text:
Why are some seemingly simple sets, so expensive?
My son has fallen in love with the Lego City series.  Alas, I let him watch a YouTube from the video game, and as we look to reward good behavior with reasonable sets, we are seeing very odd price patterns.
Within the Lego City series, a simple set, like a small car or helicopter might be $10.  But the police station might be 70-80 dollars.  Ok, more complex set, I suppose I can accept that.
But then we look at some of the medium size sets and the prices on Amazon seem very high.  (Any prices I quote for specific things are meaningless since they seem to change).
But we are seeing 200 and 300 dollar sets? That seems a bit extreme.

Without examples, it's difficult provide a precise answer, but I'll give it a shot.
Since you mentioned Amazon, I assume that's where you are getting your pricing information from. As you noted, prices from many retailers will fluctuate based on supply and demand, and that can often explain why a set is expensive.
Amazon in particular lists many sets which are no longer in production. As an extreme example, the UCS Millenium Falcon is currently listed at over $3000 USD even though its MSRP is just $499.99. Popular items tend to be more expensive on sites like Amazon after the item is no longer being produced by TLG due to shrinking supply.
You can search sites like brickset.com and others to find information about the year a set was released and its MSRP. In general, if a set was released more than 3 years ago, it is no longer in production and you will probably pay a premium to get it new and in its original box. You can also start by shopping at LEGO.com where all of the sets will be currently in production.

I will check out the other sites you suggested. What is annoying is of course the ads at the end of the instruction books are what my son is basing his desires on, and they seem to be very out of date.

Just to add one more thing to jncraton's very nice and detailed response. You mentioned that your son really likes City sets. That is actually a good thing as far as getting standard prices because City is a perennial LEGO theme. The Police station your son sees at the back of an old instruction-manual may have been retired, but you can be rest assured that there is a newer version currently available. LEGO City police, fire, construction and cost-guard sets are always available.
I would suggest that you check the Online LEGO Shop for the current selection of LEGO City sets and have your son choose what he likes from there. You can also request a Retail Catalog LEGO will send you by mail every few months which contains some of the latest sets - it is very nice to browse through it. This might be a better way for your son to pick the sets he likes.
If you still decide to shop on Amazon, shop only for current sets (the ones you have seen at the Online LEGO Shop), instead of retired sets. Current sets should be the same price or better then what's available directly from LEGO. Also make sure you are shopping directly from Amazon, and not from an Amazon reseller. Listings with the "Eligible for Free Super Saver Shipping" option included are directly from Amazon and should have the best price.

I think the key point that I have learned from yours and jncratons responses is that Lego retires sets pretty hard and rolls over to new versions much faster than I ever expected.

The City\Police subtheme does seem to go through quite a rapid refresh, there seems to be a new police station every year.

The cheapest set for basic bricks if 6177.  650 Bricks for $30 (US).  Most are the tiny ones, not the standard 4X2s, but it's still the best value out there.

A great article on Medium explains this in detail: essentially it boils down to marketing costs, licensing royalties, and an obsession with quality. Think about it, when's the last time you put two LEGOs together and they didn't have a perfect, snug fit, even after years of use?

This line looks like as if the author didn't know Duplo was also made by LEGO: "Despite numerous competitors, including Duplo and Mega Bloks"


text:
How can I transmit horizontal torque to vertical?
I have a setup where I have a step motor which I am attaching a gear onto. The motor will make the gear stand horizontal in a small vehicle. Is there any good gear combinations of LEGO gears that can transform the  horizontal torque of the gear into vertical torque that drives the wheels of the small car I am building?
Are there multiple combinations of LEGO gears that can provide this kind of torque transmission?

you may want to omit the "gluing" part - it may have people flee in disgust and it's not really relevant to the question anyway

@Joubarc Thanks for the comment, i am doing it since regular stepper motors powered by an arduino needs to have a "starting" lego brick attached to their rod that spins

That said, this question is very similar, if not a full duplicate, of Strongest gear configuration

There are a number of ways to do this. Here is one of the easiest and earliest methods:

For that design, you'll need this part (3650):

And one of the 8-tooth gear variants:

You'll also need suitable Technic axles, Technic bricks (3700 is used above), and Technic plates (32001 in the example) to match your overall design needs.
You can also do something similar using a combination of bevel gears or double bevel gears:

Don’t suppose you can identify all the bricks in the top photo please

@marklowns I've updated my answer with part numbers and links to appropriate parts.

I'd like to cover two other techniques that work well, they both transmit horizontal torque to vertical but in slightly different ways that I believe may be useful for different situations.

Worm Gears

Worm gears are fairly small (less than two studs long). Worm gears are designed to be operated in one direction and can only be driven by the axle with the worm gear. You can get some very high gear ratios when combining a worm gear with another gear.
Knob Wheel

Knob wheels are only compatible with other knob wheels, they cannot be used with gears. They can be used parallel (like standard gears) and at 90 degree angles (like crown/bevel gears).
I find knob gears are easier and more comfortable to turn by hand and they appear to be more commonly included with recent Technic sets.

source: Stack Exchange

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

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

sort: votes


text:
How do I organize all my LEGO bricks and parts?
I have a massive amount of LEGO laying around in a container. It's kind of hard to sort through whenever I need parts. I was wondering if anyone has experience with many different sizes of LEGO bricks/parts and how to organize them. This seems like a problem most LEGO enthusiasts will have at some point, so is there some kind of "best practice" for a sorting scheme? What's the most suitable container to store LEGO in? Is there a common box that enthusiasts use? Do people often make their own box?

As you mentioned sorting and storing LEGO does become an issue as you start to amass a massive collection. There are however great solutions worked out already by LEGO fans. The earlier you set up a storage system that works for you, the better, and the easier it is going to be to manage your projects, and also stay enthusiastic in the hobby. Here are a couple of articles I wrote in regards to the topic, laying out what LEGO fans use and ways to get you started:
How to sort LEGO: http://thebrickblogger.com/2010/12/how-to-sort-lego/
How to store LEGO: http://thebrickblogger.com/2010/12/how-to-store-lego/
In addition, I have been maintaining a couple of Flickr Galleries where people show off their LEGO storing and sorting solutions. Seeing how other people sort and organize their LEGO can be very helpful, especially as your collection grows.
LEGO Display & Storage Ideas Gallery 2: http://www.flickr.com/photos/akunthita/galleries/72157629813455752/
LEGO Display & Storage Ideas Gallery 1:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/akunthita/galleries/72157625185890950/
You don't have to spend that much to set up a good system. What it requires though is to think through what you want and also what kind of space you have. The above information should get you started with ideas and solutions, and you should be able to get yourself organized easily.

Stack Exchange frowns on link-only answers because links may die, and that causes the answer to be useless once they do. Without clicking those links, I get close to zero information (aside from the fact that the information does, or did, exist) from this answer. Strongly recommend summarizing each of the links you offer, so in a worst-case-scenario there is still something useful here.

@KRyan but if "The BrickBlogger" loses interest in its blog, it is unlikely to care about this answer. So why would it bother working to make this answer useful in that case?

@Mσᶎ Uh, cuz maybe he cares about this community and making it the best of can be?

@KRyan right now that's possibly true (its pattern of link-only answers suggests otherwise, however). My point was that your request is future-oriented, "in the future if you lose interest in your blog the links will become useless", but in that even they'll also likely lose interest in this site. The willingness to spam links into duplicate questions is also bad.

I appreciate the concern, however I would add that sorting and storing LEGO is a dynamic process - besides just the basic separate by colors and/or parts. There is no absolute answer that will forever pass the test of time. And there are always newer and better storage solutions becoming available. This is why I added a link to two galleries I curate on flickr featuring solutions people come up with. I felt that this was more useful than just saying "you should sort this way". Yes, one day flickr, TBB and even this site may disappear, and we will all die, but the answer is relevant for now.

In addition, the OP selected this as the best answer, which means that they found it helpful for their purposes. Isn't this is what this forum supposed to be about? Helping each other out instead of just being an encyclopedia of dry information?

A lot of people prefer wide, shallow boxes to store parts — because it allows you more surface area to see what's in there. A Dollar store is a great place to get cheap storage containers.

Sorting LEGO bricks is more complex than you might think. Frequency of use, shape of the brick, and communication with others are essential features of a good classification. Have a look at this book, it covers the sorting of LEGO bricks extensively: The Ideal Order

Well if you need to organize your collection in a neat way that is easy to get to, I would use tackle boxes that you would normally use for fishing, because they come in all sorts of sizes and shapes and it can be easy to organize your collection in a neat way.

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

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


text:
Can anyone help me identify the motor/mechanism used in this?
I've been trying to recreate the Useless Machine found here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdKtgfmfA7s&feature=c4-overview&playnext=1&list=TLp4R5S7LPESk
In the description, there's a link to a brickshelf gallery that has detailed pictures of the insides of the machine: http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=416984
I think I've figured out most of the mechanism, but can't for the life of me figure out what motor is being used, and how the motor stops running once the arm is sufficiently retracted. There doesn't seem to be another switch hiding at the bottom... Those two things have just been bugging me for a while.
First post here, I'm only just getting into LEGO, thanks for the help!

The motor appears to be a very standard 9V motor, presumably using a conversion cable as the switch is a PF one.
As for how it stops, it's not that complicated: when activated,the mechanism pushes the switch back to its "off" position, which is what makes the motor stop. You'll probably think the motor direction is reversed and that's what makes the arm go back in the box, but that's not the case: the motor is actually off and what makes the arm go back is simply its own weight.

It did turn out to be a 9V motor, thanks!
I've now built the structure itself (everything in this image: http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=4299452 ), and now I'm not too sure about whether or not the arm's weight is enough to make it close itself, since even after trying to loosen it up a bit, it definitely doesn't seem to be able to close itself. The arm reaches out and shuts the machine down just fine- it just doesn't retract. I'd rather not add weights to it, or anything like that, and now I'm curious as to how he got it to work...

