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Are there LEGO sets unique to the UK/Europe?
I'm going on vacation to the UK and am looking to pick up some sets for 2 collectors (if they have them).  It's a surprise gift so I don't want to ask them about it.
I am wondering if there are sets exclusively sold in the UK or Europe that are not easy to find in the US?

LEGO used to give away promotional polybags for free with the Daily Mail tabloid but severed their ties last year because of the newspapers reputation. The Sun (another tabloid) also ran similar promotions but I haven't seen anything recently. Whether or not LEGO has/had a similar promotion in the USA with the same sets, I don't know.

The London Bus (40220) was given away with qualifying purchases of ($75) or more in the U.S. and Canada. It's currently available in LEGO Stores in the UK (Although I'm not 100% sure if it's sold outside UK/Europe, it would make a wonderful souvenir and would potentially be quite collectable!)

It's not available in the UK, but if you're looking for exclusives, look on BL or take a plane to Billund and grab a 4000016 ;)

I completely agree with what Gareth said above. There have been several sets sold exclusively in the Uk and Europe throughout Lego's production history. However, if what you are asking is recent or more unique/exciting ones, then I can think of a couple off the top of my head.
Lego BR toy minifigure sold(if I remember correctly) in BR stores in the UK:
Brickset BR toy
Team GB series sold in UK and maybe Europe:
Brickset GB team
DFB German football team sold exclusively throughout Europe(possibly only in Germany):
Brickset DFB series
London bus given at store opening in London:
Brickset London Bus
Royal Guard buildable figure exclusive at Leicester Square store:
Brickset Royal Guard
I know the 2 Lego CLub Max minifigures is exclusive, but I dunno if it was only sold in UK/Europe:
Lime Green Max and Regular Max
The lego House minifigure/ set was sold in Billund stores:
Lego House set
The Legoland train is exlusive to Florida and Denmark:
Legoland train
The 2 Nesquik bunny sets were available in Germany, New Zealand, and Australia(who doesn't like chocolate milk?):
Nesquik
British exclusive minifigure Lester(not Chester, if you saw my edits):
Lester minifigure However, it's been a while, so I don't think you can still get this from the scratch ticket.
Oh, alright, you caught me. I used Brickset. Sorry for the long post. This is about all that I could find/think of. Some of the entries that I found, I wasn't sure of, so I didn't post them.
Please note that the places where they are sold are based only on my memory.

It should be noted that some of these are positively ancient and you're unlikely to find them in stores.

I suggest having a look on the Lego website and changing your region to compare what you get in different places.
I know that neither of these probably qualify as "unique" but in the past I've come across sets that have been discontinued/launched in one region before another. For example, the Maersk Sealand was available in the Far East after it'd been discontinued in Europe. The other difference you'll see is with "customisations" - namely the stickers. For example, the Football Team bus 3404/5/6 was sold in different colours and with different stickers in different regions - I know I have one with England stickers and one with USA stickers on.


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What parts are in each bag for the Star Wars Death Star 75159?
I have two opened death stars. Some bags are unopened and others are mixed. I need a checklist of what comes in each bag.
I would like to sell one and keep one.

The worst case scenario would be to go through the instructions page by page (the pages with the mixed bags) and collect the parts listed there. I would think the effort is not too big if you reasonably sort the parts before flipping through the pages.

I would build one first. If you have 2 sets if you build 1 the left over pecies should be the other set.

I have an idea that might just work for you.
You clearly have two of everything that you need, so I recommend use Bricklink and go through your list selecting the quantity of bricks required from the pile of bricks that have been opened. That should leave you a pile that you do not need (for the second build)
This will be a good starting point.
Good luck.

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Why is the LEGO IR Receiver V2 not widely produced? Or are they?
Basically, there are 2 different major versions of the LEGO IR Receiver, the unmarked V1 and the labeled V2. I've also read somewhere there was also a small hardware upgrade to the V1 Receiver at some point, also unmarked, dubbed V1.1.

The V2 IR Receiver came in the 2012 set 9398-1: 4x4 Crawler, and is apparently a much better piece of hardware than the V1 series. However it has yet to appear in any other set, or by itself, at least under that label. Some people have speculated the hardware was again silently upgraded, and the hardware on new ones is the newer hardware, without the V2 label. On the other hand, I know someone contacted LEGO customer service about it, but got an unconvincing response that the one they sell by itself is not the same as the V2 (unconvincing, because they didn't seem to know anything about it at first, and were possibly using the same internet resources we have available).
So my question is:
Is the V2 hardware widely available in new products? If not, why is it so rare?

No, the V2 receiver isn't available in any new products. It's only available in the sets you mentioned.
The most likely reason it's not available in new products is that the production cost would be higher and hence also the set price which would make the sets less attractive for most lego customers.
Also there is an issue with the V2 receivers when having more than one M-motor on one output port while this is not problematic for the V1 receivers.
It has to do with the high capacitance of the M-motors (for noise reduction) that tricks the V2 receivers into believing the motors draw too much current.
On the box of the 42030 set, V2 receivers are depicted, while the set itself only contains V1 receivers. I contacted lego support about this, they said that actual V2 receivers would likely cause the motors to possibly damage the set and that late in the design process they switched back to V1 receivers without updating the box art.
Performance wise, a good alternative for the V2 receiver is an sbrick.

