for recording of extra sounds...
How could someone add / record custom sounds for powered-up App?

I believe it's not possible.. Lego might not have thought of it during development. What's the point if the powered up brick doesn't make sounds anyway? You'll have to teach your phone ventriloquism for that

This video has a solution for Android users.
In the Files app, navigate to:
Internal Storage -> Android -> data -> com.lego.common.poweredup -> files -> PredefinedActivities
Copy the folder containing the project files to:
Internal Storage -> Android -> data -> com.lego.common.poweredup -> files -> Activities
Download and open QuickEdit and navigate to the copied folder.
Open powered-up-metadata.json and set these values and save the file:
"IsControllerEditingAllowed": true,
"IsCanvasChangeAllowed": true,
"IsPanningAllowed": true,
"Contexts": [
  "freeplay"
],

This will unlock the advanced features of Powered Up.

Unfortunately it doesn't work. The widget is there, the recorder does indeed open, but nothing gets recorded. The wave is "flat", the mic maybe isn't initializated.

i think its going to be an issue in lastest version


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How to obtain a missing part?
I'm building the 21320 LEGO Ideas Dinosaur Fossils set. Looks like there is a part missing. I only have one of the part in the attached image. How can I identify the part number and obtain it?

This part is 6047220: Plate W. Bow 2X2X2/3. You can get it from Bricklink, but first try the official LEGO replacement parts service. They will most probably send you a free replacement part and with your report you are contributing to the quality assurance project of LEGO, helping them avoid such cases in the future.
P.S. Still before, check the box, the bags, the building area and any partially completed builds for mistakes (like using it instead of a Plate W. Bow 1X2X2/3). There is a non-negligible chance your part is hiding somewhere, and everybody is much better off if you find it before you take the other steps.

Thank you very much. I've submitted a request to the replacement service.

Aww, looks like my edit was too late. Nevertheless, welcome to Bricks.SE, feel free to have a look around and take the [tour] or read the [help] to get yourself acquainted with the site!

My first reaction was to look for it for a while inside bags and around the build area. I examined the half-built model too to see if I used it already but I didn't want to take it all apart only to find out it's nowhere to be found. However, the delivery time is quite long so I might end up taking it apart anyway. Thanks again for your speedy help.

I assume this is why Lego often includes extras of tiny parts.


text:
Is it possible to use a switch with three conditionals and the color sensor to compare?
I am using an EV3 robot.
Is there a way to program it using a switch, or another way, to compare multiple colors?
The goal is to have the robot act as a car and use the color sensor to recognize red to stop, yellow to slow down and green to go in any given order.
Thanks!

Yes, a switch statement is present in EV3-G.
Such statement would look like this:

However, the only colors you can switch against are black, blue, green, yellow, red, white and brown (the basic lego colors). So unfortunately no orange.


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Does Power Functions 88002 fit a gray-era train and run on gray-era tracks?
Is the Power Functions Train Motor (set 88002) the right height for a gray-era train (set 7745)? Does the Power Functions Train Motor run OK on gray-era tracks?

As seen in this video, it is possible to add Power Functions to set 7745 and run the train on gray tracks
Lego Train 7745 with Power Functions

photo from Brickshelf gallery
Another video
Lego 7745 powerfunktion


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Booty Bay from World of Warcraft
I would like to build a replica of Booty Bay from World of Warcraft.
Here's some screenshots:

To make the ramps angled correctly, I'm planning on using something like part # 44570:

Can you help me find the other side of this hinge?
How do I get the platforms to curve around in in a circle to replicate the bay?
I'm considering using brown Technic axles and twine to achieve the 'rugged jungle' look. Is that a good idea? Is there a way to get Technic axles shifted to a 30 degree or 45 degree angle?

Technic has plenty of angled connectors named #1 to #6. Below is a #4 - part 42156.

However, it may be easier to use part 53585, which is an angled ball joint, in tandem with 32174, a ball socket. This allows you to create any angle you want, but those angles won't be permanently sturdy.

For creating a curved dock, you can use hinge pieces like 2429/2430, or you can connect plates with only 1 stud between them and use that as a hinge.

Thanks for the help. Those angle connectors look useful. Is there way to connect a traditional 1 x 1 round brick to one of them?

You asked:

"To make the ramps angled correctly, I'm planning on using something
like Part #44570
Can you help me find the other side of this hinge?"

Part #44568 - White Hinge Plate 1 x 4 Locking Dual 1 Fingers on
Side .

Or maybe this x 2.

White Hinge Plate 2 x 2 Locking with 1 Finger on Top.


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Can you identify if this part is original?
Recently, I bought a LEGO part from Bricklink (Technic, Steering Arm with 4 Ball Joints with Black Wheel Hub (x872 / x873)).
I'm not sure if it is an original part or not, because I don't see any LEGO trademark or ID number on the element and I cannot find any reference for that part. The only text on the brick is a single digit (e.g. "7").
Quality of the item is really good, so I believe it's original, but I need to be sure.

I've added the Clone-Brands tag off of the OP's suspicion of "doppelgangery", not that this piece has been proven to be cloned or not.

I got such pieces from sealed set (long time ago though) and none of these parts have any sort of LEGO brand identification.
So it could be legit part after all.


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

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

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

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

fitting in these pieces:

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


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Can you identify some parts on the Chinese New Year Temple Fair set #80105
I'm trying to plan a smaller version of the Chinese New Year Temple Fair.

Can you help me identify the parts used to make the plants on page 30
of the instruction manual?
Can you help me identify the 2 little curved parts used to make the
roof on page 69?
Can you help me identify the dragon-pole-thing and the tubular thing
it's connected to on page 74.

Thanks.
Link to Instructions

Part #24866 - Plate, Round 1 x 1 with Flower Edge (5 Petals).

Part #32607 - Plant Plate, Round 1 x 1 with 3 Leaves.

Part #87580 - Plate, Modified 2 x 2 with Groove and 1 Stud in Center (Jumper).

Part #19119 - Plant Flower Stem with Bar and 6 Stems.

Part #49307 - Brick, Modified 1 x 1 x 2/3 No Studs, Curved Top.

Part #15070 - Plate, Modified 1 x 1 with Tooth Vertical.

Part #36017- Minifigure, Weapon Sword Hilt with Dragon Head.

Part #64644 - Minifigure, Utensil Telescope.


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Is this assembly legal?
This question might be strongly opinion-based, but I also think it might be interesting.
I know there is a guide for Lego builders to decide if their build is legal or not. However, the cases of this guide focus on assemblies where the final configuration has some issues with friction or internal stress. But at the same time, there are assemblies, which do not deal with either of these, except at the moment when they are put together. Here is an example:

Is this considered to be legal or not? If not, what about this one:

What's wrong with items in a second picture?