Note that there are actually two versions of that motor (71427 until 2002, then 43362). Not sure if it would make a difference, but since the mechanism has to make the motor rotate and the newer one (43362) has more internal friction, maybe it would work better with the older version.


text:
What part(s) can I use to connect technic liftarms at a 90 degree angle?

Is there a way to connect the two beams in this angle and still keep the connection strong and keep the rotation the same?

By the way, if you're after strong connections, I would also suggest replacing your grey Technic pins, which are frictionless, by black ones, which will lock the beams better into place. The difference might not be huge, but it may help.

@Joubarc Thanks! A really really good tip

You probably could use this, which looks exactly like it's the missing part of your puzzle:

You'll be interested to know that this part has intitially been proposed by the first four fans (MUPs, for LEGO Mindstorms Users Panel) working on the very first NXT kit and regularly ran into the same problem as yours. A lot of Technic fans now name the part after Steve Hassenplug, as Brian Davis started called it "hassenpin", eventhough according to him it was more a collaborative effort. It's nice to see that LEGO does listen to the people it invites to workshops (the big wheels in the Emerald Night are another example of this).

Are we sure Steve Hassenplug didin't set up a dummy account to pose this question? :P

@gev I really can confirm i'm not him, yes :-)

I guess we'll just have to trust you... I mean, what else is there? :)

A fresh link for this part - http://www.peeron.com/inv/parts/55615. It's called "Pin connector perpendicular" in LDraw.

If you don't have any of the 90-degree pin connectors, here is another solution using more common parts. It does add to the profile, but is sturdy.


text:
How can I preserve opened Lego packages?
For some reason I keep my old Lego boxes (since the 1980s), and my son's old Lego packages. Because they are quite large, they take up a lot of space in my house, even if they are put one into another. I suppose I am not the only one (see this comment) who keeps them.
I actually don't know why I store them — maybe some psychological issue — but how can I effectively store old packages? And those of you who keep old boxes, do you ever display them, or browse them? Or do you just keep them?

@Ambo100: I don't think this is a duplicate question. The referenced question asked how to best store new unopened boxes to preserve their value, while this one asks how to store already opened boxes. Perhaps the title can be rephrased to better reflect the difference.

Well I used to keep mine as well. One thing I found very good was to take a razor or a box cutter and cut the front and backs off! this may seem obvious or defeat the purpose, but it made them easier to store. I would stack them all and slip them on a shelf or under my bed to keep them flat. This proved to be a very effective solution. Also, you could try to collapse them at the ends to have them take up less room as well.

When I was young my mother used the technique of cutting out the front and back and thus preserving the various ideas that the photographs of the set provided.  She stuck the box bits into a large craft book and it was stored on the bookshelf; it was handy to get to and flip through.  Don't do this; don't go cutting the front and the back off.  Whilst most of the interesting information is only on the front and back, the economic value of the box is destroyed when you cut it up like this.
If you want to resell the LEGO as a set later, having the original box greatly increases the value of the set.  The boxes for certain Technic sets can achieve values of $50 or $100 - just for the box.
The best way to preserve a LEGO box without it taking its full volume is to use a box cutter to cut the glue that holds the flaps onto the sides.  This preserves every visible surface of the box and allows you to reassemble/re-glue it at some point in the future. Cut down like this the box takes up a fraction of its original size, and can be stored in an out-of-the-way place like an attic or on top of large shelving (be aware that a box cut down like this can be surprisingly large and unwieldy).  Don't stack too many boxes atop each other like this - cardboard is both heavy and floppy, and searching through a substantial stack may require more strength/space than you have available.

Well there is two ways the easy way to throw them into a bucket or you can first separate them into groups either by size,color,set,etc. than put each group of separated LEGO bricks in some sort of container such as a bucket box or back. I think that a bucket is the best idea because it is more safe and can be put anywhere of size

I was asking about packages (boxes), not bricks


text:
What advanced railroad features are possible with the Lego PF train sets?
I recently got my first train set, the Constitution Chase, and it has sparked my imagination for building train layouts. My 3-year-old son has a small collection of wooden trains and we enjoy building tracks together. His tracks include cross-overs, switches, and bridges, and I know there is a wide range of products in that family that we could pour money into: elevated tracks, etc. However, now that the Lego train has invaded our home, I feel that we'd be better served building Lego layouts.
I've seen from shop.lego.com that there are straight, curved, flexible, and switch tracks available for purchase now. However, there doesn't seem to be any of the following currently for sale:

cross-overs (there was a 9V crossover at one point)
bridges (presumably, we just build whatever bridges we need, whatever way we want)
sloping track
double switches (There was one for sale a few years back, but it's extremely expensive now)

So, given the rather limited track selection, but the otherwise infinite flexibility of Lego, is it possible to build what's missing? Can cross-overs or double-switches be built from parts? Can PF trains climb sloping tracks, or go down inclines (and how do we make the track incline properly)? Is there an easy way to achieve a figure-8 track layout?
Bonus points for solutions that stick to System pieces instead of Technic pieces, since I have more System than Technic. I am, however, willing to buy parts as needed (except that double-switch, yikes it's expensive).

Track Features
You can do most things that you can do with traditional model railroads using LEGO trains. This includes cross track, bridges, switches, and inclines.
Cross track
As far as I know, this was never released for either RC or PF trains. As you noted, there was a cross track part for the 9V trains. If you aren't aware, 9V, RC, and PF track is mechanically compatible, the only difference is that 9V track has metal rails. If you don't mind the look of metal rails on your cross track when the rest of your track is plastic, the 9V crossing should work fine.
Bridges
You are correct that there aren't dedicated train bridges. You are left to build whatever you like.
You can make anything from a simple bridge that just holds up the track like this one based on the Unofficial LEGO Technic Builder's Guide (source):

Or you can create something elaborate like this bridge from the 2006 NMRA show:

Sloping Track
LEGO does not produce sloping track for the common train gauge. There is sloping track for the 4-stud gauge, but I doubt you will have much use for it. Aside from the tiny gauge, it is also too steep to climb for normal trains. Here's what it looks like:

Monorails did use sloped track, so if you don't mind mixing those into your layout, they could be an easy option. Here's an example of elevated track from 6399:

You can also build your own inclines, but keep in mind that it takes quite a bit of space. You can't do much more than 2 plates of incline per track section for most trains.
Switches
Each era of trains has had switches, so this is not an issue.
Double switches
Other than the one you mentioned, I don't think this has ever been released before. It seems like it would be pretty difficult to build custom track from parts, and this would very challenging to build.
Example layouts
Sets often come with example layouts including which track pieces that you need. Here's one example from an old 12V set:

Here's a similar example from a 9V set:

I'll just leave you with this cool 12V layout video.

So if the track elevates at 2 plates per straight piece, then in order to reach 12 bricks high I'd need about 2.3m of track in one direction. Hm, that's pretty long.

Indeed. It works for larger hobbyist layouts, but that's a lot of track for a typical child's layout. If you go with monorail track, it has dedicated incline pieces and a center cog which allow for much steeper grades. You can reach 10 bricks high with about a half meter of track.

You can create crossover tracks out of LEGO elements much like I did in this video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_i6OWkxXtuo

I got all the parts for around 4€
Also you can create your own slopes will standard LEGO tracks. You can watch then in action in this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMWF465KWfY and read about how to create them yourself at The Technic Gear.
My advice is just take a sheet and think and draw before start building.

The crossover hasn't been done in RC track, but a 9V crossing will work just fine, as PF and RC track are physically compatible (the only difference being the lack of conducting metal on PF track, which is a problem only when using 9V motors).
LEGO never produced specific bridges, which makes sense since everyone builds his own. The closest thing would be Heavy hauler, which contains ready-made bridge elements - but that's the upper decoration only, you'd still need to build a sturdy structure under it.
Another reason why LEGO probably never made any is that they'd also need to take sloping into account, and it would mean a set containing way too much track. The Duplo and monorail slopes can be very steep because the trains use gears on a rack, but a regular LEGO train will need a way more gentle slope. Some people recommend no more than 1 plate every track piece; 1 brick is really pushing it (depending on your train), and more is certainly not a good idea. Even with 1 brick every track piece, you'll only get 8 bricks higher every meter. Not a problem if you've got the bricks and track, but it makes sense that LEGO wouldn't produce a full slopes/bridge set.
Sloping by itself isn't required either, as the slope has to be gentle, the existing track will easily accommodate the connections. There you'll certainly need to limit the slope change to no more than one plate per track part. For example, if you really want to have a slope of 1 brick per track, you'll need to start with 1 plate, then only 1 brick (+2 plates) and 2 bricks (+3 plates). Same thing at the top, so if you go to 10 bricks for example, the heights of your pillars will be: ...0, 0, 0, 1 plate, 1 brick, 2 bricks, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 9 bricks and 2 plates, 10 bricks, 10, 10, ... Yup, it's long. Note that if you don't care about that, the flex-track piece is very flexible in that regards too.
When LEGO introduced RC track, one of their arguments was that they would be able to do much more fun stuff with track, which they immediately demonstrated with the double-crossover switch, and later with the flex-track, but unfortunately they haven't really followed suit on that topic. Probably trains aren't such a big market for LEGO (that's the reason they stopped 9V to start with).
And you didn't read this from me, but RC track is easier to mod than 9V track...
As for what's possible, keep in mind there are some existing software for track planning. Even LEGO has a basic online one, but for serious stuff you'd probably better use Alban Nanty's BlueBrick. There's also Train Depot Track Designer which hasn't been updated in a long time but may still prove easier to use.

The link to Lego's track planning tool seems to be broken.

Here is a new cross track available from Bastens http://www.bastens.com/cross-train-track-lego-compatible.html which is more stable than building one from scratch.
Cheers!