Interesting. I didn't know there was an issue with the V2 and M motors. That's probably why. Supposedly they planned to update the motors again but I guess they either didn't or didn't start shipping V2 again.

According to the Wedo 2.0 faq it is the intention that that system will replace power functions. So I think it unlikely we'll see any new receivers (V2 or other) or M-motors.

Thanks a bunch! I also have a problem in that the ir receiver for my crawler stopped working and looking to buy a replacement but no luck. The link to sbrick made my day!

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How much does a LEGO character weigh?
I am doing a science project and I need a 50g passenger for a car.  I need to know how much a LEGO character weighs!

does it need to be the size of a minifig? or could you use a TECHNIC figure instead? I think they're about 50g to 60g...

@HorusKol: You're way off, according to bricklink it's around 12.4g.

@Henrik - I saw something else on bricklink that said 0.15 lbs - which is about 60g... but not 100% they're talking about the figure, or the figure plus a couple of other bits...

Just a tip: if you are doing a science project, then you should personally and demonstrably make sure your passenger is exactly 50g. References like "some users at a public forum said so" are considered to be highly unscientific. Get a scale and do some measurements :)

About 3g (2.98g)

Based on a small sample of Minifigure part data provided by Bricklink, a minifigure in it's most basic form (Head, Torso Assembly and Legs Assembley) weighs about 3g.
A small hairpiece or cap will add about 0.3g - 0.4g
Large hairpieces/headgear can add about 0.9g - 1.0g.


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LEGO mindstorm EV3 control using FPGA
I need advice on this issue. I want to build a communication between EV3 Mindstorms and FPGA. I want to control the different actuator/sensor of the EV3.
The idea is to test functionality of my digital system and its ability to interact with Mindstorms. Interface could be Bluetooth or else.
Could you please give me an idea about this?

There are a number of questions about the EV3 communication protocol an direct commands already. Perhaps these can be useful to you?

You can find some information on I2C in FPGAs on fpga4fun. There are lots of I2C cores on OpenCores, too. The biggest challenge would be how to connect your FPGA to the peripherals. My advice is to get a tiny development board like this one, and then you need to supply power to it, but this can be battery-powered since FPGAs are typically low-powered.
You would need to make connectors to connect the pins to your MindStorms/PF motors, but that should be fairly easy. However, one concern would be whether the board is able to channel enough power through the pins into the motors: Lego motors are 9V whereas typical FPGA pin output is 5V.


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DFB LEGO Minifigures
I'm a big fan of LEGO still to this day I was wondering are the DFB LEGO Minifigures available in Los Angeles cause I live there hoping to get the LEGO because they look so great.

Like Henrik said, I think it was sold exclusively throughout Europe only to cellebrate the world cup champions(I think that was the reason).

I believe that no official retailers outside of Germany+Austria+Switzerland go these. I bought mine on amazon.de.

According to LEGO's German Store it is a:

Retired Product

So if you're going to find it you'll need to look on ebay, Amazon, or other "unofficial" dealers.


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When was the pink brick released?
I am a student researching Lego for an essay. I was looking at when the first pink bricks were released.  I have researched and found that they were initially released between 1949 and 1956 and were discontinued and then reinstated around 1978, but other sources have said they were released in 1994.
I would like clarity of what actually happened.

There are two shades of light-pink in LEGO's history that were included in official sets. (Please note that there are other, rare shades of pink that never made it into mass production but were used as test colors or for special projects.) The older light-pink is simply called "pink" in the BrickLink Color Guide, and also often referred to as "Paradisa Pink", as it was in the LEGO Paradisa line where the color was most prominent. It is a softer, lighter shade, and was produced between 1991-2006.
The current light-pink is referred to as "bright-pink" in the BrickLink Color Guide. It was introduced in 2003 and is produced to this day. It is a much brighter and bolder color.
Besides these two light-pink colors there are also darker pinks: the older medium-dark-pink (1992-1996), the current dark-pink (1994-), and also current magenta (2000-).
You can find detailed information on them in the BrickLink Color Guide, and you can see sample parts in each color here: BrickLink Color Guide with Images.

Paradisa Pink (17 Rose) was the first in 1991. BUT, Lego used Medium Dark Pink (16 Pink) in Modulex parts as early as 1983!
There is also 9 Light Reddish Violet, which replaced 17 Rose in 1994, before being replaced in turn by Bright Pink (222 Light Purple) in 2004. This middle pink was close to Paradisa Pink, but less yellow.
There are officially two versions of Dark Pink: 22 Medium Reddish Violet and, after 2004, 221 Bright Purple. These are almost identical.
Clikits used 295 Flamingo Pink for a few parts in 2006. It's too bad that they didn't make more parts, it's really a nice color!
I have a fleshy-pinkish Automatic Binding Brick from the early 50s, but this was before Lego started giving their colors names and numbers.
Barring transparent or more purplish/reddish colors, that's all the pinks I know of. I'm curious about your sources for the 1949 and 1978 dates. I've been trying to compile all color information here: http://ryanhowerter.net/colors


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How can I make my robot heavier?
I'm building a 3kg LEGO EV3 sumo robot and I need to make it as small as possible.
Which LEGO items do you recommend to add more weight on it? (tires, plates, wheels, blocks, minifigs etc.)