Similarly to the first assembly, it does not have any internal stress when it is assembled even though the bottom is definitely deformed when you put them together.

Every pin is under certain stress while it is being pushed into hole as well, but these have been designed to withstand it. The part in your second picture is kind of same. With exception being rarely disassembled.

These should probably be separate questions! The first has clearly been forced, even if it's possible to create, while the second is an official assembly.

The bottom picture looks like it was made originally so. I'm sure I've seen a combination like that before. What made you think it's not original?

@Mast Last night I put together the Ford Mustang set (10256) and this combo (and the same bottom part with the 2x2 plate top) appears several times in it. If that ain't "legal" what is ?

The answer depends on your definition of "legal". In the strictest sense, it means "can be used in official LEGO sets", and in this case, this is definitely not legal, as the axle is not designed to bend that way, unlike the many various hinge and joint pieces.
On the other hand, "legal" might mean "does not cause damage to the pieces", and in this sense it is a borderline case, as you can see the end of the axle retaining its slightly bent shape, but it's nothing that couldn't be fixed with a little more force applied in the correct place and direction.
Whereas on the far end of the legality spectrum, the status of any technique or piece is subject of individual opinion or decision. You are certainly free to employ any combination of parts, use 3rd party parts, paint, glue or cut pieces to your heart's content and shouldn't fear any reprisal from the LEGO Police. Collections curated by others, events or competitions might (and often do) apply a restriction on at least a subset of these, so if you are not in the position to judge the legality, it's best to directly ask those who are.
EDIT based on Michael's comment:
Another criterion in the definition of legality is often "can be easily taken apart by a child", which this design is clearly not.

Another criterion in the definition of illegality is often "can be easily taken apart by a child". Would say this example fails at that also, especially if there's technic built onto this construction.

From LEGO point of view this definitely would be illegal to assemble such axle with particular frame since you cannot build and then take this apart without bending the axle.
But from AFOL's point of view this could be a doable solution for a MOC if there is a real need. There's plenty of space to bend the axle and it won't get damaged.

I think I've actually seen that kind of axle assembly in Technic sets before, or it could just be me not realizing how to put it together without bending pieces...

@technicguy1 If you can find any official examples of such construction, I'd be certainly interested in seeing them.


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What LEGO piece is this?
Could anyone identify this piece?

Welcome to Bricks.SE.  This part is mostly used for tracked vehicles or conveyor belts in official sets.

Welcome. This is 57518 Technic, Link Tread Wide with Two Pin Holes.


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How to locate pneumatic leak
I have a simple pneumatic claw with a 2 pump compressor that I built somewhat recently. It worked fine for a while, producing up to 4 bars of pressure, but then the system wouldn't increase the pressure of the system more than 2 bars maximum, usually stopping at a bit more than 1 bar and the pressure increased much slower. When I press on the the pumps in certain ways, the system will act normally, but I don't want to press on the pumps continuously. Is this due to a leak, or some other issue, possibly with the pumps? If so, how do I find out which piece is leaking? And how do I stop this from happening? Thanks.

According to various sources, LEGO pneumatics is not designed to work above 3 (or maybe 4) bars of pressure, so your setup might have been damaged by the overpressure.
If you can "press on the the pumps in certain ways" then I would recommend starting your investigation there. As to actually locating the cause of the leakage, I have five main methods in mind:
1. Vision
The easiest and fastest way is to check all components for loose connections, punctures or cracks. In my experience, when pneumatic hoses are subjected to overpressure or excess mechanical stress, they usually fail by slipping off their connection points. So go over all your connections and ensure that all stiff tubes are pushed into the flexible hoses as far as they can go (4-5 mm at minimum, or about one "arm" of a pneumatic T-joint).
If that fails to reveal any problems, check the lenghts of the hoses for any punctures or hairline cracks, while the system is under pressure (as the cracks might close and seemingly disappear in the absence of a force that acts to open them from the inside).
2. Hearing
It can be hard to hear the sound of air hissing out of a tiny hole, especially with a compressor running, but if you can find a way to remove the compressor from the setup, you could be able to spot the point of failure.
Ideas to remove the compressor:
 - Let it fill up a pneumatic tank, which is isolated from your system via a valve, then turn off the compressor and throw the pole of the valve open.
 - Add a long enough hose between your system and the compressor so that you can set up the compressor a bit of distance away.
 - Apply pressurized air to your system via some alternate means, like e.g. by blowing into a tube, or via an inflated balloon.
3. Feeling
If the hole is too small to see, the escaping air might still be felt on sensitive areas of skin, like fingertips or your cheeks. The hairs on the back of your hand might be helpful in amplifying the weak air movement into an observable feeling.
4. Bubbles
If all above methods have failed, you could consider submerging your system in water. Only do this, if you can remove ALL electronical components (motors, wires) to a safe distance, and only if your setup does not include pistons with metal shafts. After doing so, you only need to watch for the emerging bubbles to see where does air escape from. Note that your compressor pieces must remain above the waterline, or else they will try to pump water, which can damage your parts from the inside (or just stay there for a long time to come).
As an alternative for localizing holes in certain areas, consider applying soapy water to the suspected parts (Tip by JPhi1618 in comments).
5. Deconstruction and reconstruction
In the improbable case that even the submerging method has failed, you could deconstruct your system, inspect each part individually for their ability to produce/transport/direct/use pressure without loss, and then reassemble it with proven flawless parts.

Soapy water makes bubbles and doesn't require submersing the whole thing.  It's how leaks are found in air/gas lines and car tires.

LEGO Pneumatic system could consist of different elements like hoses, switches, pumps, cylinders and T-junctions. Each one may need different approach.
I could think of several ways of testing these issues.
First one might be a little hard, but depending on the issue could be a quick solution. This would works for any pneumatic element. You need to get into a quiet area and pump pneumatic system as much as you can. Then stop the compressor and if there is quick pressure drop you should listen for any air escape.
Next option is to use water. Depending on your model you could submerge it partially to cover pneumatic connections points while system is under full pressure. If you see any bubbles - that's your problematic area. You need to be cautious aroud any electric parts (motors, batteries and cables) if you have any. You are safe submerging every pneumatic element except cylinders, pumps and switches. Although, I think switches could be safe for water since they don't have metal parts.
In case partial submerging is not possible I could advise using water drops over the hose connection points. That is where hoses connect with everything else.
Testing pumps, cylinders and switches might be a little hard since they got moving parts and seals. If these elements are hard to remove from your model I would attach a closed circle system to each of such elements to pump the air and check if it leaks the air.
Alternatively, if your pneumatic system is easy to disassemble you could try swapping one element at a time and see if that has any effect. I would only do this with pumps, cylinders and switches once confirming hoses are not leaking any air.


