text:
What does the +/- dial in the Lego Defender model do?
Lego today released a video showcasing the new 42110 Land Rover Defender model.
The video captions mention that it has “Lego Technic’s most sophisticated gearbox to date”, and we see 3 seemingly related features.
The first two are fairly typical levers for “hi/lo” and “?/N/R”, ie gear selection and direction.
The other is a dial labelled “+ -“:

What is this dial for?

Based on a comment found in the overview on Brickset, and that all of the others levers and their function seem to be accounted for, it seem very likely that it is the transmission gear selector.
-UPDATE BELOW-
From Brickset:

"A new transmission system has two levers for engaging high or low
  ratios and a selector for changing gear – LEGO Technic’s most
  sophisticated gearbox yet."

Source: https://brickset.com/article/45677/introducing-the-technic-land-rover-defender
In other words, the transmission gears 1-?, rather than it's selection D/N/R and transfer case Hi/Lo.  The transmission looks too complicated to just be directional switch (D/N/R) and 1 gear range switch (Hi/Lo).

I have no idea how many gears it has, or if I am even correct.  It's all just speculation based on my observations.  Either way the set looks amazing!  I'm a sucker for vintage cars and all things 4x4.
Just confirmed from Lego.com:

Opening doors allow access to an elaborate cabin with a working
  steering wheel, detailed dashboard and a new-for-October-2019
  transmission system with 2 levers for engaging high or low gear ratios
  and a selector for changing gear – the most sophisticated LEGO Technic
  gearbox to date! The interior also features forward-folding rear seats
  that give visual access to the 4-speed sequential gearbox.
https://www.lego.com/en-us/product/land-rover-defender-42110

So it's a 4-speed transmission, nice!

Wow! I didn’t think it could be anything like that due to the ease with which it appears to rotate!

@JamesThorpe - Maybe a worm gear type setup?  Lego continues to amaze me with the complexity of their sets.

Could be - one of the stills you selected from the video has this orange piece in it - looks to be a way of activating the neighbouring gear lock via rotation rather than the usual reciprocation of a lever

I assume it's one of these - seems it's also been in the Bugatti last year.

@JamesThorpe - I honestly didn't even know that existed.  The Bugatti has yet to be squeezed into the budget.  Now I'm all sorts of curious about the transmission in that thing.

I'd forgotten about its paddle shift until I looked again earlier - now I'm wondering about the innards of that gearbox too...

The actual designer of the set has an overview here. Skip to 1:24 for the innards...!  (The +/- is definitely gear change!)

@JamesThorpe - Nice!  Thanks for the link :)


text:
Looking for empty LEGO boxes for 6389 Fire Control Center and 6669 Diesel Daredevil
I'm looking for empty LEGO boxes. I need two: one for 6389 Fire Control Center and one for 6669 Diesel Daredevil. Where could I find them?

You can buy boxes for most sets from Bricklink.com. For example, there are world-wide three sellers of the box for set 6389. Unfortunately, getting a box for such an old set will set you back $40-$50, excluding (international) shipping.
For set 6669 there are currently also 3 sellers, with prices ranging from $5 for a severely damaged box to $30 for boxes in good condition, all prices excl. shipping.
Of course there are other places to look, such as EBay or local classified sites like Craigslist in the US, but chances you find one of these boxes there are minimal. Bricklink (or its competitor BrickOwl) are your surest bet.

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


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

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

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

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


text:
3d printed bricks quality?
I know Lego has high quality bricks, but would like to know how 3d printed quality compare ? I would also like to see the kinds of tricks you use to enhance your print quality.
For what it's worth, I don't use 3d printed bricks. Just thinking about it, but searching on Google only give me information on how to convert from LDR to STL.

Related: https://bricks.stackexchange.com/questions/2094/which-resolution-is-necessary-to-print-bricks-with-a-3d-printer/2096#2096

Also related: https://bricks.stackexchange.com/questions/215/has-anyone-made-their-own-custom-lego-bricks/1283#1283

The tolerance of a LEGO brick is 10 micrometers, while most customer-grade 3D printers are orders of magnitude worse than this, according to this site. The best I see there is 25 micrometers, which is still 2.5 times.
I'm in no way a 3D printing specialist and haven't used any tricks to enhance my print quality as I haven't printed any bricks ever, but I've heard of various methods like brushing the prints with a thin solvent to unify the layers (of course this would wreck the precision), or printing the parts a bit larger and then machining them to the proper size (which would involve a lot more planning and work for each piece).
The up side is that bricks with lower tolerances could still work in most cases (see the various clone brands, whose tolerance is definitely not up to par with LEGO, but their products still are compatible in practice), just do not expect the same homogenity, surface sheen and accept variations in the clutch power.

Thanks zovits, I'm guessing you're the one that +1'd me?  I have a little troll that follows me around down voting my answers.  I'm flattered to have a fan ;)

Yes, in principle your answer is correct, that's why I was puzzled by seeing it downvoted, so I tried to compensate. Mine is more populistic, so I think these are complimentary.

There have been various questions asked here previously regarding 3D printing, with very mixed results.  Here is a link if you are interested in the responses to those questions.
https://bricks.stackexchange.com/search?tab=newest&q=3d%20printing
The experience you are looking for to answer your question is slightly out of the scope of what we generally do here on Bricks StackExchange.  I would urge you to check out this more specific 3D Printing StackExchange site as it would seem more fitting and hopefully more helpful then what we may be here.
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/


text:
Examples of LEGO Rubber Bands Used For Friction Enclosure?
I'm working on a variant design for a MOC that includes a cover over an open area. The new design is based on a suggestion for a "cookie jar" style design made in another of my questions, LEGO Enclosure Clasp. However, I'm having difficulty identifying which bricks to use to properly implement the idea and need a bit of inspiration. Could someone point me to an example of a set or other MOC design that uses something like brick #2653 (the 1x4 "sliding" piece) in conjunction with a rubber band to generate friction against the side of another piece (if such exists)?
Here's a very rough diagram of what I'm thinking of. The rubber band (red) goes around the inner square and fits into the groove in part #2653 (yellow) but "sticks out" enough so that, unless force is applied to push them past the grey bricks, they should generally stay in place.

My "problem" - and the reason I'm looking for guidance here - is two-fold. First, I have a relatively large (14x16) area around which I need this "gasket". Obviously, if the rubber band were to go around the entire thing, there would need to be some sort of reinforcement behind the grooved bricks to prevent the tension of the rubber band from just pulling them out of place. But, I'm thinking about using a few smaller sections (like one or two of the 1x4 end-to-end), each with their own rubber band. Perhaps a few of these around the perimeter would be sufficient?
The second is that I'm doing all of this virtually through a CAD system before I go looking into purchasing physical bricks and pieces I may or may not need. I've made several variants of the MOC with different ideas for how to implement the cover to refine my ideas as much as possible before I "pull the trigger", so I'd really like to see how someone else might have addressed this particular situation.

I for one, haven't seen anything like that in official LEGO sets. Were I to need something similar, I'd probably use pneumatic tubing (as it is thicker, longer and better compressible) or 2x1 Technic rubber axle connectors. The latter is typically used in LEGO sets to provide resistance against tension, compression or sliding while still offering some flexibility.

@zovits - I could have sworn that I had seen it somewhere, but I guess that's why my Google-fu wasn't finding me any results.  ;)

I personally would steer clear of a "cookie jar" setup.  The very suggestion of it's inherent qualities suggests something that wasn't meant to transport, but rather sit on a solid counter.  The rubber bands aspect seems potentially problematic as well.  Finding one that perfectly fits could prove difficult, and their elasticity would likely try to pinch in-between the tolerances of the bricks.  A rubber O-ring, being thicker and firmer, would be better suited for this task.  Personally I would opt for simple proven concepts that don't require guesswork and avoid potentially temperamental solutions.  If you did manage to figure out a working snug fit, you then would need a big gaudy handle sticking out to remove it with.
That being said, I threw together an example of a proven method for a removable door.  It would also incorporate your original idea of wanting a snap for peace of mind.

It's just a very basic design to prove a concept, one that's easy to improve upon.  One nice thing about this design is that you don't need a handle to open it, it un-clicks with just the friction of your fingers.
If you really want a cookie jar style lid I would incorporate a few studs onto a tiled edge, similar to how Modular sections are held together.  I would suggest the lid have an inner lip to increase stability.  Again, proven methods.

For some reason, I thought I had seen something utilizing the "cookie jar" method in a set somewhere, but my Google-fu wasn't getting me any results. I guess this is why. ;) I'll have a look at the sliding door concept as I think it might work better anyway. It doesn't require wasting as much vertical space for the interior of the storage area.