I recently went to a sumo competition and one robot had its tyres replaced by rolls of medical silicon. Very heavy and with lots of grip. Apparently within the rules, too!

@Dimitri steel wire can be embedded in medical silicone pretty well, too! But I'd be surprised if it's not rule bending to the point of breaking.

You could add a lot of just random LEGO pieces. It will take a while, but it will add a lot of extra weight.

Weights:
The 2 x 6 x 2 weight elements are pretty good.

Boat Weight
Train Weight

Magnets:
Train Magnets are also pretty dense, though not very large and are now rather pricey.
Rubber:
Any solid rubber wheels also pretty dense. Avoid the hollow ones full or air.
Batteries:
If you need a lot of weight, you might also add a battery box, full of batteries of course. These are the ones currently in productions, but older ones will work just as well.

AA Battery Box
AAA Battery Box
Rechargeable Battery Box

I've also seen people add AA batteries without a battery box, but that may be bending the rules a bit.
Other Electronics:
Most LEGO Electronics are actually fairly heavy. You could also add motors, old LEGO RC stuff, or even whole other Mindstorms or other robotics bricks.
Make sure to check the rules for your sumo competition to see if any of these are excluded.

A second EV3 with a battery pack is one of the best things you can add to the existing design, provided your robot has space to conveniently house it (but sumo robots typically do). It is actually dual-use: not only does it give weight, but you can add even more motors or sensors to your robot design.
There's an added bonus if you use the EV3 with the battery pack (yeah, I know it's not exactly cheap) rather than ordinary batteries, though there's a small change in the space occupied by the brick.
Another thing in terms of weight is the motors: if you're only using, say, 2 EV3 regulated motors, consider adding another two right next to them via gears. This gives you the 2x weight you want + doubles the torque.
Yet another things I can advise - and you've got to check the rules of your particular competition - is to use axles made of metal. The reason I'd suggest this is that although "it's not LEGO" in the traditional sense, LEGO Technic axles are very weak and don't allow you to hang a wheel 'loosely' off a bar. With metal axles this problem is removed somewhat; plus, if you're in control of axle length, you can actually make very long axles that go through the entire robot, providing extra rigidity as they become 'load bearing' for wheels on both sides. And yes, this also gives you the extra weight.
Finally there's the extreme option of just having heavier parts, again if and only if this is permitted by the competition rules. The two things I can think of are:

Wheels made of medical silicon; these are stupidly heavy and also have a grip that is way better than ordinary Lego wheels.
Beams made of metal. Why beams? Because beams are easier to make than other parts: you just take a bar and drill some holes in it. Well, assuming you get the hole sizes just right.

Speaking from experience, you'll find that adding weight doesn't really help in Sumo competitions as much as you want. One reason is so many robots these days have front-facing scoops that try to lift you up, and I'm yet to see this approach fail when the robot is too heavy.

Another alternative could be the mindstorms EV3 steel ball, it's fairly small and heavy.
https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=99948#T=C
Possible downside is: it is almost impossible to mount so it will just have to be enclosed with bricks or beams and even then it may rattle.

You could add an EV3/NXT large motor. They're not the most compact things but if you have some spare size you could easily add one of these.

You can add sensors. They don't need to be plugged in. I use a lot of touch sensors and motors.

In my experience, none of the sensors are actually particularly heavy. I usually use motors and battery boxes.

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Is it possible to repair LEGO box creases?
Has anyone tried ironing or flattening a creased lego box to diminish the appearance of the damage?

Since creases in cardboard are not mere folds but instead constitute real damage to the box, I don't think you can undo a crease to make it look new again. Even "sort of" straightening it out will not do much good for a box - the damage (compacted internal structure) will remain visible and the area will remain a weak spot for further damage to develop. Finally, the printing is likely also damaged in the creased spot and this damage will show clearly if you manage to straighten out the crease.


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How could I provide power and/or data coupling between train cars?
I'm trying to find a way to create a power/data coupling between train cars that can be connected/disconnected like the car coupling magnets.  Has anyone done anything like this?
Background: This is so that I can supply power and control to LED lights (and maybe other devices) in the cars being pulled behind the engine, which will provide the power and control unit (Arduino based MCU)
I've tried using a micro USB magnetic connector, but they are too bulky and don't flex easily enough for this.
I'd love to find if anyone has engineered anything similar.

