text:
Identify these window panels ~4x3
These window panels came in a bulk buy and don't fit any of the accompanying windows. I would have dismissed them as not LEGO, except the greenness exactly matches other trans green elements. They are approximately 4 studs wide and 3 high, therefore they do not fit inside a frame of that size, and are too small for the next size up.

These glass panels are
Trans-Green Glass for Window 4 x 4 x 3 Roof
from  6940-1 - Alien Moon Stalker
they fit with
4447 -  Window 4 x 4 x 3 Roof
4741 - Window 4 x 4 x 6 Outward Sloping


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What are these numbers for this element name?
I have a part inventory for a set and it has some axles with numbers next to them. This is not a technic set, but I imagine the numbers are the same as in this question - LEGO Technic part Numbers
But one of the axles has two numbers (5,5) - is this a comma because of the locale in which it was purchased uses the comma as the USA would use a (dot) for a decimal? Or does it have something to do with the fact that the collar on the axle isn't at the end?

Bricklink lists it as

Technic, Axle 5.5 with stop

The blue number is the length of the axle. It is mentioned in the part list to distinguish axles of different lengths in a set.
In this case, the length is 5.5, so yes, it is written as 5,5 because of the locale.

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


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What is this 2x2 white brick in the shape of a figure driving a go kart?
I have a 2x4 white Lego brick in the shape of a figure driving a go kart. It has a stalk to accommodate a head with Lego embossed on it. There is no serial number except for a 4 stamped underneath. Does anyone know what this brick is and what set it's from?

Welcome to Bricks.SE!

Based on your description, i think you have
x351 - Brick, Modified 2 x 2 Racer Driver No Head

This comes from:
4593-1: Zero Hurricane and Red Blizzard

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


text:
What is this EV3 controlling app
What is this EV3 controling app that is used here:
https://youtu.be/Sjix76QjtMU?t=1m43s

The link in the video is broken but I could find it on the Google Play store.
It looks like it is called Mindstorms Custom Controller.

Thank you for help. What is your favorate EV3 controller app?

@AllanXu I don't really use a controller app, the only one I have used is the official EV3 app so it's hard to recommend any.


text:
How to place minifigure legs into normal LDD bricks, like a 1x2 brick?
Let me clear up the confusion surrounding this question to the best of my abilities
I'm currently in the final steps of finishing of a mech project I started some time back, finishing now at the hands, literally, of the mech. I have decided to use minifigure pants/legs (the bottom section of the minifigure) as the figure aspect of the mech. This mech is in LDD.
What I want to do is place this brick

into this brick in LDD

How can I go about doing this in LDD?

I see what you mean...  Friggin' annoying!  Can't do it Stud.io Ver 1.0 (157) either.  I haven't installed Stud.io 2.0 yet, to see if it's possible in the upgrade.
Hmm...  You could... Just create a work-a-round that could potentially make your model a little more unique.
These program issues are frustrating, but they're fun when they force us to think of an alternative.
Here, try these Mech Fisticuff Gauntlets. The pictures look like nonsense, so let me explain the layout.
FRONT VIEW.

It reads loosely in columns from left to right.  Your new fist configuration build are the 4th and 5th Columns.

1st Column: Dark Gray 1x2 brick = Height 3 Plates.
2nd Column: Blue MiniFig Legs = Height 5 plates.
3rd Column: The total height of Legs and 1x2 brick.  = 8 plates high.
LDD won't let us stack a 1x2 brick on to leg stalk.
4th Column: Our alternate fist, fingers fully extended.  (Note: It
will be an unnoticeable 1/2 plate shorter then your original fists.
5th Column: Our alternate fist, fingers curled up, forming a Left
fist.
6th loose splatter pieces: Four individual pieces to our fist recipe.

93062 Skeleton Leg.
26047 Modified 1 x 1 Rounded with Handle.
99780 1 x 2 - 1 x 2 Inverted.
15573 Modified 1 x 2 with 1 Stud with Groove and Bottom Stud
  Holder (Jumper).

7th Pointing Hand of Prime.

Final Note: LEGO may not have those Skeleton legs in the colors we want in real life, but look through for other minifig leg or hinge+1x1 plate combination to get your Mech finger/knuckles right.
EDIT=>HERE For reals. You can download my LDD file from my Google Drive, and import the alternate into your build file in LDD.  Save you some time.
BACK VIEW.

SICK VIEW.

That third solution with the skeleton legs is a very tempting solution to this dilemma I'm having. I might just pull the trigger on this one, but I am waiting for Stud.io 2.0+ to finish downloading before I do anything I might regret. Thanks for answering!

Updated the answer to add a LDD file to import into your model.  Later!

Sorry for the late comment. You really didn't have to upload an LDD file. I would think the design is pretty straight forward. But nonetheless I do appreciate the help! Marked as Answer!


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Re-building sets - paid services?
My son has A LOT of LEGO sets, which have sadly broken down into many, many millions of pieces. Does anyone know of any paid services that might help re-build his sets.
I know this sounds like it goes against the principles of LEGO, but really it's just too daunting, and he's lost interest because of it.

With “services”, do you mean someone who would come out to your house and rebuild the sets for you? As intriguing as that sounds, I do not believe something like that exists. Your best bet is to grab an instruction manual and start rebuilding from the pieces. Once you have a few sets built this way, it’ll become easier to rebuild the remaining sets. For sets that you know he has but you cannot find a manual, go to lego.com to download the instructions. Then, once it’s down to a few unknown sets, make pictures of the unusual pieces and post them here - we can help you identify the set(s).

Adding to this, OP could even invite some friends over to help with the process. Many kids and adults are really neat, organized, or even OCD, and they love sorting and organizing LEGO pieces. Put on some soft background music and it can be an almost therapeutic experience.

You're correct that it's absurd; services to build your Legos for you do not exist to my knowledge.
I would try taking an evening and organizing the parts that you have. Make it a parent-son thing - order a pizza, put on a movie, spread out everything you have on the floor and start separating the parts into groups. My suggestion: First group by general type (plates, bricks, hinges, etc), then by color.
Then comes the fun part: rebuilding. If you remember any of the sets that you have, you can download building instructions from the Lego website here. Once you're done separating by color/type it should be trivial to find the parts you need for any particular set.
Or just eschew this entire process altogether and encourage him to build something entirely from his imagination. Either way, your encouragement and/or involvement is a good thing.

I would argue that sorting by type first is better than colour in you are working to instructions. For example in a pile of black pieces it is hard to find the exact brick you need, but in a pile of 2x2 bricks it is easy to find the black one.

This is the best answer so far, I think. I can be a lot of fun to spread the instructions out in front of you and start calling out "2 4-length black beams! 1 6 length black axle!" (or whatever nomenclature you want to use -- "red square thingy" is also acceptable) and go hunting for them. At least, that's what I do with my daughter. We both like coming up with the precise Lego nomenclature for the pieces. Or maybe I do and she goes along with that.

@Craig I agree with your suggestion and have edited the post accordingly.

A very important aspect of building with LEGO is finding the parts! It builds character: patience, fine motor skills, visual acuity, spatial relations, and the appreciation for randomly associating parts. Over time it will make you a better builder, as your LEGO "vocabulary" will get much better. You learn what parts look like rotated & upside down, their sizes, especially in relation to each other. And you learn your inventory.


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LEGO color discrepancies and tint variations
While building my copy of set 21310 - Old Fishing Store, I noticed that there are several shades of Sand Green amongst the many tiles of this set. The picture below shows just the 1x4 tiles included in bag 7.

As you can see, the tiles in the rightmost column are uniform in color, but the tiles in the other two columns have different shades. Is this normal or should I call LEGO Customer Service?

Unfortunately, this is common to several colors in the LEGO color pallette. According to this article on Eurobricks.com, The LEGO Group (TLG) made a change in the early 2000’s in how they make their colors: they used to have premixed color granules but abandoned those in favor of a system of white granules with colored dyes added in. This new system allows for many more color combinations than previously possible.
There are certain colors which are more susceptible to color variances than others, especially the above mentioned Sand Green, but also Dark Red, Light Bluish Grey and certain Blues.
The good news is that you can use these color variations to create “weathered” looks, like for example in the Old Fishing Store set where the slight variations in Sand Green color give the building a slightly “beaten” look. This Eurobricks thread gives more examples of how you can create weathering effects in your LEGO models.

Now I understand: It is a feature, not a bug.

@Aziraphale: Though in the case of variations of what is intended to be the same color, it's more of an undesirable side effect of said feature.


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Are there any difference between the Power Functions 88003 and 99499 L motors?
I am planning to attempt a couple of RC MOCs and was looking up the power functions L motor on BL and found that there are actually 2 types of the L motor, namely the "88003 Power Functions L Motor" and the "99499 Power Functions 9V L Motor". From the somewhat limited information I could google, it seems like the 88003 can run on variable voltage (while I can't find the info on the 9V 99499 motor), it also seem like even their weights are different?
Can someone advice, or point me towards where I can find more information on these?

According to bricklink, 88003 is the set containing exactly one part, namely the 99499 motor.
You can buy the motor as a set in LEGO shops or online, it's packaged in a plastic bag, which probably accounts for the 3 gram weight difference between the items.
To my knowledge there are no different versions of the Power Functions L motor.
Here is the list of the sets the motor appears in, note that 88003 is listed as well:
https://www.bricklink.com/catalogItemIn.asp?P=99499c01&in=S

Hi Michael, that's great many thanks. Just got a little thrown off because the seller I was planning to purchase the motors from had both types at different prices(99499 being 10% more than the 88003). This was also made worse by the additional information/photo on BL that is different for both parts. when bricklink uses a different photo for both parts.

To me it seems that the picture for the set (88003) is the same as the picture LEGO S@H uses on its site to sell the set, while the picture for the part (99499) is a home-made picture taken by the bricklinker who added the entry... I have no idea why the BL seller would sell the single motor at a greater price than a packaged motor, I would expect it to be the other way around as a packaged motor is guaranteed 'new'...


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What's the Difference Between an Open or Hollow Stud, and Solid Stud Brick?
What's the difference between an open stud brick, and solid stud brick? Should I watch out on which one I use?

