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Elevator on rails
I'd like to build an elevator for my apartment building.  My plan is to use rails and grooves  to allow the elevator to slide up and down.  This means I have to build the elevator with the studs facing forward instead of up.  I'd like to have 4 rails on each corner of the elevator and slide them along grooves outside the elevator.
Here's some pictures of what I've built so far:

The problem is that because of the dimensions, I can't quite get the grooves and rails to line up with eachother.  How do I calculate a set of dimensions for the elevator that will allow it to attach to 2 pairs of grooves.  I supposed I could use just 1 pair of grooves in the middle, but I think that would be less stable.

Not an answer, but check out the elevator in https://brickset.com/sets/10224-1/Town-Hall, as seen in https://images.brickset.com/sets/AdditionalImages/10224-1/10224_Back_02.jpg. This can give you ideas how to get the elevator to "stop" at a floor with a few Technic bits.

Another elevator you could check out would be in the Ninjago City.

If you'd like to keep your build studs up and avoid dealing with the 6:5 ratio, you could try to use Plate, Modified 1 x 2 with Arm Up with the already mentioned Brick, Modified 1 x 2 x 5 with Groove, as the 3.18 mm bar will slide in the groove just fine.

Another option would be to keep the rest of the elevator car studs up, and only turn sideways for a few smaller rail pieces, like these: Plate, Modified 1 x 2 with Handles

Lego bricks are not sized similarly in each dimension. The height to width ratio of a brick is 6:5, which means that 2 bricks stacked on top of each other with their studs up are 6 plates high, but the same 2 bricks stacked on top of each other on their sides (studs facing sideways) are only 5 plates high. Said differently, bricks placed sideways (studs to the side) align correctly with a regular brick pattern every 6 sideways placed bricks.
Use these facts to plan your rails and grooves.

Based on this, moving the rail to the other end of the stack of red plates (and moving the grooves 1 stud towards the front) should work, like so


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Part identification - Red 2x2 tile with fire print
Can anyone help me identify this part. I know it was probably from the 90’s. Thank you

This is part # 3068bp57 : Tile 2 x 2 with Groove with Classic Fire Logo Small Pattern
It was released from 1986 until 1994 and appears in 5 sets

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


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Where is this piece from?
Does anyone know where is this tree from?
I found it in my childhood (90s) box full of LEGO, but I'm pretty sure it is not actually LEGO.

Do you see any markings of LEGO anywhere on it? Nearly every piece has it imprinted somewhere.

Doesn't look like LEGO in the slightest. Wrong texture, no studs or anti-studs, wrong color...

It is not LEGO. Parts from the 90s are well documented, and I can't find this part on BrickLink when searching for the word "Tree".

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


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World Builder Game Units
Do official sets  or models for units in the Lego games World Builder and World Builder 2 exist anywhere? I have great memories of this game (idk how many people here remember it) and I'd like to recreate the units.

Some example units are shown in the game title screen.

Most of the models are from various Creator sets from the era (some have step-by-step instructions, some just images in the manuals), although I think some of the ones I cannot identify are probably custom builds.
Here's the ones identified for WordBuilder, using the list from Brickipedia plus some better images and info on some unused models:
Land Units
Buggy

4100-1: Maximum Wheels

Dirtbuggy

4100-1: Maximum Wheels

A red version of the yellow model in the game, for which the parts do exist, but not from any one set.
Snail

4101-1: Wild Collection

With some slight color and shell height variation.
Steamshovel

Unknown. Bucket has 7 teeth like 30394 and 2347 but no matches on the sets that use it. It also looks rounder that those real pieces. It's also not clear how the seemingly plate-built arms would connect to those buckets.
Bulldozer (Dozer)

4096-1: Micro Wheels

Forklift

4100-1: Maximum Wheels

They shifted the white vents and tiles below them up a stud though.
Treebot

4099-1: Robobots

Actually an aquatic bot! Orange parts are replaced with yellow or dark grey.
Defender

4099-1: Robobots

The feet are simplified though, and some of the pieces are replaced with white ones.
Dumptruck

4096-1: Micro Wheels

Gas Station

Not an exact match, but 4100-1: Maximum Wheels has something similar.

Robot Lab

Unknown, but possibly inspired by the control towers in 4023-1 Fun and Adventure (as identified in another answer) and 4098-1: High Flyers.

If you are interested, here's instructions for how I think it would be built (setting aside the questionable scaling).

Guard Tower

Unknown, nothing from that time would have had all of those parts in those colors (and nothing has that yellow turntable top).
Looks like a fairly simple build, here are my instructions for it (you will have to substitute the color on the turntable top piece though).

Repairbot

4099-1: Robobots

Looks like they used dark-grey feet instead though.

Amphibious Units
Frog

4101-1: Wild Collection

Duck

4028-1: World of Bricks ?

Very similar, and other models come from this set, but not exact.
Also appears in 4279-1: Creator Strata Red.

Water Units
Fish

4028-1: World of Bricks

A red version with painted eyes, but otherwise identical.
Also appears in 4279-1: Creator Strata Red.
Tugboat

4028-1: World of Bricks

4414-1: Creator Half Tub Blue

Built a little shorter however.
Freighter (formerly Tanker)

(Larger image not available because the tugboat was reused on the info panel.)
4028-1: World of Bricks

4414-1: Creator Half Tub Blue

Looks like blue plates were used on the bottom.
Speedboat

4505-1: Sea Machines

Marina

Essentially just a wider gas station on stilts.

Monsters
Crab

4101-1: Wild Collection

Water Crab

Same design as Crab, but a different color which does not appear in any set as far as I know.
Scorpion

4101-1: Wild Collection

Alligator

4101-1: Wild Collection

Tyrannosaurus Rex

4507-1: Prehistoric Creatures

Shark

4506-1: Deep Sea Predators

Air Units (Unused/Cut)
Bluebird

4101-1: Wild Collection

Almost the same design, but different colors except for the green feet.
Helicopter (Cargo Copter)

Unknown, but has some similarities to models in 4028-1: World of Bricks which may have inspired it.

For WorldBuilder 2, there are only a few additions:
WorldBuilder 2 additions:
Freezebot

4881-1: Robo Platoon

House

4886-1: Building Bonanza

The main portion anyway.
Windmill

4886-1: Building Bonanza

No instructions for this in the manual beyond the rotating mechanism though...
Nursery

No other known depictions, though implied to be related to the Building Bonanza set.
Garage

No other known depictions, though implied to be related to the Building Bonanza set.
Factory

No other known depictions, though implied to be related to the Building Bonanza set.
Lion

4884-1: Wild Hunters

Thanks to LegoSonicBoy, JappaWakka, and qwr for identifying some I missed.

Dirtbuggy looks like palette swap starting on page 45 of 4100.

@qwr Ah, that's why I didn't see it.

From what I can tell, 4047 is a Kohl's exclusive that combined 4096 and 4100 (https://www.lego.com/en-us/service/buildinginstructions/4047) So you should list the Buggy as 4100.

@qwr Good call, was wondering what was up with that.

I was wondering about that guard tower. Turns out the yellow bits are part of the turntable. Anyhow you can see my recreation attempts at https://www.bricklink.com/v3/studio/public_gallery.page?idUser=292749

This game represented the LEGO Designer Sets (Make & Create) from 2003–2005, and so the majority of models are based on them (WB1 models are from the first and second waves, and WB2 the third wave). As someone who grew up with the game and the Designer Sets as a tween, and still has many of them built to this day, I believe I can answer this question mostly, though there is still some I'm uncertain about which I'll note near the end of my answer.
From WB1 (links point to BrickInstructions.com):

The Snail, Frog, as well as the enemies Crab (of which the Watercrab is a palette swap), Scorpion and Alligator are from 4101 Wild Collection. Step-by-step instructions exist for the Crab, Scorpion and Alligator; the rest are inspirational builds that are simple and therefore should be easy to reverse-engineer. Notably, the Snail, Frog, Scorpion and Alligator can all be built simultaneously from a single copy of the set. The proportions are also all wrong in case that bothers you; namely the Scorpion is monstrously oversized compared to the rest. Or... the proportions could all be just right, depending on your imagination.
I still have my Crab built from 17 years ago, so I hope you'll overlook the dust and grime still on it after a quick clean (click to enlarge):

The Buggy, Dirtbuggy, Forklift and Gas Station are from 4100 Maximum Wheels. Instructions exist for the Buggy's in-game model as well as the Dirtbuggy (which is actually a palette swap) and Forklift. The Buggy's info model is an inspirational build with no step-by-step instructions, and the Gas Station and Marina are different color variations on one inspirational side build seen on the cover art. The decals are exclusive to WB1 — Designer Sets don't have printed elements.
I rebuilt the Forklift a few months ago:

The Defender, Treebot and Repairbot are from 4099 Robobots. Instructions exist for the Defender and Treebot but not the Repairbot (you can see it on page 73). I built the Defender and Treebot when I was younger and I have to add that the Treebot is actually depicted in the set as an aquatic robot that operates underwater, and it can be configured to different positions and not just standing upright. Unfortunately, upright its two bottom/hind legs don't support its weight very well, the joints being little more than single-hinge connection points. It works much better on all fours.
As for the Defender, despite what the scale of the in-game models suggests, it is much smaller than the Treebot — though it's got a much bigger brother in 4508 Titan XP. I just went and built the Defender so I could show it to you next to a minifig for scale:

The Bulldozer and Dumptruck are from 4096 Micro Wheels. Instructions exist for both models.

Instructions for the Speedboat can be found in 4505 Sea Machines.

Instructions for the Tyrannosaurus Rex can be found in 4507 Prehistoric Creatures. It is one of the main builds.

Instructions for the Shark can be found in 4506 Deep Sea Predators (the predecessor of 31088 Deep Sea Creatures). It is one of the main builds. I rebuilt it in 2018 when I first exited my Dark Ages with 10404 Ocean's Bottom — here's a photo from my review of the latter:

WB1 units I couldn't identify:

The Steamshovel appears to have a body that's a palette swap of the Forklift's, but the vehicle as a whole doesn't appear to exist in any set. I can't identify exactly which digger bucket it's using so I might try to BrickLink it and see what set it might be. I'm guessing it's unique to the game.

According to Alexander O'Mara, the Robot Lab appears to be a palette swap of an inspirational model from 4098 High Flyers. Not exactly the place I would've looked...

The Guard Tower doesn't bear any resemblance to anything I've seen in a Designer Set or X-Pod (at least, as an owner of the first wave of X-Pods).

The Duck, Fish, Tugboat and Freighter appear to be from LEGO Creator buckets also under Make & Create. They certainly don't have the level of detail or part usage that Designer Set models are recognized for.
I was right: as Alexander confirms, they're from 4028 World of Bricks.