Okay, I think I have this design mostly done (v2.1 - https://mecabricks.com/en/models/qxv4dZYYvdJ). I still have a couple of things to tidy up, but I think I like it a lot! There are a couple of things I'm still not sure about - I raised the landing area walls to make sure the exit from the tower was sufficiently covered, and I'm not sure if the small 1x2 plates above and below the ball catch will even actually fit IRL, but overall, I think it's a success. I just need to figure out which of these designs I actually want to build so I can start buying bricks! ;P

@G_Hosa_Phat - Looks pretty slick!  If you do go with this design, I think you'll find the sliding and clicking of the doors very satisfying.  I couldn't stop fiddling with the little example I made sitting on my desk. :)

I love how simple it is. The "cool factor" of the swinging door design I originally had in mind (v1) was certainly fun, but I feel I was probably overthinking and over-designing everything. The only "drawback" (if you want to call it that) to this version is that it isn't entirely self-contained, but that's a small price to pay for good form and design. Now I just need to figure out final colors - which colors are available for and common to the pieces I've chosen so I can have a consistent look. Then it's off to the LEGO site or BrickLink/BrickOwl(?) to start ordering. ;)


text:
Where can I buy DUPLO bulk bricks?
The request seems weird, I'm looking to buy for my 1-year-old some Duplo, but they all come in "dog shapes/windows/humans" etc, with a very small amount of rectangular/square blocks, which is all I want.
The old Basic Blocks (80 pieces) were 80 between rectangular and square pieces, that was all I need.
I can't seem to find a list of pieces of "All-in-One-Box-of-Fun", but the pictures on Lego website don't seem to have many of them.
Any suggestions on how to deal with this? 40 square pieces and 40 rectangular pieces would be a good number, but it seems impossible, unless you go in the 200$ range, which is very excessive!
I'm open to other brands, but the one I bought (36$!) don't stick together, they are completely useless!


text:
DUPLO Train Action Bricks
I have the weirdest thing with my son's set.  Currently one of the yellow action tiles honks the horn but the other yellow brick does not.  No matter the lighting conditions, the position, orientation, etc. They both used to work and suddenly one is specifically not reacting. If it was different colors not responding I would assume battery issue is affecting the color sensor, but they are both the same color surface finish.  Any thoughts?

Welcome to Bricks.SE! I have this set, but I've not encountered this before. Would I be correct in assuming that you've already tried washing both yellow elements with soap and water?

Which train is this about? A set number or link would help. Haven't seen it, I have no clue how it works, but are you sure it's a color sensor and not something lese like NFC which could account for one brick being defective and not the other?

Nevermind, it IS color-based

You may want to contact the LEGO customer service about it and see if they can provide a replacement brick. Assuming your train is 10874 or 10875, they should still have it in stock and you can probably just order a new one via a replacement part order.
On the other hand, since the recognition appear to be indeed color-based this might not help at all.

It seems the train motor shoots light and detects its reflections to respond to each action bricks. When the surface of the action brick is scratched up, the sensor cannot detect the color properly. This may explain why your toy responds to one yellow and not the other yellow action brick.
Incidentally, I noticed when the battery level is very low, the train fails to respond to any action bricks...


text:
How to make a RPG (Rocket Propelled Grenade)
I don't know if this is of-topic or anything, but: I have a big scene with cops and stormtroopers fighting. And the cops need some stronger weapons than some sub-machine guns. So i was wondering if there were some people out there who had done anything similar. Does anyone have some RPG or anti-aircraft gun/big turret gun ideas?

Check out the gun on one of the train cars of the Lone Ranger Constitution Chase set. That should do. You can download building instructions from lego.com

Some of the Indiana Jones sets had some simple heavy weapon builds in them.
Set# 7625 had a belt fed/ammo-box mount style machine gun:

Set# 7626 had a RPG:


text:
How do I get unlimited color options on LDD?
The title says it all.  I believe there is an unlimited option?  I just want to use it to make digital models.

never mind, I found it. :)

For the benefit of other users, can you create an answer post to your own question detailing how you enabled this option? Thanks and welcome!

To use the unlimited option of LDD, when you start the program and the little window pops up that lets you load or start building a set, click  the tab at the top of the window that says extended version and click add new!  then, you'll have unlimited brick and color selection.


text:
LEGO Digital Designer does not to connect to the Internet on Win10 laptop
I just installed on a MSI laptop running Windows 10 Ver. 1803 with a gigabyte internet connection (960mps upload 950mps download).   Every time I start up the application, it immediately displays a dialog box stating "Internet access failed" as you can see below. Clicking retry does not help as it simply pops up the same dialog box again, clicking cancel shuts the program down. Clicking ok simply allows the program to run in offline mode which is not what I want.

Do you happen to have any firewall software active that could prevent the connection?

I have the same issue with the latest version of LDD...

Though it is unlikely the cause, please remember that LDD has reached its End of Life and is no longer actively supported by LEGO. As a good alternative, you can download Stud.io 2.0 from Bricklink.com

I do not have any firewall settings that would stop this connection.  Note: Mac version 4.3.11 does not have this problem.  Both computers use the same router to the net and use the same firewall settings.

I will look into Stud.io 2.0 from Brink link.  My thanks to all that answered this post.

Quoting from Lego's LDD page:

Sorry. We don’t support LDD version 4.3.10 anymore.
If you still use version 4.3.10 you will experience errors when launching the application.
You can still use “offline” mode if you wish.
We urge you to update, use the download link, and install free application for Windows PC & Mac OSX.

There is nothing wrong with your computer, or your internet connection (and it is not just you). LDD will still function normally, albeit in "offline mode."
LDD is now past its end of life, and Lego apparently does not care any longer about collecting usage data on LDD.
The "Internet access failed" message is because LDD can no longer reach a Lego server (62.199.219.133). LDD "phoned home" every time it was started. Now because it can not reach its home server LDD generates this "Internet access failed" message and will only run in offline mode. Apart from spoofing the replies LDD is looking for there is no way to run LDD in online mode any longer.
However, seeing as how Lego shut down the DesignByMe service you are not missing much (if anything) by running LDD in offline mode.

I'm confused.  I just download v4.3.12 from that site.  So it seems like the product overall wasn't at end of life as at the time they put that message about v4.3.10 up, and if it is at end of life now, it's weird that they still offer the 4.3.12 download and haven't updated the message to reflect the product overall is no longer supported.  [EDIT] And lol, Help|About says it's v4.3.11

You still can get LDD 4.3.11 which has a problem with Adobe Flash Player during the installation procedure.
Luckily, these thread explain the fix. I've replicated their instructions and I've managed to get 4.3.11 working with all the newly incorporated parts, with a few cmd.exe commands that only took two minutes.
https://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?/forums/topic/149308-lego-digital-designer-install-problem/&page=2
https://community.adobe.com/t5/flash-player-discussions/flash10b-stopping-lego-digital-designer-4-3-11-installer/m-p/10398103
Basically the installation process pauses when you are asked to install Flash Player (no longer available for download as of 12 Jan 2021 - its EOL).
But technically, LDD doesn't even need it, as it can run fine with OpenGL. So at the installation step when you get the prompt to Install Flash Player, DON'T click "YES" just yet. Follow these steps instead:

run cmd.exe in your Windows search bar.

Navigate to the temporary installation folder by typing this into the command line:
cd C:\Users<yourusername>\AppData\Local\Temp\WZSE0.TMP

You should see the file named install_flash_player_active_x.exe.
Rename that to something else:
rename install_flash_player_active_x.exe alt.exe

Rename the file OpenGLChecker.exe to install_flash_player_active_x.exe:
rename OpenGLChecker.exe install_flash_player_active_x.exe

Proceed with the LDD installation by clicking "YES".
Now the installer should skip the step where it attempts to install Flash Player.

Hope this helps!


text:
Lego Classics alternative
I've been looking at buying one of the classics sets for my young kids. My desire was to have a large collection of bricks that they could build houses/cities/etc with.
I thought that the Classics sets would be exactly what I'm after, but after looking at reviews, etc it seems like they contain very few normal blocks and contain a large amount of small, not that useful pieces (790 piece set only contains 67 4x2 bricks). Looking at reviews and blogs, it seems like this is fairly common feedback on these sets but I haven't seen where people have mentioned good alternatives.
Hence I'm wondering if anyone knows where I might be able buy in bulk a "large" quantity of "normal" bricks from (i.e.  1000 - 1500 prices).

Lego bricks can be purchased individually from Lego.com using their Pick-A-Brick service.
https://www.lego.com/en-us/page/static/pick-a-brick?icmp=HP-SHQL-EG-NO-pick-a-120
If you have an official Lego Store near you then buying bricks from their Pick-A-Brick Wall is a less expensive option once you figure out how to maximize the amount of bricks you can stuff into a cup.
There are also sites that sell individual bricks, often at a lower price:
Brickset: https://brickset.com/
Brickowl: https://www.brickowl.com/
You may also be able to find good deals on Ebay for bulk bricks already sorted by color and type.
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2380057.m570.l1313.TR6.TRC1.A0.H0.Xlego+bulk+bricks.TRS0&_nkw=lego+bulk+bricks&_sacat=0
I would recommend buying one starter set of basic bricks to compliment the basic bricks and provide them with some variety.  Sets like 10717 have minimal amounts of special pieces compared to other.

They have made sets in the past with a lot of basic bricks, many of them were sold under "Educational & Dacta".  One of the more recent releases was set# 45811 that looks like sells for around $40.00 on Bricklink.