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Identify pieces for this Griffin
I'd like to make just the top part of this griffin
Can you help me identify the eye, ears, beak and that weird curvy white part on top? I think I can find the rest.

The builder used Set #70124 - Chima Eagle Legend Beast as a template.
To see the online instructions for this set watch this HERE. The bird's head construction is on page 14 at 53 seconds in.
For a list and description of all parts used look HERE.
For further inspiration, check out creator Markus Buhler's alternate Griffen build plus his tutorial HERE.


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

Welcome Tina. Do these pieces have a LEGO marking on them somewhere? At first glance they look like another brick-building brand, not like LEGO.

These are Panel 4 x 4 x 6 Corner Convex Ribbed
They were mainly use as decorative pieces on corners in classic space sets.
In light grey they came only in one Set: Solar Power Transporter

(photo from Bricklink)

Ahhh this post brings back memories...

Thanks so much! That is very helpful as I also recognise the other pieces in the photo as something in my mix drawer.

@Tina You can press the check mark next to the 1uestion to tell that this answer has been suitable for you. It doesn't necessarily mean that it's the best answer, though.


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Can anyone identify these Batman minifigures?
Can anyone tell me something about these minifigures?
Are they custom-made or perhaps fake? I could find nothing about them.

What is the source of these pictures? First one seems to be released for some special occasion, like some other minifigs with logo on the back.

The pictures are from a seller. Acording to him these minifigures are 2016 prototypes. I had oportunity to check the black one and indeed all pieces has LEGO brand mark. About the blue one I found an ebay post where shows it but i think it's lost https://picclick.com/LEGO-Batman-Dark-Blue-Prototype-2016-Polybag-Design-202621306775.html

After scouring all of the Batman minifigures catalogized by Brickset, I couldn't find any exact matches for any of the two torsos, but it is just as possible that these particular figures are not indexed by Brickset or have some kind of other name.
The wings of the right one seem peculiar to me, I suspect they are non-genuine.
Higher resolution photos could be helpful for further investigation, or you could check for the LEGO trademarks on each piece (they are usually hidden inside or on the underside) to determine if the base plastic pieces are genuine. If they are, the printing might still be 3rd party.


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Can you identify these snowy icicles for me?
Can someone identify the part number for the downard pointing icicles in this scene?:

If I can get the little groups of 3 snowballs on the roof too, that would be great.

I'm pretty sure the bricks on the roof are supposed to be smoke from the chimney's not snowballs.

Barb / Claw / Horn - Large Flexible

and
Plate, Modified 1 x 1 with Tooth Vertical

Ice Cream Scoops

Part #11439 - Minifigure, Weapon Sword, Jagged Edges.


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LEGO brick size between classic and duplo?
What is the LEGO brick called that is between Classic and Duplosize?

Does this answer your question? What sizes of bricks (building scales) have carried the Lego brand name?

There is no Lego brand brick scale between regular Lego and Duplo. This post has some more information.

Are you sure they're LEGO brand bricks? They could be a copycat brand.

Hi Carol! Could you post a picture of this brick? Preferably a close-up shot with a regular LEGO brick as size reference.

I've merged the two questions linked by @MatthewJensen. Hopefully this creates a more complete source for this information.


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

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

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

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


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Can you identify these curved bricks for me?

(I don't care about the decal, I just need the general shape)

Large one is Brick, Round Corner 10 x 10 with Slope 33 Edge, Axle Hole, Facet Cutout with Holographic Circuit Pattern Model Right (Sticker)

which is a decorated version of Brick, Round Corner 10 x 10 with Slope 33 Edge, Axle Hole, Facet Cutout
Smaller ones are Brick, Round Corner 4 x 4 Macaroni Wide with 3 Studs

Out of interest, what is the significance of "macaroni"? (Apologies if this is a newb question)

@IanF1 It's shaped like a piece of elbow macaroni.

@IanF1 for some people this piece just looks like a piece of pasta/macaroni. There's also smaller macaroni round brick, 2 x 2 in size. As well as a tile to cover studs on both size macaroni bricks.

The big one looks like 58846 Brick, Round Corner 10 x 10 with Slope 33 Edge, Axle Hole, Facet Cutout
The others look like 48092 Brick, Round Corner 4 x 4 Macaroni Wide with 3 Studs

There are three
https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=48092&name=Brick,%20Round%20Corner%204%20x%204%20Macaroni%20Wide%20with%203%20Studs&category=%5BBrick,%20Round%5D#T=C
And as Dan said, the larger one is
https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=58846&name=Brick,%20Round%20Corner%2010%20x%2010%20with%20Slope%2033%20Edge,%20Axle%20Hole,%20Facet%20Cutout&category=%5BBrick,%20Round%5D#T=C


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Help identifying wedge tile piece

2 x 3 flat tile piece. Same size as 2 x 3 wedge plate but I cannot find anything listed with the smooth top. "P 9" marking on the back with "lego" stamp but no part id number.

What I thought was a lego mark is actually 0C31. This must be a megablok. Sorry for the confusion!

Hi Jon, welcome to Bricks SE. Perfectly valid question and answer, no need to apologize.

0C31 looks remarkably like LEGO, when turned upside down, so I can't fault you for this mistake. Welcome to Bricks.SE!

It'd be nice to edit the original question to include this info.  It seems weird that it still stays there was a LEGO stamp on it.


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Which set did this assembly came from?
Does anyone know which set did this came from? I got a bundle without instructions, some of it's partially built. I have no idea how to finish it for my kids.

Hi Pavel and welcome to Bricks.SE! Rin Rio-Oki has already answered the first question ("Does anyone know which set did this came from?"), to the second ("I have no idea how to finish it for my kids.") I'd recommend giving this and the entire lot to the kids and let them finish / alter / disassemble it as they see fit. Quite possibly they will end up having a lot more fun than if you handed them a completed official set.

Looks like a custom build, so no instructions.
I'm basing this answer off two parts in the pic:

Part #6046 - Brown Bar 9 x 13 Grille, appears in six sets with this color, and none of the sets seem to have a sub-build of this prison.

and

Part #2431px5 - Tile 1 x 4 with 'KEEP OUT' Pattern, appears in three sets with none of them resembling a hidden sub-build of this cage design.