From WB2:

Instructions for the Freezebot can be found in 4881 Robo Platoon (which incidentally was Brickset's random set of the day just last week). It is one of the main builds.

Instructions for the House can be found in 4886 Building Bonanza. It is the main build.
However, despite being based on that same House, none of the other WB2 buildings actually appear in the set, except the Windmill, which only appears as an inspirational model with instructions for the actual mechanism for spinning the sails.

Instructions for the enemy Lion can be found in 4884 Wild Hunters. It is one of the main builds.

Notably, all the Designer Sets in the final wave were given the "new" Creator rebranding later in life. I wasn't there when it happened though — I had just entered my Dark Ages before that, and I never had a chance to own any of the final wave sets. 4886 Building Bonanza remains among my top 10 most wanted sets of all time.
Thanks for the opportunity to take us on a trip down memory lane!

https://brickset.com/sets/4023-1/Fun-and-Adventure
This is the real life counterpart of the robot lab.
The ingame sprite shows that there's a white brick underneath the plate so apart from the brick colors, it's accurate in height.
I've uploaded instructions for the Robot Lab here (Rebrickable didn't accept it): https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/jlevol41uflucpkxo0p0q/4023-1-Modification-World-Builder-Robot-Lab.pdf?rlkey=9ck0xbl429i6eitwln19xs470&dl=0

I've tried to build/recreate the Steamshovel, as accurately as I could to the ingame sprites.
https://rebrickable.com/mocs/MOC-92348/JappaWakka/world-builder-steamshovel/#details

I recreated the Snail and posted it here:
https://rebrickable.com/mocs/MOC-111015/JappaWakka/world-builder-snail/#details

I also made an MOC post for the Gas Station (with a link to an SVG sticker): https://rebrickable.com/mocs/MOC-159387/JappaWakka/lego-world-builder-gas-station/#details

Wow, nice find!


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Which buildings in LEGO Island 2: The Brickster's Revenge were based on real-world sets?
Which buildings in the LEGO Island video game were based on real-world sets? reminded me of LEGO Island 2, which I played when I was younger. I never played the original game so I don't know how many assets are reused.
Aside from the main island, the game also has several different areas. (Screenshots of every area of the game can be found at https://www.oocities.org/wonkeyzonkey/2/)

Castle Island:

Adventure Island:

Ogel Island:

I found the buildings recreated by The Brickster on Rock Raiders United forum. No indication they came from any set.

As the sequel to LEGO Island, many (but not all) of LI2's models are based on sets from 1998 to 2000.
Castle Island is based on LEGO Knights' Kingdom I. The castle itself, therefore, is loosely based on 6098 King Leo's Castle (my 3rd most wanted set of all time).

The battering ram shown in the screenshot is from 6096 Bull's Attack (my 4th most wanted set of all time — yes, right after the castle).

Adventurers Island is based on the Dino Island and Desert subthemes of LEGO Adventurers. The Sphinx shown in the screenshot somewhat resembles the one in 5978 Sphinx Secret Surprise.

The Spaceport is from 6456 Mission Control.

The Res-Q HQ is from 6479 Emergency Response Center.

6332 Command Post Central is split into two parts: the main police station building, and the jail & helicopter/helipad.

An exception is Nubby's gas station, which is a significantly modified version of 6397 Gas N' Wash Express from 1992 which was also rereleased in 2001 with the set number 6472.

The rest of the buildings appear to be unique to the game. Not even the new pizzeria seems to resemble any of the existing pizzeria sets.


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Identifying various parts
I bought a lot of various parts, but I can't seem to identify the following parts.

The grey wheels have rubber on one side of the axl hole
I'm thinking that that the black frame-thing isn't Lego, but wanted to be sure before tossing it.
The white wheels have circular holes, not axl holes.

The 6 black parts on the left might me (used):
Tire 14mm D. x 9mm Smooth Small Wide Slick

I can't identify the black parts.

The toothed wheel is a string reel spool.

The rest of the parts appear to have come from a Robotics Invention System set from RCX-era Mindstorms:

The grey wheels with a different material on the inside are part 2983. None of those sets have 5 of these, though.
The grey bricks are touch sensors.
The white wheels are conveyer belt wheels.


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What is the power of Lego Powered Up motors (M, L, and XL) and the Move Hub motors?
I am trying to build a setup that includes two propellers that can pitch up and down. I am debating whether I should use two motor to power each propeller and the other two to act as servos for each of the "motor-propeller" set up, or the power of the motor is strong enough that I can use one motor/move hub to drive both propellers and the other motor can be used as a servo. Could you tell me the specs of these thing so I can decide which one to buy or order? Thanks

Philo is one of LEGO enthusiast and he did quite a number of tests with different motors produced by LEGO, which you can find  here. Table below is based on data measured by Philo:

Motor
Torque
Rotation Speed
Mechanical Speed
Electrical Power

PUP M
4.08 N*cm
270 rpm
1.15 W
2.66 W

PUP Control+ L
8.81 N*cm
198 rpm
1.83 W
4.70 W

PUP Control+ XL
8.81 N*cm
198 rpm
1.83 W
4.16 W

PUP Move Hub
4.08 N*cm
264 rpm
1.13 W
3.37 W


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Is the Technic hub putting the battery in series or parallel
Can anyone tell me how the battery in the Technic Hub is connected? Are they connecting the batteries in series or parallel? It is the hub that powers the motors, right? If all 6 AA batteries are installed, how many voltage could it give/receive?

The batteries are in series. Which gives (in theory) 6x 1.5 = 9V.
Actually it is a little less than 9V as batteries drop voltage a little when they are used.
They can drop as low as 1.2 V when they are nearly empty (giving about 7.2V minimum voltage).
The motors can make do with as little as 7V so they keep working with nearly empty batteries. The hub most likely (I'm not 100% sure) has an electronic cutoff switch that stops it from working at all if the voltage drops too low for reliable operation. This also prevents problems if one battery empties earlier than the others or someone inserted a mix of empty and full batteries.
When using multiple batteries in a device they should ideally be from the same brand, more or less same age and same usage level. Mismatched batteries are never a good idea in multi-battery operations.
Please note: Measuring output voltage on a battery is complicated. If you just apply a Voltmeter to the battery you measure without power being drained (aka without load, the Voltmeter itself is negligible). When under load a battery usually has a lower voltage then when unloaded. How much lower depends on both the load and the condition of the battery.
So it is really problematic to give you a precise answer on "how many Volt does it give". It all depends.


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Anyone know the name of this Star Wars brick

Can someone help me find the name of this Star Wars piece and what set it came in?

This is called Windscreen 3 x 6 x 5 Bubble with Sith Infiltrator Pattern:

It came only in the 7151-1: Sith Infiltrator set in 1999.


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1/3 of 4 studs wide possible?
In this build from the World Builder game, it appears the blue and green stripes running up the length of the tower take up 1/3 of 4 studs. Is this or a close enough approximation possible to achieve, or is this just artistic liberty from the game designers? I know a plate is 1/3 of a brick height-wise (3.2 / 9.6 mm) but apparently is 2/5 width-wise (3.2 / 8 mm). So stacking plates horizontally it in theory could be approximated by 3 plates, 4 plates, 3 plates.

Oh man, World Builder is so fun! Has anyone ported it to JS yet?

@Alexander-ReinstateMonica given that it is a Flash game, probably not. The only known way of playing it is through http://biomediaproject.com/bmp/files/LEGO/gms/download/ClubGames/

You're right. They cheated.
This youtube video shows the Robot Lab from a different camera angle.

Here you can clearly see what looks like three 1x2 bricks on a 2x4 brick of the same width. Cheaters! Boo!
Alright. Let's cheat, too.

I think you are looking in perspective at a digital render of a tower base that has 1x2 blue bricks on each side (1 wide) with a 2x2 lime brick in the center. It only appears to be 1/3-1/3-1/3, but is in fact 1/4-1/2-1/4. You can see this best if you zoom in on the base plate and look at how the studs line up with the lowest tier of the base.

I'm still not convinced. The green section looks smaller than two studs which are just barely visible.

I also think there's some funny business going on there in that model, and in a few other models.
For fun, I built it in BrickLink Studio (or at-least, how I think it would be built, my answer here has the instructions) and rendered it from a couple of angles. While it didn't give me enough control over the camera to reproduce the perspective exactly, I think it's close enough to determine something is off about their render.
Original:

My Renders:

If the green part were twice as large as the blue, I would expect it to be almost-exactly twice as wide in those renders.
Some of the other models appears to have odd scaling on some of their parts too.
The printed slope on the Gas station appears to be a 2x1.5 corner slope for example (how would that fit over the studs?).

It's even worse on the Marina, where that piece is now sitting halfway over studs in both directions, in addition to the stilts being too tall for a single cylinder brick.

I also think there might be some cheating in the Steamshovel and Freighter and maybe some odd scaling on the Snail, but they are too low-res to be sure.
My guess would be that Gamelab's 3D models had some cheating where they re-scaled certain elements in impossible ways.

Yeah I'm trying to make models of every unit in the game that isn't a direct model from an existing set, and I've noticed some odd geometry.


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How deep can the axle go in the Powered Up L motor?
I am trying to make a MOC but I can't decide how long the axle could be so it can go fully into the motor but not extending out of the other side. Could you tell me how long the axle can go in?

That is only 1 stud deep.
So an axle of 5L always sticks out 4 studs

It's worth noting that it's the same thing with almost all motors that dont have double-sided axle holes (example of double sided axle hole is in ev3 large motor.)

ok SPIKE has 1 stud deep on both (M and L) and the newest motor is 1 stud deep on the top.

@mindstormsboi My guess is that the reason for this is to prevent anyone sticking a 2L axle all the way in, rendering the motor useless

Ok I don't have any of these motors.


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Is this a LEGO part? It looks very similar to a technic axle connector 2x3 with ball socket
I recently bought a bag of random LEGO pieces which contained some non-LEGO pieces. This piece looks a lot like a Technic axle connector 2x3 with ball socket (32174 / 60176 / 93571 / 89652) but not quite the same as any of the pictures I found.
The main differences are the side isn't smooth but rather has two rectangular indentations (see picture 1) and the loops at the bottom have gaps in them (picture 2). The plastic doesn't show any signs that it has been snapped so I assume it was made like this.
I can't find any writing etched/stamped on it.
Does anyone know if this is a real LEGO piece and what its part number is if it is?
Thank you :)
Picture 1

Picture 2

Another indication that this is not from LEGO is that you can see the marks left from the injection molding.  LEGO is usually smart enough to keep those on the inside of a part.