I think the question is referring to original LEGO PF pieces and not third party parts.


text:
Alternative builds with Star Wars LEGO sets
I currently own these LEGO Star Wars sets:
LEGO Star Wars X-Wing Starfighter 9493
LEGO Star Wars Millennium Falcon 7965
LEGO Star Wars Tie Fighter 9492
LEGO Star Wars Emperor Palpatine's Shuttle (8096)
LEGO Star Wars Slave 1 (8097)
LEGO Star Wars Anakin's & Sebulba's Podracers 7962
LEGO Star Wars AT-RT 75002
LEGO Star Wars 9496 Desert Skiff
LEGO Star Wars 9498 Saesee Tiin's Jedi Starfighter
LEGO Star Wars Rancor Pit 75005
LEGO Star Wars Luke's Landspeeder (8092)
LEGO Star Wars 9516 Jabba's Palace
LEGO Star Wars 9515 The Malevolence
Lego Star Wars Geonosian Starfighter 7959

I would like to know if there are alternative builds/sets I can make with some or all of them?
My goal is to build something else with what I have that is Star Wars related.
Thanks

You have a lot, and I like them all, you maybe can make some official sets out of your pieces. There is a page where it counts your inventory and pieces and tells you what officials sets you can build with that. I don't remember the link now but oddTodd has it, you may click on it. My answer, you can put the "Rancor Pit" and "Jaba's Palace" together, I mean, the palace above the "Rancor Pit" and you can make the famous scene when Luke falls into it. Good luck!!!

The brickbros on youtube also make great alternative builds, so you should check them out!

There is a website, http://rebrickable.com/, that lets you enter the sets you have, and it compares the inventories to other sets to determine which other official sets you can build with those pieces. It also includes unofficial MOCs that other builders have submitted, and it will substitute other part colors if you choose.
For example, just entering the first six sets on your list, it suggested a mid-sized (360 piece) TIE Interceptor MOC (http://rebrickable.com/mocs/anincompoop25/tie-interceptor) for which you already have all of the pieces.

However, if you're looking for an official alternate/combiner build, then no. Star Wars isn't very big on combiner or alternate models, although the early, 1999 sets include inspirational photos. Over the years, Star Wars combiners/alternates have been released via LEGO Club or LEGO Build Together, but unfortunately none of your sets have an alternative/combiner build.

Build Together sounds nice ( https://www.wired.com/2012/05/lego-build-together/ ) but it seems to have been absorbed and lost into LEGO.com.


text:
NXT brick erratic programming behavior
I think I have a defective NXT brick. It has been programmed to move in a direction for 1 second, wait 1 second  and then move in the reverse direction for 1 second. The code downloads on another brick and works fine. I have tried changing the battery pack, changing the motor, changing laptops, changing usb cords, cables, etc. and bricks. The problem has been isolated to the brick. I tried a soft reset and ultimately a hard reset with new firmware download and nothing works. I am truly perplexed. I am using Windows 7 and also tried it on XP. The motor will run in one direction. It starts off slow, speeds up, pauses, and then goes faster. When I turn the brick on, the motor runs briefly before the NXT chirp sound comes up. Yes it is plugged into the correct motor port.

Since you've thoroughly narrowed it down to the brick itself, you'd probably be safer to contact the LEGO customer service to ask for a replacement

Looks like it might be a defective motor driver chip (though they are pretty tough!). What happens if you connect the motor on another port of the same brick? (with program change to reflect port modification)


text:
Where can I buy older sets, such as the 10187 VW Beetle?
A few years ago LEGO issued a wonderful set of a classic 1960 Volkswagen Beetle, for an selling price of $120.
A few years have past and I can't find it anywhere except on eBay where it is sold for $400 and above because of its uniqueness and rarity.
Does LEGO still sell older models anywhere in the world? If not, where can I find them?

Please note that this site is just a community of LEGO fans and is not affiliated with the LEGO company in any way; if you want a straight answer from the LEGO company, you should contact their own customer service to ask your question. That said, welcome to bricks.se!

I've edited your question to make it a better fit for our Q&A format, and so that it doesn't talk to LEGO directly. Also, I remove the part about re-issuing a set, which I feel is another question - one which already has some answers

Assaf, please note that this is not part of LEGO's website. StackExchange doesn't sell LEGO sets. In regards to your question, you are right; the #10187 LEGO Volkswagen Beetle is no longer available directly from LEGO. It was a set that was released back in 2008.
LEGO usually keeps sets on the market for a couple of years, sometimes a bit longer if they are very popular. The VW Bettle has been retired quite a while ago, and as you have seen, it is only available on the secondary market.
Besides checking on eBay as you have already done, you can also check on Bricklink. Prices are high, but occassionally someone may sell one for less if the set is used, missing the box, etc. Here is the link to the current listings: #10187 Volkswagen Bettle
LEGO usually doesn't re-release a set, but sometimes may come up with a model similar to the earlier release with improvements. I don't know if this interests you, but currently LEGO sells the VW Camper, which is an absolutely deligthful set. See here: #10220 Volkswagen T-1 Camper Van


text:
What is this yellow hinge piece named?
Recently, I've been flipping through a scan of the March 1995 edition of the LEGO Mania Magazine. Something in the corner of page 11 caught my eye:

This is the 5th step of the "Flip & Build" segment. I am absolutely puzzled; what is that yellow element that forms that arm? (And by extension, how does it clip to that 1x2 black plate?)
Bear in mind that this is from 1995, so it's no surprise if this piece is discontinued now despite being common back then. Really, what piece is that?

I think this is the yellow element: Hinge Bar 2 with 3 Fingers and Top Stud

And this the black "plate": Hinge Plate 1 x 2 with 2 Fingers and Solid Studs

Both elements are hinges, so they can connect.

That's definitely it - funny how the black parts look more grey than black, though, but that's 1995 for you

The black parts still look more grey than black in the printed instructions!

all the parts in the instructions are outlined in black, so the inside of the black parts are colored a little bit lighter. this way you can see details like open or solid studs

Yes, I believe that is it. Uncommon part, but still available in the current LDD lineup.

Interestingly enough, this piece is also used as a fork and fits in the hand of minifigures, and the forked end can also fit into the slits of a 1x2 grill piece.


text:
Why do basic brick boxes tend not to include many gray bricks?
Here are some examples of current basic brick boxes:

5749
6177
4625
4626

Of those, only 5749 has a significant number of gray bricks, and it still includes much less gray than black, blue, green, red, yellow, or white. Here's what the contents of 6177 look like:

In my collection, the grays are much more common than lime and orange, so why aren't grays well represented in these sets?

Because they are not colourful to children?

Psychology
This eHow article explains quite well why people (children in particular) are attracted to bright colours. Whilst it doesn't directly relate to LEGO, or toys in general, it does make quite a few good points about the effect colours have on our choices:

"According to a 2005 research article published by the BBC, children
  can see and even appreciate colors as early as four months old. At
  that age, however, their eyes may not yet be sufficiently developed to
  recognize various shades of color or differentiate dull colors like
  grey and brown."

This doesn't really apply to the sets you've shown which are marketed towards children aged four and over, although it may apply to Duplo sets which are made for younger children.

"a preference for bright colors may be a result of evolutionary
  developments. Many naturally occurring foods---like tomatoes, apples,
  oranges, bananas and berries---are bright, bold colors when they are
  ripe and ready for consumption. By contrast, almost all fruits turn a
  brown, black or gray color as they pass their readiness for
  consumption and begin to rot."

Here we have another reference to an ingrained biological behaviour, It's probably insignificant considering how the majority of the bricks and the packaging are brightly coloured.

"adults typically associate bright colors with fun, happy times. For
  this reason, many parents bombard children with brightly colored
  gifts, paint children's rooms bright colors, and deliver marketing and
  entertainment messages to children through the use of brightly colored
  cartoons."

I can't claim to know a thing about psychology but from my experience building models as a child, I know that the focus has always been on building something you can play with. A few gray pieces here and there wouldn't stop me from building a car with psychedelic mixture of colours
Building
Supposing you're a child and you ready to build something from the real world that's both gray and exciting. Well, there are a few animals like elephants, rhinos and wolves you could build but other then that there aren't that many realistic things you could build apart from castle walls, boulders etc... (You are welcome to challenge me on that point)
Manufacturing
Keeping the amount of colours to a minimum, makes the manufacturing process cheaper. Fewer part bins need to be sourced and delivered to the packaging area (although a large part of this process is automated).


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

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


text:
How can I find out what parts are in a Lego set?
I am building an inventory of all my LEGO pieces and I am looking for a website that can give the pieces in a set with only the set number. It would be easier if there was information for many LEGO sets with the full inventory. I also will need to have a file of all LEGO parts.

I have found a file that may help. Here it is. I haven't looked at it yet. I'll add it as an answer if it is right.

Peeron sounds just like what you're looking for. You can add sets to your account, and view how many of a certain piece you own, and in what colours.

Peeron USED to be awesome. Then, one day, I came home with some new sets and Peeron HAD NO CLUE. That was about three years ago, and the only sets I've added since then are the architecture sets, since they were seriously easy to remember. So, currently I'm adrift in the inventory department. frump

Here are the options that I'm aware of along with some basic pros and cons:
Rebrickable
Rebrickable provides set inventories for nearly all sets. It includes sets from all time, and is still being updated as new sets come out. Rebrickable also provides all set inventories for offline use via its download page.
Bricklink Inventory Reference
Bricklink probably provides the most complete and up to date set inventory data. These inventories are also very detailed and include extra parts, sticker sheets, etc. If you are a seller on Bricklink, you can also part out sets into your inventory which could be useful to you at some point.
Brickset / Lego.com
TLG provides nearly complete inventories for sets online via the replacement parts page. You can use this to get part information from your sets, but the interface is lacking because this isn't really what the page is meant for.
Brickset provides this same part data in a format which is much better for viewing. Simply search for a set and use the "Parts" tab to view contents if they are available.
These resources have a couple of downsides:

They only include relatively new sets.
Set inventories aren't as complete as Peeron or Bricklink.