While the difference is most often cosmetic, an open stud can serve as a connection point for bar elements:

This type of connection is less common than simply using the stud as a stud, but if you are looking to buy elements to build a particular model, you might want to check to see if you need the open stud variety.
In addition to the obvious direct bar connection, open studs can also facilitate connections with the tubes on the underside of 1xn elements. Here's a nice picture showing the bar connection I'm referring to from New Elementary:

This can be used in combination with an open stud to allow elements to connect at a half stud offset. This technique isn't used frequently in sets, but it does sometimes come into play. For example, it is used to fix the top windows in place on the Parisian Restaurant:

The combination of bars on the underside of the 1x6 plates and open studs on the windows allow the windows to be held in place firmly despite the fact that their top stud is offset by half from the regular grid.

jncraton gave lots of great information about connections. Open studs allow for lots of great building techniques. But not all open studs are open simply to facilitate building. Sometimes the studs are molded open for reasons to do with how ABS plastic cools. If the plastic is too thick, it will deform (shrink) as it cools. This is why lots of pieces have open studs, so that they can be formed properly. Not all open studs are open for this reason, but there are lots that are.


text:
From which set is this bag? All grey 1x1 round bricks and 2x2 domes

I received this bag together with a used set. It is bag number 1 and it says copyright from 2007. The content is >10 of round 1x1 bricks and 2x2 round dome bricks, in dark bluish gray and light bluish gray each.
These are very useful parts, but I wonder whether it is better not to open it when it comes from a valuable set.
Jncraton found it in 42055. Bag(s) 1 contain the dump truck and the debris.

However, I don't know why the bag says "2007".

That's got to be the bag of aggregate from Bucket Wheel Excavator (42055).

You are probably right, but why is the bag from 2007? The set was released in 2016.

The copyright of the bag design and printing is from 2007. They must have had some extra and used them in a batch of these sets. There are 2 newer bag designs, one from 2011 that looks virtually the same as the 2007 one, and one from 2017 with a white band down the middle.

Copyrighting designs for bags that are only used to convey the real product is a fine example of copyright failing to make the world any better.  The fact that LEGO patented the brick and the minifig and lived with the shorter timeframes afforded by patents is one of the things that makes me like them so much.

I used to have this set and I believe it belongs to this set:

Welcome to Bricks.SE! This appears to be the correct answer. Thanks for sharing! If you end up getting voted down on this, it would likely be because your answer doesn't add much new information. It is helpful to know that you've had first-hand experience with this and remember this bag being in the set, though.


text:
Has anyone tried putting the Powered Up system in the Christmas train?
Just wondering if anyone has taken the powered-up ("Power Functions 2.0") Bluetooth system out of the Cargo Train 60198 or Passenger Train 60197 sets and put it in the Winter Holiday Train set 10254?

I going to do it next week. It looks like putting the train motor under the tender instead of the engine will be a cleaner build.

So are you pretty certain that it can be done?
I was considering buying both the Holiday train set and the Cargo train, and using the BT motor setup in the Christmas train.
But, I don't have any experience with Lego trains yet, so I wasn't sure if it would work.

The Lego instructions are good, but I am not satisfied. If I can come up with something better I will post some photos.

Haven't done the 10254 yet with powered up, but have converted several other trains... The train motors have the exact same dimensions and the powered-up smart hub has the same dimensions as the battery box of the power functions system.
What's different is that you don't need the space for the IR receiver and that the motor is immediately connected to the hub rather than the receiver.
What will differ is the following steps from the instruction manual:

Those steps make room for the IR-receiver which isn't necessary now..., for the rest you can follow the instructions exactly...

The motor is basically the identical shape and the battery box is the same size/shape, but there is one difference which could be important, which is the plug location. It's on top of the old battery box, in the middle, and on the front of the new one (and there are two, side-by-side).

Good point in general, however for the 10254, the plug location isn't a problem, the entire top and side is exposed in the tender

I did this successfully, but the train runs in reverse. i.e. the forward direction of the power function motor is toward where the wire comes from, and I presume that's the opposite from the suggested motor. I suppose there's no solution to that though?

There's a little switch on the remote that allows you to revert direction...

Thanks, not quite but I figured it out. This is the Bluetooth controller and you can rotate each individual control so "-" is at the top. It's not obvious it rotates though!


text:
What is this short blade with a hole at one end?

What is this element ID?? Can you please help?

That's a 98347, a.k.a Wing 1 x 4 with Pin Hole


text:
Which LEGO set are these parts from?

As we don't know how to make....and which set.

Not knowing how to build a set doesn't seem urgent to me. LEGO sets are not intended to be built in a hurry.

And if you don't know which set it is, how does it relate to the LEGO Movie?  We do amazing things here, but we can't make the parts fly together like they did in the movie.

Based on the
yellow 30150 Container, Crate with Handholds
and
Trans-Bright Green Bar 8L with Round End (Spring Shooter Dart)
(also R2-D2)
You have:
75092-1: Naboo Starfighter


text:
Technic bits set
There are LEGO sets containing just a selection of bricks, such as 10717.
Are there Technic equivalents with cogs and so-on?
If not, what is the best way to acquire a general selection of cogs/axles/etc?
This is for a little boy who is just starting out in Technic, rather than for an enthusiast who is looking for specific parts.

Something similar was asked before, but this is a different way to ask it and maybe it is time for some updates.
LEGO
LEGO has released sets of Technic parts at various points in time.  Some sets have been available under LEGO's Education line, but these and a couple of others were released in normal retail channels in 2003:

set 10076: Technic Gear Wheels

set
10074: Technic Cross Axles

I don't see any indication that LEGO will still sell you these directly at this point.
For your purposes you probably are better off finding a Technic set that is within your price range and going with that.  Having instructions for building one or two things will help spark the imagination.  If you can't get more Technic for a birthday or other holiday that's coming up, you can always encourage them to take apart the model from instructions and try something else.  Building from a set also means you end up with a nice selection of parts.  You're not going to end up with 10x too many of one thing and none of something else that might be more useful.  Almost any set is going to have a useful selection of parts for building a variety of things.
Amazon
Amazon has a number of similar things:

https://www.amazon.com/LEGO-Technic-Gears-Transmission-Parts/dp/B014C3A0I2/ref=asc_df_B014C3A0I2/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312131879690&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=18226918666857499465&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9032019&hvtargid=pla-623543211247&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07F1M6PJJ/ref=sspa_dk_detail_1?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B07F1M6PJJ&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=21517efd-b385-405b-a405-9a37af61b5b4&pd_rd_wg=ryNVZ&pf_rd_r=P9CEA0Z1S4SG7SAJR20F&pf_rd_s=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_t=40701&pd_rd_w=p0Dm8&pf_rd_i=desktop-dp-sims&pd_rd_r=49423994-eb39-11e8-b188-2fb63616cf11
https://www.amazon.com/New-Technic-Parts-Connectors-Compatible/dp/B07B8BL2HD/ref=pd_sim_328_5?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B07B8BL2HD&pd_rd_r=63555f51-eb3a-11e8-a434-bf3dbd9e97d2&pd_rd_w=xNIfr&pd_rd_wg=dO2LD&pf_rd_i=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=18bb0b78-4200-49b9-ac91-f141d61a1780&pf_rd_r=YN1CYNNRPRE73YPVXB7G&pf_rd_s=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_t=40701&psc=1&refRID=YN1CYNNRPRE73YPVXB7G

If you want to get more of specific kinds of parts in "bulk" this is will remain a viable way to do that.
bulk
You can find LEGO by the pound on ebay and at LEGO stores not run by the LEGO group itself.  We have a place here that you can go in and there are tables with parts to pick through.  They have tons of Technics, bricks, plates, minifig parts, Bionicle bits, etc.  You can get a bag of whatever you want for $20-$80 depending on how big the bag is.
Vendors of bulk LEGO tend to set up shop at LEGO shows and conventions.  You might discover that there are some unofficial LEGO shops in your area already.  Since they don't have the advertising dollars of the official stores they might be in your town and you've missed it.
bricklink
bricklink is the ultimate ebay replacement and encyclopedic reference for LEGO sets and parts.  If you want 200 of a part in one color or 1 each of 200 different parts, this is the place to make it happen.
Conclusion
I haven't done any bulk purchases on ebay or Amazon, but otherwise I've had good luck with LEGO sets, bulk from stores, and bricklink.


text:
Mystery LEGO bags
I bought 3 sealed bags of LEGO at the second hand store. They are unopened but have no box/ instructions.
I looked at some other threads here and tried to identify the sets using piece numbers and the Peeron site but haven't had luck.
I'm hoping to post pictures here and hopefully someone can help me.....
The first bag has a police theme, a robber and a bubble canopy window. I believe it's the complete set as the bag has no number.
The other two are harder, they are numbered bags so obviously part of larger sets (both 6 so not part of the same set.....)

you should probably open a new question for the first photo

The first one is 60004-1 fire station I'm pretty sure, at least part of it. You should add another question for it though

Found it, it's LEGO City Brickmaster, a book-set (ISBN-13: 978-1405356237),

How did I do it ?
I used my trusted pyrebrickable, using a few pieces in the bottom right corner, and the only set that contains both black knit cap, white cap, and light bluish gray 1x1 cone is this one, numbered DKCity-1 in the rebrickable dataset.
Good building !

Nice! I didn't get beyond 60049 with bricklink. I would delete the old part of your answer.

You're right, I removed the deprecated part :-)

Thank you very much! Any idea how to get instructions for this (since they are  within a book) any ideas  about the other bag? (it's only part of a larger set).

Also, How can I leave good reviews/rating for my helpers?

Building shouldn't be really hard based on what we see on the image, I think.

That source you were using is broken, it leads to a 404 page.

Thanks @mindstormsboi, fixed the link

First picture has parts from Fire Station (60004) set. Identified by unique combination of Garage Roller Door Section without Handle in Trans-Light Blue and Brick, Modified 1 x 2 with Open O Clip Thick (Vertical Grip) in Yellow.

The other set has been correctly identified by rienafairefr.


text:
Building technique for plate at near 45 degree angle
Trying to construct an octagon shaped hallway and trying to attach plates at a near 45 degree angle, but have no idea how to do this. Are there any techniques for attaching plates at a near 45 degree angle that are gapless. Maybe using the technic bent lift arm pieces?
See photo below. Can't get the red brick to line up satisfactory.

Do you need the studs of the plates on the outside or can they also face the inside of the hallway?