This is a non-LEGO piece since none of the LEGO parts have gaps as seen in second picture.
One thing to note. Actual LEGO elements (depends on the version of Technic, Axle Connector 2 x 3 with Ball Socket) tend to crack right where the gap is on this clone element.


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Which set does this lego tree belong to?
I thought this is part of a Modular house but it isn't ... I don't know which set does this "tree" belong to.

(click to enlarge)

The stalk mold comes in two green versions 6097232: Stalk W. 1,5 Shaft And 3,2 Shaft and 6269940: Stalk W. 1,5 Shaft And 3,2 Shaft
Looking through photos of the sets containing these green parts, which contain some kind of tree build gives two sets:

10253-1: Big Ben
10247-1: Ferris Wheel

It's not the Big Ben set as this set contain a small tree which is build using a 1x1 plate:

The Ferris Wheel has a similar tree as you have and it also contains the same white
6170419: Stick 6M W/Flange (white ring on your photo):

Only your tree is missing a second cone piece. So it is hard to tell if this tree is coming from the Ferris Wheel set or someone used that tree build to build their own.


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Round window on Wolfholm
There is a round window in the Wolfholm build by Jonas Kramm.  It's on the left side, top floor. Can anyone identify the round white piece and the smaller round black piece inside. (might be a pulley).

The insert is a Black Wedge Wheel (Pulley wheel).

The obvious part is Technic, Wedge Belt Wheel (Pulley) as Phil mentioned in the comments.

Other, not so obvious piece is Brick, Round 4 x 4 with Recessed Center, which comes in new Minions set. It only comes in Light Bluish Gray [BL] color at this moment.

Jonas has confirmed this over his IG post:

It's a Minion Eye.


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Toa Terrain Crawler alternate build instructions
I was building the LEGO Bionicle Toa Terrain Crawler, (8927), when I saw at the back of the instructions a photo of an alternate helicopter-type build. Where can I find the instructions on how to build this model?

A search at the usual resource for instructions of these back of the box builds does not give any results.

That's an "idea" or "inspirational" model which were present for some models back in the day. These type of models never had instructions (or full instructions) from LEGO. The only hope someone within community build this model digitally and share the file or PDF instructions.

You can find them in The LEGO Customer Service site. Search for the set you'd like to rebuild, and you can download the instructions. Some Technic sets include a few parts or stickers that you won't need while building the main model. https://www.lego.com/en-my/service/help/bricks-and-sets/building-instructions/additional-instructions-blt2c8ffc2c6ffa17b8#:~:text=You%20can%20find%20them%20right,while%20building%20the%20main%20model.

There would already been an answer if it was THIS easy.


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Recreating minifig scale Junkbot
My goal is to recreate Junkbot from the eponymous LEGO web games with standard parts. Is it possible?

(He also had cameos on a recent Ninjago City set and Haunted House set 10273, appearing blank, as well as an excellent LEGO IDEAS fan build)
The torso looks to be a standard 2x2 orange brick with recycle and face pattern and head looks to be a slope brick with a lines pattern. I looked through Bricklink's decorated slope 45 2x2 but didn't find any matching orange pieces. The "hair" is a regular 1x2 yellow tile. I also wonder if his legs are any standard part. I tried looking through Bricklink's minifig decorated leg section but there were too many to sort through.

Don't forget Jason's 8:1 scale version of Junkbot! jkbrickworks.com

All four of these parts are standard and available in those colours. The issue is that the design of the character is not based on any printed bricks so you would have to create your own decals.

Part
ID
Colour

Brick 2 x 2
3003
Orange

Slope 45 2 x 2
3039
Orange

Hips and Legs
970c00
Light Bluish Gray

Tile 1 x 2
3069b
Yellow

Ah, that's what I figured. I have some slope pieces that do have horizontal lines so I was hoping there was a piece that looked like that.

by the way how did you make that render? stud.io with custom minifig?

Yes. I was actually trying to use the decal editing software but it only saved one leg of the minifig legs and I was not so keen using it so I did the decals with Photoshop.

I made a decal sheet for Junkbot, as well as the gearbots.
I made it in a papercraft sort of style, because I don't have an orange slanted brick, so I wanted a decal to cover the whole brick. But you can cut it up to get just the parts you want, with scissors or Inkscape.
There are different layers that can be hidden in Inkscape, such as the annotations.

Decalling notes:

Do the hardest parts first, in case you mess up

In particular, do the most intricate cuts first, so that:

you have paper to hold onto while cutting (it's also good to leave a margin around things you're cutting out for that purpose)
it's not as brittle yet (every cut reduces structural integrity)
and in case you mess up

Use colored markers on white edges

Be careful to get a mild enough color of marker (test it first)
Be careful not to blotch (don't hold it in one place too much)
If you do blotch it like I did, you may be able to save it by markering the whole decal, making it more vibrant in the end

For the back of Junkbot (after making other folds), form the decal around
Junkbot's body pieces to start a crease, then pull the paper away and pinch it.
Precurl curved decals by pushing gently into a surface, or curling around a pen, or just using your fingers. The ends are the most important because they're what will stick up if the paper wants to be flat.
Use a barrel for the recycle bin so it can be actually hollow, then stuff scraps from the decalling process in for the trash :)
Attach double sided tape to bricks, then press decals to them. But for precision with curved decals, attach the tape to the very end of the decal.

I didn't have enough gears, or a black dome piece, so I made this zany, fearsome bossbot... with a tie or scimitar, your pick:

Very charming. Are the eyebots that tall? I haven't played the game in a few years.

No, I didn't have the pieces to make the Eyebot, but I wanted to still use the eye decal I made. That said, the bots aren't exactly to scale with the LEGO pieces they're apparently made from (especially the propeller). If you want to play the game, I'm working on an HTML5 remake here: https://github.com/1j01/janitorial-android

Wow, are there any remakes for Beltz and Dreamz? The only way I got those to work past their removal was from a Russian Bionicles site but it's been a long time since I've played with thos

@qwr Have you tried BioMedia Project? They focus mainly on Bionicle, but they also have an archive of old Lego games

@MatthewJensen Yeah that's the Bionicles site I was talking about. A few years ago I had an issue running one of the games and I had to email one of their staff people to get a custom modified file. But since Junkbot is getting a cleanroom implementation, I guess Beltz would be possible too.


text:
Missing stickers in a LEGO set
I have a FRIENDS set #21319. It didn't come with stickers. Can someone help me purchase or get these replaced?

You should get in touch with LEGO Customer Support. I'm sure they will be more than happy to ship you missing sticker sheet.
If you are still looking to purchase the stickers instead, you can do so on Bricklink.


text:
Interface A missing PCB
I have a Technic Interface A with the cables but lack the printed circuit board (PCB) for PC that I need to use it for automating my models. The card when it was for sale had markings of Lego 9771 and I assume this to be the part number.
Ideally I would like an original card but is there a way of getting a 3rd party card? Or another idea might be if someone does manage to make such an interface please consider building it to run multiple Interface A and/or B modules simultaneously.
I think that I may have parts that run on almost if not all of the powered interfaces that Lego has been kind enough to release. I would be quite grateful indeed if I were able to use them together in my sizeable Lego projects.

Hi Mark and welcome to Bricks.SE! I for one have a hard time picturing your situation as I haven't heard of "Technic Interface A", so could you please upload a photo of your part? The 9771 number does not match any known sets and none of the matching parts are related to Technic.

Does this help? Technic Interface A on lgauge.com

@Uli Thanks, I have learned something new today :)

Uli posted a link in a comment to https://lgauge.com/technic/LEGOInterfaceA/9750(1093).htm which has a link to http://isodomos.com/Lego-Sets/1093.html , that link is dead but archive.org has a copy http://web.archive.org/web/20081121054400/http://isodomos.com/Lego-Sets/1093.html both sites have the pinout, but the latter site also confirms the logic levels as 5V TTL.
I will repeat the pinout here, in case those sites disappear.

Pins 1 and 3: 5V

Other odd numbered pins: Ground

Even numbered pins 6-16: Outputs 0-5

Pins 18 and 20: Inputs 6 and 7

Unlike the interface B which is a somewhat-intelligent device that communicates over RS-232 the interface A seems to just use straight digital IO lines. For bi-directional control of motors the outputs can be used in pairs.
The pinout seems to be an exact match for the user port on a BBC micro. I suspect this is not a coincidence.
It would not be difficult to hook this up to something more modern, a 5V Arduino could probably hook up directly. For a Raspberry Pi you would want something to shift the levels, I'd probably use HCT logic running off 5V for the signals from the Pi to the interface A (this may not be strictly needed) and LVC logic running off 3.3V for the signals from the interface A to the Pi.

"Some findings with Interface A". Blog post from 2017 (ofalcao.pt)

Yeah, lots of different ways to skin this cat.

@Mark I can help you. My website www.brickhacks.com is all about Interface A. It has schematics for all of the hardware, etc.

While this link may answer the question, it is better to include the essential parts of the answer here and provide the link for reference.  Link-only answers can become invalid if the linked page changes. - From Review


text:
Securing vertical hinge

In this construction, I want the vertical hinge to be in this location, centered in a 3 brick wide area. On top of it is two plates and layer of studs that match the 5:2 ratio, so in theory the hinge would be secure in this 3 brick wide gap. Is there a more elegant way of securing both sides of the hinge? I've looked at some bracket pieces but the issue is that they all have studs on top rather than stud-holes.

FYI, "stud-hole" is better know as "anti-stud"

I would remove last two plates since they ruin the geometry here. And instead I can suggest using any modified brick with two studs facing towards hinged brick (white colored bricks). Technic, Pin Connector Round 2/3 L (seen in red) could then be used to attach studs on both sides. Orange plate below confirms all of this fit in required space.

A bit of background on the logic with my solution. With cases like this it is helpful when you measure everything in standard units. Here, brick height is 6 units, plate height is 2 units and stud is 5 units. From here you can clearly see you have a gap of 3 studs=15 units and your assembly is 14 units. The difference in 1 unit makes things more complicated. So my suggestion is to simplify it and make use of more common pieces.

the assembly is 7 plates (14 units) + stud height (1 unit) is 15 units

@qwr stud height is tiny bit more than 1 unit. And it is also irrelevant here.

How is it irrelevant? I want it to fit in the 3 stud space. I also found that a technic liftarm is the right width (8 units)

For example, you don't count stud height into geometry when building a wall. Stud is just here for connection. And Technic liftarm is square in cross-section, which means it is 5 units wide/high - same width as a 1x1 brick

Are you sure it's square? It seems slightly narrower in width than height.