Peeron
This site is great for old sets, but it isn't updated anymore.

I use Rebrickable and have found the site-owner to be very friendly and open to feedback. As you point out, the philosophy is to help build sets, not to catalog each variation of a piece. For that reason, the site originally did not distinguish between some colors such as the "old" and "bley" tones of gray. I see the site now does distinguish between them, but unfortunately for me I had entered the bulk of my collection before that.

Try the bricklink catolog. They also have inventories like Peeron, but
a little bit more detailed (like part variations)
and also include stuff like extra parts and Ninjago cards.


text:
Where are the cloth / fabric minifigure capes / cloaks in my set?
I purchased The Mines of Moria (Lego Lord of the Rings item 9473) directly from The Big Store in Legoland, Florida.  When I opened it up at home, the capes / cloaks for Pippin and Boromir were missing.  No other parts appear to be missing, and the set did not appear tampered with.
I went to the LEGO website to report the missing items. The only items listed as "out of stock" on the website parts list were the capes and, as to be expected, the Cave Troll. While I can understand the fascination with the Cave Troll (it is a popular, obscure, and easy to rip off item from the set), I wonder if capes / cloaks going missing from sets is a chronic problem, as those being the only other items out of stock may indicate a larger issue.
Has anyone else experienced missing minifigure capes / cloaks, or is this issue unique to me?  Or, am I just seeing the "out of stock" message and imagining a problem where none exists?

Not all parts are available from the online page, especially rare or unusual parts - I'm not surprised the capes or parts of a Troll wouldn't be there. As for the parts missing in your box, well, if they're in the instructions, they should be in the box, period. Check their part IDs in the parts list at the end of the instructions, and call the customer service with that info.

I found them.
The capes were packaged in a small, unmarked, rectangular, white, cardboard box that was taped shut. Apparently, this little box came with the set, but someone else assumed it was filler trash and put it on our recycling queue.
Considering the capes are the only items out of stock besides the Cave Troll, it is possible others may be simply dismissing the box, and discarding it as filler.  This could explain why they are out of stock (or, as TheBrickBlogger's answer indicates, they are popular items like the Cave Troll).
After discovering the capes, I've cancelled my replacement order.  I provided feedback to LEGO recommending they make the container box more obvious.

Lesson learned: Never let anything from the box out of your sight until the model is completed.

I have not heard of this problem before and I'm a member of several LEGO communities. However it is quite possibe that a batch is missing the parts, or even just your one box. I would suggest that instead of trying to get the replacement parts online, just call customer service and get them that way. Perhaps they are holding back on online stock because they want to make sure that real replacement issues get taken care of before someone buys the parts as extras. Those little capes are quite popular. ;)


text:
Common, practical use for this piece
I've been digging to some old inventories and noticed that all Bohrok from the Bionicle theme contains this piece:

I'm pretty sure I have this piece in my collection, probably from a Bohrok. At that time, I think I might have dismissed it as not a LEGO piece and I might have tossed it. Turns out, it is. I'm pretty sure this piece wasn't mentioned in the instructions booklet itself. Within this Bohrok set, what is it used for? And how is it used in other sets? Bricklink lists this as a belt/rubber band holder, but I'm not quite sure how it can be used as such.

Its called a Nnenn cause a famous Lego fan with that username and he was known with that as avatar

Fikko, it is not a regular part. It is simply a piece of plastic for holding the rubber bands that came in sets to make sure they are visible enough and won't get lost in the packaging. And you could also use them to store your rubber bands so they won't get lost.
These days LEGO uses a little paper-sleeve for rubber-bands, string, etc., however before 2008 the piece you meantioned was used in sets with rubber bands. There is also a larger version for bigger rubber-bands.
Even though it is not a regular LEGO element I have seen LEGO creations that incorporates the piece in creative ways; usually as a face for a robot or statue because of those holes that look like eyes.

Well, what I still don't get is how is it used to store.

The rubber bands are simply wrapped around it when you buy the set. I believe it can help preserving the band by stretching it to a point where it won't degrade over time, but I'm not too sure of the physics involved here, or even if that's even remotely true. One of the reasons I doubt that is that I think LEGO doesn't use the part much anymore and ship rubber bands in small cardboard boxes (like capes). So the hypothesis "not to lose them" seems to be a better one.

Fikko3107 is correct, it is in fact a LEGO rubber band holder, for storing two different sizes of rubber bands. It's purpose insofar as the Bohrok sets are concerned, I'm afraid I don't know enough about Bionicle to give you an answer. Perhaps the instruction booklet may offer some clues?
As masterX244 stated, it is unofficially known as the 'nnenn' element, so named after Nate 'nnenn' Nielsen, who was a talented and prolific builder who used it as his Flickr avatar and who caused quite a stir among the LEGO community by using cut, painted and modified elements from clone brands as well as official LEGO parts. His build were so good, and so numerous, that despite offending purists and building brilliantly in a range of scales, he very rapidly became known as one of the better builders among the community - unfortunately, he was taken too soon from us all in a car accident and we will never see any new creations from this remarkable man, mentor, husband and father.
Fortunately, for those who never got to know nnenn's inimitable style, his Flickr account lives on and can be viewed here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nnenn
He was also responsible for creating NoVVember (flickr.com/groups/921332@N22/pool/with/5203643999/), a month dedicated to starfighter builds based on the Vic Viper craft from the Gradius Series arcade shoot-em-up games (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vic_Viper).
LEGO (through the influence of set designer Mark Stafford) paid homage to his contribution to the hobby and the community by including his name on the Vic Viper inspired spacecraft that sits on the back of 7066: Earth Defense HQ (brickset.com/detail/?Set=7066-1).
His nickname is visible on the stickers, shown here:
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3315/5721097224_d1d5a13818.jpg


text:
Third-party blocks with a smiling face or an umbrella with 2 dots on each side
I bought a bunch of duplos from the thrift store and inside there was not Just duplos but also mega bloks. I was able to separate most of them but there are a few that I just cannot tell which is which. They have a logo in the middle  of the stack but its a picture rather than a word.  I'm trying to find anything online but am having no luck. The logo almost looks like a smiling face or an umbrella with 2 dots on each side.

Could you add a picture?

I tried too but it says I need a reputation of 10 so it will be a while before I can add one.

I uploaded an image of blocks with the mystery umbrella/smiley/anchor(?) logo. The blocks don't have any other indication on them of manufacturer, although based on the collection they were found in, I would estimate they were sold in the mid-1980s.

Yes, that's the logo! As for an information I'm still looking but coming up with nothing. They don't feel like a megablok does they feel more like a duplo but that's about all I know about them.

After some searching, I have finally come up with the brand.
I too purchased a lot of bricks and found these odd ones in the mix, they are Tandem bricks, and there isn't too much information out there on them.

Since you didn't link a source, I will: http://bloks.hyperboards.com/action/view_topic/topic_id/1292

All Duplo and LEGO bricks have the LEGO logo (the logo is just the word LEGO) on the brick somewhere, usually on a stud. Megabloks always have blank studs and slightly offset colors compared to LEGO or Duplo bricks.

Although the logo on the "umbrella-bricks" you have are not Megablock, they are not Duplo either. Duplo always have the LEGO logo somewhere, and the studs are hollow. The hollow studs make them compatible with standard Lego bricks that are at least size 2x2, since the cylinder inside the Lego brick fits perfectly inside the hollow Duplo stud. See the locomotive on this image where it has some 2x4 Lego bricks on Duplo bricks:

Also see this answer on another post for more details on Duplo piece information.


text:
Who else produces Duplo-sized blocks?
I gather that Mega Bloks Mini Bloks are the same size as Duplo, and are compatible with it. Do any of the other major brick manufacturers make similar bricks?
Knowing the possibilities can help when sorting out collections of bricks purchased second hand.

UNICO PLUS! By Androni Giacolotti

I've Mega Bloks compatible with Duplo & others only if on top. Are yours fully compatible?

There are several Chinese companies making DUPLO clones, many are listed in this fascinating article by Anthony Tomkins of UK LUG The Brickish Association.
Communist LEGO, a review of some Chinese copies

The above link no longer works, but archive.org has a copy.

Coko definitely does (See here: http://www.edex.com.au/coko-baby-blocks-transport-set-26-pieces.html). Not sure in which countries they are available.
There is another question around about a mystery company with an umbrella/smiley/anchor logo on the studs. I've only found System-size bricks and plates from them, but the asker implied she had found Duplo-sized bricks as well. (Third-party blocks with a smiling face or an umbrella with 2 dots on each side)

We own Polish Wader's "mini block" set. It is mostly compatible with DUPLO, yet some combinations of "foreign" blocks stick poorly to each other. WADER bricks have octagon studs and their logo imprinted.
Also, Ukrainian Tigres produces some simple brick sets http://tigres.com.ua/catalogue/plastmassovye-igrushki/konstruktory/konstruktor-122-el/ The forms of these are copied from WADER. However, their studs are round.

I know this is an old question, but someone out there might be Googling this like I did. A Chinese made one "HongYuanSheng" matches perfectly.

A short time ago I bought a marble run from Hubelino because they are compatible with Duplo. I bought a set without bricks, so I can not tell anything about the bricks they also sell.
The tracks match very well and give a lot of fun.

I can confirm that the Hubelino blocks & track segments are compatible with Duplo.

In older secondhand duplo sets, I've often come across Tyco brand blocks. They are easy to tell apart because they have flat tops on the studs and the plastic is often imprinted with the brand name somewhere.
K'Nex makes some "Kid K'Nex" sets with sesame street themes that come with blocks that look a lot like duplos as well. But the heights of the bricks and studs do not match, so they're very easy to tell they aren't duplo as well.

I saw these on Amazon.  They have great reviews, but not sure about them yet:
500 piece DELUXE Basic set of Duplo compatible Building bricks
by Smart Builder Toys
Link: https://amzn.com/B016DQLQ20


text:
Pattern for vertical motion using technic lego
I have a motor and some other components that move a machine vertical on the ground. Inside the machine i need to raise a part by 5 cm, up and down.
Are there some common patterns that can move objects vertically (lift) using technic lego? Torque comes from a motor powering gears.