Studs of the plates need to be on the outside

You might find that the answers to How do I build a sloped roof with a 60° rake? help as well - they won't join up completely, but you can probably hide the gaps sufficiently.

ROUND 2.
HERE, experiment with this new greeblin' compatible .LXF file.
EDIT:  Added X-ray animation to better see the internal contruction.

Please excuse the non-symmetrical sloppiness of this draft (I got lazy).
Note: The non-connecting hinges, and 1x1 circular pieces are to help cover the visible plate gaps.
We all know LEGO Digital Draw gets anal with the exact distances between pieces, so even if these hinges don't connect on this digital plane doesn't mean they won't in a real life physical build.
Oh, and the structural integrity is not based on the connectivity of said hinges.
I stole the idea from Set #7661 Jedi Starfighter with Hyperdrive Booster Ring, and added a bit o' me own greeblin';)

Sadly this approach won’t help either. Started off using something similar with sloped bricks, but need to attach greebling to the top of the outside face of the “hallway”

But the outside has studs all around, except for the underside.

Hey  Aziraphale!  'Sup. I was going by Random21's original image.  His bottom 1x4 plate isn't upside down.  It's positioned right-side up to connect the two opposing hinges. I know you'd asked him a question on the direction he wants the studs to face. I took it that he really wanted the 45 degree plates studs accessible, I'm not totally sure he wanted the sides studed up either, even though, I went ahead and did it.  He said he needed to attach greebling to the top of the outside face of the hallway.  I think I went overboard by attaching studs to all side except the bottom.


text:
Which LEGO figure is this with white cape and red suit with a lightning bolt?
Could somebody please identify the minifigure in the picture please?

This is Shazam, a superhero from DC,

Paint seems a bit faded in your case, but this is the one.
This is a very rare minifig because it's a Comic-Con 2012 exclusive.
ID sh042 in Bricklink

As posted in the other answer, you have a knock-off version of sh042. Not worth much, if anything at all. Print on yours is all wonky, misaligned and definitely not something that would have passed LEGO’s QA stage.

Looks like the Comic-Con 2012 exclusive Shazam / Captain Marvel: https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?M=sh042#T=I
From the quality of the lighting in the photo it's hard to be definitive but if I had to guess I'd say this isn't genuine Lego but a reproduction figure or knock-off (KO).

Thank you for your information. The lighting wasnt the greatest and picture was taken on older mobile phone , will try and poat a better quality photo now. Thanks again

Compared to the Bricklink photo, this opened mouth is skew. Also, the fabric of the cape is not LEGOlike at all. This is definitely not LEGO.


text:
Do you know which series or set this sticker is from?

Can you identify the series for this sticker? Or even better, do you know which set it is from?

Welcome. This is part 52031pb093 - Wedge 4 x 6 x 2/3 Triple Curved with Gold and Silver Ring Ornament on Dark Green Pattern (Sticker) which comes from set 76006 Iron Man: Extremis Sea Port Battle from 2013.


text:
How can I identify LEGO stickers?
What steps can I take to identify LEGO stickers/sticker sheets and which sets they belong to?

Using the full sticker sheet for #60150 Pizza Van set as an example, there are a few options.

If you have the full sticker sheet, you might be able to find a part number for the sticker sheet (in this case 29583/6174606), it can usually be found at the bottom and/or near 'LEGO GROUP'. Use either Bricklink sticker search or Google to find the original set. Older LEGO sticker sheets might only use the set ID.
A lot of sets, particularly those released in the last two decades and particularly CITY sets will use the set ID on vehicle number plates. Usually for number plates, the first two letters will be the initials of the set designer and the following number would represent the set ID. They can also be found in more creative places such as a tail number for a helicopter.
Google Image Search has a function called 'Search by Image', this can be found be pressing the camera icon in the Google Images search field. Take a picture of the sticker sheet, or a single identifiable sticker. Ensure that the photo is in focus, well lit and from directly above and upload.

Google will try to find keywords to match the image uploaded, this isn't always helpful so you may need to replace the keywords with 'LEGO', 'Sticker' and if possible, the theme that the set might belong to.

If everything else fails, you can use the registered trademark year to narrow down the year it was produced/released. In this case, the release date must be during or after 2017. It's possible that a sticker sheet could be reprinted in following years to correct a flaw in the design and that the year could change.

Tips

The first sets to have stickers were released from 1971 onwards.
[Source]
Steps 2 and 3 can also be used to identify some printed parts.
If you find a sticker attached to a rare part or a part produced in a rare colour, it might be worth finding that part on Bricklink and finding the sets that it is used in.


text:
Has Anyone Motorized Ocean Explorer Set #42064?

Me gustaría saber si tiene alguien monitorizado motorized el LEGO Technic - Explorador oceánico 42064 y si es así si alguien podría pasarme las instrucciones?
Muchas gracias!
Google Text Translated:
I would like to know if anyone has motorized the LEGO Technic - Ocean Explorer 42064, and if so, could someone show me how?
Thank you!
Editor's note:
Translation errors aside, I'm using this Youtube video Here as a reference to what I think the OP is referring to when he means "Motorized" in hopes that more people will at least understand what he's looking for, and focus on getting the answer he wants.

Based off what the darn thing does, is it possible to motorized these functions?

The main vessel itself has wheels to make it go forward and backward.

It has a steerable moving rudder.

There are more functions like a moveable Crane, Helicopter and Submarine.  Not sure how many things he wants to hook up to a motor, so I kept focused on the moving ship.

You might get better results if you try and provide an English version of your question. SE sites tend to be English only unless they are specifically for another language.

The OP made a mistake in their posting and used the spanish word for “monitoring” instead of the word for “motorizing”. I have corrected the english translation.

Here is a video of 42064 as RC model but no building instructions
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7P5WEdphSE


text:
Do you know which set these large grey ball and socket pieces belong to?
Does anyone know which set this piece belongs to:

The top two pieces there (not the 2x2 square) are
Cylinder Hemisphere 2 x 2 Ball Turret Socket Base

and
Cylinder Hemisphere 3 x 3 Ball Turret

The top appears in 28 sets, the simplest of which is this ion cannon


text:
Star Wars Ship - Which LEGO Set Is This?
I received a large assortment of free LEGO from a family member, and can't seem to locate which ship this may be.
I'm thinking it's part of the Clone Wars. Anyone recognize it?

Welcome Derek.  You seem to have left out the image you reference.  Would you please edit your question to include the image?  It will be much easier to recognize with that.

Where's the fun in that??? Had an issue with shrinkage...pic now loaded

Its at least two sets.

Set #7674 "V-19 Torrent".
and...
Set #8087 "TIE Defender".
Extra Credit:
Upper left hand corner.

Set #6747 "Race Rider".

Well done Rin. My apologies if my earlier downvote on another question caused negative emotions .. A downvote does not mean your contribution is not appreciated, it just means that the answer doesn’t suit the question. All water under the bridge of course since you deleted the question. Hope we’re good though...

Wow!!!! This helps tremendously Rin. No wonder I couldn't find any images that fit what pieces we had. Looking forward to digging through the pile to put the Tie Defender together.  Unbelievable job catching the Race Rider too just by noticing the tire????


text:
How do I make trains which fit LEGO rails (6 studs)?
Christmas is coming and my son (7) is asking for trains.
I was planning to buy a set, but they are expensive, and I think it is a bit too advanced for my son.
Therefore I decided to buy a box of rails (just rails) as well as LEGO pieces. I think we would not have a problem with the top parts of trains (we have plenty of LEGO bricks at home), but I am not sure which wheels to buy.
Do you have any recommendations? We have a couple of train wheels. Will any LEGO train wheels work for the rails?
I have wheels from this Classic set:

The most common train wheels (2878) look like this:

These may be available directly from LEGO via online Pick-a-Brick or Bricks and Pieces, but it is probably easiest and cheapest to get them used on Bricklink.
If you want something cheaper, you could go with the small track-compatible wheels (50254):

That part is available very cheaply on Bricklink. These have been used in many sets, often having nothing to do with trains, but you can see how they are used to run on track in Rail and Road Service Truck (4541):

Those small wheels obviously wouldn't look great on a full scale LEGO train, but you might be able to put something together that looks alright at a somewhat smaller scale.

That set comes with wheel holders, that place the wheels for rails 4 studs wide, i.e not suitable for LEGO tracks.
Unfortunately I can't find any non-train sets containing parts suitable for LEGO tracks, but at the moment you should be able to buy the newest edition of the Hogwarts express (set #75955), that is at least not motorised or comes with tracks, so you don't pay for either. It's still not cheap though.

LEGO trains come with special wheels, wheel-bases and magnetic connectors that are only available with LEGO train sets. While you might be able to cobble together something that sort of works, there is no substitute for the actual train parts.
The train wheels are designed in such a way that they can run smoothly on both curved and straight LEGO train tracks. If you study their shapes, you will see that they are actually quite complex. Train wheels are connected with small metal rods, instead of LEGO Technic axles, to assure a very smooth ride over the tracks. The special wheel-bases are designed to accommodate the wheels and metal axles, and are just the right length to be able to handle curved tracks. And the magnetic connectors allow easy coupling of the train cars.
While some LEGO car wheels have grooves, they are not designed to fit on LEGO train tracks. Some can sort of perch on top of the rails, but they are wobbly, and will run off the tracks easily, especially on curves.
If you would like to get into LEGO trains, I recommend getting an actual LEGO train set to avoid all the hassle and frustration of trying to build something from parts that are not meant for trains. Just get the cheapest LEGO train you can find. It will give you all the parts you need to build a train, and you can always customize the engine and cars from parts you already have.
Currently, the cheapest LEGO train is the #75955 Hogwarts Express for $80. However, you can often find better prices on eBay for used LEGO trains or partial sets with only the train but no extra parts and minifigures. Also check Amazon during the holiday shopping season. They usually discount older LEGO trains by 20-30%.


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What is this element ID?

What is this element ID?? Could you please help?

This is :
Part # 4285b
Dish 6 x 6 Inverted (Radar) Webbed - Type 2 (underside attachment positions at 90 degrees)


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Inventory website/app/software?
I have several Lego sets, and I wanted to see if there was any app/software/website that I could enter the set number, and it would automatically inventory the bricks that I have. It would also be great if it had a catalog of builds that it could cross reference across my inventory, and show me things I could build now/could build if I purchased a few more bricks.
Does anything like this currently exist?