@qwr Modern Technic is build around cube shape dimensions - so single bushing, or 1L connector suggested in the answer is same size in all dimensions. Technic brick isn't though since it is a based on the usual brick with 556 units in size.


text:
Creating arrow patterns
What methods are there to creating  convincing looking arrow patterns on walls and floors? (Without stickers or printed pieces)
My current solution is to use "relief" building with slope pieces, which looks pretty good but aren't flat:

This is using the headlight piece, which allows many interesting possibilities:

I'm also aware of various solutions using the tiny slopes, such as this sideways construction for chevrons used on the Horizion Express:

There's also sloped striping using 1 plate offset that have a tiny gap and I'm not sure if they can create proper arrow patterns (the head of the arrow should be triangular and not wedge shaped).

Looking through slope pieces, I found 3044c which allows this small 2x2 arrow:

I would suggest against using headlight bricks as shown on your example if you are looking forward building something on top of them.

Another convenient way I found is with the new triangular 2x2 tiles. The only issue is that the color selection is a little limited. For simple pentagon shape, Modified 2 x 3 Pentagonal Tile is quite versatile.


text:
How to fill a vertical 1.5 stud wide gap?
How can a vertical 1.5 stud wide gap be filled, for example between this brick on a jumper plate and regular plate? I can achieve ratios multiples of 1/3 and 2/5 with sideways plates, but some trickery (perhaps with headlight brick) has to be used to achieve this 1/2 stud ratio.

(almost right)

The gap between the bricks is 7.5 units (1.5 bricks wide). And that ".5 unit" is the real issue here. There's a small number of parts with 1 unit in size that are somewhat usable. However I cannot think of any 0.5/1.5/2.5/... unit sized parts.

I might have to give up and leave it. The 0.5 unit is 0.8 mm which can probably be overlooked.

Before I attempt to come up with an answer, let me share how I think through problems like this, as it might make it easier for others to solve problems like this in the future.
We can see that the gap itself is 30 LDU, as modules are 20 LDU, so 1.5 modules is 30 LDU. Some quick rules of thumb:

Multiples of 20 LDU can be made with regular bricks horizontally
Multiples of 8 LDU can be made with bricks, plates, and tiles vertically
Multiples of 4 LDU can be made with clever use of brackets and Erling bricks
Other numbers require the use of fairly odd pieces

We see that 30 LDU is not a multiple of 20, 8, or 4, so we'll need some special pieces for this. If we had an element that was 6 LDU thick, we could then make up the difference using 3 plates (30LDU - 6LDU = 24LDU = 8LDU * 3) or one brick vertically. Thankfully, at least one such element exists in the classic fences:

We can stack 3 plates or one brick on the center section to perfectly fill our 30 LDU gap:

Very nice. I remember seeing fences mentioned I'm the unofficial advances building guide online. Maybe Ldraw has a database of dimensions that can be searched through?

The LDraw parts library is effectively a database of very detailed part dimensions, but I'm not aware of an easy way to search it from something like this.

I guess I can also go through stud.io and look for interesting parts. Most are a standard size.

If you are looking for a smaller part, the minifig neck brackets might work.

https://i.stack.imgur.com/4QLiI.png the neck bracket looks ever so slightly too wide. Given Lego tolerances it probably would work in a real build. Can you add this to your answer?

@qwr I don't think that will work. You'd need 2 neck brackets + 3 plates (neck brackets are 3LDU I believe)

https://i.stack.imgur.com/OYEsf.png ok it works if I have neck brackets on both sides. But there's still some horizontal gap.

@qwr It certainly seems challenging to fully fill a gap using neck brackets, even though they provide the needed thickness.


text:
Can you help identify this olive green space fighter lego set?
This set was bought about 10 years ago for my son. It is predominantly olive green with red trimmings. It has stickers with WARRING A-347 written on them. It has some moving parts that seem like Technic LEGO. It appears to be a fighter jet with large legs (like a star wars vessel). It may be more than one vehicle and no doubt some of its parts are in our LEGO brick bin. I'm selling my son's extensive collection and engaged in the arduous task of completing each set. Any clues are much appreciated.

Based on

6016457: Right Shell 3X12 W/Bow/Angle
6016465: Circle 90G 6X6 Roof Tile

Both in Olive Green
This is from 70164-1: Hurricane Heist

Thank you. Exactly!


text:
The Powered Up app won't connect to my Technic Hub
I have recently bought a Technic Hub and four Powered Up L motors, but currently I only put two motors into the B and D ports of the hub. I downloaded the Powered Up app to a tablet and used the "Create" function to create a custom controller profile.
After I pressed the green button on the hub, there is a progress bar and the light on the hub is flashing white, blue, and red. After the progress bar reached 100%, the screen on my pad returned to that of the controller interface. However, I could not get the motor to move and the light on the hub is off.
The programming block I use is this (but I selected the B port):

Could you tell me what is wrong?

It looks like a virtual joystick on the screen is needed to move it, did you try that? I will do more trouble shooting with set 42099 later.

Do you mean the blue icon with a joystick symbol? How do I incorporate it?

Perhaps if you run the program, a UI on the screen that looks like a remote with a joystick will show up. I have Lego Boost and that's what happens whenever you run the program. Try pressing the yellow start button to run the program.


text:
Can anyone identify these parts?
They're round and like a platform.  On the bottom are three steel balls.  When you place down or tap, the red LED lights blink.  One has a skull and fire on its sides.

Welcome to Bricks.SE! Are there any markings on this that say LEGO? On the studs for example?

Can you please send another image of the other side without the lights on? Do these parts look like they are compatible with lego (its ok if they from clone brand)?

My guess was that this was one of their games, but I don't see it if it is.  More pictures would be very helpful.

You're right, it may be a clone. No LEGO markings. It says MEGA I can make out on the bottom.

MEGA Bloks. Now to find out what game or set.

My guess: Looks like two Mega Bloks Skylanders Battle Portals. Who can confirm?

With thanks to Uli,
Mega Bloks Skylanders Battle Portals

Excellent!  Thank you all for your help!


text:
Can anyone tell me which LEGO set this is?
My son was gifted some LEGO bags but with no instructions and I can’t find them on the internet.  It’s bag #4 and the only other number I can find in the bag is 135149. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

A picture would help a lot.

Just added one:). I had to figure out how to reduce the size.

Y-Wing Starfighter, set 75172 from 2017

It comes in five bags.

Building instructions at lego.com

I love how you included the bag to progress mapping in here.  That's a great idea for set-identification questions.

Oooh! I want the "snowmobile-with-outrigger-tracks-and-crane-plus-trailer" thing. :-)

authors: Bob Jarvis - Слава Україні


text:
What LEGO set does this yellow and lime green vehicle belong to?
This appears to be a helicopter or submarine of some sort. It is lime green and yellow with luminous yellow trimmings. It has cables and elastic parts with yellow cylinders. I thought it may be LEGO galaxy squad or Alien Conquest but I couldn't find it. The remaining parts are mixed in the LEGO bin and I need to figure out what it is to use the instructions to find them. Any clues would be much appreciated.

It is part of Toxikita's Toxic Meltdown (70163) from Ultra Agents


text:
Selling sets on eBay - should I buy missing bricks and figures to complete a set?
I am preparing to sell my daughter's LEGO sets on eBay - Elves and Star Wars.
We have completed the mammoth task of finding the pieces we have from each set, but some sets have missing pieces and figures.
We are purchasing pieces to make the sets complete - that's ok for the inexpensive pieces, but one set has two missing figures (Tarkin and the A-wing Pilot) - to replace them both will cost 16 GBP. The set is Star Wars: Vader's Tie Advanced vs A-Wing Starfighter (75150).

I'm hoping to sell it for around 100 pounds. Is it worth it to buy the missing figures - will we make back the money we spend or would it be more cost effective to sell it with the two figures missing?

Is it worth it to buy the missing figures - will we make back the money we spend or would it be more cost effective to sell it with the two figures missing ?

This boils down to the following:
SALE PRICE OF COMPLETE SET > SALE PRICE OF INCOMPLETE SET  +  BUY PRICE OF MISSING PIECES

If that is true, you stand to profit from completing the set, barring any other expenses (like transaction fess, currency conversion fees, shipping and handling costs, etc.)
So now to find the values of these items (you have already mentioned that it costs 16 GBP to replace the figures) we can turn to Bricklink's price estimates and lots for sale to see that used, complete lots are for sale for as low as 63€, and even new, sealed sets can be gotten for 70€, so your 100 GBP price is way over the market niveau. This brings our test to this state of completion:
63€ > SALE PRICE OF INCOMPLETE SET + 16 GBP

You don't specify which two of the four figures are missing, that will definitely affect the desirability of the incomplete set (for which I can't find any closer estimates), so lets find some lower and upper margins.
From Bricklink again we can see that Vader costs on average 15€, Tarkin 9€, and the generic pilot along with Sabine Wren 5€ each. So the savvy collector could buy the two missing figures (if they are interested in having them) for anywhere between 10 and 24€. This gives an approximation for the difference between the prices of a complete set and your incomplete one: the incomplete set would probably sell for about 39-53€, depending on which figures are missing.
By plugging the correct value into the inequation you can then get the answer for your question as stated, but I think the most important conclusion is to use Bricklink for such price analysis and the realization that your asking price is probably too high for most of the informed buyers.

Note to other site users: I realize this Q&A is really specific to this particular scenario in this particular time, but I tried to turn it into a generic how-to on finding the relevant information and calculating the answer that hopefully would serve future visitors as well. Nonetheless, if the community deems this off-topic or too narrow, I'm fine with closing and/or deleting.

That's great, thank you. That was helpful. I was going to put it for sale on ebay for about 50 and imagined i might get 100 but you're right, i won't ! the missing figures are tarkin and the pilot. thanks again.