It seems from your question that you want to convert a continuous circular motion from the motor into an up and down motion with a range of 5cm - is that correct?

You can use a mechanism like this:

This is a mechanism that converts circular motion into reciprocating motion. You may need to alter the design for your needs regarding height difference, stability etc.

You can accomplish this using gear racks (3743):

You just have to create some type of channel that allows the rack to slide vertically, and then set up a gear to mesh with the rack. You can do this however you like, but here's a quick example that I built to show you what I mean:

if only the gear racks weren't so hard to come across!

Indeed. They're fairly affordable on Bricklink, though: http://www.bricklink.com/search.asp?colorID=86&itemID=697

The gear racks were quite common on the early Technic cars with steering.


text:
How to build a flywheel crankshaft piston pattern with technic?
I'm not sure of the name of the pattern, feel free to edit title if you have a better name for the pattern commonly used in engines. I was just wondering if anyone has built this specific pattern in technic lego. The piston part is not important, i only need a flywheel that takes a cranckshaft forwards and backwards repeatedly. Does anyone know some common patterns for this, with a large raduis on the flywheel?

Here's one simple way to accomplish this using just basic parts:

This isn't quite a pure Technic example, but that construction is almost exactly what was used on the steam cylinders on Emerald Night:

Depending on exactly what you are trying to do, there are also some specialized parts that make building decorative pistons simple. For example, here's the V8 from the 8880 Super Car:

There's also the much earlier piston design on 853:


text:
Minifig with multiple arms?
Is there a minifig that has multiple arms that all have the ability to hold weapons or tools? My 4 year old is asking for one. I thought maybe Doctor Octopus, but can't tell by the pictures if his octopus arms can hold things.

There are already quite a few multi-armed minifigures. I usually won't count Doctor Octopus as one, though. But I'll count it this time.
The very first minifigure to be able to hold more than 2 tools is Doctor Octopus, from the "Spider-Man" theme from 2004. This was achieved by building a harness that goes on the neck. This version appeared in 4 sets, all in different variants.

It should also be noted he received a 4+ figure version, which is aimed to kids 4 and above. This version is not exactly a "minifigure". His tentacle harness is built into the figure, and is not removable. This one was released in 2 sets.

2012 brings another Doc Ock, based on the Ultimate Spiderman TV show, using a similar trick as the 2003 version. This minifigure only appears in one limited edition set.
The 2019 version includes a simplified harness with droid arms, significantly restricting movement, which was reverted in 2020 to a design closer to the original.

The next multi-armed minifigure is General Grievous from the "Star Wars" theme, hailing from the 2005 "Revenge of the Sith" subtheme. He was made out of a specialized head and torso; however, his legs and arms are common droid parts, with 4 of these arms attached to the special torso. This version appears in 2 sets, though one is more highly sought after due to Grievous having an exclusive cape in that one. Both versions came with his iconic lightsabers, but his arm posability are rather limited; they only move sideways, and their wrists don't hinge.

Grievous gets a re-release in 2010 as part of the Clone Wars subtheme. This was, accuracy wise, a major leap. He was composed completely out of exclusive pieces. Now his arms hinge up and down, but like a lot of other LEGO robots, his wrists still don't turn. Also, his second pair of arms attach to the first pair, giving a rather awkward looking angle and less posability. This version appears in 4 sets: 8095, 9515, 75040 and 75199.

Next, we have Frenzy. Frenzy is a Space Police Minifigure released in 2009. He was a large step forward to the original Grievous. He had a special molded head that goes over his regular, albeit uniquely printed, Minifigure torso. This extra head has a twist: it has room to accommodate a pair of droid arms, giving him 4 arms, although the upper two has little use, since their grip is permanently sideways. Still, it's a step up. Frenzy only appears in one set.

2011 brings about Samukai, the former king of the underworld of the Ninjago theme. Samukai is similar to the other skeleton soldiers, but with a massive head that, like Frenzy, fits over his torso and has room for arms. As an addition though, his upper jaw and lower jaw is separate, so he can open his mouth. His head is designed so it can snugly accommodate a second row of skeleton arms. Samukai's top-heavy stature caused by his head prevents him from getting his own spinner, thus making Samukai only appear in 2, very large Ninjago sets from 2011.

In 2012, Garmadon, Ninjago's antagonist, becomes four-armed through less-than-known means. He is the one I truly consider the "first" four armed minifigure. He had a specialized body extension piece that goes over his torso, which is the same as the one in 2011, and a head that goes on that torso extension. He appears in 2 sets, both following suit as Samukai, in the sense that it appears in 2 very large sets. 2013 has a very similar Garmadon, except for a different helmet and staff. This variant appears in 1 set.

Another Minifigure is four armed in 2013, and once again it is from Ninjago. He is General Kozu, general of the stone army. He also utilizes a torso extension like Garmadon, but a different mold. Like a lot of characters in the 2013 Ninjago wave, he is exclusive to 1 set.

Last, but certainly not least, is another Star Wars minifigure named Pong Krell. He uses a similar torso extension as Garmadon or Kozu, but his alien head was incorporated to the extension. He carries his iconic twin double sided lightsabers, and, like many Star Wars figures, is exclusive to one set.

I know this answer is pretty long, but it's very comprehensive. Please edit it if I miss something, or I wrote something wrongly. Bear in mind that all these minifigures can hold conventional minifigure tools.

Very complete answer, even if it lacks pictures ;-) My first thought was for the Space Police alien, didn't know his name was Frenzy.

I could edit it to add pictures. What's the maximum, anyways?

@Fikko3107 no max, you just need the ability to add pictures (which you have).

I have added the images (better later than never :D ), please edit in any examples that have surfaced meanwhile.

In addition to Doctor Octopus, General Grievous could also be an option:

Yes, Doc Ock's arms have clips on the end that grab the same things as minifig hands. Mind you, the clutch power on the bit of the clip that goes into the other piece is often less than stellar. :/

Awesome!  Thank you so much that was a really fast and helpful answer :)


text:
What is the history of the Marvel license between LEGO and Mega Bloks?
I just recently learned that LEGO had the license to do Marvel themed blocks back in 2003.  When the Iron Man films came out, Mega Bloks produced several Marvel-themed sets.  Now LEGO apparently has the license back (as well as the DC Comics license!).
How did that come about?

From 2002-05, LEGO sold Spider-Man themed sets under license from Marvel Entertainment in conjunction with the release of the first two Spider-Man movies. These are commonly known as the Spider-Man 1 and Spider-Man 2 themes. This license was apparently only for Spider-Man and characters in the films and not for other Marvel superheroes.
In October 2004, Marvel and Mega Bloks announced a multi-year license agreement that allowed Mega Bloks to use several Marvel superhero characters and create movie-related products. LEGO did not produce any Spider-Man or Marvel-themed sets between 2006 and late 2011.
In 2009-10, Marvel Entertainment was purchased by The Walt Disney Company, with whom LEGO had a long-standing relationship producing Disney-themed sets. In July 2011 it was announced that LEGO had obtained a license to the Marvel characters as part of an expansion of its license agreement with Disney. At about the same time, LEGO expanded its license deal with DC Comics, a subsidiary of Warner Brothers, to include the full line of DC characters. LEGO had a previous license with DC to produce Batman-themed sets, which were first released in 2006.
With licenses from these two major comic book companies in hand, LEGO created two Super Heroes themes, DC Universe Super Heroes, launched in late 2011, and Marvel Super Heroes, launched in mid 2012. Both themes are currently in production as of August 2014.


text:
Interfacing Mindstorms NXT 2.0 with webcam
I very recently started playing with Mindstorms and have used the sensors that was provided along with the NXT 2.0 set. I'm planning to work on something on the lines of image processing and I need a camera for this. Is there a way I can interface the NXT Brick with a webcam so that the Brick can send instructions to the webcam as to when to capture the image? Are there other better methods of using webcams and Mindstorms together?
Anything along those lines would be helpful. Any pointers to good reading materials would also be helpful.

The original Mindstorm's had the "Vision Command" extension that enabled you to use a LEGO-ised webcam with your RCX brink - however the USB cam needed to be attached to the PC, which rather limited the movement, and then the VC software interfaced with the RCX for you.

What do you want to do? The NXT processing power and memory is limited after all. Do you want to have the webcam connected directly to the NXT, or will it be connected to a computer? If you go with the latter it is highly language specific, as you need libraries to interact with the NXT and the webcam. If you need the first I think NXTCam is the only option currently.

The latter, most probably. While I haven't thought through it, I was thinking if I could use a phone to capture an image. For example, the brick will trigger an app on the phone via Bluetooth (or something else?). The app will switch on the camera, take the picture and do something with it. Or if I use a webcam, it may just stream a video to my computer or something. This maybe just one of the things that can be done. I don't know.

I would go and give a try to leJOS http://lejos.org/ if you can write Java.

Yeah, I ended up using leJOS. Thanks anyway.

IMHO your best bet is to use Mindsensors' NXTCam

Yeah. But the communication can only be between the brick and NXTCam right? I can't do complex processing on the brick. I need a computer to do that.

@PrateekKulkarni Use Bluetooth and Java.

If you could use a PC as intelligent robot brick, I would suggest you:

standard web-cam
OpenCV (for image processing)
nxt-python


text:
What are the armless minifigures from the LEGO boardgames called?
I see many of the LEGO boardgames come with mini figures which are armless and have no holes for arms. While I think it is kind of ridiculous to not simply provide a full figure, I understand it's probably primarily for usability purposes.
What are these smaller minifigs called?

When looking at the inventory of one of the LEGO games (as if you were missing a part), you can see these are clearly labelled "MICRO FIGURE"

On Bricklink they are known as 'Microfig', Lego Digital Designer refers to them as 'Micro Figure.