Rebrickeable does what you are looking for. You can create an account and upload all of your sets by entering the set numbers. The website will automatically inventory all of your sets, and check what other sets and even custom models created by the community you could build with the parts you have. Here is the link to the website: https://rebrickable.com/
If you don't want to upload your entire collection but just want to quickly check what else you can build from parts of a few sets, you can check the combination of parts from up to three sets and see what you else you can build with it. This feature is under the BUILD tab: https://rebrickable.com/build/


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Can you identify this minifigure with green skin and red hat?
I would like to know who this minifigure is or what set it belongs to.

The minifigure that you have is Kithaba from Star Wars:
https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?M=sw397#T=P
it appears in this set:
9496-1: Desert Skiff


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Adding Power Functions to LEGO Mack Anthem Truck (42078)
Does anyone have experience adding Power Functions to set #42078 LEGO Mack Anthem truck?
It’s a Technic set, but only features manually actuated functions.
I have seen it motorized on YouTube, even though a Power Function option is not mentioned on the box. Any details on how to do it would be very much appreciated.

I modified the unit. It's quite intense. If you have built the unit you have to take a lot of it apart but it dose look cool running along. I’m about to buy a motor for the trailer. I’m going to get a independent motor with battery and switch and hold it on the back only because it a lot of turning on the cogs.

There is this thread on Eurobricks:
42078 Mack Anthem Mods and improvements
Also this youtube video
KlikBriks Lego Technic MACK Anthem (RC MOD) l Instructions

There is an instruction on Rebrickable on how to motorize the truck. Please be aware that instructions are not free (I'm not affiliated with model designer).
This gives you list of parts you need to have to complete the motorization.
You can also check Rebrickable for other 42078 set and Mack related modifications, alternate and unique models with instructions (free or paid) available for each of them.


text:
Partial set identification
Hi,
I bought a bag of sealed LEGO from the second hand shop. It is labelled 6 so must be part of a larger set. Is anyone able to identify it?

The "Red Support 1 x 6 x 5 Girder Rectangular" answers this.
It's only in two sets, and in 3368 there are 10, which your picture doesn't show, so this is probably 4430 Fire transporter.
EDIT: There are no "Trans-Light Blue Panel 1 x 2 x 2 with Side Supports - Hollow Studs" in 3368, so this is definitely 4430.


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How do you convert the ev3p program files and assets back into an ev3 project file?
I edited the ev3p file, and I want to see the changes by opening it in the ev3 IDE. How do I convert all of the files back into an ev3 project file?

I've figured it out. To anyone who wants to know, the reason why the ev3 IDE wouldn't work is because I made a zip file with the folder with the all of the items instead of compressing the items themselves.

The .ev3 is simply a zip file. So you can use just zip everything up in a .zip file and then rename the file extension from .zip to .ev3.

I've tried this, but whenever I try to open the .ev3 file again in the IDE it opens a blank page and then closes out of it immediately.

Perhaps the change you made in the .ev3p file is causing the unexpected behavior?

I probably should've described my situation better. I am on a mac btw. These are the exact steps I took: 1. Create a normal ev3 project in the IDE. 2. Duplicate this and unzip the duplicate using The Unarchiver. 3. Compress this duplicate folder using mac's built in compression. 4. Rename the extension to .ev3. I haven't made any changes to the contents of the project.

Should i try doing this on a windows pc instead?


text:
Can you identify these 1x2 and 2x2 bricks with grooves?
As far as I understand, these are modified with groove bricks. However, search for 'groove' on BrickLink gives only left one. Which are the other two? Which other parts have similar vertical groove and do not have 'groove' word in the name?

Actually found via Google pictures. On bricklink need to use 'grooves' in search, partial matches do not work there.

They do if you put an asterisk (*) at the end of the search word, such as "groove*". I am not sure about other placeholder symbols.

Here are the listings from Bricklink.com (left to right).
Brick, Modified 1 x 2 with Groove
https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=4216#T=C
Brick, Modified 2 x 2 with Grooves and Axle Hole
https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=90258#T=C
I'm not sure about the last one. Maybe:
Brick, Modified 2 x 2 x 6 with Groove
https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=6056#T=C


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NXT Sensors not working
I'm looking for advice. I pulled my Mindstorms 8547 kit out of storage and started to play with it after several years of inactivity.
I found that the Color Sensor, the Ultra Sonic Sensor, and the position read back on motors all do not function. I downloaded the latest software and firmware version 1.31.
Any idea what is going on? Do I need to go back to a previous firmware version to get things to work as they did originally?
Any advice is appreciated, thank you.

Is there any chance it's simply your code that isn't working? Could you add a screenshot of the program you're using to test the functions?

Using the "View" directly from the NXT brick to test the sensors, just get all ?????on the display with the color or ultrasonic sensor plugged in.

Check for 5V on the two middle pins of the motor connectors (plug a cable into the brick, no motor on the other end,  and measure volatege on the contacts of the open other end). NXT/EV3 have separate power to all the sensors, if there's a short (failed capacitor or similar) or the power chip failed then the brick will still work, but the sensors won't get power.

This honestly just sounds like a faulty cable. See the NXT cable pinout below. If wire 5 or 6 is damaged it will cause digital I2C sensors to fail. This includes the color and ultrasonic sensors, but not the (analog) touch sensors.
Also, according to this source, pin 5 and 6 are also used for the motor encoders. So damage to 5 or 6 will cause rotation feedback to fail.
This sounds exactly like the issues you are having. The solution? Try a different cable to confirm that the issue is a faulty wire, then (optionally) buy new cables from here.


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What tools can I use to get better prices on a large list of parts on Bricklink?
I prepared a long list of parts (Wanted List) that I want to buy using Bricklink. It is clear that I won't be able to get all the parts I need from a single seller and have identified three Bricklink stores that can cover the full list of parts I need.
What tools can I use to distribute the parts I need across the three stores to get the best prices?
Previously there have been tools like Brick Wizard and Brickficiency but those do not seem to work with the updated Bricklink website. Are there currently any alternatives? I'm not shy to do some programming myself, but maybe there's a good starting point somewhere?

Have you tried BrickLink's own Easy Buy feature? You can select the Wanted Lists you want to work with, (or just select all your Wanted Lists), select some additional criteria (like store and shipping preferences) and BrickLink will automatically choose the cheapest combination for you. It's a really cool feature that can save you from a lot of manual searching and comparing.

Also, have you tried copying your wanted list over to BrickOwl.com (a competitor of BrickLink)? They also have an autobuy function where you pick vendors one by one and BO automatically picks the cheapest distribution of parts across the selected vendors. As an added bonus, BrickOwl takes shipping into account (BL typically does not).

@TheBrickBlogger For now I ended up distributing the parts I needed across three Bricklink stores manually. I briefly wanted to report on the Easy Buy feature. My manually sorted order totaled to 170 Euro including shipping, while the Easy Buy carts from two stores were 210 Euro without shipping. With one of the two shops that got selected, the feature also created a cart incompatible with the store's terms, not reaching the required minimum order total. From this anecdotal evidence, I can't really recommend the Easy Buy feature.

@MrCruelslyPants, I have had good success with Easy Buy, using a similar comparison method to yours. However, results sometimes do end up a bit out of whack, especially when the order is complicated with rare items. My preference is to use Easy Buy to get an idea how much my project would cost, and before I make the purchase, I double check with a manual or semi-manual method. For smaller orders of common items I would not hesitate to use Easy Buy by itself. For large, expensive, and/or complicated orders, I would double check manually.

A new developer has updated Brickficiency to the new Bricklink API...
You can download it here: https://github.com/WindmillHelix/Brickficiency2/releases
I've tested it shortly, it seems to work as well as the old Brickficiency.
Haven't tested it well enough to check if it provides significant better options than Bricklinks own Easy Buy feature...
Just like the old Brickficiency, it's infeasible to process significantly long Wanted Lists as it uses a brute force approach (simply trying all store combinations)...


text:
Why is this piece notched?
It's nowhere as deep as the garage door notches they designed to let the doors slide up and down.
How does the notch fit into the initial set that the part was first introduced and does this shallow groove have specific function?

For reference, this is "Plate, Modified 1 x 2 with 4 x 4 Dish at 90 degrees" (30209).

As far as I know, it's not intended to have any building function, it's just there to prevent any excess plastic at the fill hole from getting in the way of other pieces.
I can't find a good close-up picture, but that particular piece is filled through a hole in the mold at that location, which you can kinda see in this picture.

Without the small recess, if the sprue were to leave behind a small nub, it could prevent sticking the piece next to another piece.

Huh, I just cracked into 40311 Traffic Lights this week and noticed a very similar notch in the base of the signpost (Tile, Modified 2 x 2 with Bar and Stud with Stop Ring). I guess it serves the exact same purpose.


text:
Lego EV3 simulator and programming
I've been searching and testing for hours. There is little information on this subject though. I have some specific requirements for a Lego EV3 simulator and programming environment.

I do not want to continue to use Lego EV3 programming blocks.
I would like to use a robust, alternative graphical programming language such as Scratch, Modkit, or MakeCode.
The simulator needs to have access to current FLL game fields.
The programming environment and code needs to be portable to a physical robot.

I am aware of Robot Virtual Worlds and Virtual Robot Toolkit. Both are of interest to me and I am familiar with both to some degree. However, the programming aspect has been a challenge.
Virtual Robot Toolkit makes the EV3 connects to the programming platform over a virtual wifi connection. That's great if I want to use Lego EV3 programming, but I don't. So, is there another programming language that has a "bridge" to connect and program an EV3 running standard EV3 firmware over wifi? Specifically that works with VRT?
Robot Virtual Worlds has support for Robot C Graphical which is a potential choice. However, Robot C Graphical is really buggy and limited (no support for functions at all). In addition, I think the Robot C environment requires downloading a different firmware to the brick which is a drawback and eliminates it's ability to be used in VRT. I also don't know if they have any current FLL fields available in RVW.
So, does anyone know of a way to bridge one of these two virtualization platforms with a good graphical programming language while having current FLL fields available?