Power and Data
The classic solution to this for model trains is Digital Command Control (DCC). Basically, when you provide power over the rails, you also include a data signal riding on top of it. Each locomotive or car with a remote controlled function needs an electrical connection to the track and a modest microprocessor to decode DCC instructions. You can do something similar with LEGO trains, but it requires some customization.
For example, here's a modification that I made to one of my 9V motors to include a small microprocessor that controls the wheels instead of driving them directly:

This solution requires that you are using either 9V or 12V powered rails, and is also very expensive as it requires a number of motors that are no longer in production and are expensive on the secondary market.
Data Only
Assuming that you are just powering a few LED lights in your cars or perhaps a small unloading mechanism that is used infrequently, you can probably get away with using a small lipo or similar battery for your cars. In that case, you just need to figure out a way to get access to control data.
If you just need one way data, you could use a very basic RF receiver/transmitter pair (e.g. receiver, transmitter). This gets tricky to scale up, as you need a separate frequency and transmitter for each car, but could work with a small number of controlled cars.
The solution that I would probably use if I were trying to do this would be to put an ESP8266 in each car:

These parts are quite cheap ($2 - $5) USD, can consume very little power if programmed properly, and provide a ton of flexibility. They provide and 80 MHz CPU and connect to Wifi networks, so you can control everything from a computer if you'd like. They also provide plenty of I/O pins and are more than fast enough for PWM, so you can have fine-grained control of everything and integrate sensors into locomotives and cars if desired.


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How can I make a spiral staircase with basic blocks at right angles?
Quite simply, how do I make a spiral like a staircase, but with only these blocks?

There is also a 8x2 block, but my brother has it. Because it is quite an old set, I need a spiral staircase without 45 degree angles. The best I have made is this...

....made with these components:
What is a better alternative?
For Ambo100, it is not needed to support any weight, I  merely make these things for pleasure. Additionally, I require it to continue for infinite iterations of layers. And obviously, it need to be vertical. Finally, I would like it to be solid when "running" along it, just to be annoying. =)
Important: I forgot to note this, but my set is based around the 2 x 4 blocks.

How many bricks high do you need to go? Does it need to support any weight? I managed to build a helix limited to six blocks high,
but it uses 45 degree angles.

Related, but not a dupe due to your part limitations: https://bricks.stackexchange.com/questions/1896/what-is-the-best-practice-for-circular-lego-staircase-construction/1903

@jncraton , that is the post I referred to for this idea in the first place.

I updated my answer to only cover the bricks I think you're using - is that better?

@Zhaph-BenDuguid, yeah. (Neither did I say it was bad)

Based on the limited brick options, and the "it needs to be solid" constraint, I present my "Minecraft Spiral Stair" in LEGO form, and to provide "inifite height", I've gone for a "hung" support option:

Start with two 2x2, a 2x4 and a 2x6 in this configuration:

Add more steps as you need rotating around the lower 2x2 brick:

(Key: Yellow: 2x2, Blue: 2x4, White: 2x6)

Sorry, Only the pieces above

Depending upon the structural integrity required, you can connect the 4x2 bricks by one corner peg consistently (upper left most corner when viewed horizontally) stacked on top of each other, yet rotated such that the side of the brick is against the lower level peg (in upper one from the left on the lower brick). This will make a weak spiral yet with adjustable and relatively tight angles with one step per brick layer.

There are many things wrong with the answer,.but the main problems are that you have not provided images for clarity, neither have you answered my question. Not at all. , it is not needed to support any weight, I merely make these things for pleasure. Additionally, I require it to continue for infinite iterations of layers. And obviously, it need to be vertical. Finally, I would like it to be solid when "running" along it, just to be annoying. None of the criteria met.

@simplest_mathematics I agree that this answer could be improved with an image, but I think your comment is a little harsh. This answer sounds a lot like what Ambo proposed, and that seems reasonable to me. It's true that it doesn't use only 90 degree angles, but it does provide another option using only basic bricks. Honestly, I think this answer is pretty good, especially for a first post.

Fair enough, you should look at my first bad answers lol!  But I'm not saying that it is bad, I am saying a little more consideration of the specifications should be implemented in the answer @jncraton


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Is there an official list of Fabuland animal characters?
I found in an old box these animal characters.
They are all LEGO original (the logo is present on all their parts).
They are 25, maybe 30, years old. I think is the Fabuland series. I wonder if there is any way to discover how many they were and if there is any way to complete the collection.

Brickset has a list of 89 Fabuland figures.
Bricklink has a list of 93 Fabuland figures, these include
variations in accessories.
Fabuland.net states there are 142 characters in 80 variations and has
a full list of characters including which sets they were sold
with.

If you were to collect one of every animal type (excluding colour variations) you would at the very least need 20 Fabuland Figures:

Bear/Panda/Racoon
Bird
Bunny
Cat
Cow
Crocodile
Bulldog
Dog
Poodle
Elephant
Fox
Goat
Hippo
Horse
Lamb
Lion
Mouse
Monkey
Pig
Walrus

There are variations between figures in the copyright markings on the back of the legs, face printing between similar figures. In addition to the standard figures there are 72 variations of Fabuland Keychains.