Also, not really lego quality build, too random

Thank you. It is likely the person I got the lot from from built it himself. I was just wondering as I wanted to complete it for my kids. THANK YOU !

@Pavel You can accept this answer as a great way to say thank you also.

@Pavel, You're welcome!


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Clip a wall to a 6 or 7L pole
I'm planning on making a wall 6 bricks tall. The wall will have some vertical clips coming out to clip to a vertical pole.  Unfortunately, the only 6 or 7 length bars appear to have the little stopper knubs on them and I think this may interfere with the design. Is there a way to connect two 3/4 L bars together?

You might want to look at Flex System tubing. It comes in a variety of lengths (including 6L and 7L) and doesn't have a stopper.
For what its worth, this is the technique that Jamie Berard used to create the downspout on the apartment in the Pet Shop:

You may want to try Hose, Rigid 3mm D. 6L / 4.8cm or 7-stud long
 Hose, Rigid 3mm D. 7L / 5.6cm

Rigid hoses are the same diameter as bars you've mentioned. However they are hollow. But they are hard so they stay where they should when attached to clips.
You can also look at other lengths available on Bricklink.

That might be a bit too obvious a solution so maybe you have already considered that and discarded it for whatever reason. But if you have enough clips (or can increase the number of clips easily), you might not have to connect the 3L and 4L bars explicitly rather than just clipping them in next to each other in their own clips and living with the fact that they're not a single element.


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Identification of blue and black tower
Can someone help we with identifying this set?

Not going to bother to search as this is again clearly not part of any official LEGO set as it is too amateurishly designed.

The list of sets containing Black Brick, Arch 1 x 5 x 4

(or its alternate version) and the list of sets containing Blue Slope 33 2 x 2 Double

has no common element, therefore these parts have never appeared together in an official set, so this must be a custom creation.

Thank you for your answer. I am impressed - can I ask how do you even know these 2 pieces were never together ? Is there some search engine or does it come from experience ? Thanks again and have a nice day

@Pavel The links in the answer point to the Bricklink queries listing all official sets the parts have ever appeared in. Then by comparing the two lists one can see there is no common element. So yes, there is the Bricklink search engine, additionally Brickset.com has comparable functionality as well.


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Which brick is the gray one?

I don't know which brick the gray one is. Can anyone help me?

The gray part is a 43713   "Wedge 6 x 4 Triple Inverted Curved".  It has appeared in 231 sets since it was introduced in 2003.  Your picture looks like light gray.  This part has only been in 28 sets in Light Gray or Light Bluish Gray.

I found it on bricklink by searching for "curved 6 x 4".  I also tried "curved 4 x 6", "fuselage", and "bow" (as in the bow of a boat) before finding the right search.


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How to disassemble these parts?
I have these parts put together really tightly and have no idea how to separate them. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Sorry for the black color, I do not have them in any of the brighter colors, so I put the separated ones on the photo for clarity.

I would probably, unfortunately, use a knife here. Especially if these parts are old.

I thought that it might be the only solution. I cannot believe LEGO decided to use this assembly (in set 8466).

I think Lego has already considered this problem. The plate has already a rounded corner so that you can separate them even with your fingernails.

That is unfortunate situation. What makes your matter worse is that these two parts come from quite old set (OP mentioned 8466). Aged parts tend to have stronger clutch power than the newer parts. Even if these two parts were new they would be pretty hard to take apart. In this situation I think the only solution is taking sharp knife (like x-acto or utility knife) and gently go around the edge where two parts get together to try and make them go apart slightly. I would recommend using the edge of the blade, rather than the sharp point first. Don't try to disassemble them with one go, but rather do it gently around with your knife until you get some progress.
Alternatively, if parts cannot be disassembled, you have two more options:

Get in touch with LEGO Support and complain about it. It is highly likely they will just ship you new parts, despite set being so old.
You can buy them yourself. Parts are:

32017 - Technic, Liftarm 1 x 5 Thin
32124 - Technic, Plate 1 x 5 with Smooth Ends, 4 Studs and Center Axle Hole

I managed to separate them after rinsing them in soapy water for a few minutes and then gently pushing the knife along the longer side of the parts. They came apart surprisingly easily.

I don't know what pieces you have in your collection to build the perfect most creative piece separator, so my answer will be based on, "What common items do many people have on hand in a house?"

Try a dull butter knife.

EDIT:
Or we can just ignore what I said, and make something simple with pieces many of us should have.

Find any sized beam 5 pin holes or above.
Insert some pegs in the holes.
Place stuck pieces on top.
Apply downward pressure mainly holding from the black piece (Part 32017) to create a starting point of separation.
Once a gap has started it can be easily "unzipped" apart by running a
finger nail/plastic knife down the gap.

I'd go with sharp knife instead. As if there was a gap to insert blunt knife, you could get these pieces apart with fingers.

In my house, with me, I'd go full brain surgan with a x-acto knife, but I don't know the skill level/age of the OP.  Start with dull, work your way up.  Safety first.

Posting after your edit. I've examined your proposed solution, and I'm afraid to say that it simply won't work. Your suggestion results in pushing one part with all the pins without having anything attached to another one. So basically you are doing nothing here.

Alex, in your astute examination of my work you've misunderstood where the pressure would be applied.  I'll update my answer with an animation for the kiddies.  Now, Alec, look at the moving picture, how/where would one hold the piece to accomplish the feat of creating a starting point gap?  A) The Red piece.  B) The Blue piece  C) Hold and press down from the Black piece.  D) None of the above. See how it simply works, Alec?

Maybe the use of the floating cross peg was confusing, so I took it out, but to claim as you've done in your answer, that a sharp object is the "only" solution is simply lazy, irresponsible to young children, and negates the multiple creative solutions playing with LEGOs is all about.

Is my solution the "only" solution? No. Creating a gap could be done with one peg and one beam, but actually siting down and playing with the pieces vs, running off to LEGO support to make a complaint... Seriously?  We need to stop complaining. Sit down. Do the work. Come up with quality solutions.  Edit. Repeat.

I'm sure your solution works nicely on GIF. However, unfortunately, I hardly see how this is an improvement over previous picture. Your proposed solution is based on the fact you can somehow grab liftarm,  and later push it apart. The I see here - there's nowhere to grab that liftarm to push it away. If there WAS a sufficient gap between the parts you basically wouldn't have this question raised by OP. To make things worse you have to account for these parts being quite old. And old parts have greater clutch power for some reason.

You're right. There is no improvement. it's the same setup you wrote in your words, "I'm afraid to say that it simply won't work. Your suggestion results in pushing one part with all the pins without having anything attached to another one. So basically you are doing nothing here." Okay, smart Aleck.  Let's word dance and explain ourselves out of being wrong.  The answer is "C".