I don't know if this will work or not, but EV3Basic compiles to the same byte codes as the official EV3 software from LEGO, so it may be possible to use it with Robot Virtual Worlds, assuming that it uses the compiled .rbf file. https://github.com/c0pperdragon/EV3Basic

@DavidLechner This looks hopeful. I'm not opposed to teaching a simple to learn BASIC to students. It's where I started at 8 yrs old. I researched it briefly and it says it connects over bluetooth and wifi to the brick - so technically it should support virtual robotics toolkit which shows up as a wifi brick. Thanks for the tip!


text:
Help Identifying Mega Bloks Parts

I've bought a storage unit, and truly have no idea what these Mega Bloks are a part of.
There are two blue domes, two green domes, and a bunch of what looks like tracks/road pieces.

Brand: MEGA BLOKS.
Set Theme: Planetoids.
Set Name: LX-009 City.
Year: 1997.

BIG THANKS to Gnovice for the positive I.D. on the track piece, which proved it was at least from the MEGA BLOKS line, but just in a different color.

Color discrepancy note: I think the Original Poster's camera flash turned the darker purple color of the pieces into a blueish hue.

Nice! Guess I should have been looking here instead.

Hey, you've been the greatest of Luck Dragons.  Today you've given me two new places to look.  Just when I thought I've reached the boundaries of Fantasia/ the Internet, you provide me with more.  BIGGER THANKS!

Those track pieces appear to resemble in shape (if not in color) the track pieces in set 9801 Build & Race Speedway:

No idea about the "domes". Could they be lids to containers?


text:
Is it possible to dismantle and refurbish an original 870 Technic motor?
I have a couple of ancient 870 motors (the 4.5v ones) that run but don't sound great. I've looked for, but can't find, a guide on how to dismantle them. I'd like to either get in there and clean/lubricate them selectively, or perhaps even replace the motor element.
The end cap where power is supplied is clearly where they went together, but some gentle wiggling and pulling suggests there's probably some internal one-time assembly clips.
Is there a trick to get them apart?
Edited to add:
Further wiggling and poking makes me believe that unfortunately any clip is in the curved sides of the motor casing, which are very resistant to flexing. A thin blade passes into the top or bottom straight edges with little to no resistance.

Great question, and welcome to Bricks.SE!

@jncraton Thanks. Now all I need is a great answer to got with it!

Being very curious as a kid, I tried to disassemble one; from what I remember the cap where the plug goes in was sealed/glued quite firmly and not only was removing it a challenge; putting it back together proved nearly impossible. Maybe a more careful adult would have more success, but I wouldn't recommend it.
As for what's inside - two square metallic parts with holes are lodged in the cavity where they'll receive the plugs, and small copper brushes extend from them to contact the motor axle directly. So it's a custom build, there's not a motor in it as in the bigger train motors of the time that you could replace.

That's useful to know. I was assuming there'd be something like a Mabuchi 280 hiding in there.

While it is important to keep old and rare Lego pieces in good condition;
looking at the part in LDCAD, it does not look like there are any screws to take it to pieces, so I think it is internally clipped together, where such clips cannot be pulled back apart again after they snap in. Several Lego motors use these clips.
However since you cannot see them it is debatable weather it matters if they are broken/cut because you can probably super glue it back together and since the glue will be on the inside you won't see that either, but I will leave that risk up to you :)

"However since you cannot see them it is debatable weather it matters if they are broken/cut because you can probably super glue it back together and since the glue will be on the inside you won't see that either" It'd probably reduce the value of the part, regardless.


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Can You Identify These Black Studless 2x4 Brick With Train Wheels?
I found a bunch of Pat Pend LEGO in a thrift shop. Among all the goodies there are two black smooth 2x4 bricks with train wheels attached to them.
Their characteristics are as followed:

They are studless.
Have a closed bottom.
On one of the long sides there is a half moon like cut-out with a
sort of flat hook thing.
On the short sides there are detachable train wheels with ten spokes.
The wheel axles are made of yellow brass.
The logo on top is the old LEGO logo with the letter "O" being open.
The logo is quite large.

Can anyone help me identify these parts?

Hey, there Happy Dog!  These train pieces?

Part #BB37 - Train Brick 2 x 4 x 1 1/3 Sliding Block with Wheels
Holder.
Part #Wheel2A - Wheel Spoked for Motor.

Together they appear in these LEGO sets.
See ya!

Thank you so much Rin Rio-Oki. That are the blocks!! You identified them and did that very fast. This forum is amazing. Lego made so many different parts, without a community of adult Lego lovers it would take so much time to identify every little bit of it. And I'm a beginner, but willing to learn. Thanks again. Cordially,
Happy Dog.


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Unknown Set: White spaceship? with clear blue canopy
Do you know which set this is? It's incomplete, and I would like to get the instructions. It looks a bit like a spaceship...

Hey Mc5,
Set #76028 Darkseid Invasion.
Build instructions here.

Have fun!

Awesome! Many thanks Rin Rio-Oki!


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Unknown sticker on a dark grey 1x2 tile, black lines, printed handled?
I bought a big bundle of LEGO, and I'm trying to find out the sets.
This one is on a dark grey 1x2 tile, with black lines and printed handled.
Can you identify this sticker?

Comes from Set #75038 Jedi Interceptor.

Many thanks! Unfortunately, I miss too many pieces. I'll move to something else.

That's cool.  Keep on asking.  That's why we're here;)


text:
Unknown stickers with silver lines on black 2x4 tiles
I found two stickers in a bundle that I can't link to any set.

Do you know which sets they may belong to?

Comes from Set #76047 Black Panther Pursuit.


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About selling old LEGO, by the pound or assembled?
I was just wondering how much does a pound of bulk usually sell for. I also have tons of star wars mini-figs, including tons of clone troopers of different kinds, stormtroopers, battle droids, but some are relatively worn, are they worth anything? I also have some pretty destroyed sets that can probably be rebuilt but I don't have the instructions anymore, should I just disassemble them?

I think the good answer better cover how to actually sell effectively, is bricklink good for selling small amounts.

In general, a pound of LEGO goes $5-$10, depending on what's included and the condition of the parts.
As far as how much your minifigures are worth, you can go to BrickLink.com, find the minifigures you have in their database, and check the Price Guide. It will list all the currently available minifigs sold by shops around the world, and sales figures from the past six month. There are separate columns for new and used figures, so you will get a good idea of what minifigs in similar condition as yours are selling for. To get you started, here is the main page for all the Star Wars figures: https://www.bricklink.com/catalogList.asp?catType=M&catString=65&itemBrand=1000
In regards to sets, you can check the BrickLink Price Guide for those as well. Some might be worth selling assembled, while for others it doesn't matter. You can download instruction from LEGO's website here:  https://www.lego.com/en-us/service/buildinginstructions

I'm also interested. Is it easy to sell via bricklink? (maybe it deserves a separate question...). I'm at all not sure ordinary lego user can sell easily at these prices..

Alexei, maybe you can clarify what is your definition of easy. In general, yes, selling on BL is easy. You follow the directions to set up an account and open a store. You select the parts/sets/minifigs you have, their condition, how many you have, etc., then add them to your store inventory. You wait for orders, follow the directions to send out invoices, collect payment, and ship packages. If you ever sold on anything eBay it is basically the same process. If not, it will probably take you a bit longer. People from all walks of life and all countries sell on both on eBay and BrickLink.


text:
Can you identify this white, blue, and green train body?
Got that is a bag of parts. For some reason one part of train (it look like train to me) is upside-down by direction of stubs. Browsed through all 4 hundred sets by searching for 'train' on Bricklink but had not spotted that one.

I do not know much about LEGO, but that what you show in the photo looks like an airplane to me. Perhaps I'm right, perhaps I'm wrong.
Edit:
It's from A.I.R. Operations HQ (4620).

Yep, look like you are right. Similar although with different coloring https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?S=4619-1&name=A.I.R. Patrol Jet

found the one with right colors - it's from https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?S=4620-1#T=P

Thanks for your contributions, and welcome to Bricks.SE! I've edited this answer to be more complete based on the info from @AlexeiMartianov comments.


text:
Can I store LEGO in negative (minus) Celsius?
I've found this question: How can I store LEGO bricks to prevent damage? and the answers don't tell, what happens below 0°C.
Can I store unopened LEGO boxes where temperature can go down until even -15, -20°C?

Before adding comments to open the box and play with it, I'll do!

Let me guess - hiding christmas presents in the garage?

According to the Wikipedia article ABS can be used between −20 and 80°C. Heed the caution regarding humidity control.

Generally yes, as long as:

there are no electronics inside (like Power Functions, Mindstorms, etc.)
the temperature stays below freezing
you allow plenty of time in dry environment to thaw out

No, if the temperature rides up and down and you want to keep the box and paper booklet intact - it will draw moisture with each thaw cycle.
No if electronics, especially with integrated lithium batteries, are involved (but even without batteries it's not good to freeze electronic components).
LEGO is made of ABS and sometimes some other general purpose plastics. They become brittle when cold, but go back to normal once temperature returns to room levels.


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How To Sort Out 3rd Party Technic Clones From LEGO Originals?
I've recently bought bulk parts, and wish to sort out the official LEGO pieces from the inferior quality 3rd party clones.
On bricks I can easily spot-out the clones, becasue they don't sport the "LEGO" logo on the studs.
So, I'm looking for an easy way to spot-out fakes on non-studded pieces like this Technic Bushing:

My tip off is that some of the Bushings don't grip well to various axles, thus giving me the idea that these Bushings too, might be some inferior quality 3rd party clones.
Some of the Bushings have VERY tiny writings with the "LEGO" logo.

Does this mean all pieces without the logo are clones?
Has LEGO branded all parts (even the smallest) with a logo?
Has it been doing so from many years back?

I suspect it could be more complicated, for example, many stud-less parts like this thin part:

have some numbers and the copyright "(c)" sign, but no "LEGO" logo.  I've checked many pieces. Some large ones have "LEGO Group" written on it.
So, regarding authenticity, would the logo matter?
Maybe I'm into perfection too much, but I'd like to sort-out my collection form the fakes, and preferably without breaking out the  10x monocle lens.
What would you advice?

Regarding the Bushings, I think the loss of their gripping/clutching power has less to due with a phantom cloning agent, and more to due with the quality of the official LEGO piece, and how plastic degrades over time.
My collection has Bushings that are weak too, but its due to age (over 25+ years) and normal play.  Mine are not clones.
Now the issue with copyright holders is a little different. LEGO doesn't hold the patent design for the classic brick, becasue they didn't invent it, so now it's a friggin' free for all with clone "bricks" manufacturers.
As for non-brick designs like the Technic Bush, and that thin blue piece,  LEGO owns those, and could bring forward litigation to copyright infringers.