Wow. That's great. I didn't know Fabuland.net existed.

Fabuland.net seems the most completed one. Your answer is the best one. Thank you!

bear, panda and racoon are really just color variations, whereas the dogs are actually different shapes. for the smallest complete set, i'd rather go with different shapes, and throw the bears into one category.

I'm not sure how official of a list you are looking for, but there are 93 Fabuland minifigs listed on Bricklink:

Here's the full list from there:
fab1a   Fabuland Figure Bear 1
fab1c   Fabuland Figure Bear 2
fab1b   Fabuland Figure Bear 3
Fab2k   Fabuland Figure Bulldog 1
fab2e (Inv)     Fabuland Figure Bulldog 1 with Fire Helmet
fab2a (Inv)     Fabuland Figure Bulldog 1 with Police Hat
fab2b   Fabuland Figure Bulldog 2 with Police Hat
fab2d   Fabuland Figure Bulldog 3
fab2c (Inv)     Fabuland Figure Bulldog 3 with Police Hat
fab2j   Fabuland Figure Bulldog 3 with Police Hat and Post Pattern
fab2l   Fabuland Figure Bulldog 6
fab2g (Inv)     Fabuland Figure Bulldog 6 with Fire Helmet
fab2f   Fabuland Figure Bulldog 7 with Fire Helmet
fab2h   Fabuland Figure Bulldog 8 with Fire Helmet
fab2i   Fabuland Figure Bulldog 9 with Fire Helmet
fab3a   Fabuland Figure Bunny 1
fab3b   Fabuland Figure Bunny 2
fab3c   Fabuland Figure Bunny 3
fab3d   Fabuland Figure Bunny 4 - Collar Pattern
Fab3e   Fabuland Figure Cat 1
fab3f   Fabuland Figure Cat 2
fab3g   Fabuland Figure Cat 3
fab3h   Fabuland Figure Cat 4
fab3i   Fabuland Figure Cat 5
fab4a   Fabuland Figure Cow
fab4b   Fabuland Figure Crocodile 1
fab4c   Fabuland Figure Crocodile 2
fab4d   Fabuland Figure Crow 1 with Aviator Helmet and Black Eyes
fab4h   Fabuland Figure Crow 1 with Aviator Helmet and White Eyes
fab4e   Fabuland Figure Crow 2
Fab4f   Fabuland Figure Crow 3 with Aviator Helmet
Fab4g   Fabuland Figure Dog
fab5a   Fabuland Figure Elephant 1
fab5b   Fabuland Figure Elephant 2
fab5c   Fabuland Figure Elephant 3
fab5d   Fabuland Figure Elephant 4 with Yellow Hat and Black Eyes
fab5i   Fabuland Figure Elephant 4 with Yellow Hat and White Eyes
fab5e   Fabuland Figure Fox 1
fab5f   Fabuland Figure Fox 2 with Yellow Hat
fab5g   Fabuland Figure Goat 1
fab5h   Fabuland Figure Goat 2
fab6e   Fabuland Figure Hippo 1
fab6f   Fabuland Figure Hippo 2 - Necklace Pattern
fab001BHP   Fabuland Figure Hippo 3 - LEGO Centre / Birkenhead Point Sydney Pattern
fab6a   Fabuland Figure Horse 1
fab6b   Fabuland Figure Horse 2
fab6c   Fabuland Figure Horse 3
fab6d   Fabuland Figure Horse 4
fab002BHP   Fabuland Figure Horse 5 - LEGO Centre / Birkenhead Point Sydney Pattern
fab7a   Fabuland Figure Lamb 1
 fab7b  Fabuland Figure Lamb 2
Fab7h   Fabuland Figure Lamb 3
fab7d   Fabuland Figure Lamb 4
fab7e   Fabuland Figure Lion 1
fab7f   Fabuland Figure Lion 2
fab7g   Fabuland Figure Lion 2 with White Hat
fab8a   Fabuland Figure Monkey 1 with Light Gray Hat
fab8b   Fabuland Figure Monkey 1 with Red Hat
fab8f   Fabuland Figure Monkey 2
fab8h   Fabuland Figure Monkey 3 with White Hat
fab8d   Fabuland Figure Monkey 4
fab8e   Fabuland Figure Monkey 5
fab8i   Fabuland Figure Monkey 6 with White Hat
fab8c   Fabuland Figure Monkey 7
fab8g   Fabuland Figure Monkey 8
fab9a   Fabuland Figure Mouse 1
fab9b   Fabuland Figure Mouse 2
fab9d   Fabuland Figure Mouse 3
fab9c   Fabuland Figure Mouse 4
fab9e   Fabuland Figure Mouse 4 with White Cap
fab9f   Fabuland Figure Mouse 6
fab9g   Fabuland Figure Mouse 7
fab10a  Fabuland Figure Panda 1
fab10b  Fabuland Figure Panda 2
fab10c  Fabuland Figure Parrot
fab11a  Fabuland Figure Pig 1
fab11b  Fabuland Figure Pig 2
fab11c  Fabuland Figure Pig 3
fab11d  Fabuland Figure Pig 4
fab11e  Fabuland Figure Pig 5
fab11f  Fabuland Figure Pig 6
fab11g  Fabuland Figure Pig 7
fab7c   Fabuland Figure Poodle
fab14a  Fabuland Figure Poodle with Black Eyes
fab14b  Fabuland Figure Poodle with White Eyes
fab12a  Fabuland Figure Raccoon 1
fab12b  Fabuland Figure Raccoon 2
fab12d  Fabuland Figure Raccoon 3
fab12h  Fabuland Figure Raccoon 4
fab12c  Fabuland Figure Raccoon 5
fab12f  Fabuland Figure Walrus 1
fab12e  Fabuland Figure Walrus 2
fab12g  Fabuland Figure Walrus 3 - Anchor Pattern