Thanks @JohnnyB! The 10717 set was specifically the one that I was looking at where people were commenting that only like 25% where "normal" pieces. Given the age of the kids, that educational set is EXACTLY! what I was thinking about in my head. I had a look on Bricklink and seems like no one is selling them atm. Asfor pick-a-brick, I was thinking about that too, but it seemed like a really expensive way to purchase a "large" amount of blocks. I guess I'll have to keep an eye out and see what comes up. Thanks!


text:
What to build with generic set of pieces
I have a good stock of used lego pieces, and planning to acquire more. The problem is that I am not sure what to build with them!

Is there a list of sets easy to build with basic pieces, without the necessity of weird very rare pieces?
If I had the patience of inputting every piece I obtain, is there any website/service that would list me sets that are buildable with those pieces?

Many here have commented on the site Rebrickable as being the "go to" for the sort of thing you are looking for:  https://rebrickable.com/
Previous related inquiry on this site:
Is there anything like a 'recipe generator' for LEGO models?

Thanks, I'll have a look, but that definitely looks like what I am looking for :)


text:
Why do technic bushings have a flat side and a wavy side?
Exhibit A 3713:

The near side is smooth on the circumference, but the far side has a wavy pattern. In Lego directions, the photos usually show the "orientation" of the bushing, but if I put it on the incorrect way, will it affect the build?

The answer is studs. Note that there are more pieces with the same ability.

Orientation of the bushing does matter when you run a rotating axle through a technic plate. Have the round side of the bushing pointing towards the studs. Otherwise the axle might lock up.

Here's an example from set 852 where this technique is used to attach the helicopter's rotor and propeller to an axle.

I would also add that initially, when Technic was released there were no studless beams. This required for new system to adapt to existing building approach - building studs up. In the end it required new (Technic) plates and adapted bushes to interlock assembly vertically. Later parts (like connectors in the photo) just followed new system.

@Alex Good point! I've added an example...

Makes perfect sense, thanks.

The wavy side allows you to wedge the bush between 4 studs on a plate or brick.
In my experience, placing the bush differently orientated never affects the build.


text:
EV3-specific bricks missing from Lego Digital Designer 4.3.11 (Win)?
I have LDD on my Mac and have used it to create EV3 models (like an FLL robot, or a Lego dot-matrix printer). Recently, I purchased a cheap Windows laptop for use by a FLL team.
After twice installing LDD v4.3.11 on the PC, however, I am running into a roadblock. It doesn't seem to have EV3-specific parts, such as EV3 motors, sensors, or brick/brain.
For example, if on the PC I try to load a model I designed using LDD on my Mac (which does have these parts), I get the following error:

If I search the parts either by specific part number or by the term "EV3", I find nothing. It also doesn't matter which mode I use ("Mindstorms", "Extended", etc).
I think they are just missing from v4.3.11 for Windows!
Can anyone confirm? Can anyone suggest a way to get them back?

yes i m also facing the same issue in fact EV3 large motor ,medium motor ,and EV3 brick are totally omitted from piece list

The current download link at https://www.lego.com/en-us/ldd is https://www.lego.com/assets/franchisesites/ldd/installer/setupldd-pc-4_3_12.exe. When installed it still shows the version as 4.3.11 even though the file name hints that it is 4.3.12. This version is missing EV3 parts.
Here are some links for previous versions:
UPDATE May 2020: These links are broken.

https://lc-www-live-s.legocdn.com/downloads/ldd2.0/installer/setupLDD-PC-4_3_11.exe
https://lc-www-live-s.legocdn.com/downloads/ldd2.0/installer/setupLDD-PC-4_3_10.exe

Try archive.org instead:

https://web.archive.org/web/20190622153357/https://lc-www-live-s.legocdn.com/downloads/ldd2.0/installer/setupLDD-PC-4_3_11.exe

Also found a hint for installing old versions on Windows 10 if Adobe Flash Player fails to install: https://breeks.gr/index.php/el/menu-gr-main-forum/general-discussion-english/183-installing-ldd-on-windows-10.html

For anyone looking for an alternative to LDD since it is not longer supported by LEGO, Studio from Bricklink has a similar building experience and can even open LDD files.

So it seems I had that 4.3.12 installed (with "Brick version 777"). Downgrading to 4.3.11 (with "Brick version 2670") restored the EV3 parts!

For some reason the latest version is missing a lot of parts. I wonder if it might be possible to copy the LIF files from the previous version.

Thank you @Kirill Mostachev and David Lechner

Links are no longer usable. However, this link for 4.3.11 at the Internet Archive seems viable: https://web.archive.org/web/20190622153357/https://lc-www-live-s.legocdn.com/downloads/ldd2.0/installer/setupLDD-PC-4_3_11.exe

I think I might have a more elegant solution rather than downgrading to LDD 4.3.11 :
You just need to replace "Assets.lif" file in the 4.3.12 installation folder with the same file from 4.3.11 version. I happen to have this file archived here.
After you replace the file and restart LDD, all bricks will be available and all your previous creations will open without errors.
Notes:
If you don't trust my version of the file, you can do it yourself easily, since the "setupldd-pc-4_3_11.exe" distributive is essentially an archive and the file can be easily extracted with tools like WinRar or 7-zip from there.
Why choose file swapping instead of downgrading: in version 4.3.12 LEGO has removed the Flash dependability (or Silverlight, i don't remember now). That resulted in more convenient install on latest Win 10 systems, which is nice, since I personally had trouble installing 4.3.11 on a fully updated Win 10.
Unfortunately LEGO developers also somehow corrupted the Assets.lif file that contains the brick library. It seems that the file got simply truncated at some point, which is obvious when you compare the file sizes of the 4.3.11 and 4.3.12 versions.


text:
Gonk droid spinning saw blade
This is the Gonk Droid from set 75253 Boost Droid Commander:

The accessories for the third mission "defending the Falcon" have been added.
The right arm can punch and shoot a "laser beam".
However the left arm can only move the saw blade up and down.
I would like for the blade to spin AND the arm to move up or down.
Is this feasible?

That saw blade only has a hole for a pin, that makes it hard to transfer a rotating motion to it.

I think blade rotation can be achieved with some friction based solution: 1) a rubber wheel spinning a blade; 2) using a friction pin for a blade. The main challenge here is to transfer rotating motion to the blade. However it isn't clear if there is enough place to store the motors and connection ports for the motors.

@Alex, there's an internal motor from the boost move hub. It's not the intention to add an additional motor. It's indeed the intention to rotate the saw by friction.

@MichaelVerschaeve Do you want him to move around with a spinning saw blade, or have it spinning when his arm goes down?

@Uli, when the arm goes down (in reverse I suppose when the arm goes up). Movement (legs) is by the external motor in this set

If you are ready to commit such blasphemy, then gluing a small weight on the edge of the blade would result in the blade swinging or even making complete turns when the arm is moved up and down, depending on the acceleration of the arm movement.

FWIW this was in fact an intentional decision by Lego - they were concerned what some children could create with s spinning blade, especially since some of those motors are capable of quite some speed and torque.

Hi htmlcoderexe. Interesting remark, would you happen to have a source for that information (a link perhaps) ?


text:
Do LEGO sets go on sale on black friday?
I'm considering buying a LEGO set (42110) and with black friday coming up I was wondering whether they go on sale for black friday on amazon or the official LEGO store/shop at home. I looked at the price guide for various LEGO Technic sets on The Camelizer, a Chrome addon that only works with Amazon and I saw no significant drop in prices around black friday. In fact the prices went up by quite a bit, most likely due to demand for the holidays. I don't particularly remember there being a black friday sale at the LEGO store or the shop at home website, but hopefully someone can remember if there is a black friday sale. Any information would be very much appreciated.

Retailers adjust their pricing strategy from year to year, so what happened in previous years may not be necessarily an indication of what will happen this year.
In general, LEGO offers Double VIP Points and some sets on sale (usually stuff they want to get rid off, not sets that are popular recent releases) and throws in some freebies. Amazon does their own thing, mostly competing with Wal-Mart and not LEGO directly.
I have also noticed that in the past 2-3 years, Black Friday sales are not the best either from LEGO directly or retailers. However, the couple of weeks leading up to Black Friday can be pretty good. Again, this is not an indication of what will happen this year, it is just what I noticed in the past few years.
LEGO Technic sets, especially the large ones from the current year, rarely go on sale. So, if you can get something like Double VIP Points (basically giving you 10% off), is not bad. On Amazon, I have seen as much as 30% off before Black Friday on some of the larger LEGO Technic sets and that was considered exceptional.
Some people missed out because they thought prices will be even better during Black Friday. That did not happen. And that brings up another point. Don't be greedy with looking for the ultimate sale and risk missing out altogether. Look at the price you would be happy with, willing to pay, and is reasonable. Then, just go for it.

Amazon (at least in Europe) sometimes offer much better deals during the year than on Black Friday. Especially for Technic sets.

@Alex, yes, that's my experience as well. The best ones I have seen were a few weeks leading up to Black Friday. I'm in the US.


text:
Where is the 15068 PLATE W. BOW 2X2X2/3 in LDD?
I can't seem to find this piece in ldd, and it's a very common piece.  I'm using the extended version.  where is it?