I'm glad I could help, if you could take the time to accept the answer as outlined in the [help], it would signal to the other users that this issue has been resolved and needs no more attention. While you are at it, feel free to take the [tour] too to learn more about the site :)

Having a general answer is important, but having the specifics makes it more accessible.


text:
Technic Medium Hub - Supported Gestures of Gesture Recognition Sensor?
I am in process of writing a .NET library for PoweredUp and I am currently trying my luck with the Gesture sensor in the TechnicMediumHub (aka Control+ Hub).
Below the dump of the Port(Mode)Information messages.
  Port: 100
    IOTypeId: TechnicMediumHubGestSensor
    HardwareRevision: 0.0.0.1
    SoftwareRevision: 0.0.0.1
    OutputCapability: False
    InputCapability: True
    LogicalCombinableCapability: False
    LogicalSynchronizableCapability: False
    ModeCombinations: []
    UsedCombinationIndex: 0
    MultiUpdateEnabled: False
    ConfiguredModeDataSetIndex: []
    Mode: 0
      Name: GEST
      IsInput: True
      IsOutput: False
      RawMin: 0
      RawMax: 4
      PctMin: 0
      PctMax: 100
      SIMin: 0
      SIMax: 4
      Symbol:
      InputSupportsNull: False
      InputSupportFunctionalMapping20: True
      InputAbsolute: False
      InputRelative: False
      InputDiscrete: True
      OutputSupportsNull: False
      OutputSupportFunctionalMapping20: False
      OutputAbsolute: False
      OutputRelative: False
      OutputDiscrete: False
      NumberOfDatasets: 1
      DatasetType: SByte
      TotalFigures: 1
      Decimals: 0
      DeltaInterval: 0
      NotificationEnabled: False

Value is discrete and can be between 0 and 4. Which would conclude to 4-5 gestures. SPIKE Prime specification list 3 gestures: free fall, tap, shake. I rudimentary mapped them the following ... however .. the sensor emits many of them for the free fall and tapping is a pretty rough gesture. So that could be also crash or something.
    public enum Gesture : int
    {
        None = 0, // UNSPECED
        Tap = 1, // UNSPECED
        Gesture_2 = 2,
        Shake = 3, // UNSPECED
        FreeFall = 4, // UNSPECED
    }

So my question: Does anyone have a proper mapping (and not an educated, not complete guess like mine) for these gestures?


text:
Can you help me find this specific part (looks like a mudguard) anywhere?
I have 2 of these pieces and don’t know where they came from (already did some searches), but it looks similar to some mudguard pieces. I think the numbers on one piece say  0704 and 0401 and the other 0704/0402 but it doesn’t lead anywhere. Any ideas?!

If you don't see "LEGO" imprinted anywhere in the plastic, it's probably not Lego.

@qwr The third picture explicitly proves that. See the studs and Pubby's answer.

Why the downvotes? It’s a perfectly fine question, properly formulated and with pictures. No reason to downvote just because this is not official LEGO.

It is worth noting that LEGO has a slew of mudguards, one of which might be a suitable substitute.  If there is one that is close enough bricklink will make it easy to get it.

Looks to be a KRE-O part (clone brand), perhaps from one of their GI-Joe sets. Dunno which set, but this should point you in the right direction.


text:
Are silicone rubber bands safe for LEGO?
I'd like to build some custom sets using rubber bands but I don't have any spare original LEGO rubber bands (and I'd need several anyway). Since I had bad experience with rubber objects touching LEGO pieces in storage (the rubber 'melted' the plastic where it touched over several years), I'm thinking of getting silicone bands instead. Are these safer than regular rubber bands when touching LEGO pieces for an extended period?
I'm aware of these questions but these don't deal specifically with silicone being safe to use or not.

Procuring alternative rubber bands
What are LEGO rubber bands made of?

Silicone does not appear to be safe with ABS plastic
This sounded like a good idea to me since silicone works well in other extreme circumstances like baking, but the quick research I've done says this is not so smart.  I found two general references for ABS compatibility:

Plastics International Plastic Compatibility Chart
Kelco's ABS compatiblity chart

Both rate the compatibility a D, which means:

Material will decompose or dissolve in a short.

or

Severe Effect.  The material should not be used under any circumstances.

The only caveat here is that Plastics International is talking about "Silicone Fluids" and you're asking about a solid.  I wouldn't risk my LEGO's on that unless we hear from somebody that tried it and it worked out for them.

I was under impression newer rubber bands (round in cross section) produced by TLG are silicone based. If that is true, then I haven't heard any negative feedback about them.


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Old RCX Wires Have Become Grey and Brittle
I have a LEGO MINDSTORMS Robotics Invention System 2.0 (3804) that I acquired back in 2003 (17 years ago), and the wires have become grey and brittle.

The wires used to be black and smooth, and stayed that way for a solid 10 years until I stopped playing with this set in the fall of 2013. Last summer (July 2019), I got it out again for the first time in 6 years, only to find that the wires had become grey and brittle. I tested them, and they seem to be working, but I don't know how much longer that will be the case. At one point, I yanked on one of the wires a bit when detaching it from a motor, and it broke very easily. Clearly, even though the wires still work, they're not as versatile as they used to be.
Any ideas what caused this? Was it the long-term storage in the box? Was it that there hasn't been any current running through these wires in years? Or is it just inevitable that this will happen as the set ages? They've been in the box, sitting in a room at room temperature for several years.
Has anyone else with an old RCX-era MINDSTORMS set experienced this problem? Any suggestions on what can be done to stop or slow the deterioration of these wires, or perhaps even reverse the effects? It would make me sad if I couldn't use this set anymore. I had a satisfying fill of fun with this set from age 6 to 16, but I'd also love for my future posterity to get to enjoy it.

Nice to see you back on the forum, Hayden!

This is a common issue with the older Lego 9V cables. Lots of sources, including myself, have experienced the same thing - this particular chemistry of insulation ages poorly, no matter how well it's stored. Cables made later, circa 2004-2006 don't seem to have this issue - the insulation is less rubbery and more plasticy, and is still shiny like new to this day.
As far as repairing them goes, it's fairly simple and cheap, albeit a bit tedious. See this reddit thread and this YouTube video. The procedure which worked for me is as follows:

Use a thin flathead screwdriver or knife blade to pry off the back of the connector. There's a little tab that holds it in place.

The inside of the backplate has two ridges for guiding the wire out the back of the connector. Sand/cut these off - you'll need as much space to work with inside the connector as possible. I used a dremel.

The old wires are not soldered to the connectors so they are easy to remove. They are held in place by two tiny forks which are pushed through the insulation to connect the metal inside.

There is a little post in the center of the connector which the wire folded around. Twist it off with some needle-nose pliers.

Cut some 24-gauge speaker cable to size. Does not need to be speaker cable, but most speaker cable I've seen has two leads side by side, like the original RCX cables. You can even use two separate insulated wires if you can't find double wire.

Attach the new wires to the metal contact pads inside the connector. This is the hardest part, because the amount of space inside the connector is very small; remember you have to put the backplate back on when you're done. I could not achieve the sharp fold of the original wires, so don't bother trying. I also could not achieve the solderless connection with the little metal forks - so I soldered the new wires to the pads.
TIPS FOR SOLDERING:

Use high heat and as little time as possible to melt the solder to the wire and contact pad. Applying heat for more than 1-2 seconds will deform the plastic on the top of the connector. No pressure; if you need to add more heat/solder, just make sure the contact pad is cool to the touch before you try again.
I like to ball up the bare wire at the end of the speaker cable and stuff it into the back of one of the metal studs, then melt solder over top.
Don't bridge the gap between the two contact pads!

Once both wires are attached, add a small bead of plastic glue or epoxy on top of the two contact pads and the cable. The glue transfers force from the cable to the connector body instead of to your crappy solder joints.

Reattach the backplate. It should snap into place with a little force, use the screwdriver again if you need to. Mop up any of the glue that squishes out around the backplate - especially make sure the metal contacts on the underside of the connector are clean! Test to make sure it works.

As I said, it's tedious, but this procedure is effective and creates a strong connection between the cable and the connector body. I'm currently repairing about 40-50 wires using this method to get a little more life out of a Mindstorms classroom set.
The RCX light sensors from this era suffer a similar problem because their cables are attached to the sensor body. They can be successfully repaired in a similar way (refer to that YouTube channel I linked).

Thanks, this answer is fantastic! I'm relieved to see that this is a known issue, and that there wasn't much I could have done to stop this from happening. I might try to find some time to do this eventually. Although if you or someone else were to set up a small business that offered this kind of repair service to save me the trouble, I'd strongly consider paying someone else to do this for me.

While the answer by MindS1 is the standard solution that comes up with internet searches, I've found it is possible to use the wires usually used for Arduino jumper wires. These are slightly smaller than the original wires, which means they can be used without having to break off the ridges or forks.
I found it is possible to make a connection without soldering, however, after lots of experimentation, I found the I needed to strip the insulation off the end of the wire - offset slightly to match up with the forks - twist the wire, and fold it back on itself a couple of times, then with a fine tweezers and a bit of fiddling, they can be pushed onto the forks.
I also found that by using these, I could get the wire into the indent, and reconnect the backplate.
For the light sensor, I was able to remove the old cable - this does require desoldering - and solder on 90 degree male jumper pins which female dupont jumper cables can plug into. Although this does require cutting out an indent for the plug to fit in.
As said, it is tedious, and you will have to experiment quite a bit with the first one, but once you work out a method that works for you, then once it's done, it's done.

At a guess the plasticizer used to make the cable sleeving flexible seems to be evaporating. Perhaps this is common with natural rubber (latex) and vinyl based wires.
You could try the plastic restoration products but I am doubtful that you will achieve long term stability.
The LEGO connectors at the ends can be disassembled and the cabling replaced.
I have done this for some of my Mindstorms cables with mixed results as I have been unable to find twin lead ultra flexible wires that match the dimensions of the LEGO original wires.
Should we expect that everything that the LEGO Group offers for sale to last for 60 years?


text:
Can you identify the set from these two LEGO bags?
Can someone please help identify this LEGO set? I’m not certain the 2 bags go together.

Left Plate W. Angle 3X12 only comes in Bright Red in 6 sets. Only 1 set also contains this piece in White.
31047-1: Propeller Plane

This set also contains:

403224: Plate 2X2 Round in Bright Yellow
4560179: Flat Tile 2X4 in Bright Red
4211440: Technic Brick 1X2, Ø4.9  in Medium Stone Grey
6083620: Cross Axle 4M With End Stop in Dark Stone Grey

So both bags are from the same set.


text:
Need help identifying this non-Lego set - looks like a grey spaceship
This all came in a sealed pack. I can't seem to figure out which set it is - does anyone have any ideas? I'm sure there are more pieces to it.

Welcome to Bricks.SE. The set in the picture is a clone brand set, not a LEGO set, as there are no LEGO markings on the studs of the pieces. This will make it harder to identify, but there are some amazing set detectives on this forum who might be able to help.

Looks like a plane model of some kind from the tail fin, cockpit bubble, and turbines (a big model, since there are at least 3 turbines; guessing there's a 4th somewhere). May need more pieces to determine the set, if you can find them.

The tail fin looks similar to the ones used on the Kre-o Starscream and other models, which might help narrow it down a bit...

@TylerH There have been are plenty of real-world tri jet planes. e.g. Boeing 727, Lockheed Tristar, DC-10, MD-11, Dassault Falcon, etc, etc - not to mention fictional designs of course..