You can purchase these on Bricklink as well in order to complete your collection.

The Fabuland figures and sets were produced between 1979 and 1989. According to the BrickLink Catalog - which has the most comprehensive list of LEGO minifigures ever released - there are 93 Fabuland characters. Some of these however are slight variations (i.e. same animal, different color torso/legs/arms). You can find the full list here: List of LEGO Fabuland Figures
While some of the Fabuland characters can still be found fairly easily, others are very rare. Also, as the figures are so old, it can be difficult to find them in good condition. As demonstrated by the crow in the last row of your picture, the facial printing didn't stand up well to regular play. The hip and arm joints can also get very loose if the figures were played with regularly.


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Which of these parts are LEGO elements?
I have saved up quite a few pieces of "plastic" which I am unsure about - can you tell me which ones are LEGO - I've included plates and a figure for scale.

Just... keep 'em all?

Thank you for your help editing my post. I have kept them a long time but I now wonder if they are indeed Lego.

Several of the tools are from playmobil. The first two and the musket definitely are but its hard for me to tell with the rest.

The last item in the bottom image: could it be a Znap connector?

Almost always, you can find the word LEGO on true LEGO bricks and pieces. If you can't find it, chances are it ain't LEGO.

The penultimate one on the second picture is a k'nex (or something like that). you take 2 of these, and you can make a sphere. Not lego.

The tools obviously have different handle widths. If they do not properly fit into a minifigure’s hand, they are almost certainly not Lego. If they do, they are compatible for most practical purposes, even if they are clones.
The grey, star-like thing is a K’nex connector.
The white post looks like a Support 2×2×7 Lamp Post.
The left and right part in the bottom image are nothing I can identify. But they do not look like Lego as their elements do not match the standard Lego scales as seen by the base plate.

The part on the right in the bottom image is Lego, from the short-lived Znap theme. The part is Znap Connector 3 x 3 - 4 way.

The second gray piece in the bottom image (from left to right) is a TENTE piece.
Check this example set (look at the feet of the robot)

Only two LEGO tools are present in the upper image, the Fabuland shovel and the Fabuland pipe wrench - other five are Playmobil (1st, 2nd, 5th and 7th in upper row and the rifle in lower row) - the rest, I really don't know - I can't make out the white stick, if it's a LEGO hose
Bottom image seems to have been answered suffiently.


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Why are my Technic blue pins breaking?
These connectors are cracking very easily:

Actually I'd call that a Tehnic pin, as does BrickLink.  https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=32556#T=C

This happens if the parts are under a lot of strain, usually as a result of unevenly distributed weights or improper gear assemblies.
Also make sure that the parts are being handled gently and teeth aren't being used to remove them. Since these can sometimes be hard to remove, students (especially younger ones) often try to use their teeth to grip them while pulling them out. This will almost always lead to the pegs breaking down.

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


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What is the writing on this map tile, originally from Indiana Jones sets?
I have this LEGO piece that is a map. It appears to be a map of the Middle East, specifically Israel and Jordan. It also has some writing on it. Any idea what the writing is of? It is a 2x2 tile.

I have this piece, and I don't believe there is enough detail in the printing to see what this says. I'm also fairly certain this isn't intended to be actual text, but just to look like words. Here's a higher resolution image of that piece:

I believe there is too much bleed to make out words at this scale. Mine certainly isn't legible even under high magnification.
However, there is a clue as to what this piece was meant to say if there were proper text printed on it. This appears to be a page from the diary prop from Indiana Jones: The Last Crusade. I believe that TLG based the printing for this part off of the following map:

This map is seen in the DVD special features for The Last Crusade, and is known as the "Map with no names".
Again, I don't believe this is meant be the actual text, particularly because this piece appeared later in unlicensed sets, so it isn't just an Indiana Jones part.


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How do I center a 2x2 plate on a 3x3 plate?
I want to be able to center a 2x2 plate in the middle of a 3x3 plate - specifically to put minifig on. Another option would be to center a 2x1 plate on a 3x1 plate.