Could not find it by typing numbers (15068 bricklink id or 605109 lego id)
but simply browsing it is simple enough to find.
Open the 7th category of bricks, 4th element:

I'm using the latest ldd version (4.3.11)

I don't have the first two bricks, or the one I'm looking for!  I'm pretty sure I'm using the latest version too.  what's going on?

I'm using 4.3.12

hey, as a test, could you tell me the name of the first brick in the panel?  I'll try typing it in and seeing if I come up with anything.

@Millard - Did you enable the Extended mode (if that's still a thing in LDD)? That should load all the bricks rather than just a smaller set of common elements

I did, i don't know why this brick isn't showing up!  I see three bricks on Michael Verschaeve's picture that I don't have in that column.  I am using 4.3.12, and he is using 4.3.11. I wonder if that's the problem.

@Millard The latest version of LDD is missing a lot of parts for some reason. There's another question on here with links to the previous versions.

could you link it to me?  is it on the official lego site?

found it.  https://bricks.stackexchange.com/questions/12715/ev3-specific-bricks-missing-from-lego-digital-designer-4-3-11-win


text:
Brick 2 x 2 cash register and tile 2 x 2 tape recorder sticker
Recently after leaving my Dark Ages, I bought a bulk lot of LEGO and these parts with stickers were in it and were the only ones I couldn't find.
Is it possible to help? I used Image Search Options Firefox add-on but no luck.

Though it is difficult to see given the quality of the pictures, but I do not believe these are official LEGO stickers. I cannot find any trace of them on BL, definitely not on the bricks in you pictures.

Assuming these stickers are applied to the correct parts, you can search on Bricklink in the following categories: Slope, Decorated and Tile, Decorated (these links start at the pages where 2x2 slope and 2x2 tile first appear, respectively).
I didn't find anything looking like yours, which can mean one of three things:

I didn't look hard enough (there certainly are a lot of decorated 2x2 tiles)
These are not official LEGO stickers
There are official LEGO stickers but applied on wrong parts.

I'm leaning towards them not being official stickers, but there's no real way to be sure until we find where they are from.

Thanks. I've used BrickStore, than selected "Part" and "Slope, Decorated". In the filter I used "45 2 x 2" and skimeed through all pages and couldn't find, so most likely it was a custom sticker.


text:
Extra pieces in a lot, not sure what to do with them
All right so I bought a couple Lego sets of the garage sale all the pieces are there but there's so many extra pieces and they're not just random The pieces that go to these sets is there anyway that you can look up with using a database of some kind to figure out what set all these pieces go to I h

You h what? Looks like something might be missing from the end of your question.

Yes there is. However, it requires two pieces of knowledge:

You need to understand how BrickLink or BrickSet categorize the 10,000+ types of LEGO bricks in existence. This means knowing the difference between a Brick, a Plate and a Tile, understanding the various Modified versions of these basic types etc.
You need to be able to identify pieces in your stash of bricks that are special or not commonly used. The best candidates are bricks with stickers, as stickers are often special to just one set.

Once you have identified one or more unique pieces, look them up and see which sets they came in. Look through the inventory of those sets to confirm you have most of the other pieces in that set as well, and voila: you have found your set.
Next, go to www.lego.com and download the instruction manual for that set, then build the set to verify its completeness.
Note: if one of the stickered pieces contains a car license plate, or any other sticker with a 4 or 5 digit number on it, chances are that that is the set number. Then just validate that other pieces from this set are also in your pile of bricks.

You can skip trying to search through tiles and modified plates etc if you just look for the little code under each piece. 4-5 tiny numbers you can type into either site and find the piece straight away.

There are lots of really good sites which list the parts in sets. BrickLink.com and BrickSet.com are the two I use the most.


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

Yes.
I'm using:

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

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

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

Setup:

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

Done.

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

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

All of that color is now highlighted.

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

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

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

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

Click the "Show all hidden bricks" button.

Done.

thank you, a very good answer!


text:
Identifying a set having a chair with a brown seat and circular base with surrounding gray pieces
I bought a bunch of partial assemblies and bulk pieces. I want to identify what set this belongs to.

I suspect it's a Star Wars set, but there were no minifigs nor decals to confirm my suspicion.

Your initial suspicion that this set was from Star Wars is...
"Most impressive."
Good job!

Set #75077-1 Homing Spider Droid.

To make this answer a teachable moment for the OP, could you add to your answer how you determined this was the correct set, i.e. which pieces made you confident that it was indeed set 75077? Thanks!


text:
Trouble with 42110 Land Rover Defender transmission
I just got the 42110 Land Rover Defender and assembled bags 1 and 2. I tested everything before joining the front axle and rear axle, and the friction was quite low, not nearly high enough to get gears to skip or practically stall an PF XL motor.
When I joined the two halves, the lower gears worked just fine, but there was slightly more friction generated than I expected. However, on the higher gears (3/lo and above) the friction increased way more than expected, rendering 4th/lo somewhat unusable and 4th/hi completely unusable. Strangely, all the gears work flawlessly if the car is pushed backward. Also, the rotation of the output of both the 4-speed and the 2-speed transmissions is uneven, the output of the 4-speed transmission being way more uneven than that of the 2-speed transmission.
The friction certainly is not the sum of the front and rear axles together, it is far more. Also, it is worth noting that I modified the 3:1 gear ratio between the axles and central differential to a 1.667:1 ratio, as with the 3:1 ratio the problem was way worse, but not because of the gear ratio, but because both of the U-joints were out of phase. Any explanation for this strange behavior or tips on how to fix it are welcome.
10/10/19 update: I watched RacingBrick's video on this subject, and it turned out that PART of the problem was that my U-joints were out of phase. I fixed that problem and it is working a lot better, but the problem still persists, although to a lesser extent.
10/11/19 update: I switched the 1.667:1 ratio for the 3:1 ratio while making sure that the U-joints were in phase. The unevenness issue is virtually gone, but the skipping of gears still persists, but to a lesser extent. I can post another YouTube video if it helps.
10/11/19 update 2: I added bag 3 and both of the problems are back, though somewhat different. Before, the gears started skipping immediately, but now it works just fine for the first 5 to 10 feet, then starts to skip. I checked the U-joints and they're in phase. I'm very confused.
Link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNyK0ZDi-pE

There are reports that a new mold for the 28-teeth mesh gear may be causing significant friction. You may want to check those, and maybe try replacing them with some others from your collection

@Joubarc It is not very clear which gear you mean, as you say the gear has 28 teeth, but your link directs me to Brickset's page for the 20 tooth gear. I assume you either mean the type 3 differential or the 20 tooth double bevel gear. Also, I don't know what a "mesh gear" is. Could just be plain ignorance on my part though. If you could clarify that would  be great.

my mistake, the link is correct and that gear has indeed 20 teeth; not sure why I said 28. By "mesh" gear I meant "double bevel", I think they used to be called that way at some point because they mesh better than regular wheels; and can mesh straight or perpendicularly. But indeed "20-teeth double bevel gear" would have been the proper description; sorry about that.
You can read more on the issue on this eurobricks thread

@Joubarc Ah, now I see. Thanks for clarifying.

Just figured it out by rebuilding it. I had pressed the "walls" of the transmission too much, resulting in very high friction.

I have exactly the same problem. Can you explain for me, what exactly solved the problem? Because "you pressed the walls of the transmission too much" doesn't help me.
Please help!

When building the front transmission, there are some gears connected to steering and the transmission sandwiched between 2 beam assemblies. If you squeeze the assemblies too much, there will be a lot of friction. Although I still had some friction, it was considerably diminished. Hope that helps!

Technicguy, thank you for the answer!
Could you share a picture about the assemblies you talking? I could not find them on the car.

I'll try; Would knowing the step when the assemblies are built help? (Sharing pictures is kinda hard for me)

The number of the step (from the book of the car) when the assemblies are built would be enough too

The step where the first assembly starts would be step 206. I also found a further  improvement more recently, which I will post in my answer soon. (Currently I do not have time; it is somewhat complex, but effective.)


text:
Are these LEGO pieces original? How can I be sure?
When I enter in the code on the BrickLink site the codes come up, but there are no markings on the tires suggesting the name of the company or any code. Could it still be an original piece if this is the case?

For the rim I would say its original.

LEGO made this part in Transparent.
It has the correct mound ID 88517
And contains the LEGO logo + copyright symbol

Only this part comes in 2 sets which doesn't contain a tire.
The tire you have looks like Motorcycle Tyre Ø 100,6. Based on photos I cannot see any visible markings on the outside of the tire. I do own a couple of these tires myself but don't have access to them at the moment. So I can't check if there are any markings on the inside of the tire.
If I check for example the Bugatti or the Harley-Davidson tire, all the id stuff that is not mentioned on the outside, is on the inside. See picture below of the small tire used in the Harley-Davidson.
So you can check the inside for any markings telling you if its an original part or not.

thanks for information. i bought the tires and rims in one package. tires don't have any id markings inside or outside but ve have a qr code on the package which is 6172059.

QR code on a package has nothing to do with parts inside.


text:
Do you need multiple start blocks rather than just multiple wires from one start block?
Using the Chromebook app I cannot have multiple "wires" from the start block to multiple sections of code blocks.  I have to use a start block for each section.  When I try to drag a wire it only moves the view.  Solutions?