When looking at the inventory of one of the LEGO games (as if you were missing a part), you can see these are clearly labeled "MICRO FIGURE"

@Joubarc - I wouldn't know; I don't own one.  I've only seen them on the covers, like on Minotaurus.

I don't mean the inventory in the instructions (they don't name parts anyway, just part IDs); but the online inventory which has part names as known by LEGO. Unfortunately my link doesn't work directly, you'll still need to enter your age and country, then "my set is missing a piece", then a set number (3874 for example), then when you click on on of the microfigs you'll see their name. Interestingly, the red one is named "BABY", though.

@Joubarc All the microfigures in #3838 are listed as BABY, but Microfigure seems to be the most commonly used word to refer to this piece.

Once again we face the mysteries of LEGO part naming - and once again they elude us.

It's possible that the name baby comes from the fact that they were originally intended as a baby for a minifig-scale mother or father, although I can't find anything to back this up. And that's not to say that it was ever used this way; it's common that the early naming sticks, even though the actual use in practice changes drastically over time. I have experienced this in dev work and project management, it sure makes things awkward for newcomers to the project when it occurs, and I doubt Lego is immune from that :)

Microfigures. Described by LEGO as "Microfigures...The Minifigures for Minifigures!" As far as useability go, it is true that within the Games theme they are only used as pawns/game pieces. However, in recent years, they've seen larger use. for example, in the 2012 Star Wars set "Palpatine's Arrest", it is used unprinted in pearl gold to represent a statue/trophy. As far as the community go, they've been pretty popular with fans to create micro-sized builds, and perhaps even more so as pilots for micro-sized robots.

+1 Good answer on usability. Was going to ask about utility in a separate question.

Yep, they are cropping up more and more as statues as well - even within the Games theme, the Heroica sets have featured a few plain grey ones as statues.


text:
Has anyone just "built a tower"?
I've heard stories about it, but has anyone simply built a "tower" out of lego pieces and bricks? By a tower I mean lots of bricks on top of each other.

It's actually quite a common thing to build. So much so that TLG has held a number of tower building events at their theme parks and at other locations. Here's a photo of what I believe is the current world record. This was completed in Prague and is 32.5 meters tall.

A significantly smaller scale one, built this summer during a FreeLUG meeting, with no other tools than a ladder: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HYkZNR_ryc


text:
List of Lego Technic sets with remote controller?
I am interested in buying a set with motors (etc) with a remote controller.
Is there a website that allows to search with this conditions? Official website is pretty bad.
I have found the Lego Technic 9398 4x4 until now: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mjlo7G661Iw
Are there any other?

There have been many remote controlled Technic sets over the years. I've organized this list with the most recent generations of remote control elements first.
Control+
Current remote controlled Technic sets will contain a Control+ hub. We can find them by showing the sets that contain that part on Bricklink.
Power Functions
For Power Functions, we can look for sets containing the Power Functions IR Receiver and sets containing the PF IR Receiver V2. It looks like the following sets contain that part and are remote controlled:

Motorized Bulldozer 8275
Motorized Excavator 8043
4x4 Crawler 9398
4x4 Crawler Exclusive Edition 41999
6x6 All Terrain Tow Truck 42070
Volvo L350F Wheel Loader 42030
RC Tracked Racer 42065
Remote-Controlled Stunt Racer 42095

RC
Prior to Power Functions, there were dedicated RC elements used to provide remote control functionality to sets. These can be found in this category on Bricklink. Most of those sets aren't really Technic, but some are. For proper Technic sets, it's probably helpful to look at just the RC sets containing a separate buggy motor instead of the large integrated vehicle base. Those three sets are:

Hot Flame 8376
RC Race Buggy 8475
Supersonic RC 8366

42065 - it runs off IR receiver too, different "mold" or whatever according to bricklink: https://www.bricklink.com/catalogItemIn.asp?P=58123c01&colorID=86&in=A

@htmlcoderexe Thanks! I've added that one and some other sets releases since 2013 (when I first posted this answer). If there are any others missing, feel free to make edits.

None of the following sets seems to be present on a list: https://www.bricklink.com/catalogList.asp?catType=S&catString=179.158

Indeed. None of the new Control+ sets are present either. I'll make some adjustments.

8183 and 8184 might need to be added under PF. While they don't use the usual receivers and battery boxes, they are still controlled by the same PF Controller. So technically, these are PF enabled sets, just with a different base.

@Alex I don't think those qualify as Technic sets

My bad, I thought question was about remote controlled sets in general.

@jncraton oh, just noticed the date, haha. Glad I could help, would you prefer I made edits directly next time?

@htmlcoderexe No worries. This answer needed a lot of updating, and I appreciate you bringing it to my attention. Helpful edits are always great. We're a collaborative community, and improving each other's answers is a big part of that.

@Alex Not a problem. My original answer did include trains for some reason, so I can understand the confusion. I've reworked the RC section to pull out just the Technic sets, as many of the sets that used the integrated base aren't Technic sets either.

Besides Power Functions and Control+, there is also Lego Mindstorms. The EV3 generation includes a remote control, and you can also make block-based programs for your robots if using the remote isn't suitable.


text:
Can I program EV3 with the NXT-G IDE?
I am helping prepare a team for First Lego League and the new EV3 kit is what will be used. We are currently teaching the kids with NXT 2.0 kits that we have using the NXT-G IDE. It appears that we cannot get the [free] EV3 Home Edition software until September 1, 2013, losing important time and requiring some learning curve. Is it possible for us to continue using NXT-G software to program the new EV3 kit when it arrives?

I found out that the Educational Software is available now, for a price. The Home Edition software is available free on Sept 1, 2013. First Lego League teams who buy the EV3 kit get a team license of the EV3 software.

No, it appears that you need to use the EV3 software to program the EV3 kit, as per the FAQ on the LEGO site: http://mindstorms.lego.com/en-us/News/ReadMore/Default.aspx?id=476781
The EV3 sensors also won't work with the NXT brick either.
Though, I'd imagine if you're getting an EV3 kit, it should come with the EV3 software.

I think I found the answer from a post back in January (unless things have changed since then). It came from user named bungeshea, who said "it is unlikely that NXT-G will work with EV3 bricks as EV3 bricks run a custom build of Linux, whereas older bricks run a custom firmware". So I assume the answer is NO (unless someone creates an NXT firmware upgrade that can emulate the EV3 API...highly unlikely).

NXT-G definitely can not be used to program the EV3 brick.


text:
Identification of arm like beam
Any part number information about this technic beam?

I just realized this is the piece used for legs in AT-AT walker 8129.

The parts you are looking for are Technic Rotation Joint Disk with Pin Hole and 3L Liftarm Thick and Technic Rotation Joint Disk with Pin and 3L Liftarm Thick.

Do you know if they make sense when they are not in pairs?

Can you expand on "make sense"? I have seen one half used by itself in both MOCs and official sets such as http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?S=6857-1 mostly as fork/hub connection for motorcycles.

While they go nicely together, they are not pre-assembled, so they are to be considered as individual parts which can be used independently. I didn't know it even happened in an official LEGO set, though - nice catch

I think I just meant if they are functional as individual parts, like you can get some other kind of rotation. I found them as 4 pairs in a flee market so I don't really know where they came from.


text:
EV3 digital interface with sensors?
The EV3 Brick is noted as having both analog and a higher speed digital I/O with auto ID up to 460.8 Kbit/s (UART), and 4 motor port with encoders.
The NXT Brick has 4 sensor ports both Analog and Digital: 9600 bit/s (IIC), and 3 motor ports with encoders.
I know the EV3 brick can use NXT sensors and motors, but I cannot find info on the difference in the communication protocol. Are the NXT sensors and motors less precise then the EV3 sensors and motors? Will the EV3 Brick support more sophisticated sensors and motors in the future?
Thanks,
John

I can't tell much about sensors since the EV3 Hardware Development Kit has not yet been released, but the existing motors have the same precision specifications and are completely interchangeable between NXT and EV3. And yes, hopefully, with the better bandwidth we can expect more sophisticated sensors!
See also http://robotsquare.com/2013/07/16/ev3-nxt-compatibility/


text:
EV3 as master and NXT2 as slave?
Will it be possible to daisy chain a NXT brick as a slave of a new EV3 brick ?

As per This LEGO education FAQ, it is not possible to use the USB cable the same way it's done between multiple EV3 bricks:

Can I connect my NXT Intelligent Brick to the LEGO MINDSTORMS Education EV3 Intelligent Brick?
  No. It is not possible to daisy chain with the NXT brick.

However, keep in mind this is valid within the scope of official software; it could be that someone later makes the necessary hacks for it to work in some way.
Also, other communication methods such as bluetooth are available which you can likely use to control the NXT brick from an EV3 one, rpovided you program the NXT brick accordingly. It probably won't be as simple, but definitely doable.


text:
How can odors be removed from bricks?
I recently purchased some used bricks. They currently smell like cigarette smoke. What is the best way to clean these parts to remove the odor?