Thank you for making my question so better looking! Copyrights were interesting to read about. One point though: my bashes w/out 'lego' fineprint actually not weak but too tight and require very much force to fit.

You're welcome, Friend, I mainly wanted to capture the essence of what your post was driving at, while keeping as much of your original individual voice as possible, but I did embellished a little with the monocle pic;).  I know I didn't address every question, and went straight to offering a little advice.  As for the too tightness, that's the way I wish mine were.  Try this: Use a Q-Tip and dab a small amount of petroleum jelly on the axle shaft.  Use a holed Technic plate or brick to create a wider surface area to concentrate the pushing force of the axle through the bushing.

You seem to be mixing up copyrights and patents. AIUI copyrights general protect creative works, a model most likely qualifies but an individual functional element much less so. Patents can protect functional elements but they generally expire after around 20 years (exact rules vary by country) so most of the key lego elements will be well out of patent protection. There are also trademarks, but Legos attempt to use those to protect functional elements didn't go so well.


text:
What is average weight of booklets (instructions) in %?
As far as I understand weight of sets is noted on bricklink and other places includes all. I did not see how to list set's items along with weight in table on bricklink to check for that. Am I correct here? If yes, I want to know 'net' weight of parts alone, why doesn't bricklink have it too if it knows weights of parts?
IMHO weight of packaging is negligible, but I noted booklets can take up to 30% of weight. I've read sometime ago a post where a person claimed to extract bricklink data to database and made some other analysis. Anyway, anyhow, what is average weight of booklets (instructions) in %?

What is the average size of the average booklet you would like the average weight of? Please specify the number of average pages, the average length and the average width in millimeters.

Bricklink has this information for most sets. If you search for the set number, you get several entries. The top one is the entire set, and has the weight for the full sealed box with parts and instructions. Then there are two more entries, one for the Instructions and one for the Box. See here for an example using set 41314 Stephanie’s House.

If you go into each of these entries, you will find a weight for each. In the case of 41314, the total set weighs 1340g, the instructions weigh 318g and the empty box weighs 210g. So, doing the math, the pieces alone (assuming any stickers have negligible weight) weigh 1340-210-318=812g.
I don’t think there is a clear percentage for the weight of the instructions compared to the weight of the set, but feel free to use the BrickLink API to extract the above 3 pieces of information for ALL sets and calculate the average. I think you will find that the percentage varies due to a number of factors, such as: the number of instruction books used, the quality of the binding (some books are glued, some have staples), the weight of the paper used (some instructions use thinner paper than others), the set theme (IDEAS sets tend to have long explanatory stories before they dive into instructions), etc.

I did not think bricklink has API, thank you!


text:
Are LEGO Clikits elements compatible with the brick system?
Are LEGO Clikits elements in some way compatible with the LEGO brick system?

According to this review on The Brick Blogger, yes, BUT...
After watching this video by Maniac4Bricks, it seems the compatibility is very limited.

Also the frames are to some extent compatible.
The entire frame is 9 studs wide, the little holes align with studs.
I've seen this frame used in a GBC module.


text:
What are some good purist rotacaster / omni wheel designs?
In robotics, rotacasters or omni wheels are often very useful.
It's possible to buy LEGO-compatible ones from some third parties, here's one random example:

Unfortunately, LEGO has yet to make any themselves, which means if you are looking for a purist solution (because of robotics competition rules for example) you are out of luck.
Or are you? It might be tough to make a small one, but surely it's possible to build one.
What are some good rotacaster / omni wheel designs?

I have copied a design by Isogawa Yoshihito

I prefer it over the Lambert Varias design as the wheels are positioned more radially
More pictures in this EuroBricks thread:
https://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?/forums/topic/76297-isogawayoshihitos-lego-technic-omni-wheel-crab/

Here's a design I've been using, based on this model by Lambert Varias:

It's not a perfect circle, but it is relatively small all things considered:

It's pretty simple, but here's a partial disassembled version to better show what goes into it:

Parts shown:

1x 55013
2x 4265c
2x 57585
6x 32013
6x 32556
12x 42610
12x 50945

Just stumbled across this little gem of a Lego omni wheel!

Which is also by Isogawa Yoshihito, besides it being slightly more esthetic, I do not consider it an improvement on his previous design.


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What is the origin of the 2001 BIONICLE pin?
Recently I got one of these in a lot.

Picture of the back
Prior to receiving it, I didn't even know it existed, and can't find any information on it on the web.
What is the origin of this 2001 BIONICLE pin? Was it sold or handed out somewhere as a promotional item? Made for and worn by LEGO employees? How would one have obtained one in 2001 (assuming that's when it was made)?

The only thing I could find was a few e-bay listings, including this which uses the number #34981 in the selling title, although I couldn't find anything more.

This is
Pin85 BIONICLE Toa
a Patch & Pin set
given for free with LEGO Magazine or available at LEGOLAND Parks
Pin85 BIONICLE Toa at Bricklink.com
Pin85 BIONICLE Toa at lego.fandom.com


text:
Is there any legit positive impact of LEGO on mental health?
Is there any legit research done on the impact of LEGO on mental health?
For instance, does it positively affect kids’ mental development or does it help with stress, anxiety or any other mental-health issues?

If you go to google scholar and enter "LEGO positive effect" you will get a number of publications that describe exactly that. There are several studies that show all kinds of positive effects, not only on children. Creativity, teamwork, math, engineering, success, patience and other areas seem to be improved with LEGO.

Yes.
Here is a study that demonstrates one way to use LEGO in ADHD counseling.
If you are looking for a more rigorous outcomes-focused methodology, there's another study that looked at the impact of LEGO on social skills development in children. It found significant improvement compared to the control in a pre-test, post-test study.
If your interested in the developmental side of LEGO, here's a study that shows a correlation between complex LEGO play in 3 and 4 year olds and their secondary school mathematics achievement.
On the adult side, here's a study that shows a decrease in workplace stress after a group LEGO activity.
I'm sure there are loads more, but that's what a quick search on Google Scholar turned up.


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Official instructions for 2018 LEGO employee Christmas gift 4002018?
The 2018 LEGO employee-exclusive Christmas gift 4002018 has been revealed to the masses from various sources, by the people who have received them.

I could probably reverse engineer most of the set from image, but are the official instructions available anywhere?

I would suggest to wait a little. I'm sure instructions will be available, but the set is still very new, so it may take a while until people can upload either scanned or recreated instructions. It's certainly a nice set!

Did you got the set yourself or just curious?

@AnkitSharma Not yet

@AlexanderO'Mara so you are a Lego employee?

@AnkitSharma No, I'm not a LEGO  employee.

@AlexanderO'Mara updated answer

BZPower has done a live stream build of the set. It's not exactly the instructions, but you can follow along with the video to learn how it's built.

As TheBrickBlogger said, you need to wait:

Even contacted their customer support and the reply was:

I don't think those are every available publicly
Not unless you are an employee

And after insisting repeatedly, answer from seniors was:

So they confirmed they would not be available. Sorry!

Update: rebrickable have full detail of all individual pieces (281) and video demo too.

Given that this is intended for employees only, it shouldn't be surprising that instructions, if any were made, would not be available publicly, nor is TLG obligated to publish them, so I wouldn't bother waiting. I've received a bag of bricks that build a sculpture that's only ever been given out in certain parts of Asia, and instructions for that aren't available online either, nor would I be comfortable publishing scans of the instructions without TLG's written permission (even if I'm well within my legal rights as a consumer to do so).

I found a couple of  speed-build of the set on Youtube, that quickly show how some of the unclear parts are built.
All New Bricks
Sariel's LEGO® Workshop

As great as both of these channels are, what I don't understand is why TLG sent them review copies of a set that was never intended for general availability in the first place (and is, as described, an employee exclusive). Is it because they know the employee-given copies will just get gifted or resold and change hands in general and decided they might as well let everyone see them built?

@LegoSonicBoy these were not sent out with the intention to be review copies. Along with LEGO employees, this year, LEGO Ambassadors also received the set as a Christmas gift. Some of these Ambassadors who run YouTube channels or blogs choose to publish reviews or speed-builds of the set. This may or may not have been a good idea, as this set is not available to the general public. Previously, Ambassadors received a regular small to medium set for Christmas as a thank you for their contributions.

@TheBrickBlogger: Thanks for the clarification. Sounds like it's not quite exclusive to just employees after all. But I'd think LEGO Ambassadors were up there with them anyway.

I found this video showing the building instruction booklet page by page
[戴樂高] 2018- LEGO 4002018 INSTRUCTION 組裝圖


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Are These Minifig Helmet, Hair, and Stingray Accessories Official LEGO Parts?
I bought some minifigures on the internet, but these helmet, hair, and animal parts only have NUMBERS on them, but no LEGO logo.
They feel like LEGO, but I'm not sure. Does anyone know a way?

Welcome to BRICKS!
These are the four official LEGO parts you questioned.
Cross check their part numbers with the ones you've got on hand.
If they match, then they're good.
See ya!
Part# 61189pb03.

Part# 15083pb01.

Part# 30084.

Part# 43753.


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General guidelines to identify real LEGO pieces from fake or copy?
I see a lot of questions here about if a certain piece is really LEGO or not and this made me wonder if there is any guideline to follow to identify real LEGO piece from the duplicate or fake one?
I checked the site and found this question but it's not what I am asking for.

The most obvious sign is the LEGO mark present on each stud*. I have yet to learn of any single copycat company that would go through the legal and technical trouble required to mold these onto every stud of every piece in a consistent fashion.
If the piece has no studs to check or the markings are present and you still have doubts you can take a suitably strong light and magnifying lens and look for a trademark or a 4-5 digit part ID. This on the right side is a very obviously visible example, others might be much smaller and better hidden. A missing ID would obviously indicate a fake piece. But even if it is present you can cross-check the existing LEGO piece databases to see if the part ID does indeed represent the part you have.
Should a bootleg company go to the lengths to correctly add all such markings, you can still take a  known genuine part of the same design and check for any differences in dimensions. LEGO has notoriously tight tolerances when it comes to precise size. You can check the material as well, fakes could have different weight, sheen, flexibility, clutch power or could feel different to the touch.
And in the unthinkable case when a competitor manages to get all markings, dimension and material properties right, can evade all inherent lawsuits and their prices are not egregiously high then they maybe deserve to be used as "real" LEGO pieces :)
But only then ;)
Sidenote: Old LEGO jewels (diamonds) don't have any ID or trademark on them, the newer ones do have both though.