It sounds like you already have the solution of using multiple start blocks.

I’m voting to close this question because there doesn't seem to be anything to solve here, it sounds like a solution has already been found.

You could edit the question and then answer it. But I think Kenneth has moved away from Bricks.SE.

@Aziraphale Nah, editing out the OP's solution and posting it as an answer looks like a greedy way of grabbing some rep with little effort, and my answer would be too small anyway. I already learned my lesson from that.

@mindstormsboi No, I was addressing Kenneth. Maybe he returns when he sees the reaction to his post.


text:
Missed "How to train your dragon" series?
Does anybody know, why Lego didn't release sets based on "How to train your Dragon" movies?

I'm afraid there's no real way to definitely answer such a question; considering this pertains to LEGO's marketing strategy which is not public.
However, there are some insights we can gather from existing sets:

Licenses must be negotiated. As such, sets from licenses LEGO already has (Disney, Marvel, DC, for example) are easier for LEGO to produce since there is already a license. However, even then, depending on the terms on the license (which we know nothing about), the license owner might have more or less control over what can be done. Think Disney approving SW minifig helmets or that kind of stuff. I don't remember seeing sets based on a Dreamworks license yet, so I don't think LEGO has one. No idea whether Dreamworks would even be willing to consider one either or on what terms. Especially since LEGO already has a Disney license.
LEGO sets tied to a movie are usually tied to the movie release as well, as doing otherwise would probably mean poor sales. So in this case doing sets based on the 2010 movie might make little sense, although sets based on the 2019 might make sense.
Even then, sales for license sets would be hard to predict. While there's no question SW sets are easy moneymakers, not all licenses have been successes. Think Lone Ranger, for example. Licenses with more material (more movies) might have more chances. There's probably no way to tell how much success would a How To Train Your Dragon license have, but LEGO would definitely have to weigh that in. And the conclusion might very well be that it'd be better to make more Disney sets.
You may notice at this point that some sets have been made for long-past movies seemingly in contradiction with all I just set, such as Back to the Future. These are interesting exceptions because they come from LEGO Ideas - which means LEGO knows there is some kind of support for a potential sets (10000 fans have vetted it after all) and that a preliminary design is already done. Plus, it's usually only one set so the risk isn't too high and it's a good entry point for LEGO to acquire a new license. Even then, a lot of LEGO Ideas candidates are rejected, and it's etirely possible some are because LEGO can't secure a license.

Still, this is your best bet: if you want How To Train Your Dragon sets... go design some, propose them on LEGO Ideas, and try to gather as much support as you can.

Thank you for good explanation. I supposed it was licensing problem, but your thought about unpredictable sales rate in 2010 for non well-known brand sound very interesting... Thanks a lot!

In addition to the fact that LEGO has a Disney license, Dreamworks would also have to factor in what other licenses they have sold. The story is that the reason we didn't get a Doctor Who set earlier is that another toy manufacturer had an exclusive license of some kind. There have also been stories saying that there are (or have been) some limits to what SW sets could be made, because another company has (had) a license LEGO should pay attention to.

Also, Playmobil seems to have released HTTYD and I always got the impression LEGO is not interested in covering the same series as their competition, acquiring licensing rights notwithstanding.


text:
Buy new lego tires/tyres and treads
I'm part of a Lego team making competitive bots, and noticed that newer tires have better traction than our tires which are 5 years old.
Any ideas where I could buy new tires?  I've tried lego.com's "Pick a Brick" but they do not have them.  I can find "RIM WIDE W/CROSS 30/20" for example which would be the rim of the wheel I'm looking for, but not the tire.
I'd also be interested in buying tank treads, but I cannot find anything like that either in the "Pick a Brick" search.
Any ideas?

LEGO’s Pick-a-Brick service has only a limited amount of the total range of pieces ever produced. It contains a subset of the pieces available in current sets.
The Bricks and Pieces service (on the LEGO website under Customer Service) has a slightly larger range of pieces, but still limited to those that are currently produced by LEGO. This service is unfortunately only seasonally available (during busy seasons it goes offline).
For a broader range of pieces you have to go to third-party websites. The main ones are:
Bricklink: This site contains all the pieces ever produced by LEGO, and provides a marketplace where sellers all over the world sell these pieces either New or Used. Depending on the age and rarity of the piece, prices can be quite high or sometimes way cheaper than what LEGO charges. Just beware that shipping and handling costs are added on to your order, and those costs vary from seller to seller. Also, BL uses slightly different nomenclature for pieces than LEGO does, but searching by mould number (the little 4-6 digit number printed on each piece) should work. The rim you mention is this piece: Wheel 30.4mm D. x 20mm with No Pin Holes and Reinforced Rim and its listing shows all the tires that fit with this rim.
Bricklink has a competitor called BrickOwl, which offers a similar service.
Finally, you can also look for specific pieces in lots listed on auction sites such as Ebay, as they sometimes contain pieces you need at lower prices (especially when part of a bulk lot of other pieces that might be useful for you).

I'll give those sites a try, and stick with the ones labeled "new"   Thumbs up for providing a link to the part I mentioned.


text:
Subassembly identification, including a hotel sign
I got these assemblies and I am trying to figure out if they are MOCs or part of a set or sets. I have identified the red sub-assembly as set 60182 Pickup and Caravan.
The hotel sign looks like the...
What about the rest? I think I have at least parts from 4 sets?

The Hotel part is from 10182-1: Cafe Corner,
The Olive Green canoes come from 70623-1: Destiny's Shadow
The brown assemblies  on the lower right second picture are from 7662-1: Trade Federation MTT
-see step 54 on page 61 https://www.lego.com/biassets/bi/4515434.pdf
and parts from 10696-1: Medium Creative Brick Box ( crocodile)
also there is a Smurf and a Playmobil figure

If there is a full 10182 in there, you have struck gold (depending on how much you paid). Even used, those go for big bucks on the second-hand market (think $500+).

I am still searching what goes where from the pile, but it looks I prety much got the hotel sign.  probably with broken neons too.

@syberion  Thank you Sir.

Can you recognize the two brown rooftop like assemblies to the lower right of the last pic?

You have more than the hotel sign - that yellow and white canopy build is also from 10182.

@Phil B.  True and correct on the yellow/white canopy. Set is about 2200 pieces.  I probably got about 300 of them.  Great set though.  Thanks for you help.


text:
Identifying a set with brown curved top and circular gray pieces on the sides

Came partially assembled with a bulk used lot. The color scheme makes me think it could be from a Star Wars set. It doesn't have any minifigs but I found other loose pieces with imperial logo.

I think this is from

LEGO Star Wars Set 9491-1 , Geonosian Cannon.

It most definitely is. I found some of the rest in loose pieces that where harder to identify. No minifigs though.


text:
What is the point in having an instruction step with only one part?
While building Ninjago City we noticed a lot of steps that included only one part.  The part is just sitting there.  It doesn't get attached to anything.  Whatever gets attached in the next step is not complicated or confusing.  What is the point of these steps?
In going back through the instructions I do find examples where the one piece step makes sense because the initial piece is completely obscured in the next step:

But I also find some that are harder to explain:

And others:

Is there another explanation for this showing up so often in LEGO instructions?

I'm surprised to see that in your first image, the 2x4 Technic plate is angled differently for step 119, especially in the bill of materials part - that seems very unusual to me; I thought part images for that would come form a standard library. Guess there's still a lot we don't know about the creation of Building Instructions

That's an interesting aspect of these images that I hadn't noticed before.  Could it be that the Technic plate is indistinguishable from a normal plate at the default angle/perspective?

Maybe not totally indistinguishable, but the holes would probably be way harder to spot indeed if the plate was at the usual angle; so yes, presenting it differently would help avoiding mistakes. Nice thinking!

Incidentally, the part image on brickset is also tilted, and ditto on the replacement parts order page on the LEGO shop (which is where brickset takes its images). So that seems to be standard for that part at least.

I think the most likely explanation is that there are steps with single parts so you can see exactly how to place the next piece, especially if the next piece obscures the view of the first piece. My explanation could be wrong though.

I think it all boils down to simplicity of building instructions, which has increased tremendously through LEGO history. Just compare instructions from older sets (See USS Constellation for example) and recent ones and you'll see how far LEGO has gone in that regards.
Adding less parts per step, or having a full bill of materials per step are the most noticeable improvements; but there are other more subtle ones, such as recoloring of parts (Technic pins for example, but also hidden bircks - see Steamboat Willie for a recent example.
As such, I wouldn't be surprised there are internal rules on what can be done in building instructions, or recommended guidelines; and maybe "step 1 is just one part" is one; or maybe a variation such as "step 1 can't have more than one layer" - thing is, this is an internal LEGO process for which we'll presumably never know the details. Such rules could even depend on the set age range; something allowed in 11= sets might be discouraged in 7+ sets, for example.
Now why does LEGO do this? Keeping in mind their target audience, children, it's a fair guess that they want to make sure kids can build their models smoothly and without frustration, unless they risk giving up which could alienate them from LEGO altogether. I remember being stuck at step 5 when building my first LEGO Technic set, a tractor and that was indeed frustrating. Also, what we adults think children can do can be very different from what they actually will do; I've seen my nephew build a set recently and he was following instructions very very loosely. Which makes it extra hard to create good instructions for them. It's very likely LEGO does test builds with real children for that exact reason: see firsthand what works and what doesn't.
One more note: think one step where only one part is added is weird? What about steps where nothing at all is added?