I saw this technique in LEGO's Disney Castle for offsetting parts of a column by half of a stud.  You can see the column on the left in this picture is shifting half a stud above a 3x3 plate:

Of course you can do it too!  Here is the process:

Take your 3x3 base plate and stick 1x1 "dots" between each of the studs.  The "dots" are LEGO part 4073 which BrickLink calls "Plate, Round 1 x 1 Straight Side".  So you end up with 4 dots on your 3x3 base.  I didn't have a 3x3 handy so I start with a 4x4 to demonstrate:

Those dots form a new layer that is half of a stud off from the base plate (3x3 for the OP, 4x4 in the pictures).  So you can just stick your next plate on it. (2x2 for the OP, 2x3 in the pictures)

Addendum
A friend wanted to verify this and so we get to see the parts originally requested:

For centring a minifigure on a 3×3 plate, I would do the following (though it’s not exactly what you asked for):

Arrange 2×1 plates with centre studs as follows:

Add 1×1 panels for optical harmony:

Put a 3×2 plate on top:

Place your minifigure in the middle:

If stability is not an issue, consider the following:

Put a 4×4 dish on your 3×3 plate (yes, this fits):

Put your 2×2 plate in the middle (in any orientation you like):

If you want to centre your minifigure, add a layer of 2×1 plates with centre studs:

… and place your minifigure on top:

(This also works with a 1×1 plate instead of the dish, but it looks rather puny.)

Another soloution if rotational stability is not too much of a concern and you don't like having studs on show.
Put a 1x1 plate in the middle of the 3x3 plate and surround it with 1x1 or 1x2 flat tiles so you have a 3x3 surface with a single stud popping up in the middle.
You can now stack a 2x2 plate on top held in place by the single stud.

In 2017, LEGO introduced a new 1x3 Jumper plate (34103).
The first sets to include this piece are:

NINJAGO City (70620)
Flying Fox: Batmobile Airlift Attack (76087)
The Joker Manor (70922)

As of 2019 the piece is available in 10 colours in over 100 sets.
Hopefully in the future we can expect to see it in more sets with varying colours.

Photo: New Elementary (70620 NINJAGO CITY)

Nice! I saw this on New Elementary this morning but didn't think to add it here. It looks like a great new part!

You would still need two layers of these to center a 2x2 on a 3x3 while other soloutions do it in a single layer.

@PeterGreen In the question it mentions "Another option would be to center a 2x1 plate on a 3x1 plate.". I believe this achieves that with only one piece. Although you're right, it wouldn't be as suitable for a 2x2 plate on a 3x3 plate.


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Are there any benefits to using PF motors instead of EV3 ones?
Can someone explain to me the key differences between PF motors and EV3 ones? I understand that EV3 motors are 'regulated', presumably meaning that you can control their rotational speed depending on the wheels attached and so on, but apart from that, is there any reason to use PF motors instead (e.g., XL ones)?
One reason why this question comes up is I saw lots of non-EV3 motors used with EV3s in a recent robotics competition I went to. Also, large wheels which you apparently cannot buy anymore (not from Lego, anyway).

The cost of a PF motor is about one third of an EV3 motor.
If there is no need to regulate the motor, using PF motors is a way to save costs. Also PF motors are more compact.
Its possible with lego converter cables to attach them to an EV3, however the NXT to 9V cable is hard to come by. Ofcourse there are DIY solutions (soldering) or third party components.


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NXT 1.0 software issue
I am an educator with 33 Mindstorm NXT 1.0 computers. We are a Mac school and are running El Capitan (OS 10.11). Two questions...

Is it possible to download the 1.0 software to our Macs? Has there been any update/upgrade to the 1.0 software?
I'm assuming I can't use 2.0 software with the 1.0 units correct?

Looks like http://www.onemindstorm.com/nxt-software-support/ has a solution for installing on a previous mac version of OS 10.  The instructions may work.  They also have links to download the software.  I don't own a mac to test that it does work.  I can't describe this as an answer without knowing it works.  If you get it to work, please add the steps you used.

I'm not sure about compatibility of different versions of NXT-G with different versions of macOS. However, regarding your second question:
The only difference between the 1.0, 2.0, and Education NXT kits is the parts and sensors that come in the kit. There is only one hardware revision of NXT brick, and any version of NXT-G will work with any NXT brick. Thus, if you found a version of NXT-G other than 1.0 that will run on El Capitan, you could use it program your NXT bricks.


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Is there a way to strengthen individual pieces?
Is there a way to strengthen fragile parts? Say for example the lime green socket joints from 2007? Or the 2008-2010 socket joints? I would like to know if there is a possible way to do so?
I am interested in preventing the breakage of a piece, while still keeping the ability to pose the figure

Are you interested in preventing the breakage of a part or creating a joint that can take more weight before bending?

I don't think this is possible, as once the socket balls are worn out, you can't exactly make it unworn.

Those joints are based solely on friction, which comes from:

the "bite" of the socket - how rigid the containing socket is
the rigidity = non-elasticity of the ball
the shape of the ball
the relative friction between the two surfaces

The old plastic gets weaker with time, which rules out fixing the first two causes.
The shape of the ball would be pretty hard to fix; also the shape is not likely to have changed much.
This leaves the friction itself. So what you could do:

spray an adhesive on the ball to make it tackier
glue the joint in place (KRAGLE!!)