*: On 2020-08-30 BrickFinder published an article about chinese fake LEGO bricks being found "in the wild" with almost perfect LEGO lettering on their studs. These have nearly imperceptable differences in the lettering, the gloss and colour of the bricks and their dimensions.

Many fans believe that the tolerance for color differences has slipped a lot since LEGO started mixing colors into the granulate themselves. A member of the Danish LUG used to sort his yellow bricks into 6 different nuances. On a couple of occasions I've build sets where I could see color differences with the naked eye in rooms with sub-par lighting. So relying on color differences to spot non-LEGO pieces is not really a good idea.

As @Henrik mentions colour variation has increased quite a lot over the last few years - see also LEGO Colour discrepancies and tint variations and What is the difference between the plastic used in mainstream minifigs and the plastic used to make the popular collectable series of minifigs?

Ok, I'll remove the references to color.

Article posted as an edit provide a little questionable (probably click-bait) content.

I can usually just tell by the color / sheen of the bricks in question, LEGO puts a lot of effort into producing consistency in their parts.
zovits mentioned a lot of good points, but there is one thing I'd add that I have noticed as of late while sorting out bulk lots of bricks: Some companies that are truly attempting to make counterfeit LEGO (as opposed to mega-blocs who are just compatible) have gotten close to the right shapes and colors, but are still falling short when it comes to the ABS recipe. I  have found that 'FLEGO' (my term for fake LEGO) is more brittle and shatters when subject to forces that LEGO has no problem with.
For example, I recently had a mini-fig torso that I tried to pull the arms off of, and both completely shattered. Real LEGO mini-figures you can pull the arms off of as much as you want, with little effect on the parts. Older torsos will sometimes develop a waist to armpit crack, I suspect this is more a result of age than excessive force.
I suspect that their ABS formula is producing harder, and more brittle bricks that will break rather than bend. I found several bricks in the same lot that were completely shattered, with rather sharp edges. This is something I have never seen in real LEGO bricks.


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Why did LEGO switch the direction of flag elements in 2008?
Having just gotten back into LEGO this year, I noticed that the flags in my new sets are mirrored from all the flags I used to have. On the left is a green flag from 4162 FreeStyle Multibox from 1995, and on the right is a red flag from 10404 Ocean's Bottom from this year — notice that they flow in opposite directions:

According to BrickLink, this change was made in 2008, and the original mold stopped appearing in sets in 2010.
What was the reason for this change?

Maybe a radical change in the flag mold policy?

An informed answer seems unlikely, uninformed guesses are legion. My guess is the molding tool designer was thinking a flag is a flag just make it wave, It will be 8 years before any asks about it on Stack Exchange.

I asked them over chat and the answer was :

There's no a special reason, it's due to the mold. I know, it's not very romantic!

Nice one! However, I would have liked to see more speculations about flag directions. Which chat did you use to contact LEGO employees?

@Aziraphale lego.com support section

Oh, it's that simple!? Actually, the LEGO answer is no answer at all. The shape of the piece is due to the mold. But WHY did they change it? That is the big mystery. Maybe a struggle between left-wing and right-wing politicians in the LEGO hierarchy?

@Aziraphale lol nice point

Yeah, no, like @Aziraphale said, that doesn't answer my question at all. The shape coming from the mold is obvious - it should be pretty clear that I'm asking why they changed the mold. If they don't have an answer to that, they can say so and I can roll with that, but as it is right now it just looks like they didn't understand my question at all. Having said that, I'm not in the business of shooting the messenger so I won't downvote this answer - I'll abstain from voting instead. I'll assume the 3 upvotes are for your taking the trouble.

@LegoSonicBoy I am fine with that and my digging is still not stopped to get more


text:
Grey Clone-Brand Brick With a Single Short Tube on the Bottom?
I've had this brick for a while, and I've long wondered what it is.
It's a LEGO-compatible 2x4 brick, colored almost exactly the same as the old medium grey. There are no identifying marking, and the only marking of any kind is a single line on the bottom, which I assume is a 1.
The most distinguishing feature is that it has only 1 tube on the bottom, and it doesn't reach all the way down.
I originally found it in a bucket of otherwise genuine LEGO pieces years back, so no clues there.

I'm quite certain it's not a genuine LEGO piece, but it is an odd piece and I've long wondered what it's from?

I don't know about this clone piece, but on original pieces the tubes at the bottom are not conical (and from the picture it doesn't look like that here either), so please don't call them cones. When I saw the topic I struggled a lot to imagine what you might mean.

As luck would have it I stumbled upon your answer today sorting through my own mess. It's a Tyco brick. Although the picture doesn't show it, the one I have has a white sticker with the word "DANGER" in red on one side. Hope someone finds this useful.

What you have is indeed a "Tyco" brick. Probably from the mid 80's. I use to have a few of them. I think the great bricks like that were adapter bricks for Tyco's version of Duplo.


text:
How to distinguish official LEGO mini movies from non-official movies?
My sons (7 and 4.5 years old) love watching LEGO city mini movies on YouTube.
They love watching all kinds of LEGO city mini movies, such as:
Arctic Explorers

The Escape From Prison Island

Mountain Police Madness

Gold Mine Grief

and many others...
We also bought them some of the sets featured in these mini movies.
The problem is that sometimes, when I search YouTube for LEGO city mini movies, some of the results shown are none official movies. While some are harmless movies of people showing how they build their LEGO sets, some are not appropriate for young children.
One time we accidentally started watching a LEGO movie featuring some arctic explorers that encounter a frozen alien. It turned out to be an unofficial movie, which was too scary for our kids. We had to stop in the middle, and make up an alternative story to what happened on that movie.
My question is how can I reliably tell apart official LEGO city mini movies (all of which seem child friendly) from non-official movies.
Is there some YouTube search that will only return official movies? Is there some listing with links to all the official movies?

Hello Eran's family! How are you all doing today?
Please try these methods instead:

The Publisher's Home Page - DON'T go directly to the search box to search the term "LEGO city mini movies", but instead just
pull up one of your official LEGO mini movies and click on the
name of the person who published the video to YouTube.
In this case it would be "LEGO". So, clicking on the content creator's name will
lead you to that publisher's homepage and everything they've posted
to YT, such as Playlists, Videos, Community chit-chats, etc...
Now, anything not created by this publisher, again LEGO, will not be on their
homepage.
Please Show Me More -  So, right below the video publisher's name and date of publication there is a video description.
In this description field the publisher sometimes has links, or if
its a song, the song's written lyrics. Now, if the description field
gets too long and wordy, YT will cut it off after a certain length,
and hide the rest behind the "SHOW MORE" link.
So, try the SHOW MORE link to see if there's further info to
more official content.
YouTube Restricted Mode On/Off.  You can turn this on in YouTube settings to try to filter videos with potentially mature content, but note: Filters are not 100% accurate.

Phone App - Restricted Mode On/Off

Open YouTube app.
Tap 3 dots in the top right of screen.
Look for gray "Gear Cog" to access "settings".
In settings, look for "Restricted Mode Filtering".
Choose either "Don't Filter" or "Strict". Done.

Desktop computer - Restricted Mode On/Off:

Click 3 gray "parallel lines" next to YouTube logo to open side
menu.
Scroll down/look for gray "Gear Cog" to access "settings".
Scroll down to the very bottom of page look for "Restricted Mode".
Click on it to access more of the page.
Scroll down some more. Toggle it "on" or "off".
Click "Save".
Done.

Thanks for all the suggestions, I'll give them a try. I hope they'll also work on the Youtube app on our smart tv, since we usually don't view Youtube via a computer/phone.

Yeah, my Mom uses YT through her smart TV too, and the built in app isn't the greatest.  Can you play content from your phone to your tv through Bluetooth?  That would give you more control over the settings.


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Are there more LEGO minifigures than humans?
In 2014 Randall Munroe of XKCD predicted that there would be more minifigures than people by 2019.

Was he correct? Have we reached the crossing point, and if so, when? If not, when will we?

I do not know the answer but the growth of the human population is definitely not linear.

From skeptics Will Lego people outnumber people by 2017?

@BalazsToth since 1970 it has been

Someone told me that in 2012 we already had reached the crossing point. However, I was not able to find the source yet. Maybe it is not that obvious.

@Tim Checked it, you’re right. I was pretty sure it’s rather exponential. Good to know!

To get the official info, I have asked LEGO about this topic:

Dear LEGO, in 2003 you have reported that there are (were) 4.000.000.000 LEGO minifigures produced by that time.
  I was wondering if there are more recent numbers available, especially since the popularity of the collectible minifigures, which could indicate an increase in the production rate.
Could you please provide some official information? Even estimates would be welcome.
Thank you!

And received the following reply:

Thanks for getting in touch with us.
Thank you for your interest in LEGO® Trivia, that is an interesting question.
You are certainly right that the number should have increased drasticly since then but I can't give you any new numbers. I am sorry but you will have to wait till our marketing department decides it is time to release more fun facts like this.

So in the absence of official numbers, we can only guess.

Haha, they don't know. Right now some LEGO agent is consulting the Bricklink catalog to come up with a number :)

Although it is impossible to be sure without more information from the LEGO Group, it seems likely the answer is yes (both now, and when the question was asked)—at least when you consider all minifigures ever produced, ignoring whatever minifigures have somehow been destroyed.
In early 2015, Lego reported that "Over the years more than 5 billion minifigures have been produced". This is in the 2015 company profile which I found on the Internet Archive. This was published on February 25, 2015, together with their 2014 Annual Report, so I think we can assume it reflects the state at the end of 2014/beginning of 2015.
In their 2015 report (also available on the Internet Archive), they said "In 2015, we made more than 725 million LEGO® minifigures globally."
Assuming that they've produced at least that many minifigures annually since then (and if anything, I would expect the annual production to have increased), then over the course of 2018, the number of minifigures ever produced would grow from 5,000,000,000 + 725,000,000×3 = 7,175,000,000 to 5,000,000,000 + 725,000,000×4 = 7,900,000,000.
At some point during the year the number would have been equal to the human population, which estimates place somewhere between 7.44 billion up to 7.63 billion in 2018.