That last picture might not be the best example since the step shows important action - Technic beam/liftarm rotation to required position.

Well exactly, ALL steps show important actions, whether it be adding parts or moving stuff around, that's sort of my point (I may have been stating it poorly). Although to be fair, I was looking for a step where the only thing done is just rotating the model 180° so that you face its other side, that would have been better.I couldn't find one readily; if you do, feel free to edit


text:
How can I get a Powered Up motor to run without using a hub?
I'm mainly taking part in LEGO events as part of a Great Ball Contraption exhibit.
Most of the modules I make, and that's true for a lot of other builders, are purely mechanical in nature and driven by a single always-on motor.
Since the motors have to run continuously for whole days, we usually connect them to 9V train transformers; which isn't a problem for PF motors thanks to the conversion cables available.
However, since LEGO will eventually phase out PF motors, I'm worried about the future - as there doesn't seem to be plans to provide conversion cables for Powered UP elements.
So, is there another way to somehow connect a Powered Up motor to a mains transformer and have it run continuously?

There is at least one third-party Power Functions to Powered Up adapter available that can be used for this purpose:

Here's a video demonstrating it in action:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96SxM-0UkVQ

Nice find! It would be interesting to learn how does it work or how can one acquire / build one, but the video does not seem to hold any more information beyond proving that it exists and works. So even though it would be great to expand this link-only answer, it would be hard to include more information without serious research or asking the creator.

The creator is active on a GBC FB group; so far I think he hasn't done large-scale production of those but the people who got to test it reported it working fine.
I don't think we'll ever get a solution from TLC directly, so this is probably the best answer I'll ever get - although more technical details (wiring, etc) would be welcome

I´m the creator of the GBC-PUP shown in the video. My goal is to make these available to the community. I sell them as kits at the moment. Contact me at staffan(at)brickselectric.se and we can make it happen.

@jncraton can I ask why you did delete Staffan's answer? I did ask him specifically to come and chime in since he had made the cable... Granted his answer as is would have worked better as comment, but the way it was handled doesn't feel very welcoming to me.

@Joubarc Thanks for your feedback on this. I believe that it was a mistake to delete this outright. I've converted it to a comment now. I initially deleted it as it had been flagged as spam 3 times and flagged as not an answer once. I believe that those flags are valid, but I'm comfortable leaving this as a comment, and I should have done that in the first place.

@StaffanIhl I apologize for deleting your initial answer. I've now converted it to a comment as I should have done originally. Our community has an aversion to direct marketing, as you may have deduced from the mix of upvotes and downvotes on your answer, but I believe that leaving your post here as a comment is a reasonable compromise. I've bungled the opportunity to roll out the red carpet and properly welcome you to our community, but I do hope that you are able to successfully bring this to market! I know that I'd certainly love to have a handful of these on hand. :)

@jncraton thanks, I understand why it happened that way - hope I didn't sound too harsh to you. Anyway, it was certainly more suitable as comment than answer (but that's an issue with SE sites: a newcomer CAN'T comment, only answer)... what i still lack to make this answer acceptable is some explanation of what's needed and why this custom cable solves it - wiring details, for example.

New answer given the current state op PUP and Control+:
Saw this picture floating around on Facebook:

It's from the side of the box of the upcoming (now cancelled) Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey set (42113).
No Bluetooth, just manual switches...

Sad. I am now sad. What a great set it could have been.

Cheer up, I think we'll see other sets next year having this setup. Also, the instructions have been floating around on the web, it's possible to bricklink the Osprey with different color schemes...

Perhaps too expensive and overkill, but it seems from the specs that a SPIKE prime would fit the requirements:

As I understand, the hub can be programmed and then runs independently, similar to an EV3.
It has a rechargeable battery with a micro USB to charge it, but if this is similar as previous rechargeable batteries from Lego, the cable can be left in and connected to mains electricity.
It remains to be seen if the hub will support PUP and Control+ Technic motors immediately, but I'm convinced it will over time...


text:
What's the part number of this LEGO element?

Can anybody help me identify this part?

Following the instructions https://bricks.stackexchange.com/questions/154/how-do-i-identify-a-lego-part and without any info (is it new? old?) nor having it in hand (turn around and read number): Go to e.g. Rebrickable, there do search with restrictions: 1/ has appeared in white, 2/ exclude printed parts. Now you get too many results ("1000" = maxed out); so split time in sets that give less than 1000 results (1945--1995, 1995--2001, 2001--2005, ... some 8/9 setc), then leaf through the 9--10pages each gives... So by chance, it appears on page 8 (of 9) for the 1945--1995 search... pff.

OK the above can be sharper (no need to overlap years, so 1945--1995, 1996--...), and faster using the Categories (I'd guess: "Panels", "Angled plates", ... the correct choice "Transportation" I wouldn't have guessed but it contains so any that I'd included it)...  Maybe Brickowl is easier; you'd want multi-category-select for one search.

That's a rather old part (50 years, actually) used mainly for tipper buckets in trains or trucks, you can see it in this train for example:

Its part ID is 3145.

Thank you very much.

I'm really interested to know how you did to find that. That's impressive! I'm not a Lego expert at all, but reading the comments of user3445853 it seemed really difficult.

Well, my first LEGO train, 171 had two in red, so with that info it was rather straightforward. Aside from that, there's a question on the subject with a very good answer but let's face it, sometimes it's just a matter of remembering the part at all.


text:
How to get VIP vouchers in another currency?
With the old VIP program, I could simply go in any LEGO store, hand out my VIP card  when paying, and the clerk would tell me how many VIP points I had and ask whether I wanted to use these against my new purchase. No fuss, it was easy for someone like me who doesn't go often to a LEGO store.
Now the whole VIP program changed, and aside from the fact it looks like a complete mess to start with; it seems I can't get automatic discounts in LEGO stores but must first purchase vouchers online with my current VIP points balance. Aside from the fact it's very cumbersome to do so, I face another problem: all vouchers available to me are in GBP, whereas the closest LEGO stores to me are in the Euro zone.
Is there a way to get the rewards center to show me vouchers in EUR? I tried changing languages (which is just about languages and not regions like the regular shop) to French; and both my region selection in the shop and my country selection in my profile are correct (Belgium), but no dice, I only see GBP vouchers. Or would they be accepted in EUR stores?
In general, is it possible to get vouchers in another currency, for example when travelling?

Sounds like a great question to ask LEGO Customer Service :)

My vouchers are showing in EUR, and I'm the same country/region as you. Changing language or region does not appear to change anything

@PhilB. Totally. But it can't hurt to see if anyone else has the issue; in any case when I get an answer from LEGO I'll post it here too.

@MichaelVerschaeve Thanks, I was starting to wonder if they even existed in EUR. I also wonder what happens if you try to use one in GBP to pay for an order in EUR.

OK, I got some explanation from the Customer Service, it turns out the country linked to my VIP card was the UK - which makes sense considering I'm fairly sure I got my VIP card there (there was no LEGO shop in Belgium or France at the time). So they fixed it; but it's a bit strange that the country for your VIP account and the web account are different. I'll try to salvage the question somehow.

The vouchers available in the VIP rewards centre are linked to one's country - that is, the country linked to one's VIP account.
Note that this is not the same as the country of one's account, even though both are linked, and can't be changed online at the moment but only via the Customer Service. There seem to be some kind of redundancy in the way LEGO handles countries and languages at the moment, hopefully they'll fix it at some point. Summary:

LEGO account (or LEGO.com profile) has a country, which can be changed online (in "Edit Profile" -> "My Information")
VIP account has a language preference which can be changed online, and a country which cannot

In any case, when facing trouble with anything related to the LEGO website, online shop or VIP centre, it is best to contact the Customer Service directly and they'll do their best to help (and even toss in some extra VIP points for your trouble, which is a rather nice gesture).
At the moment, it doesn't seem possible to get vouchers in another currency except through changing the country linked to the VIP account via the customer Service. This means if you want to redeem VIP points for LEGO purchases, you're in effect limited to do it in your own currency (assuming the vouchers aren't country-specific; haven't tried that yet); but that's probably a minor issue for the majority of people.
Also, shopping in LEGO stores in other countries will get you VIP points without problem - the only subtlety might be that due to exchange rate, you might get more or less points for a similar purchase. As an example, I bought 21319 (Central Perk) in The LEGO House for 649DKK and got 649 VIP points; if I compare that to other countries based on the online shop I get:

Denmark: 649DKK (~87€), 649 points, so 1 point per 0,1338 EUR spent
UK: 64,99 GBP (~75€), 520 points, so 1 point per 0,1446 EUR spent
Belgium: 69,99€, 525 points, so 1 point per 0,1333 EUR spent
France: 59,99€, 450 points, so 1 point per 0,1333 EUR spent

So the VIP points given when buying a set are tied to the DKK price of that set, and seem to be aligned on exchange rates, with possible the exception of the UK (the online shop notes explicitly that VIP points are calculated at checkout). The difference in VIP points received is probably not worth taking into account when purchasing; however, the price of the set can vary a lot from country to country, and that's worth taking into account.