Do you have these pieces or their equivalent? Did you actually sit yourself down and play out the impossibility of grabbing the lift arm?  If you did, you would've learned a solution that was both better then the GIF, and way kid friendlier then using a knife. Instead of short circuiting playful learning with suggestions that serve your way as the "only" way, post up an alternate solution. We'll patiently wait...

Since we're going to LEGO for complaints to stifle learning, let's ask them if they condone using a sharp x-acto knife as the "only" way to separate pieces... I'm sure they're on board with that/s.


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What is the name of this set with projectiles and large gray wheels?
What is the name of this set? It appears to be castle or medieval themed.

It is set 7020 named Army of Vikings with Heavy Artillery Wagon

A great set: army builder, totally fun launching mechanism


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Identify this tire
Can anyone identify this tire in the photo below?  Looking for brand & part number.
It's black, rubber, narrow. Solid inside (no space for an inner tube). Slightly larger than 1" diameter.
There are no letters or numbers on it at all. I acquired it with a lot of building bricks, Lego and other, which is why I believe it may be related to one of the building brick brands.

Does it have LEGO markings anywhere on the tire? Your picture doesnt show any, which leads me to believe this is not a LEGO piece.

There are no markings anywhere, but I acquired it with bricks, Lego and otherwise.

I'd look for the hub/spoke piece it connects to.

This looks pretty much like a tire from the polish manufacturer Cobi. Are there any Cobi bricks in the collection you acquired?

While it's hard to prove a negative, the absence of any LEGO markings and the fact that this list of all LEGO tires does not contain this specific part points to it not being a LEGO part.

As far as I can tell, Jan, there were no Cobi parts. Do you have an image of the part you're referring to?  Zovits I agree but I wonder if it's a part from another brand.

Although i'm not entirely sure, this might be a tire from Cobi


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Photos taken from here.

I believe they gave up on the hollow tubes again.

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

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

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

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

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


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How can you make a hip holster for minifigs?
Is there a way to create a holster of some sort so you could attach a LEGO pistol to the side of a minifig, around the hips?

You could use a piece of coloured paper and some glue/tape to make one to wedge between the torso and legs, similar to these kind of skirts.

It's kinda chunky, but the best I can come up with is 42446 + 2555:
 +  =

It would leave a half-plate gap on one side if they only have 1 holster though, but at-least you keep the regular minifig legs.
NOTE: This probably wouldn't be considered a "legal" connection, due to the semi-octagonal shape of the leg connectors. It's definitely possible to put these pieces together, but it puts a bit of strain on the ring of the thin piece.

Just call the gap "the belt buckle."

Wow looks fantastic, but the neck holes might be too small to fit onto the minifigure leg studs (which are square-ish).

@Pubby Great question! I had to build it in real life to check on this. It kinda fits, but puts a bit of strain on the piece.

Three 1x1 plates, two 1x1 round bricks, and one 1x1 plate with clip.

It's also possible to do this with regular legs, even if it's not strictly "legal" - there will be an unsightly gap between the legs and holster.


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Non-standard diameter pole - reinforcing a repair
I have (or rather my daughter has) a Fabuland umbrella which has been snapped off where it meets the base (probably over 30 years ago when  her mum was a child).
I've seen Can I repair a broken LEGO brick with glue?, but in the best case the joint could only be as strong as the original plastic, and this is a weak spot where small hands are likely to use the pole as a lever (the base is an unusual design of slots, just visible in the BrickLink picture, and is a rather tight fit).  So I thought I'd reinforce it, perhaps by gluing something like Brick, Round 2 x 2 with Axle Hole as the axle hole will also take a normal flagpole (3.18mm), but the umbrella pole is a little larger.  Replacements are several pounds, and some of those are even broken in the same way.
Is there a slightly larger standard I don't know about - or would I be reduce to getting out the drill to make a reinforced version?

One option might be to make yourself an ABS slurry by dissolving a sacrificial part of the desired color in Acetone:

This should be able to bond chemically with the ABS parts for a strong connection, and you'll have extra plastic material to work with, so you should even be able to make it stronger than the original design by building up the area slightly if desired.
You might want to practice on some other broken parts first to make sure that this works the way you expect.

Very interesting. I definitely want to build it up with something, so maybe I'll have to try sculpting with the slurry

In the end I used a fake Lego brick (a good colour match) dissolved in lab-grade acetone, and so far haven't reinforced the join.  It seems reasonably strong, but the process of dissolving the brick seems to have affected the colour, so the join is much paler, and I couldn't get a good enough slurry.

@ChrisH Great job! I'm glad this worked for you.


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Can you identify these mountain pieces
top view
side view

profile view

2 x 2 bricks added for size reference

Looks like:

Part #47847 - Rock Panel 2 x 4 x 6.

Part #3684a - Slope 75 2 x 2 x 3 - Hollow Studs.

Part #4460b - Slope 75 2 x 1 x 3 - Hollow Stud.


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Can you identify this axle coupling?
Can you identify this piece. It can be used to join 2 axles together and I'd like to order more.  I've also seen some without the cross shape inside which I think can join bars together.
side view

top view

Looks like Part #6538c - Technic, Axle Connector 2L (Smooth with x Hole + Orientation).

Can these axle connectors work with bars? If not, is there a part that will?

The usual 3.18 mm bar? It will work fine with 6538a and 6538c. Not as strong compared to Technic axle, but will work.


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Anyone know the identity of this set?
Came in a single unnumbered bag with standard 2011 markings.

Based on the Tan Window 1 x 2 x 2 2/3 with Rounded Top
and the 4 Red Brick, Modified 1 x 2 x 1 1/3 with Curved Top
This is from 10696-1: Medium Creative Brick Box


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

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

These are random pieces, not a set

I thought it was a set, thanks for your reply

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

@MichaelVerschaeve That should be an answer, IMO.

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

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

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

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

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

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


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Do these bagged GUDI pieces make up a single set?
I purchased what I thought was some second-hand LEGO today. There was a single plastic bag with the words "Complete Set" written on it in sharpie marker. There were 6 sealed polybags inside, all with pieces that look similar in colour (lotsa pinks, purples, browns and whites).
On closer inspection, some of the pieces bear the logo "GUDI" which I gather is a Chinese manufacturer specialising in 'Lego-style blocks'. Most of the bags have a number on them (5538.01, 5538.02, etc) but I've not been able to research any GUDI sets that have that number.

Do these pieces comprise a single set (and if so, which one?) or is the bag author a no-good lying liar?