Thank you my boys got about 5000 Legos handed down to them but no books so I'm trying to find some of the unique pieces to figure out some sets thank you now I know if it doesn't say Lego it's a different brand

Tl;dr: most likely parts from Sluban or Oxford.

Original Post
@Zhaph is right that the tail fin looks like the one on the Kre-O Starscream:
Yours:

Kre-O:

I started looking for other Kre-O sets that use the piece. I found the Toy & Game Instructions page which included sets with strikingly similar pieces.
The Kre-O Star Trek USS Vengeance - A4364 Instructions (PDF) cockpit is eight studs long while the cockpit in your photo looks to be about six studs long, but they have the same geometry.
Yours:

Kre-O:

The Kre-O Transformers Battle for Energon - 98812 (PDF) includes six-by-two stud sloped bricks that look like they could match the upside down brick in your photo.
Yours:

Kre-O:

Unfortunately, it looks like the Kre-O inverted slopes (at least in Kre-O Transformers Destruction Site Devestator - 36951 (PDF)) are closer to LEGO's inverted slopes than the ones in your photo.
Yours:

Kre-O:

Yours:

Kre-O:

It's hard to tell if your six-stud-long slopes are curved or not, but they look closer to LEGO Slope, Curved 6 x 1 than they do the ones from Kre-O (at least the ones from the USS Vengeance).
Yours:

LEGO:

Kre-O:

I did find another similar match and in the correct color: the Ultimate Soldier XD F-18 Fighter Jet (Ad Blocker Warning) as referenced in this forum post.

Unfortunately again, the only details I can find about the brand (beyond the brick sets sold at Walmart and Amazon) seem to be about the figures, not building sets. There are a few sites archiving these figures if you're interested.

I would have thought that the turbine piece would have been the easiest to identify, but I haven't come across anything close. Do you have more pieces that might be unique enough to give a clue?

I'm curious to know if the molds from Kre-O's tailfin ended up being sold to someone else. That might explain both the nearly identical piece in the Ultimate Soldier sets (down to the injection sprue) and the obscurity of the set you're looking for.

Edit 1
According to the unsourced Wikipedia page for Ultimate Soldier, the Ultimate Soldier brand of die-cast figures was reintroduced as a line of military-themed building toys in 2014.
This forum thread contains conjecture about the acquisition of the die-cast tooling by either JSI or All-Go. No mention of the building toys.

JSI bought some of the 1/18 tooling, there are a couple of company's sniffing around the 1/32 molds, but on my friends last trip to China(he's been back about a week) the 1/32 molds are either crated up of sitting inside and outside :rolleyes: the plant :lol: while other projects have taken over the factories.
if they stay in weather to long they will be junk soon :huh:

For all intents and purposes, 21st Century is effectively gone. All-Go's attempt at resurrecting the line fell back into the mire it tried to spring from after reissuing the two 1/32 planes - the mistake they made there being twofold: they reissued paint schemes that had been done already (and at half the price) AND they no longer included a pilot figure. A lot of merchants dumped excess stock upon the failure of the planes to sell, and discounters like Tuesday Morning ended up with them.
JSI seems to possess the bulk of the 1/18 molds and have reissued several of 21C's vehicles in that scale.
As far as 1/32 goes, status remains unknown. Still a lot available on ebay, but obviously not at Wal-Mart prices. I have built several of the kits myself, and while plainly being more toy-like than your normal kit, they do clean up nice and if you get them at the right price are a bargain. I managed to snag a case of BF109F's for $20 a couple of years back.

If the date provided by the Wikipedia page is to be believed, then there must be another explanation for the identical parts. I doubt that Hasbro would be selling good molds in 2014 for a line of toys they were still producing in 2017.
So I checked who was actually making the toys for Hasbro. The Kre-O line is produced by the Oxford toy company in Korea. Their website is next to impossible to navigate in English, but with a little luck I came across this set with a familiar tailpiece.

I couldn't find any closer matches on their website, but Wikipedia mentions that they made a line of military-themed sets. Using Google Translate, I searched 옥스포드 군사 장난감 (oxford military toy) and found some sets that also contain pieces that appear to match the molds of your pieces.

There's your slope again (apologies for the poor quality):

They even have the square-shaped negatives in the bottoms of some pieces:

The Oxford military sets appear to be the source of the Ultimate Soldier sets still available on Amazon/Walmart. Just as they were rebranded "Kre-O" for Hasbro, it appears Oxford sets are/were rebranded "Ultimate Modern Soldier" for 21st Century Toys.
Oxford:

Ultimate Soldier (Amazon):

I'm still looking, but I'm nearly certain that your set was produced by Oxford. Either for one of their own lines or to be licensed by another company.

Edit 2
Completely by accident, I have stumbled on Sluban.
Turbine:

Tailfin:

Square recesses:

Cockpit:

Slope:


text:
Have I got a mystery croissant lurking in my Lego collection?
I've loved every minute of a massive LEGO sort-out recently, but a mystery imposter lurked in there.
My kids swear blind that we've had these two types of croissant for over seven years, but I don't think it can be so. Surely LEGO never made two types that were so close in appearance? And the imposter brick doesn't say "Lego" anywhere on it.
On the left we have an authentic LEGO piece (of which we own four or five), and on the right, the possible imposter (we only have one, which is telling). I thought it could be Playmobil or Sylvanian Families, or something like that.

My kids swear blind that the one on the right came from a Belville set, but a web search suggests not. They also insist it doesn't belong with any of their other toys, but I'd rather trust an internet stranger than my own kids ;)
So my question is - is the piece on the right definitely LEGO or not? And massive kudos if you can spot what it really is.

That does not look like a croissant to me...

Surely the one on the left is a pig in a blanket. It could be a croissant, I suppose, but that looks awfully like a hot dog wrapped in something. The one on the right does look like a croissant.

@user91988 It looks like that so that the minifigures can hold it.

The right piece is not Lego.

It cannot be connected to any other piece. No stud, anti stud or shaft that fit a Minifig hand, like the 1 at the left has.
Searching both bricklink.com and brickset.com only 1 croissant mold is found

Also Lego pieces of this size will contains the Lego name and copyright.

We have one Belville set at home (7586 - Sunshine Home) and I can confirm that it includes the mold linked in this answer (left one in pictures).

It looks like the other answer about Barbie is correct, but it's worth pointing out than in the Lego Friends sets there are loads of different "accessory" pieces which don't have holes and can't fit into another piece:  hairdryers, hairbrushes,etc.  The croissant could easily be something from one of those sets.

@MaxWilliams LEGO Friends accessories have at least one option to connect with other elements. Items you've mentioned have so-called  "3.18mm" or "bar" connection option. Actually, left croissant has two of these on each end, unlike the right one.

It looks like a possible match for these doll accessories.
"This listing is for a Barbie coffee shop or bakery accessories. Included are hot chocolate mugs, a coffee to go mug, croissants, muffins, donuts, a to go box, and a bakery display plate."


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Which set do these LEGO bricks belong to?
Please help me identify which LEGO set do these blocks belong to.

Codes found on the bags are, usually, entirely irrelevant to set number. Please look into making pictures of your bags and bricks and uploading them here.

Please help now..

Looks like one of the four Naboo Starfighters, doesn't it? But which one...

Parts match this set: 75092 Naboo Starfighter (bricklink)

The Stick 6M W/Flange in bright yellow  clearly identifies this as 75092

As already identified in the comments by Uli, the parts Stick 6M W/Flange in bright yellow and Brick 4X6 W/Bow/Angle in bright yellow are only available together in 75092-1: Naboo Starfighter:

I find TLG color naming confusing, so a little clarification here: Bright Yellow [TLG], Yellow [BL]


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Is this grid fin piece a standard LEGO brick?
I'm trying to identify the circled part from this MoC, but I haven't been successful in doing so. On the one hand, the creator of this has called out two other parts in it (not shown here) as being modifications of existing bricks; but didn't say anything about the one I'm asking about, and the spacing in the grid looks about the same as in a LEGO fence piece which makes me think it might be a standard brick after all.
The original source for the MoC appears to be this post on Facebook. Not having an account there, I can't ask the designer directly.

I think that is
Part# 30046 :
Window 1 x 2 x 2 2/3 Pane Lattice Diamond with Rounded Top

Holding off on accepting for the moment, but I think that's it.

Looking at the pictures, I think Syberion has correctly identified the part.
Just want to cover the moment where you mention part modification may be required. I don't think there is a need for modifications, it should work with existing parts like this:

Additional parts are:
Bar 1L with Clip Mechanical Claw
Plate, Round 1 x 1 with Open Stud
Lever Small Base taken from Lever Small Base with Black Lever

Thanks for that assembly guide.  It never would've occurred to me to use a lever base that way,  I assumed it was held to the stud with the claw end of the clip, and was drawing a blank on how the other end was attached.

Alex, this is awesomely done.  Your picture is a huge help in making sense of this.  And even then I had to stare at it for a minute to figure it out.

Is it a "legal" construction, or would connecting the window into the claw like that cause structural stress to the bricks?

@nick012000 I think TLG wouldn't use lever base for anything else than lever itself simply because it always comes pre-assembled so is considered as single item. So I doubt there is a question if this pictured assembly would be considered legal.

What a fantastic jury-rig!! Thank you for showing me this in detail!

This should be the accepted answer, esp. if it is edited to include the part #/desc. directly answering the original post.


text:
Can you identify this Ninjago set from an assembly from it?
We got handed down 5000 LEGO bricks with no instructions. This small section was already put together. Please help identify what set it's from. I think it's a plane.

Based on Plate 4X4 W/Angle in White
This is from
70009-1: Worriz's Combat Lair

And is part of the tail section of the helicopter

Wow you are amazing thank you so much now to find all the other pieces

70009-1 Chima: Worriz's Combat Lair. From 2013 and Chima Season 1. But I think that you might be overestimating because the Combat Lair only has 664 parts. There are only about 30 sets at the time of writing with over 5000 components.


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Unopened bags without instructions
Can someone help me identify what set these are so I can find the book and my son can build?

This looks like 10667 Construction:

You can grab the instructions from Brickset.


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Megabloks need help identifying what set
On the bottom it says mega bloks I tried finding any type of castle with it I don't see anything can anyone identify it please

There isn't a good central parts database for the clone brand parts, but the folks on this site have been able to answer this sort of question in a few prior cases.  Have you tried a reverse image search?