I think you've gotten points/€ backwards in the results of the calculations for France and Belgium.

@Henrik indeed, I mess that up, it's fixed now. Thanks!

Very useful. Somehow my UK account has the USA as its region so I have been unable to do anything with 23,000 points! Have now contacted Lego customer service


text:
Electric motors - what for beginning?
I just got my first Technic joblot and now I am thinking about adding motors. I already have some - cheap ones from Amazon. I attached 1 axle pin to such motor with glue gun, works well except one thing - very often they are not powerful enough to run. I am thinking about getting starter set (8293), but at the same time I know I will enjoy adapting my own engines - question is which motors I should get in order to run builds that has lot of gears, hence lot of friction?

Hi @Slawosz, and welcome to Bricks Stack Exchange - your question might need some clarifications, particularly as to what you're trying to achieve. Pictures of what you've already done or the model to which you wish to adapt a motor might help. Also, what's a "joblot"?

Hi, I know this is a bit ambigous question, and I understand downvote. However I haven't found better space yet to ask and current @Joubarc answser is quite good.

If you're interested in comparing motors regarding to torque and what they can deliver, I would recommend  reading Philo's excellent motor comparison page which has a lot of detailed information, very much useful for tinkerers.
Of course not all of these motors are readily available nowadays and depending on your project some may be less suitable; but there's a good chance PF motors are what you're after.
While 8293 which you mentionned is a simple way to get one motor, keep in mind you're also getting a lot of extra stuff which may or may not be useful to you. In particular, battery boxes tend to get superfluous very fast (YMMV on this). So buying motors only might be a cheaper route; they are available per piece on LEGO's online shop - 8883 is the same as the set 8293; 88003 is a more Technic-oriented version and 8882 is the "XL" motor: slower, but with a lot of torque. (Again, read Philo's comparison). On the other hand, if you do want a battery box, it might be more interesting to buy a full motorized LEGO set, in which case you also get tons of additional elements, and the added thrill of building an official set. Beware that some motorized sets also come with IR remote & receiver, which may or may not interest you.
Note that the Power Functions system itself is going to be phased out by LEGO in favor of the newer Powered Up; but so far it's not quite clear if and how you can control those without a remote or app, as there's no "dumb" battery box so far - only hubs with more or less smartness.
And of course, since you're a programmer, you may want to have a look at programmable solutions, either EV3 or the upcoming Spike.

I really like your answer. I will probably accept soon.
So I think the best idea for me will be buying 8293, as will give me and my son some possibilities to make things working. And I will keep experimenting with custom motors.
Regarding programmable solutions, I am more interested in using Arduino/Rasberry Pi combo over Lego. Hence the question about 'custom' motors.

When using non-LEGO motors, maybe using a belt to drive a LEGO pulley could be a solution too; depending on the motor. But can't help you there, I'm leaning more on the "uses-only-LEGO-elements" side. On the other hand, if you get interesting results, you can also share them; I feel a question "How can you use non-LEGO motors to drive LEGO Technic models" could be interesting.

Given your background and overall goals (using 3rd parties motors currently and hoping to power creations using Arduino or Raspberry Pi), I wouldn't go with the starter kit. For my money, I'd buy an M-motor or two and see if they meet your needs. These are currently $7.49 individually on LEGO.com:
https://www.lego.com/en-us/product/lego-power-functions-m-motor-8883

As Joubarc pointed out, the starter kit comes with lots of "extras" (switch, lights, battery box, etc) that may add little value for you.

Given your background, you should have no problem modifying that motor to be driven from any source you like, and it will interface better physically with the LEGO Technic system than most solutions you'd come up with using off-the-shelf motors.
PF motor wiring is very simple, as the middle two wires (C1 and C2) simply connect directly to the motor. You can also pop the cover off and solder on your own wires.

I've butchered enough motors (and a 7864 transformer) by opening them when I was a kid that I don't want to do that ever again; but it's nice to see it's not that hard and they are readily available instructions to do so. I'd probably opt for just cutting the wire myself (and even then, I probably would only cut an extension wire), but for a tinkerer, that's definitely useful info

I'm wondering why one would want to tear the cover off to add new wires (except for a broken cable), instead of removing the plug block at the other end and using the original cables. If they are too short, solder and shrink tube seem a lot easier than the motor disassembly.

@WooShell Cutting the wire is certainly simpler. You could also cut an extension wire as Joubarc suggested. Desoldering and adding your own wiring does allow you to use any desired wire length, and you can (theoretically) return the motor back to its stock configuration, as you hopefully haven't permanently damaged any LEGO components. Also, if you use your own wiring and DuPont connectors, you can feed your wiring through the holes in Technic beams.

Also, as per the instructions linked, opening the motor allows you to remove the capacitor, which may in some instances be desirable.


text:
Compatibility between vintage (80s/90s) Technic and current parts (motors etc)
I've recently got my old Technic out for my daughter (who's a little young for her own, but her Friends now drive around in a tank).
If I start to acquire more, and more sophisticated, motors and controls, are the old ones (e.g. 6216m) still usable? Are there adaptor cables? Do modern motors even use the same voltage?

The motor you have linked is indeed quite old and as far as I know, not compatible with anything newer. Seeing that it works with simple DC current, it wouldn't be hard to construct a converter cable, but it is still some work (especially reducing the voltage from 9V to the 4.5V required by this motor).
The next generation (9V system: large motor, micromotor, mini-motor, buggy motor) has much better prospects regarding compatibility, as they can be used with the voltage regulator, the control center with the recording function, dumb battery boxes, first generation RCX controllers, cybermaster and code pilot units and there are even converter cables for the PF system. There are even light and sound elements for this system and the cables are nice and simple 2-wire ones with brick-compatible connectors, carrying anywhere between -9 and 9 volts.
The PF system has been in use for the last several years and is widely compatible even with 3rd party accessories like SBrick or BuWizz. The cables here have additional wires for controlling servo motors and the connectors are stackable, but proprietary and only partially compatible with LEGO bricks.
It is not yet clear if the even newer Control+ system will at any rate be backwards compatible at all, but knowing the LEGO community, it is only a matter of time.

If I buy new controllers I'll be able to use the old motor in that case: I've probably got a suitable voltage regulator in my electronics junk boxes (I guess I should hack it into a brick if I buy new stuff).  I've actually got a 9V battery box (4760c01, in white) with a siren and tiny flashing incandescent bulbs

Fun fact: using an antique train part is is possible to convert from 4,5v/12v connection to 9v connection via the top studs. It doesn't solve the voltage issue, but 4,5v cables make it rather easy to connect two motors in serial, this halving the voltage. This is mostly pointless, but it means there is a pure-LEGO solution to drive 4,5v motors even with aPF battery pack.

@Joubarc wow, that makes the decades of backwards compatibility broken now even longer!

That one may not have been intentional on LEGO's part though :-D

Parts are compatible, and the underlying system hasn't change, but Technic has transitioned away from using traditional studs, so you may find it a bit clunky to integrate older components.
The biggest difference for motors is electrical compatibility, as noted in another answer. Both the wire connectors and voltages used have changed a few times over the years.
The Technic axle connection has not changed, so you will be able to connect any LEGO Technic motor to modern gears without difficulty. It may be difficult to integrate older motors into studless Technic builds, as most were designed to attach using studs rather than Technic pins, but this is more of an annoyance than a hard limitation.
Another significant annoyance may be the gearing in older motors. Most older motors simply provided a Technic axle connection for a standard DC motor. Direct drive from a DC motor is too fast for most applications, so many older sets included multiple levels of gear reduction before driving axles on vehicles. Here's an example from 8054:

Newer motors are typically geared down, and may be used to drive axles directly, as seen here on the Batmobile:

You can likely work around the gearing issues, but be aware that you may need additional space and gears when using older motors.

That old example looks very familiar, and I've got a worm gear or two


text:
MouldKing set 13132 - Original design, alternate build or cloned MOC?
It seems that Chinese clone brand Mould King will be producing a new set that looks a bit like LEGO's Disney Castle set (71040).
It has two times as many parts, however, and unlike LEGO's Disney Castle it seems to have a front an back.
Does anyone here know anything about this design?
Is this an original design?
Is this perhaps an alternate build of 2 Disney Castles?
Or is this a clone of some MOC I'm not familiar with?
Here's some pictures of this new set, which I found here on Reddit.

Same look as the original LEGO Disney Castle, but with twice as many parts and with both front and back? Am I the only one feeling they just put two back-to-back?

@Joubarc : They definitely didn't just put two Disney castles back to back. If you hold a picture of the Disney castle next to it, you do see quite some differences.

I admittedly didn't try, that was just a random hunch. But yeah, now that I bothered to look at the original LEGO one, it's indeed very different.


text:
LEGO Boost Windows application malfunction
When I like to run an external driver, my LEGO hub is driving B driver when driven from PC (Windows 10 app installed).
When I try the same application using a smartphone it works as expected.
Have you encountered a similar situation?