What's the trans light blue part in the largest bag? I don't recognize it, but it looks like one of the most distinctive parts here. Maybe if you can identify it, you can go through all sets on Bricklink that include this part.

@Emil - A) It's not a LEGO set, so bricklink is useless and B) I'm pretty sure that's a generic *"Brick separator*" that comes with all GUDI sets.

Ah, I should have read the complete post. ;) I thought it looked like a brick separator, but was wandering because Lego doesn't have one in this color.

@Emil - It's frustrating as hell, The bags even have the product code on them, but google is proving useless because GUDI don't seem to publish a catalogue

Yeah, the pieces tricked me too.   I just half read what was written, glanced at the pieces, and amused the "GUDI" stamped on the studded bricks was the "LEGO" stamp. I went looking on Bricklink for sets, but oddly couldn't get a hit.  Then I finally stopped, slowed myself down, and finally understood that these were clones.

So, I just Googled "GUDI" + "catalogue" and it brought me to the knockoff's parent company "Guangdong Xinlexin Education and Culture Co.,Ltd" or Xinlexin.com.
Xinlexin's GUDI product line has two subcategories that match the color scheme of these pieces.

Princess Alice line.
Modern Girls line.

Below are pictures from both lines that comprise of around 23 sets.  If you'll notice, each set has many unique identifiable pieces that just don't appear in the current six poly bags above.
The only piece that comes close is that blue translucent piece in BAG 06, which sorta looks like the minidoll dress from Elena's Studio.

I don't think it's this dress, but regardless if it were, the poly bags are still short critical pieces to solidly decide on this set.  In fact, we're short critical pieces to decide on any of the other 23 sets.
Another point: We don't know how far back Xinlexin website goes when listing their knockoffs.  This could be a complete set before GUDI decided to list their wares digitally.
Conclusion: We could safely say that these 6 poly bags are not from any of Xinlexin's current line of 23 sets, but due to lack of documentation, we can't say that these pieces do, or do not, form a complete set.

These appear to be recent sets numbered sequentially from 9012-9020 and 9601-9615. I would assume (based on the number on the bags) that mine are from an earlier set.

For the record, I'm pretty certain that the blue translucent piece is a "brick separator" mentioned on multiple GUDI reviews.

I've emailed Xinlexin. Hopefully they can shed some light.

For the record, they didn't email me back, despite several tries.


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What does the term "legal connection" mean?
I see a lot of questions and answers asking if certain builds or connections are "legal".
As a complete novice with little understanding of LEGO terminology what does that phrase mean? If certain things are legal does that also mean that mean that other things are prohibited? What/who defines LEGO legality?
The question referenced in the comments doesn't answer my question because it doesn't define what "legality" actually is. The referenced question provides a few examples of "illegal" connections but because of my knowledge (or lack of it) I'm still unable to determine what actually is "legal".

https://bricks.stackexchange.com/questions/7645/what-are-some-illegal-lego-combinations

If you connect Lego pieces in certain ways, the Lego police will come and put you in Lego jail.


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

There are two problems I foresee:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thanks in fact this is an industrial conveyor belt


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Glasses in the pour technique
I'd like to replicate this build
The glasses that hold the claw/liquid appear to have a slightly wider mouth then the ones I have. Do I need a particular 1x1 round to do this?

You might be thinking they have the normal holed stud on top, which would indeed be a bit smaller. But instead what is done here is that they put the parts upside down, I think. So it's the bottom opening of the standard round 1x1 brick that you see on the top there.
They likely achieved that by using a 2x2 round tile with a stud hole as base, rather than one with a normal stud. The "liquid" is then stuck with its bottom pin into the inside of the stud hole of the "glass".
At least those are my immediate impressions from looking at the picture.

I think you are entirely correct

I'm down with that prognosis


text:
Placing a rock piece at a 45 degree angle
I'd like to place this rock at a 45 degree angle to the ground. What's the simplest way to do that?

The easiest and least obstructive way would be to use a 65578 Bar, Angled with Stud on End in conjunction with an Apollo stud.

Apollo stud? I've never heard of that piece being called the Apollo stud. Why is it called that?

@technicguy1 it's far from being official, but some people call it thus due to a misheard phrase by the author of a popular Lego blog: http://www.newelementary.com/p/glossary.html?m=1


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How to repair warped plates
I have some large plates and a boat hull that have warped due to temperature, and I would like to fix them. Is there any way to do so? And if not, is there any way to replace them? I tried contacting LEGO, with no result.

Could you add pictures of items in question? It might be easier to suggest once picture is available. For example it is not clear which boat hull you are talking about about and how bad is the deformation.

I could put pictures of them on Youtube, but I don't know how to put pictures on Bricks.

When you edit the question, there should be a button with the icon of a picture. Please dom't use youtube (for anything, google does a lot of spying on anyone who goes there).


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What's partial set 45100 - Education Story Starter worth?
I found this set in a thrift store. It's not 100% complete. The set consists of 1144 parts, divided into 14 bags, which are all unopened.
The missing parts are:
1 x 16x16 grey plate
The blue box itself
A tray with sorting compartments (there are two in the complete set, but I only have one)
A cardboard sheet divided into four parts (there are two in the set, but I only have one).
Does anyone have an idea about what it might be worth? And what if it were complete? Should I acquire the missing parts on Bricklink to get a complete set?
Thanks :-)

According to Bricklink, the value of all the pieces of set 45100 is currently $201.85 (March 2020). Subtract the value of one 16 x 16 baseplate and you have an idea of the value of all the individual pieces in the set. (https://www.bricklink.com/catalogPOV.asp?itemType=S&itemNo=45100&itemSeq=1&itemQty=1&breakType=M&itemCondition=N&incParts=Y)
New, sealed sets sell very little, but the average seems to be ~$200 according to the Bricklink price guide. I would list your new, incomplete one for slightly less than that. (https://www.bricklink.com/catalogPG.asp?S=45100-1&ColorID=0)
It will be difficult to make it a new, complete set given the scarcity of this set and the fact that you are missing the box and a tray. That said, these components are for sale (the box for $9 + shipping for example) but IMHO getting all the missing parts is going to cost you more than just listing what you have for slightly less $ than the complete set.

Thanks for your great answer. I hadn't noticed that it's possible to see how many times a set has been sold in the last year/month etc., so thanks for that! :-)

Does anyone have an idea about what it might be worth? And what if it were complete?