For people answering, feel free to also assess the issue of animal odors (sadly enough, a box full of small LEGO parts looks very much like a litter box to some cats)

Background info:
I recently started collecting Duplo blocks to build toys for our sugar gliders (small, exotic marsupials); I've also got some regular Lego blocks in the mix that my boyfriend's had for who knows how long.  To get the most for my money (especially when it comes to avoiding figurines and random pieces that don't suit my purpose), I've been buying large lots of Duplos off of e-bay (all of them are specifically Lego brand - you couldn't pay me to use Mega Bloks or other crummy knock-offs, lol).
Our gliders are our babies and on top of that, I've got high-end breeding pair (ie rare colorings/genetics) and a "pet only" pair that cost a combined total of $1800 - in other words, their safety is a HUGE concern for me and I'm adamant about cleaning and sanitizing any Duplo blocks I buy as soon as they arrive.  Also, gliders can't be potty-trained and inevitably use my Duplo creations as toilets... meaning pee sometimes gets in the crevices between blocks.  To top it off, they scent-mark everything.  As a result, I've got to disassemble the toys I've built and re-wash them 1-2x a week to keep things sanitary.
Like toddlers, gliders tend to "taste test" their toys at times (and even if they don't, they walk all over the Duplo blocks and then eat with their hands and groom themselves with their tongues).  That means I have to use cleaning products that are very safe, yet still effective (particularly when it comes to odor control, as gliders really do stink things up!).
My cleaning method:
The way I've been washing the Lego Duplo and regular Lego blocks is to fill a clean kitchen sink with a 50/50ish mixture of hot water (hottest the tap can provide, that is) and white vinegar, then add the blocks.  I soak them for a few hours or possibly overnight, then scoop them into a large colander*, rinse them thoroughly with warm-to-hot water (iirc 104F+ is "unsafe" for Legos; hence why I mix the really hot water and the vinegar together before adding the Legos) and lay them out on towels to dry (inside, with a box fan blowing across them, flipping them over every few hours until they're totally dry).  If anything is particularly soiled, I use the soft (ie non-scrub-pad) side of a clean sponge to give the blocks a gentle scrubbing as they soak in the warm vinegar water; for anything stuck in difficult-to-clean crevices, I use a baby bottle brush and/or q-tips.
*Based on a recommendation I saw on this site, I ordered a salad spinner to spin-dry my Duplos and regular Legos (and bunny veggies and dinner salads)... best thing ever - I LOVE it.  GET ONE!
Vinegar is very popular as an odor eliminator for a WIDE variety of odors.  It was the first and only cleaning method I tried because - despite all the pet odor eliminators and pet cage/habitat cleansers on the market - the vast majority of glider owners stick to a simple 50/50 blend of water and vinegar.  It's very effective for removing urine, feces, scent marking oils, stuck-on (sugary) foods, etc. and all the related odors from glider toys and cages (not to mention bunny and cat litter boxes)... plus it's dirt cheap, gentle, pet (and child) safe and doesn't leave residue behind.
Because I haven't actually had to get cigarette smoke odor off of Legos and wanted to see if I could find some info to back up my hunch that it would work on that as well, I just did a cursory Google search for "remove cigarette smell with vinegar" and got a ton of hits confirming that it's very effective.  I then searched specifically for info about using vinegar on Legos and found an article that provides some great tips and additional information on using vinegar to clean/deodorize Legos (and the article really focuses on difficult-to-remove cigarette odors) - http://www.brickwarrior.com/?p=1

I have found that laundry detergent with warm water works best. It's usually a stronger detergent than dishwashing liquid (which is commonly suggested). Either way, look for something that's as close to a pure detergent as possible - no scents, fabric softeners, dish-shiny-makers etc. I try to avoid anything that is known to change the bricks - peroxides are great for whitening old yellowed bricks, but I don't want to do that if I don't have to (I've done it for 8880 wheels, for example).
With cigarette smoke in particular there's often multiple layers of sticky residue, so I find that a bath or sink full of warm water, soak for a day or so with periodic additions of more warm water and a bit of stirring. To avoid small parts going down the drain use a strainer to scoop all the Lego out before pulling the plug. Rinse well, then spread on towels to dry (out of the sun, but with a breeze). Expect to do this more than once.
I spent a while experimenting and that was the least awful way I found. It's not worth it for low-value stuff, but I had a rare set that I didn't want to resell.

I suggest following the "Lego Whitening" advice given here: http://www.mocpages.com/moc.php/155077
There are a number of tutorials that involve various solutions, but this one works great for me and uses OxyClean and Hydrogen Peroxide, both readily available where I live.
The cleaning process will remove the odor with the added advantage of making the bricks shine like new!
Quick summary:
Put 2%-3% Hydrogen Peroxide plus a tiny scoop of OxyClean powder in a glass or transparent plastic container.
Add Lego elements.
Leave it in the sun for most of the day (10-20hrs).
Stir occasionally to reorient the bricks. (This may not be necessary; I am not a chemist.)
Remove and rinse when the bricks look good. If you are only worried about the smell, take some out at 8 hours and check, then check every two hours after that.
You don't want to leave them in any longer than necessary, as this process does seem to weaken the plastic slightly.

this will permanently affect the bricks via the "whitening" reaction, which is not what most people want when they're cleaning their bricks. What will they be like after 10 or 20 "cleanings"?

How many cleanings do you need? You clean them once, then take care of them properly.

If you have kids (or, like Imbrium, pets) they will get dirty again. Over 20 years even if you only clean them every year or two they will end up getting cleaned 10 times. Assuming they survive that long.


text:
Buying another kit instead of 8293-1: Motor Set?
I want to get some motors but don't know if it is a better idea to buy 8293-1: Motor Set or try obtain motors from some other sets. Is there any kit challenging 8293?

You have several alternatives, and you can combine several approaches if you've got the cash:

You can buy individual Power Functions parts from a LEGO shop or from various other vendors. The advantage is that you'll get the specific parts that you're interested in. The down-side is that it'll probably cost you more than buying a set like 8293.
You can buy a bundle from eBay. Several vendors make up their own kits that are similar to 8293 but with a slightly different mix of components.
You can buy a set that contains Power Functions. This tends to be fairly cost-effective if you're interested in the parts that the set contains, but with the disadvantage of a larger initial outlay. Of course, you could re-sell anything you don't want if you're prepared to put in some effort. The other advantage of buying a kit is that you'll probably learn some new techniques during construction.

If you go for (3), some of your options are:

8110 Mercedes-Benz Unimog U 400
9397 Logging Truck
9398 4X4 Crawler
41999 4x4 Crawler Exclusive Edition

Personally, if had the cash, I'd go for a 41999 (assuming it is still available). It includes a great selection of Power Functions components including remote control and IR receiver, a lot of generally useful parts, several exclusive parts (perfect for eBay?) and... well, it's just very cool.

I actually ended up buying 9398, it includes two less power-functions units compared to 41999 but that was not available to me.

I'm pleased you found something that meets your needs.


text:
Is there a Technic set that is just an assortment of parts and not a specific vehicle?
Can I buy Technic sets that are just assortments of parts as opposed to a specific vehicle?
Background
I do research on sediment carbon cycling in lakes and I need use a rotating array of magnets to keep the water from stratifying in my incubation cores during experiments.
The cores are arranged around the rotating magnets and there is another small magnet suspended in the water of the core tubes.  The slowly rotating magnets cause just enough movement in the internally suspended magnets to induce some flow in the sealed cores.
Basically I need a setup that allows me to make slowly rotating horizontal ferris wheels of various sizes.
Historically I have built these setups from wood and small motors but I have begun to think that Legos would make a better and more flexible tool.
It looks like Technic sets are basically what I need (although other suggestions would be welcome) but I just want some basic parts not a cool truck or dune buggy.  I have looked on the Lego Technic webpage and all I see are cool vehicles.

Lego sells several kits of parts through their Lego Education line. You can buy them online in the US here: http://www.legoeducation.us/
The direct link to the Technic kits is here:
http://www.legoeducation.us/eng/characteristics/ProductLine~Machines%20and%20Mechanisms
They have a $50 "Simple Machines" set, a $140 "Simple and Motorized Mechanisms Base Set", a Pnuematics add-on set, and a very cool Renewable Energy set (yes, there is a Lego-branded solar panel!).
Also, if you look under the parts and accessories section (http://www.legoeducation.us/eng/characteristics/productType~LEGO%20Spare%20Parts%20and%20Accessories), you can order variety packs of various parts (e.g., 5 each of each length of the studless beams).
Caveat emptor: I have not compared prices to Bricklink.com, where you can also buy pretty much every Lego element ever molded in bulk quantities.

Both "direct links" are broken and just redirect to the Lego education home page.

The short answer at the moment is no, at least as far as I am aware. Although, as oddTodd points out, there are kits in the Education line that may provide what you are looking for.
The only Technic sets in production are models of some kind rather than parts packs. There is the Mindstorms set, which allows for many different models to be built, but that is a very expensive way to just get Technic parts, as it also includes the NXT brick, sensors, and motors.
There are a few ways to get just parts. Some are more expensive than just buying sets, while others are much cheaper.
The most expensive option is to order individual parts from LEGO Pick-a-brick. You should be able to find exactly what you need if you are willing to take the time to choose your parts individually.
Along the same vein, you can buy individual parts from Bricklink. This can be relatively affordable, especially if you are willing to pick up used parts.
If you don't need to choose individual parts, the cheapest and perhaps easiest way to get a large number of pieces is through auctions on sites like eBay.
If you don't mind getting older used sets, there was a line of Technic universal building sets during the 80s and early 90s. Though these can't be purchase directly from LEGO anymore, they are still available on sites like Bricklink or eBay.

Lego sells Technic parts packs through their Education line. See my comment for further detail.

That's a great point. I forgot about the education line. I tend not to think of those as Technic since they aren't really part of the theme. They also tend to be very expensive for what you are actually getting.

Keep in mind that all Technic sets, even if they represent a vehicle or something, are also an assortment of parts by themselves. You don't need to build the model, and some sets are better "parts packs" than others.
I would also encourage you to check the inventories of current sets (on brickset or bricklink, for example) and see if some of them could suit you.
Even if you don't need all parts, keep in mind that sets are usually the cheaper way to get parts, and you could also resell parts you don't need. This may prove ultimately cheaper than buying in bulk from LEGO or Bricklink vendors, and Education isn't cheap either (depending on where you live).

I just suggest buying a set that's a model of something and not following the manual but instead building something that suit your needs. If you really need a box of technic pieces, the education 45560 set is a great choice, especially with a separate power functions motor or two as it comes with a wide assortment of useful pieces like half stud thick beams and gears.


text:
Is there an organization who repackages old LEGO bricks into sets to give to underprivileged children?
Does Lego have a program by which we can return old LEGO parts so they can be reassembled into packages for underprivileged kids? My kids, and now grandkids, have always played with LEGO bricks and I have a large collection of parts, not in their original boxes and would like to give them to an organization who would reassemble them into workable sets for disadvantaged kids. I hate to just throw them away as I must have several hundred dollars worth of parts.. Any ideas?