Hi Xawery! I'm sorry but your question is hard to understand, so it probably won't be answered as it is now. Could you please post a concrete error message or a more detailed description of what is happening? A screenshot could be useful too. Or just have someone proofread your question if possible.

The issue is connected with that Lego stopped supporting and developing Windows application.

I was going to post this: the Windows app is out of date and no longer supported. You need to use a phone or tablet or switch to a third-party library.


text:
Can someone help identify this set from 2011 (Star Wars?)
I got this set but without instructions and as I have no idea what it my son can’t build it. Bags says 2011 and 135149.
Here’s a picture of the bags.

New here not sure how to add more pics

The year on the bags concerns the copyright on the bags, and have no relation to the set.

Welcome to Bricks.SE!

At the minimum, two separate sets:
Set #75048 The Phantom...

Only set to have a windshield in this style.

Astromech's body and leg found in pieces.

 ... and Set #75050-1 B-Wing.

Need less reflective/obstructed pics to identify more potential sets.
How to adds pics.
(Sorry rushing to go to work).

Edit your post.

Position cursor where you want to drop image.

Hit "picture frame icon" then browse to your image to add it.

Save edited post by hitting blue "Save Edits" button.

There are bags numbered 2,3 and 5 in the picture. That would exclude the Phantom as it only has limited pieces. The B-wing does not have any (visible) yellow pieces, so unless those are internally, that wouldn’t be a match either.

Calling for a mediator!  Where's Alexander "Hawk-eyes" O'Mara when we need him?

Deleted my alternative answer after looking closer at the cockpit canopy piece. Phantom indeed, so there is indeed more than 1 set in these bags.

Non apology accepted, but there are still pieces unaccounted for.  Bag 3 has a bunch o' black or dark brown technic pieces that needs id'ing.  It's too crazy for my eyes to parse these out.

Wow thank you all so much for responding. I will take additional photos tomorrow to try and better determine what we have but it’s very hopeful that you all were able to help so far with any of it! My son will be so happy!

How do I add photos in the comments? Can’t seem to figure that out

Sorry, misread your question. Can't post a picture in comments.  You may post a link to one though, but it would also work if you just edited your original post, so everyone can see the images right off the bat, instead of a character stringed hyperlink. Oh, and welcome to   Bricks.SE!


text:
Pearl gold vs flat dark gold
I've ordered 4 "pearl gold" pieces of part 92690 on BrickLink. Unfortunately, the seller had to adjust the order as he only had 3 such pieces, he proposed adding two more in "flat dark gold" in exchange, which I agreed to.
However, searching the BrickLink database, no such piece exists in flat dark gold in any set (the seller acknowledged that and he has no other explanation).
These are the pieces (pearl gold on the left, flat dark gold on the right):

My question: What is the origin of the flat dark gold pieces? Is this discoloring because of age? Or is the BrickLink database in error? Note that, at the time of writing this, 70 sellers are offering this piece in flat dark gold.

Weird, BrickLink lists Flat Dark Gold as in use from 2003 to 2007 but part 92690 as starting in 2011

There has been a slight change to the Pearl Gold/Warm Gold color recently that might explain the difference in color between those pieces. See this article on Reddit. Perhaps the right two “Flat Dark Gold” pieces are the newer recolor of Pearl Gold? I recall Jang from JangBricks talking about this as well in his videos.
Here is the picture from the Reddit article showing the new Pearl Gold on the top, and the old on the bottom.

Can't decide if this is the correct answer or not. It certainly is interesting... would need a couple of those pearl gold new pieces to compare... I'm inclined to think the flat dark gold is less shiny than the elements presented here, but that could just be lightening.

@MichaelVerschaeve check out the Pearl Gold/Warm Gold color picture on this page and then compare it with your pieces. Do you see how within the Pearl Gold family the color hues and marble effects change significantly?

The fact that so many sellers have it and named the color consistently pretty much rules out discoloration.
As to why the item isn't on BrickLink (or Brickset), I can only see the following explanation:

it's in a set which hasn't been inventoried yet (but your seller would probably have known which one)
it's been produced for something else which hasn't been inventoried for whatever reason - like the special Halloween elements in the minifigure walls in LEGO stores, for example... or some kind of Ninjago book (it does look Ninjagoesque to me), maybe not all of these have been inventoried
I don't think that happens anymore nowadays, but it could have been produced specially for something not even public, such has LEGOland parks

I think the only way to know is to ask vendors; out of the 70 there must be one who knows. I contacted one in France but he has no clue either - he was intrigued too when finding them and was never able to find where they came from. He does believe it to be discolouration due to aging. I still don't; but maybe pearl gold
acts differently than other colours.


text:
How do I determine which set number from a poly bag
I have a poly bag. It is number two in a set. Underneath the number is 342R7. The set is from 2015. The primary colors are burnt red, yellow, and gray.

Welcome to Bricks.SE.  The long numbers on the bag are the part number of the bag itself and don't help here.  The year narrows it down, but not enough.  We can't help much without clear pictures of the bag.  But with a picture the folks here can probably find it.

The year on the bag concerns the copyright of the bag, and has nothing to do with the set - and the set Joost determined this to be is indeed not from 2015.

This bag is from 60150-1: Pizza Van

Based on:

6015347: Plate 3X3 in Medium Stone Grey
4618986: Plate 2X6 in New Dark Red
And the yellow parts

According the instructions bag two is for the van

This is amazing! I can’t believe you figured this out! I am grateful!


text:
How to make Spik3r move without the pincers moving
How do you make Spik3r move without the pincers moving as well? Seems like the legs are only controlled by the motor on port B, but the move tank and steer modules only allow for the use of 2 ports. Using ports B and C (vacant) results in an error, while there appears to be no way to tell the motor on port A (pincers) to not to move when ports A & B are selected.

Don't use the Move Tank or Move Steer blocks. Use the Large Motor block for controlling a single motor instead.


text:
Plate 4x6+4x4+4x6
Does anyone know the part number for this plate? I think it's from the late 1960s or early 1970s.
I haven't been able to identify it myself via Google or by browsing BrickLink plate inventory...

That would be 781 Vehicle, Base 6 x 12.

It only came in 3 sets from 1972-1975, with only 379-2 Car and Caravan having it in white.

I've seen a lot of vehicle bases, but I never realized there was this much variation.


text:
What plane is the Aviation Adventures set based off?
The title states my question. I think it looks something like a Japanese Zero fighter, but it's slightly off.

My understanding is this model's design is meant to resemble a WWII style warbird, but probably not any specific model.
LEGO has a pretty strict policy about creating army-related sets, and when they do they are usually fantasy-based.

Are there any chances that Lego will ever start producing modern day warfare Lego, with tanks and helicopters and what not?
We have a strict policy regarding military models, and therefore, we do not produce tanks, helicopters, etc. While we always support the men and women who serve their country, we prefer to keep the play experiences we provide for children in the realm of fantasy.
-- Gizmodo - Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Lego

The most-modern military planes they have made so far are WWI models of Red Baron and Sopwith Camel.
For this reason, it would make sense that they would avoid making it look exactly like any specific military plane.


text:
8386 Ferrari F1 Racer convert to an RC

Help convert 8386 Ferrari F1 Racer to an RC

It probably wouldn't be too hard to replace the steering yoke with a Power Functions Servo Motor, and the engine block with a Power Functions motor. Although battery pack and IR receiver might have to sit on top. I don't have this model myself to experiment with though.

Alexander thank you for the advice! Before I begin with the conversion, ideas and suggestions from you guys with experiences would lesser the job. I am just starting collecting some pieces available from my place. That is why I got interested more and more with lego.

If you are looking for direct instructions converting this set to RC you won't probably find it here. It is just a big of a job for such a simple request.
However I could suggest placing PF Servo motor where the steering wheel is and PF L-motor where fake engine sits. You can probably fit smaller PF battery box in one of the side covers with fake radiators. And PF IR-receiver can be placed wherever it is convenient. Don't forget you need PF remote control to drive your model. There shouldn't be a need for extra gears if motors placed in suggested places.
I can also suggest to try converting such set to RC on your own. It has plenty of space, a lot of potential to gain experience and shouldn't be a big of deal to convert. It might not look great on the first iteration, but with a bit of persistence and more practise you can make it look much better.

Alex thank you for detailed instructions. I just bought a new set of +power functions (8293) however I still don’t have the remote control piece and another motor. I wished I could upload a picture of it here in comment section, is this not possible? Again thank you!

@allan 8293 set won't be much of a help here, unfortunately. The M-motor, this set has, isn't powerful enough to move the model. There's also other bits missing required for motorization. PF elements provided in the answer are quite expensive. So the most cost efficient way of getting them is by finding used 9398 or 42030 set. These contain all the elements you need for motorization, except small PF battery box, since both sets come with a larger one. But it can be fit into model too.


text:
Does someone know this tire's origin? What set contains this piece?
I bought a box of LEGO in a second-hand store for my niece and in it was 4 of these wheels. Can someone help me find it so I can build the rest?

It's Part #32197 - Wheel 81.6 x 34 ZR Three Spoke Swirl. made only for one set.

Set #8448 - Super Street Sensation.

That is an awesome set to have - desired by many as it is considered to be one of the best Technic cars ever made.