According to Bricklink, a new, unopened version of this set goes for somewhere between 160€ and 200€, although there are lots listed for double the price as well.
Of the missing parts, the 1 x 16x16 grey plate is trivial to replace, and the others can be bought for 4-6€ each (except the cardboard, it costs less than 1€) as well. This means, there is probably no great difference in the prices of a complete set and your incomplete one, maybe about 15-20€ for all the missing parts (depending on shipping and handling costs).

Should I acquire the missing parts on Bricklink to get a complete set?

That entirely depends on what do you wish to do with it. If you'd just resell it, there would be advantages to completing it, but as there are not much demand for this set and all other offers are for new, unopened ones, I doubt yours (complete or incomplete, but opened nonetheless) would be competitive without price reduction.
If you plan to use it as intended, the missing elements might prove invaluable, so in this case it would be recommended to get at least the baseplate and the cardboard.
However, if it would just serve as a playset or a parts pack, then it does not make much sense to get any of the missing parts. The blue box might be a great all-purpose storage bin, but if you need one, you already can buy any brand on- or offline. The same goes for the sorting tray.

Thanks for your very(!) thorough answer! I'm planning to try and sell it, as my daughter is too young to play with it, and I prefer Creator Expert or Technic myself :-)

@Hildesheim Be aware that "too young" is a temporary condition (which changes faster than we'd like).

@AngewisnolongerproudofSO :D <3


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

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


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Bag #3, no instructions, no box
I bought a box of LEGO bricks at a flea market. This bag came in it and we want to figure out what it is. The polybag says "3" and the number on it is 135149 but that’s all I have.

Hi Emilee and welcome to Bricks.SE! Please don't add "thank you" as a comment, instead click the checkmark icon by the answer to indicate you are satisfied with it. Also see the [help] and [tour] pages to learn more about the site and our community!

I think that is 7937 "Train Station"
Method:

I recognised the white girder piece as being in the Saturn V set
Bricklink then shows all other sets with that piece
Of the eight sets that have that piece in white, the 7937 also has two blue chairs and some grey ladders.


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Is the LEGO Racers 1 game available for free now?
I would like to get the Lego Racers 1 video game. I am wondering if it's free now off the internet because it's 21 years old. if the game is not free why are so many people not being caught for illegally hosting a copyrighted video game?

If you ever find yourself wondering when copyright on something expires, the answer is always "basically never."

Are you asking for a copy of that game, or is it just a question if it is illegal or not?

It's "abandon ware", however the game is still under copyright, so you cannot legally obtain a copy of it. However if the owner of the IP (LEGO) doesn't care enough to enforce the copyright, the chance you will be sued or fined is close to zero.
Something else you need to consider: There is no guarantee that the game you download from an abandon ware website is unmodified. It might contain malicious code, compromising the security of your system.

While it varies by country and jurisdiction, copyright of software tends to follow that of other literary works (i.e. within the E.U. this is "the life of the author plus seventy years").
The LEGO Group have historically been fairly active in enforcing their ownership of a number of "core" IP rights they have (elements, logos, sets, etc.), but they do not appear to be quite so concerned with 20 year old computer games based on their original IP (unlike the games based on other licenses - Harry Potter, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, etc.).
See also "Is Abandonware Legal?" in this article.
In the first instance, any Cease and Desist letters would be issued against those hosting the application, and if the music and video industry is anything to go by this would include torrent hosters, etc.


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Identification help for green bases
Recently received a batch of LEGO and it contains numerous green bases and attachments for them. I’ve never seen anything similar before. Does anyone know what they are?

Welcome to Bricks.SE!  Thanks for asking this.  I picked a few of the 30489's up at a bulk purchase, but I had never figured out what they came from.  I stacked them up to make a stand for one of the Ghostbusters cars.

Those are Sports Field Sections 8 x 16
https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=30489
https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=41819c02
They appear in soccer sets

The sets are playable, you can move minifigs on springs to "shoot" the ball, or defend with the goal keeper minifig...

Here's an upvote for posting the correct answer 31 seconds before me :)

Upvote reciprocated ;)

These belong to the Football subtheme, the parts are specificially Sports Field Section 8 x 16 with Horizontal Slot and Black Sliding Holder, Assembly and Sports Field Section 8 x 16.
The smaller black parts are called 4142816: Chair Ø20Mm, Spring Function and were used to have the minifigures kick the ball.


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Ferris wheel bars
I am trying to build the High Roller ferris wheel at the Linq in Las Vegas. I want to sink a bar through two 2x2 domes. Can I do that with two of these parts? Is there a way to sink a single bar through 2 domes and 1 transparent 2x2 round brick?
2x2 dome top hollow stud

I'm afraid you cannot pass a bar through dome version you are interested in (actually any of the versions of this dome as they all are blocked one way or another) as seen in this picture from Rebrickable:

However, you may consider Brick, Round 2 x 2 Dome Bottom which does have an option to attach bar through it.


text:
Do the minifigure utensil cups stack like 1x1 bricks?
Do Minifigure Utensil Cups stack on top of eachother?
bricklink

No. The diameter on top of the cup is larger than stud, but also smaller than the outer diameter of anti-stud.


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How to use Myblock parameters on EV3?
How do I use them? What do they do? How do they work? I have no idea, and would like some information on them.
Thanks.

Please see the following tutorials (found by searching for "mindstorms ev3 parameter"), and edit your question if you can narrow it down to a concrete question. https://stemrobotics.cs.pdx.edu/node/3357 https://education.lego.com/en-us/lessons/ev3-tutorials/basics-configuring-blocks

I meant parameters on Myblocks. Should have specified.


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Current LEGO Digital Designer download is missing a lot of parts
The current LDD download is missing a lot of bricks that were in version 1.3.11 before.
Such as, but not limited to:
EV3 motors, sensors and the main EV3 brick.
Does anyone have a solution/download with all the 1.3.11 bricks?

Unfortunately LDD has been actively deprecated for quite a number of years and LEGO officially noted they would not be updating the parts set and would, in fact, be removing some parts quite a few years ago.
The only solution is to use one of the alternatives such as any of the options that use the LDraw libraries. One of the more popular right now (for good reason IHO) is Stud.io, which as of the completion of the BrickLink acquisition will be owned by TLG.

This is compounded by the fact that apparently 4.3.12 (which identifies in app as 4.3.11) does indeed appear to have removed a number of elements :(


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Which set does this flywheel-like assembly belong to?
Please help me identify the set this part belongs to.

This assembly consist of two parts. Well, technically, four parts, as there are two Technic 2L pins in Black, but these come in multiple sets so out of interest.
Top one in Orange is Flywheel Fairing Lion Shape with Gold and Blue Feathers Pattern (70102)

And the bottom one is Flywheel Plate 2 x 8 with Metal Flywheel and Dark Azure Tire (Chima Rip Cord Base)

Top part was available only in 70102, CHI Waterfall set. And the bottom one was included in 22 sets.