Another option is to locate a nearby BrickLink vendor and request them to sell the pieces and donate the proceeds to charity. So far as I know, this is the best way to donate, as the pieces are sold for their appropriate value and the money can be donated as you wished. You may consider donating the pieces to Creations for Charity as well.
If you really want to donate parts, the best way would be to use the money from other suggestions to purchase general purpose block sets, and donate those.

I don't know of any such global organization, but if you're willing to part with LEGO toys, you may want to consider helping an organization in your neighbourhood. Hospitals will most certainly welcome any donation for their children's ward, and I suppose schools may have a use for it as well. I don't think they would care that much if sets are incomplete, as long as the parts themselves are still in good playable shape.
That's the path which has been chosen for the Brickset charity raffle, for example.

Recreating a LEGO set from mixed up pieces is extremely time consuming. Even if you are just missing a few pieces, since LEGO makes tens of thousands of shapes and sizes. Even simply verifying that a "set of 352 pieces" has exactly the correct "352 pieces" is very time consuming. The good news is kids and adults LOVE using mixed up pieces to create their "MOCs" (MOC means My Own Creation).
www.BrickRecycler.com is a great place to send LEGO pieces, and know they will end up being used, and loved. They even offer to pay for postage if you are sending from anywhere in the US. They work with nonprofit organizations too, and have shipped hundreds of thousands of pieces. There is more information on the web site, including a link a really encouraging video of kids in Haiti having a blast with bulk LEGO pieces.

You seem to have something odd going on in the mark-up of your website resulting in a rather massive table of white text on a white background, which is considered a little suspicious by some, as if you're hiding something?

sorry I am a little late to the game...I am founder of a new charity in Kansas, USA that accepts donated LEGOs and sorts them into sets based on original LEGO sets. We gift these sets to underprivileged kids through foster care associations.
If you are still looking for a place to donate your sets - I will take them. Unsorted, any condition, with instructions or not. Feel free to contact me for more information.
Matthew Gould
(as yet unnamed Lego charity)
USA-9 one 3 - two 0 six - six three 0 0
@mdgouldkc

Hi Matthew, and welcome to LEGO Answers. It would be good if you could add the contact details you've included here on your Public Profile. In general (a bit like Wikipedia) self promotion isn't encouraged ;)


text:
Why 2M Cross Axle has Groove?
I was sorting axles noticed only 2M has grooves. Why 2M Cross Axle has grooves? Is it for alignment?

I believe it's mostly so that you have something additional to grip on to when removing it from other elements.
With the 3M+ axles, there is more axle available to hold on to so that you pull off a sleeve or joint nicely, but for some, the 2M is too short.

Older 2M axles didn't have these grooves, and sometimes they can be a real pain to remove from parts which don't allow them to be pushed from the other side, so I'm fairly confident too that's the reason, similar to how grooves have been added to tiles. Considering it's alse less plastic, I wouldn't be too surprised if LEGO chooses at some point to modify the other axles the same way.


text:
Lego Racer kit with Chargeable Cars
I have an old Lego set that I've lost all the documentation on. It's about 10 years old (I see ©2003 in various places). The set built a track and contained two charging stations that integrated into the track. The charging station also counts laps with the green LEDs on top when an infrared beam is broken. The racers were small and electric, but, rather than requiring batteries of their own, they were charged by pushing the racer down on the charging station.
Something has broken in the motor, and it no longer turns, even if I apply 3V directly to it. I haven't been able to find any replacements, but looking without knowing the model number is difficult.
What set is this? Where can I find a replacement motor/car?

The set is 8364, and you can see it here: http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?S=8364-1
The motor is part 5313a: (http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=5313a)
Unfortunately, they do not seem to be widely available. The current inventory has one guy selling one as-is (untested) for $10 in the US, and one guy selling a working one for $40 in Israel. You can replace the whole set for a substantially higher price. Sorry I couldn't be of more help for replacing it, but hopefully now that you know the set and part numbers, you can search elsewhere.

Thanks, I also found it at http://www.peeron.com/inv/parts/5213 under part 5213. Aren't the part numbers standardized by Lego?

The part numbers are standardized, but many of the parts are hand-entered into these third-party databases. Someone made a mistake, unless Lego released two versions of the set (not unheard of). Lego's official inventory pages (https://service.lego.com/en-us/replacementparts?#WhatBrickBuy/8364) often do not include brand new or rare parts.

I had the same problem. This is a common fault with these cars. If the car is dropped hard the magnets inside can shatter making the wheel not turn or be crunchy.
There is a solution. You can buy replacement motors on eBay. The original motors are 6mm diameter by 15mm length. I found some 6mm by 12mm length. They just push out of the gearing housing. Solder two wires, and replacement is complete. My son loves seeing the cars whizzing around. Hope that helps.

Could you provide a link to the motors found on eBay or some specs for the motors?


text:
No software with the EV3 robot?
We bought EV3 robot but it looks like there is no software and we have to pay an additional $99 for the EV3 software. Is this true?

For the retail version, the link is: https://www.lego.com/en-us/mindstorms/downloads and for the education version, the link is: https://education.lego.com/en-us/educationdownloads/freeproductspage

If you later buy a retail kit, however, you should be able to use the software which comes with it to control both kits.

...but retail version - as of this writing - has not blocks to use ultrasonic or gyro sensors that come with EDU version.

You may also want to check What is different between the EV3 Home and Educational sets? (Philo, since what you just said isn't mentionned in that particular Q/A, you may want to go there as well and add what you know)

You may now download and add gyro and ultrasonic sensors blocks for retail software. See eg. http://www.lego.com/en-us/mindstorms/downloads/ev3-blocks/gyro/

The EV3 software (for home use) is available on: http://www.lego.com/en-us/mindstorms/downloads/software/ddsoftwaredownload/

The home edition software will be a free download available from LEGO's website as of September 1st. It will include programming for the ultrasonic and gyro sensors and will be compatible withe the education version of the EV3 brick.

@Zhaph-BenDuguid http://shop.lego.com/en-US/LEGO-MINDSTORMS-EV3-31313

The retail edition of the NXT kit doesn't include software in the box, and provides only limited printed building instructions (presumably to save on costs).
However, as indicated on the box, you can to download it from LEGO.com/mindstorms directly, and for free.
Currently, the software is on the download page.
The instructions can be found on the products page, under "EV3 Starter Robots" and "EV3 Bonus Robots". You can download them as PDF or view them interactively online. You can also install a mobile application to view them easily while building.


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

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

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

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

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

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


text:
How can I remove a rubber band from a pulley?
We have a pulley and a bunch of rubber bands:

We don't know that part numbers, but they all were part of a Mindstorms (RCX 2.0) set.  My son was trying use the pulley and band to transfer power to another pulley.  But it didn't work out that way:

Now the band doesn't slip off of the pulley.  We figure we can cut it off, but we'd kinda like to save the band if at all possible.
Have you ever run across this sort of problem?  Do you have any suggestions for removing the rubber band without destroying it?

As I've said before in another answer, I find the #92585 Crowbar is the most versatile and is especially good at removing rubber bands from the #3736 (Technic, Steering Pulley Large) and the #4185 (Technic, Wedge Belt Wheel) elements.
Don't use any sharp/metallic objects like a screwdriver or a pen knife as you may scratch the brick or sever the rubber band.

We did manage to get the band off with the #400626 Screwdriver/Spanner which has a broad sharp edge.  It took a little prying to dig it between the rim and band, but once I got under it, the band popped right out.  Thanks!

I was able to successfully get that size band off of that pulley using this brick separator:

I slid the sharp end in between the band and the pulley then worked it under the band and was able to pull the band off without damaging either part. If you don't have a brick separator handy, you can probably use a pointy minifig utensil such as a sword instead. I wouldn't recommend using metal tool such as a screwdriver or knife as this could easily cut the band as you try to remove it.
Good luck!

And if that doesn't work, unbit nails should do the trick

My son has the old brick separator which doesn't have a sharp end.  He tried a spear point, which really seemed promising.  I managed to pry it off with a crowbar similar to what Ambo100 suggested, however.


text:
NXT Programming not working
I recently got back into NXT stuff (keep in mind I have a NXT 1.0). My screen was broken, but I got it fixed. The software works, but I think the programming doesn't. I tried to make the motor move when I push a button. I downloaded it, and then all it did was jiggle the motor. I tried making a text block, but it didn't work - it just said "Run,Done" in a matter of a split second.
Help me! I really want to program stuff on my computer, and not just a 5 move thing on the NXT itself!

Could you please give us a picture of the program you tried? If you can't embed it in your post yet, please provide a link, we'll edit it in.

For a Text Block, which displays text or images on the LCD panel, it is important the add a Wait Block after the Text Block, to give time to view the LCD panel before the program ends.  Wait for 10 seconds should help.

From your description, it seems you use a motor block which just tells the motor to start running. This works, but since your program then comes at an end, all motor activities are stopped immediately.
To solve this, you have to make sure your program doesn't terminate immediately. You could either use a wait block, with a fixed timer after which the program (and motors) will stop, or maybe a block to wait for another condition to happen (button pressed, sensor activated, number of rotations reached,...).
Another solution would be to change your motor block and use a "move" block - which instructs a motor to move for a certain time (the block wait for that time to be completed).
Keep in mind this is all from memory though, I may be wrong on the particulars; but in essence I'm confident your problem is due to your program terminating immediately.

It is the terminating which causes the problem. The easiest solution, which is not included in your answer, is to check the box "Wait till Completion" in the motor block.

Right, I didn't have access to the program so I forgot about that possibility

Glad to be of assistance :)