I have and I'm not finding anything

This is a part of the tower from
Set # 3618 : Privateer's Lighthouse

Thank you so much


text:
Help identify this non-LEGO set - curvy slopes and stickers
I don't believe this is a LEGO set because there is no branding on the studs but hopefully someone recognizes the sticker and can tell me which set this is?
I'm looking for the exact set as I was handed down thousands of LEGO bricks for my kids with no instructions

With those blank studs it is definitely not Lego. The few hollow ones look a lot like Megabloks to me.

first impression was "transformers" .. no idea why .. happy hunting! or a spaceship .. or it's a ninja turtle .. or batman .. yes, always batman .. now someone will spend a lot of time to disprove those theories and get you the right part .. you're welcome! would it be possible to get a photo from the bottom side? is it one piece? looks assembled. maybe from different sets?

Can you clarify your question. Are you asking to find out if it is Lego or not, or do you want to know the exact brand and set?

This looks very much like the rear end of set 8669 Fire Spinner 360:

Only differences being that the pieces are counterfeit and the red on the stickers has been replaced with green. This is therefore, presumably, from a clone-brand version of this set.


text:
Trying to ID a piece, picture included. 1x4 pillar

Looking for the name of the highlighted piece. Any help is very appreciated!

That is a
6070327: Stick Ø3.2 2Mm W/Knob And Tube


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How to Motorise 42111 Dom's Charger Technic
I just received the 42111 Dom's Charger set as a gift, and I was wondering whether it could be motorised and RC controlled? A part list would be great as I don't own any Power Function parts.
Cheers in advance!

There are several such MOCs in existence around the Internet:

https://rebrickable.com/mocs/MOC-42193/Porlock/fully-rc-lego-technic-doms-dodge-charger-model-42111-with-fast-buggy-motor-lights-and-some-changes/#bi
https://rebrickable.com/mocs/MOC-41973/BrickUrDream/dodge-rc-motorized-42111/#bi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmYalpTxmIs
https://racingbrick.com/lego-technic-42111-dodge-charger-rc-mod-with-42095-plus-servo/
https://buwizz.com/42111-doms-dodge-charger-motorized-and-powered-by-buwizz/
https://bricksafe.com/pages/Porlock/42111---rc-mod-dons-dodge-charger

Pick your favourite or combine the best features of them together into your own solution :)


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Do I really need to sign into Stud.io?
I recently installed Stud.io 2.0 on my MacBook. Is it absolutely necessary to sign in, or is that just so that you can save to the cloud and build with friends?

The sign-in is to enable cloud saves, build with friends, wanted list export, upload to the Studio Gallery, shopping integration features like price lookup, and probably some other features I haven't thought of or have not been mentioned in the comments yet. If you don't plan on using any of those features then it isn't required to sign-in.

When you say price lookup, do you mean that Stud.io can act as a hub for BrickLink or that you can just see prices? Anyway thanks for the help!

@pkbpack18 It means it can show you average item prizes (based on BrickLink). Together with that there's also other BrickLink integration, like exporting the model into a wanted list. If you have a BrickLink account and intend your model to exist in reality at some point in the future, those features are quite helpful.

@ChristianRau Thanks!

Went ahead and updated my answer to clarify the feature list by adding a couple of things (Completely forgot about Wanted List export!) and leaving it a bit open ended.


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LDD Update Date?
I was wondering the other day - When was LDD last updated and when, if ever, are they (TLG) planning to do another piece update?

@NathanStohlmann No, I was just wondering if there was going to be an update and, if so, what it would contain.

The link does answer the question. At the end of the accepted answer is says, "LDD is no longer supported by TLG". So the answer to "when are TLG planning to do an update" is "never".

In January of 2016 the LEGO Group officially announced through the Ambassador's Forum that Lego Digital Designer (LDD) had been defunded and would not be receiving any more updates. In the following year there were 2 more updates, however in at least one of those updates parts were actually removed from the library.
The software is still available for download from the LEGO site and the support information has never been updated with the official announcement but follow-ups with the company have consistently received the same answer as the announcement in January 2016.
It should also be noted that in late 2019 The LEGO Group acquired BrickLink which produces the Stud.io modelling software. At the time of the acquisition, the following Frequently Asked Question was published (Under "Acquisition"):

7. What about Studio and LEGO Digital Designer (LDD) – what will happen with the two digital building experiences since they’re quite similar?
The LEGO Group is planning to support and evolve Studio and will review opportunities for both services following the closing of the deal.

@zhaph-ben-duguid Thanks for that correction!

TLG has announced that after 2022-01-31 the LDD website will be full removed and direct downloads from LEGO will no longer be available, nor will there ever be any more official updates to the software or the parts database. https://www.brothers-brick.com/2022/01/12/lego-fully-discontinuing-lego-digital-designer-in-favor-of-bricklink-studio/


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How to integrate hardware/embedded button with LEGO?

I have two different buttons (B3F-1000 and 3a250vac switch) which I want to integrate into a LEGO "machine" which I'm powering with an Arduino. Since the rest is integrated into LEGO plates, I also want to do the same for the buttons, which means they need to be covered in LEGO, but still fit with the rest, which means no glue.
Looking for suggestions on how to attach LEGO parts in a way so the user pushes a LEGO part and it is registered by the button. It's a very tiny range of motion, so it doesn't need to move much in the process, and it's not a toggle button, which means every press will feel the same.
Picture with two common parts for scale.

Are you wanting to place the buttons inside of the bricks, or just be able to stack them with other Lego parts?

@MatthewJensen they should just be stacked, as a part of the build, not inside.

Are you willing to drill, glue or otherwise irrevocably alter your bricks? What are the size constraints of the solution? How stable must it be?

For the first switch I bent the legs of the button and splayed them out just a little bit.

Next I stripped off the caps of two Dupont connectors, ran them through the headlight bricks and connected the button upside down.

An axle will trigger the button. Either one with a stud on one end (and a 1x1 tile) or a regular one with a half bush.

A 2x2 brick on top serves as a button.

The second switch is a hacked light brick. They're very inexpensive on bricklink.

I took out the batteries and the LED (they're not soldered as they're meant to come apart) and replaced the one on the right with a metal contact.
For that I took a paper fastener, cut off one of its legs and bent it in an e shape.

Solution with hacked light brick is just great combination of non-destructive use of LEGO with 3rd party elements.

This is amazing! Thanks

Could you use one of the Lego touch sensors:

Electric, Sensor, Touch
Trans-Light Blue Electric, Sensor, Touch with Red Contact
Trans-Light Blue Electric, Sensor, Touch with White Contact
Trans-Light Blue Electric, Sensor, Touch with Yellow Contact
Black Electric, Sensor, Touch 4.5V
Yellow Electric, Sensor, Touch with Non-Removable Lead

Here's a proof of concept modified 2x2 brick with a B3F tactile switch:


text:
Space Shuttle 10231 Stability on base

I just got (finally) Space Shuttle (10231) and finished building it.  It was a great build and I love it, but the way the Shuttle stands on the base scares the SH*T out of me.  I cannot believe they designed this to just stand on four points (the two SRBs, and the base of the thrusters).
I can just imagine my cat hopping onto the bookcase (or someone bumping into the bookcase) and the shuttle falling to the floor in a 1,000 piece pile of bricks!
Has anyone done any modifications to try and lock this onto the base better?

Could you confirm if your set as well as instructions state 10213 or 10231 as set number? 10213 indeed had some stability issues.

According to Brickset there were indeed stability problems with set #10213, which was originally intended to be a strictly display piece for the 16+ age group.
As a response, the 10213 was retired, and a reinforced version (#10231) has been sold instead. If you are stuck with the first, unstable edition, you could try applying these alternative instructions.
You'll need these parts:

According to Brickset commenter Enosh_Kasra this service pack can be acquired through LEGO customer service (at least it could be in 2011).
And this is the disassembly and reassembly instruction sheet:

This seems to strengthen the External Tank and its connection to the Shuttle, and does not address the four points of stability you mentioned, but I might be wrong. And the extra strength will definitely reduce the number of sub-assemblies after an Unplanned Rapid Disassembly event.

Yeah I have the modified version so the tank is solid, I am more referring to the instability of the shuttle on the stand


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What proportion of LEGO Technic parts are specialised in a given kit?
I do not have any Technic kits. I'm not even a LEGO user. However I am interested to know the following:
In a typical Technic kit, how many of the parts are standard Technic pieces and how many parts are unique to a given kit at the time of its release?
P.S. I am not sure whether Technic "pieces" are still called "bricks".

In response to comments
It appears there is no general rule for this, therefore I will ask about a specific kit, namely 42100:

Building the Largest LEGO Technic Excavator! - Liebherr R 9800
https://youtu.be/KPHkrSZ7SSk

The kit is built live (speeded up) on the video so I believe the parts will be visible and identifiable to an expert.
I don't want a precise mathematical description, just an approximate proportion or count that can identified in this kit.

I can imagine two kinds of answers to this question: 1) There is nothing like "a typical Technic kit", as all are unique, with variations between size, functionality and age - which is probably not what you want, or 2) a proper statistical calculation of most, if not all sets - i.e. analyzing their part lists, calculating for each set the percentage of its parts that are unique to that single set, then taking the average across all sets. This sounds more like what you could want, but as such a calculation would undoubtedly take long, please confirm if this is indeed your goal.

Yes, not that interesting question unless you clarify. What do you consider a typical Technic set, what is a standard Technic piece, etc... Unique parts to a Technic set (i.e. the box says Technic) are nearly non-existing. Except stuff like tipper buckets and helicopter rotor blades, all elements are present in multiple sets...

Thanks I have added to my question. I hope this clarifies. I have amended to say, "unique to a kit at the time of its release".  I assume that later models may reuse some of the newly introduced parts.

For the 42100 specifically:
https://www.newelementary.com/2019/12/lego-technic-review-42100-liebherr-r.html
Since links are discouraged as them being ephemeral, here's the two most relevant pictures:
New parts:

Existing parts in new color:

In the first picture, the bucket is exclusive to the set, the other parts have been re-used in a couple of smaller sets.
In the second picture, except top left and bottom right, these parts are also very new in other sets, they were introduced in the 2020 Spike Prime educational set (a set with programmable components, similar to Mindstorms)
I would say this number of new parts is fairly typical of all flagship Technic sets.