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What minifig and set is this shirt from?

I’ve googled trying to figure out where this piece came from but I have no idea.
Please help me figure out what minifigure this shirt from? Also, if it’s from a larger set.

This torso belongs to Deadshot as he appears in 76053 Gotham City Cycle Chase.


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My 8880 Super Car: Quality criteria for potential buyers?
A couple of years ago I bought a used 8880 Super Car for around 50 Euros. I thought it was an exceptional bargain but now I am not so sure any more. I want to sell the set and want to avoid a disappointed buyer. The picture below shows the most obvious show-stoppers: stickers, prints and yellowing of the wheels. The stickers are more or less OK, headlight prints are very good. The round plate is only a "reference white" for comparison. There is some yellowing on the wheels, but it is moderate, same for the gear plate.
My question is: What else would you as potential buyers of this set consider important, before bidding?

First of all, let me congratulate you, that was indeed an amazing deal you made back then. This 8880 seems to be near mint condition, and should fetch you a nice return should you choose to sell it.
Speaking both as an experienced buyer of used LEGO sets as well as an owner of an used 8880, my personal priority list of criteria is the following:

Completeness: are all pieces present, are they the correct ones (color, part design, prints, stickers)?
Physical state of the pieces: are the rubber parts cracked or still flexible, do the bricks have scratches, teeth marks, scribbles, or ...gasp... maybe even glue on them?
State of the prints: were they preserved in a good condition, or have they chipped, faded, discolored, etc?
State of the stickers: are they even applied at all or still on the sticker sheet, if applied then how precisely, did they fade, discolor, crack or chip?

For STOMPs (STicker Over Multiple Pieces): were they applied correctly, were any torn or were they cut neatly, is there maybe dirt or dust on the strip of sticker exposed between two pieces?

Instruction sheet(s): are they present, in what condition: earmarks, tears, binding, have they been doodled upon, have they faded or discolored?
Box: Is it present, does it show any damage due to storage, water, mold, shipping, was it opened carefully or torn open?
(Disclaimer: This criteria is actually a lot more important than many above but it can almost never be known or judged before buying.)
Shipping: Does the set ship with adequate packaging that ensures no pieces get lost in transit (I have received boxes that had holes in them large enough for smaller pieces to fall through), does the seller use appropriate amounts of packaging material to ensure the pieces don't get scratched up too much during transit?

Note again, these are MY PERSONAL priorities, and thus reflect my attitude which priorizes function over looks, over collectability. Other possible buyers might not care for the exact design of a half-bush or the correct generation of a 8T gear, but might place more emphasis on the stickers or the box for example.

Thank you for the assessment. Are you aware of any parts that need special attention in this set? Apart from some dust I didn't see any damaged parts in my set. I don't have a box, but the instructions are in good (not perfect) condition.

There are a few pieces unique to this set: on your picture I can see the transmission cover and handle, wheel rims, the white steering arms and the grey connector pieces. The blue wishbone pieces for the suspension are also quite rare and prone to breaking (IIRC). Your best bet would be to take the inventory of this set from a trusted source (Bricklink, Brickset, etc) and check the part IDs along with the count of each type of piece. This way you can be 100% sure your set is complete, the rest can be photographed to show the general quality. If a buyer is picky about something, they would ask.

It might be worth noting that the box for this set has a shaped tray insert (a bit like a chocolate box) that has different sized compartments for long/round/small parts.  If that's not included, it might be possible to assume that it's the same as many other lego boxes where the parts are just bagged in the box.  A collector would know that the insert should be there.

Besides the obvious quality checks, something that is quite important to me when buying second hand: in what state of assembly will the set be shipped?
Unless it's a set I'm desperately searching, I will almost certainly forego bidding if the set appears to be shipped entirely assembled.
Partially disassembled is even worse in my opinion.
Also not acceptable is the set entirely disassembled but all pieces thrown together, I believe this causes scratches on the pieces and makes it easy to have pieces missing (with the mistake possibly happening on my end while resorting the pieces).
Ideally the set is shipped entirely disassembled and the pieces sorted in zip-lock bags in a logical way: large pieces with large pieces, smaller with smaller... In such a manner that it's easy to check for completeness and I'll have fun rebuilding the set.
Problem is that the shipping manner is seldom described in any online advertisement, one needs to ask for this...

Michael, this is a good general comment on selling LEGO. Care about wrapping/boxing AND advertise it.


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Can you identify these (possibly) LEGO horses?
We got these old LEGO-compatible horses from the LEGO collection that used to belong to my wife's brothers (which means they are probably 20-30 years old). I'm wondering if they are genuine LEGO pieces.
If not, I wonder what brand are they.
Either way, I wonder which set, if any, they belonged to.

I think there was another black horse, which I couldn't find, and some or all of them also had a brown saddle part.
EDIT:
I managed to take a good photo of the stamp on the black horse, so it's definitely genuine LEGO.

Those horses look like legit LEGO-brand horses.
Specifically:
White Horse with Black Eyes, White Pupils and Dark Orange Bridle Pattern: 4493c01pb04

Black Horse with Black Eyes Circled with White, Brown Bridle Pattern: 4493c01pb02

In order to be extra sure they are genuine LEGO, look for the "LEGO" stamp on the inside of the hollow studs on their back where the saddle goes (it's a little hard to see).
These horses each came in a fair number of sets. Check the BrickLink links for a list of possible sets. If you are sure they both came in the same set, these are the sets both came in:

5394-1
6021-1
6042-1
6055-1
6073-1
6074-1
6080-1
6081-1
6085-1
6086-1
6090-1
6095-1
6419-1
6761-1
6762-1
6769-1
8777-1
10039-1
10176-1

Now that you mentioned it, there is some stamp on the inside of the hollow studs. I didn't notice it earlier. It could be LEGO, though it's hard to read properly.

It was already identified, but just to mention, recently there was a set (10676) that contains the white horse. I can confirm because I have it. Also, when I was a kid I had a set that had the black horse (now lost because I was a dumb kid)

@Moacir: 10676 has a different white horse (10352c01pb04).

@kundor Oh, sorry. It is a similar piece but not the one OP asked for. Thanks for the correction

They are:
LEGO Animal Minifigure - WHITE HORSE

and
Horse (Black) - LEGO Animal Minifigure

But if it does not have the logo or part ID then it must be a copycat.
Refer this post for real LEGO identification help:
General guidelines to identify real Lego pieces from fake or copy?

Since you are asking for a set too,
I remember playing with this sort of horse long ago.
Mine was the horse of a knight, like in this set.

I owned these two medieval castle sets as a child. Both came with different coloured horses (white, brown and black).
There are also a number of knight sets containing horses, for example this one.


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What's the best way to start an 8 year old on Lego Technic building?
I'm a grandpa trying to start my 8 year old grandson in LEGO Technic building. I am particularly interested in mechanical parts building and motorization. He already loves LEGO and attends after school and summer classes at school which focus on LEGO and coding.
Piecemeal I purchased all LEGO motors along with a bag of assorted bricks (I just don't understand if there is a difference between so called original bricks and LEGO Technic pieces). I also bought Crazy Action Contraptions for him, which seemed to me to be the most elementary.
I apologize to you pros out there, but I'm such a novice that I had to ask my question this way.

Hi DRS, and welcome to bricks.stackexchange.com! There is no need for apologies, everyone was a beginner once :) Could you please tell us more about yourself and your grandson, especially about your grandson's experience with LEGO? The situation could be really different if he has not had any exposure to LEGO yet or if he already likes LEGO.

Zovits, I worked in the forging industry for my career as a Purchasing Mgr.  We forged parts for the construction equipment, agriculture and gear shops nationwide.  My grandson loves Lego and has for a long time.  Wednesday's after school and through the summer he attends a Lego class at school which is directly tied into coding.  I was hoping to tie Lego Technic and coding and mechanics together.  Thank you for your comment, a valuable one.

The best way would definitely be to appeal to his already existing preferences and show him how LEGO Technic can integrate into that or even enhance that.
Does he like cars? Let's build a simple car with him, later add a steering system, and still later a motor for driving.
Does he like robots? Offer to build a robot, with gears to move the arms, legs, head, etc. These can be motorized later as well.
The same can be done with planes, boats, farm machinery, animals, almost anything he might fancy.
You mention Crazy Action Contraptions, you could sit down with him and build some of the models included. Along this process you'd be able to gauge his interests both by area (i.e. does he like the Speedster or the Grabber more) and by general attitude (does he even like the whole building, or is he just waiting for you to finish it so he can play, or does he even care about it at all).
As alluded to in the last sentence, you should be mentally prepared for the possibility that you might not be successful, as he might not be interested in the topic. Don't take this personally, we all have different interests and forcing things usually don't turn out well.

just don't understand if there is a difference between so called original bricks and Lego Technic pieces

This sentence hints at your own inexperience regarding the subject, maybe in this case you can approach the topic as a common learning process, where you both venture out to explore the world of LEGO Technic. Alternatively, you could get familiar with the terminology, basic building techniques and principles so that you can coach him. Either approach is viable, they just require different attitudes and preparations - you can switch between them however, if the need arises.

Instead of providing a pile of assorted Technic bricks and motors, I would (and already did) rather start with medium-sized sets. This guarantees success and shows how everything fits together nicely. I am doing this with regular LEGO sets and my children are already demanding larger and larger sets. MOCs (i.e. "My Own Creations") can follow later.

I'm just going down this route with my 7 year old.
The old style primary colour gears (G9 / G15 / G21) have proved to be better for little fingers and more engaging than the "standard" technic gears, if you can get hold of them in sufficient quantity.
Of course, some of the model instructions we've followed have required a little adapting, but that's all part of the fun.


text:
2 Red LEGO compatible bricks
I'm not sure where I got these 2 pieces from, and I'm wondering what are they, and which brand they belong to.
They are LEGO-compatible, but definitely not genuine LEGO.
There are no identifying marks.
Here are some photos:

Those look like Best-lock bricks.
The red looks to be lighter and more-transparent, like Best-lock bricks do compared to Lego.

The studs have no markings.

The 1/2/5 looks like the ones found in Best-lock sets, like this one.

That's not it..

How do you know they aren't best-lock bricks?