What an odd set, I thought it would be part of some exotic motorcycle but this is more obscure.

@Mast Arguably a drunken, anthropomorphic lion riding a rocket-powered ripcord unicycle with a golden-feathered lion fairing in a jungle is the most exotic motorcycle concept ever.


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Container part identification
Please help me identify the set this part belongs to, we are going through three tons of bricks and try to put the sets together again...

That looks like Container, X-Pod Barrel Section 10 x 10 x 3 1/3, which were used to store bricks for X-Pod sets.

Such container was available in Trans-Red in single set 4415, Auto Pod

And 4417, Aero Pod was the only set to use it Trans-Yellow

Great picture choices help make this a really good answer.


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I want to hang a skull on my wall
I want to hang a few of the Rock Skull with Pins on my wall.  What parts do I need to connect the pins?

Any Technic brick (or combination of several) with 3 or more holes on the side. Technic, Brick 1 x 4 with Holes is a best single piece that can be used to attach skull without any holes being visible.

Alternatives are:
Technic, Brick 1 x 1 with Hole + Technic, Brick 1 x 2 with Holes

Or two of Technic, Brick 1 x 2 with Hole

If you need anything without studs, you can look into Technic Liftarms.


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What is the maximum size of Lego instruction booklets?
I am preparing a shelf and, given that LEGO instruction booklets these days are often more like actual little books than the small booklets we had as children, a section of that shelf will be reserved for LEGO instruction booklets.
Therefore, I am interested in the maximum size (width and, in particular, height) that instruction booklets come in so far. To start, I'm assuming a height of 26cm (that's the largest booklets I have here right now), but maybe there are even taller ones?
Note that this question is similar to What are the measurements of the different Lego instruction booklets?, however, I am not asking for a list of all sizes, just for the maximum size I would have to reckon with. Therefore, as opposed to the other question, it is also irrelevant to me which sets are (or will be) there in particular - one level in the shelf that is tall enough to fit in all instruction booklets (standing upright, like books) will last for a while, and if that level (let's say, of 1m in width) gets filled, it's time for another solution, anyway.
EDIT: Note that I am based in Europe and, in case instructions come in different sizes for different parts of the world, it can be reasonably assumed that all of the sets will be bought in Europe.

This reminded me that the first file/folder/wallet I ever had was for storing exactly those little booklets.

Assuming that all sets bought in Europa are European sets is a bad idea. I just bough the 1960's Mustang model (10265) last week in a toy-store in The Netherlands and it was de US version (easily identified because the US version have the parts-count printed on the box.)

While there are multiple sizes of instructions and lack of database with dimensions my answer is based on personal observation.
Looking at the stash of my instructions from multiple sets (including several largest Technic models) I can state that the largest dimension I have is of A4 paper size, which is 210 x 297 mm. I'd like to note that this is for Europe based sets. There might be different sizes for other markets as LEGO provides two options for their instructions online - optimized for A4 as well as Letter sized paper.
Edit 1. As masterX244 pointed out in the comments Star Wars UCS sets may have bigger instructions. This review on Brickset of SW UCS set with highest number of parts (75192 Millennium Falcon) says instructions are 42 x 29 cm in size. This is very close to A3 paper size, which is twice the size of A4.
Picture below, from the very same review by Brickset, shows the instruction relative to side of the box (45 x 39 cm).

Edit 2. JPhi1618 found that UCS Star Destroyer 10030 set has a booklet that is slightly larger - 43 x 30 cm (landscape orientation, including the spiral)

Thank you, I incorporated the quirk about regional sizing into the question.

Get one of the large SW UCS sets. those yield a roughly A3 sized ringbound book.

The old UCS Star Destroyer 10030 has a booklet that is 43cmx30cm (landscape orientation, including the spiral).

@JPhi1618 you may want to post this as an answer. I could only find there were two versions (glued and spiral bound) but no details on the measurements.

@Alex, it was really meant to reinforce the measurements of the MF manual you posted as some of the biggest (they are pretty much the same size).  I can say that I measured my booklet, so that's first hand knowledge.


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Could not find this LEGO brick, any ideas?
Could you identify this LEGO brick? No ID number found on it...
Many thanks!

That's Legs without Split, which were used for the very first LEGO minifigures.

Thank you so much! Quick and on point


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Sloped pieces in winter scene
I'm trying to build a winter scene similar to this scene.  Can anyone identify the large sloped/curved white pieces on the rivers edge, near the bottom of the picture?

Looks like a digital render, not a real life build. Which means parts could be used that do not exist in a particular color in LEGO’s catalog.

It is a gorgeous picture, but to add to Phil's comment: I don't see any edges between the tiles on the "lake" or the "ground" which I don't think is possible with real pieces.

Looks like Windscreen 6 x 4 x 1 Curved. This piece doesn't come in any of opaque colors yet.

Nothing a little paint can't fix, which you'd probably want to do anyhow to get that snowy texture across this entire piece.  (This looks like the kind of thing you'd build as a permanent rather than being able to take it apart and reuse the pieces later anyhow.)


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Bluetooth connection between EV3 brick and MacBook Pro fails after 2 seconds
As I was adviced, I searched for same questions before posting mine but although some are similar, I can't make their answer useful for my problem.
I have a Mindstorms EV3 Education brick and a MacBook Pro mid 2009, Yosemite OS.
I want to connect them through Bluetooth for downloading to the brick and run programs written in the official Lego Mindstorms Education software.
I turn on the brick and activate Bluetooth. When I turn on Bluetooth on my laptop the 'ZIGORETO' (my brick name) appears with 'Link' option. I press it and the brick's screens shows the acceptation's window, then the password's. I press OK in both (keeping password as '1234'). The laptop's Bluetooth screen says 'Not connected' but offers me an 'Options' button. When I press it, a code is asked for. I enter '1234' and press enter. Again, on my brick Bluetooth the connection acceptance's screen appears, and the password's. I accept both, and 'ZIGORETO' device (my brick) appears connected for 2 seconds in my laptop Bluetooth connections window... and 'Not connected' again.
I've tried this with WIFI on and off, with Lego's software open and close, with USB cable plugged and unplugged... but to no avail.
After one year I finally have the time to start with my Lego passion (quarantined in Spain too, take care!)... and learning about the robot and coding with the cable plugged in is quite tiresome... could anyone help?

I’m voting to close this question because we can't help with General Suport for this sort of thing. The OP should contact customer service.