Converting my comment to a full answer.
So how many of the entire 42100 set are Technic elements?
First thing first a definition of "Technic element". While TLG is quite good at distinguishing what's Technic set and what not, it is not the same with actual elements. And the best element catalog we have is found on Bricklink, which is based on community effort. Conveniently we have number of Technic categories within catalog. Some may argue that elements found in Hero Factory or Bionicle sets can also be considered Technic we'll stick to just elements found in, strictly, Technic categories.
I did some simple math checking inventory of 42100 set and and found it contains 3548 Technic elements, which makes it 86.4% of the set.
PS. Yes "bricks" is used to Technic elements as well. Although AFOLs would, most likely, refer to specific elements using their name/category/type, like beams, connectors, pins, panels etc.


text:
Can you help me identify this 2x2 modified brick?
I'm trying to identify this brick. I believe it is a genuine Lego brick. It doesn't appear to have a part number, but does have a '7' printed on the underside of the brick. It came from a large box of mixed Lego, so I'm not able to narrow down what set(s) it came from. I've tried identifying it on BrickLink, but without success. Thanks.
[]

see this question...

Yes! That is the part. Thanks - please add this as an answer so I can mark it correct.


text:
Can you help me identify this LEGO Star Wars ship?
Which ship and LEGO model number is this?

This is from
75155-1: Rebel U-wing Fighter

Keypart : 6180pb115L : Tile, Modified 4 x 6 with Studs on Edges with 5 Worn Blue Rectangles and Black Lines on White Background Pattern Model Left Side (Sticker) - Set 75155


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What are the arguments for and against an adult tackling a complex LEGO Technic kit as their first (and possibly only) build?
Suppose I want to get an overall view of LEGO as an adult and can afford to buy an expensive kit.
I have the following abilities

Good eyesight with glasses

Good hand-eye coordination and manipulative ability

Good DIY and tool skills

A good basic understanding of mechanics, gearing, levers and so on

A good spatial sense

An ability to follow straightforward instructions and diagrams such as making flat-pack furniture or setting up home devices. Also the
ability to make simple modifications like adding a hard-drive to a
desktop computer and reassembling it successfully afterwards.

Advanced knowledge of computer programming and good general knowledge of electricity and electronics

Experience of building model aircraft -  both flying and non-flying models

I wish to buy a kit that contains most of the functions (motors, gears, controllers, programming, drive trains, etc.) that will be found in Technic kits of all kinds.
As an example I might buy 42100 LIEBHERR R 9800  as described here https://www.newelementary.com/2019/12/lego-technic-review-42100-liebherr-r.html
Questions
Will buying the above kit be likely too much to start with, simply because I have not worked my way up through simpler models? Are there other arguments for and against?
Is there a smaller kit that has as roughly as many build techniques and features  as the above kit but contained within a smaller space?

I think you'd be fine; they usually have very detailed sub-assembly instructions.

From how you formulate your question I think you have an analytical mindset, hence you'll be fine. If you run into issues we'll be happy to help

My first Technic set was the massive 42055 Bucket Wheel Excavator. I had a great time building it, even though I ran in to some difficulties. However, it was not my first time building with Technic elements, as I had previously built some simple MOCs with Technic elements I had lying around, but even if it was my 1st time ever building with Technic, I think I still would have had a good time, so I would suggest yes, you should buy a large Technic set even as your 1st LEGO set.

The set is marketed as "12+". So even without the skills you mentioned you already have, I doubt you would have issues during assembly.
Piece of advice - don't rush it, take your time during the assembly process. It will take more time to assemble than you think. Especially as this is the first set and you need some time to learn the parts and how they work.
For a challenging Technic set, my personal suggestion, is to look for set from much older "studful" Technic era. Something like 8880. It has fewer parts, but many more parts assembled per step and most of them are black. Don't follow this advice for your first ever Technic set though.

For me, the 42100 took something like a week to assemble, in my spare time after work.

I recommend to buy one of the great classics of the Technic era around 2012-2015, such as the Mobile Crane MKII, 42009, the Arocs, 42043, or the 4x4 Crawler, 9398. I own both the Arocs and the Crawler. It really is fun to build them, and if you like the build you can buy extensions and modifications to create a special version of your set.
The 42100 needs a mobile phone and an app that will probably fail after the next Android update. I would avoid that frustration.

Your specific questions seem to call for opinions. (The moderators do not like that.)
Your questions as I seem them are:
Q1: Will buying the above kit be likely too much to start with, simply because I have not worked my way up through simpler models?
A1: The 42100 LIEBHERR R 9800 has over 4000 parts but only 225 different ones. I have noticed some posts about getting some of the mechanics to work properly. Keep in mind that even someone with a lot of experience could not build it in a few hours and enjoy it. If you did one part per second it would take over 66 minutes. Expect to take days. As a first time technic build I'd guess a week or more.
Q2: Are there other arguments for and against?
A2: Against, It's a toy, sort of like a 3d puzzle that needs batteries and a smartphone.
A2: For, It's a massive amount of Lego parts. He that dies with the most toys wins, so more Legos better chance of wining.
In all seriousness you should try a less complex build to see if it will prove a positive experience. It is a lot to spend for something that you could feel was a frustrating waste of time.
Of the currently available Technic™ models from Lego I would suggest the 42082 Rough Terrain Crane.

It's not that we as mods don't like opinions, but that this platform favours questions that have a single definitive answer - it likes to have a green tick by questions meaning "Answered!". These can still be subjective - see Good Subjective, Bad Subjective for more on that ;)

@Zhaph-BenDuguid, I do have a preference for questions that have objective answers or a narrow range of value judgments. If my answer here is not withing the guidelines please let me know so I can delete it.

My only concern was "(The moderators do not like that)" - in that it paints us as some sort of tyrannical overlords, when in general we're just slightly more powerful users ;)


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Lego RCX to NXT converter cables not working properly with EV3
I recently got some of these cables(see picture below) to control an old RCX motor. Some things to note before reading on. I tried both the medium and large motor blocks and played around with power, rotations, seconds, and even just on, but to no avail. If I program the EV3 to make the RCX motor spin counterclockwise, it does so on any setting without any issues. However, if I program the EV3 to spin the motor clockwise, it only spins for about a third of a second before the motor stops. The EV3 brick doesn’t shut down, just the motor. This happens on any setting. Why is this happening and how do I fix it? Is it some kind of over current or under current protection?

Credit: Bartneck.de
Edit: Just tried the unregulated motor block and that didn’t fix it either.

These cable don't have anything connected to pins 5 or 6. This causes the software running on the EV3 that detects which type of motor is connected to think that there is nothing connected. Since it thinks nothing is connected, it periodically resets the output port which turns off the motor.
To work around this, the unregulated motor block needs to be called in a loop with two different speeds (e.g. 100 and 99) to keep the motor running. Each time the requested speed changes, it resets the device detection timer that would stop the motor.
Some people who don't mind cutting the cables have added resistors to the wires connected to pins 5 and 6 to simulate what a real EV3 motor looks like. This allows the unregulated motor block to able to be used as expected.
Here is an example of how to do that. (Although I would wire it up more like the actual EV3 motor schematic using 3.3kΩ resistors. Pin 5 to pin 4 via resistor and pin 6 to pin 4 via resistor. But if the other method is known to work...)

Thanks!  Apparently you need to add two unregulated motor blocks with slightly different speeds to keep it on. Just one in a loop didn’t work for me.

Right. I forgot about that part. Will update my answer.


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What is the purpose of the 8 tooth timing gear?
I recently ran across the 32060 Technic Gear Timing Wheel 8 Tooth element when sorting a mixed bag of parts.

This element doesn't appear in many sets as a functional element. Here's one example from the Barcode-Multi-Set (8479) set:

What is the purpose of this element, and how does it work? I'm guessing from the name that it has something to do with timing. Perhaps it is used as a rotary encoder somehow?

When looking at Blakbird's Technicopedia page for this Technic set, this part is indeed used as a rotary encoder in combination with the bar code scanner.
See the last entry on the page.

That makes sense. Thanks! I didn't realize that the barcode scanner in that set could be used to read speed that way.


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Blue rounded 1x4 piece identification
There aren't any LEGO markings. Does anyone recognize the sticker? It's most likely from around 2013. I would like to know what set it is from.

I am failing to identify the piece with bricklink...

That blue looks like a Lepin or MegaBlox, just guessing.

The distance from the bottom right corner of the brick in your image to the top of the plate-part is 67px, which for a plate is 3.2mm. The full distance from the bottom right corner of the brick in your image to the top of the brick is 609px, which equates to 28.78mm, close enough to the 28.8mm a 3 brick-high piece would be (3 * 9.6mm). Well spotted @rschulz

This is not LEGO. Searching for 1 x 4 x 3 on BrickLink does not bring up any Brick, Modifieds that have rounded corners on one side, let alone a bottom plate. Nor are there any 1 x 4 Plate, Modifieds that have an addition like the above.
While LEGO pieces are well served with publicly accessible and searchable parts databases, MegaBlocks and their ilk are not. Your best bet - assuming this is a MegaBlocks part, and the part was stickered in accordance with whatever instructions come with the set - is a laborious search of a MegaBlocks set database, looking for an image of a 2 on a blue part of the model depicted on the box art.

To me, it looks more like a 1x4x3 https://www.bricklink.com/v2/search.page?q=1+x+4+x+3


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What is this 1998 lego piece for F-22?
Can someone help me identify what set this is from? I've tried searching multiple different things on Google and Bricklink and haven't been able to find this piece. It was in with a set of random pieces that was bought at a yard sale. The F-22 stickers on it may not be from the original set but they were on it when I bought it. The only thing I can find written on it is copyright LEGO Group 1998

Fun fact: this makes a passable decorative sword handle, but a lousy actually usable sword handle.

It is Electric, Light & Sound 4 x 20 x 5 Insectoid Stinger which was available in 4 sets from Insectoids series. Stickers are custom.

Thank you! Too bad a lot of the pieces aren't here.


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Is LEGO element damaged at the molecular level when rubbed with rubbing alcohol?
Today the Goblin King from Lego Hobbit came to me and having covered two black dots on his bunch, I decided to wipe them with alcohol. But due to the unhealthy lead mania, I am paranoid, is the plastic damaged at the chemical / molecular level?

The LEGO Group has been extremely careful about the formulation of all of the plastic parts they manufacture.
I do not believe they ever used lead in any of their parts. Decades ago they removed cadmium from the yellow pigments.
I have never found that isopropyl alcohol will soften the plastic used for Lego bricks.
What will soften Lego bricks is hot water. Do not use a dishwasher to clean Lego bricks. The water is too hot and the detergent is too aggressive.
To clean most Lego brick mild soap and warm water is the best choice. Air dry only, do not use hot air from hair dryers.

Sorry, apparently the translator misunderstood me in this sentence "But due to the unhealthy lead mania". I wanted to say that I have an unhealthy obsession with the inviolability of my figures. For example, I get rid of figurines that have interacted with oil or chlorine.

Both red and yellow bricks had cadmium based pigments in the past.  https://bricks.stackexchange.com/questions/8543/was-there-ever-cadmium-in-lego-bricks