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Does there exist software to test the strength of a designed LEGO model?
I would like to build furniture (chair, table,...) out of LEGO blocks.
For this purpose it would be good to be able to test the amount of force a certain LEGO design is able to withstand. I would like to actually use this furniture.

Does anybody know of models or software I could use?
Are there people who tried this before and could give me some pointers?

So far I found some articles about different LEGO bonds and a few on combining LEGO techniques to increase the strength of the structure.

First step, have you read my paper? This should give you a good guide on what is the maximum force needed to break Lego.
With these limits in mind, the next thing to note is that breaking doesn't equal bending. Lego will bend quite a lot before breaking so designing structures that a rigid will basically meet most requirements.
The best book to read is Sariel's Technic Builders Guide. This outlines a number of design patterns that maximize strength.
In general, you should think of Lego as weak steel. Triangles everywhere and vertical plates.

I was aware of both. The paper was very informative. To build the furniture I think some trial and error, combined with your resources, should suffice. But the main point to use software was that it would allow me to leverage generative algorithms to create many different design according to correct physical constraints.

Consider gluing. Large Lego structures such as a chair or desk are typically glued together. Lego bricks can withstand up to 950 pounds of force, so a glued model should be strong enough.

That would be an option. But part of the motivation to use LEGO is it's modularity. I would like to reuse my blocks to try out new furniture.


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Please identify these two kinds of Lego bricks (circa 1990's)
I recently bought a lot of Lego that was mostly 1990's bricks, and I had a few things I couldn't identify.  One I found on Bricklink, but the other two are baffling me. Here is the first one, a different sort of hinged plate that I hadn't seen before:

You would think these would be "modified plates," but I couldn't find them.
Even stranger are these pieces (two varieties):

These obviously allow for perpendicular placement of other pieces, and again I would think they were modified plates, but they aren't, at least in Bricklink.
I'm most curious to see how these pieces were used in sets.
Thank you!

The top one is https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=3640#T=C and corresponding male part. I remember having a dump truck which used one of these (in black) as the base, allowing it to bend in the middle.

The white stand was also used in a police set for like a flag pole. And the hinge was used as a truck and trailer set that I had. (Still have not pieces, but I don't think I have the instructions that go with. So I can't tell you set numbers... sorryz)

The first two are:
Hinge Plate 2 x 4 with Articulated Joint - Male

Hinge Plate 2 x 4 with Articulated Joint - Female

They are still used in modern sets sometimes.

The last two are called "bracket" pieces. They have not appeared in any recent sets.
Bracket 2 x 3 - 1 x 3 (Train Signal Stand)

Bracket 2 x 2 - 1 x 4

Wow, and the 1x3 "Train Signal Stand" was only in ONE set in White! (The 6828 Twin-Winged Spoiler).  Thanks to all for the help!

I found the left bracket on Swooshable, a website that collects SNOT building techniques (I filtered by degree of 90). As you can guess, it was used for attaching things sideways, and appeared in 13 sets from 1987 to 1999.
Swooshable doesn't list the other piece, but Bricklink categorized the first one as "Bracket", which led me to the second piece, a train signal stand. It appeared in sets from 1980 to 1988.


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NXT light sensor homework help

Read value from NXT kit using light sensor and show it in the middle of NXT screen.
If measured lightness value is less than or equal to 50, right motor will stop and left motor will move with the power of 35.
If measured lightness value is greater than 50, left motor will stop and right motor will move with the power of 35.

How can I do this?

Without solving your homework, you will need at least the following blocks:
for bullet 1

Light Sensor
Data to Text
LCD Panel Display

for bullets 2 and 3

Loop (forever)
Switch (based on light sensor readings)
Motor Block (4 of these, 2 for > 50% + 2 for <= 50%)

And it probably makes sense to put bullet 1 inside the loop of bullets 2 and 3.


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How big to make a perfect cube? And how to build it
I want to make a model, that involves many cubes. I want to make many individual cubes, then connect them together. I don't want my cubes to be that big. That leads to my first question: What is the smallest sized PERFECT cube I can make? My second question is: How do I make it?

A perfect Cube: In LEGO terms: A structure whose dimensions are n x n x n, excluding studs.

And I forgot to mention that I can only have basic bricks. No plates or tiles. Sorry!
P.S. I really am annoying aren't I?!
Also, I don't require it to connect, and even if I could, I couldn't anyway,because I am using Basic Blocks. For the people asking, I am making a pillar, balanced

Do you have any requirements on connectability and stability?

Can you show us what you are planning to do? How are you going to connect the cubes?

The smallest perfect cube you can make is a 2x2 brick with a 2x2 plate and a 2x2 tile on top.
And now I read that you're excluding studs, then you can use a plate instead of at tile, and obviously the order in which you stack the elements doesn't matter.

So your cube is 2x2x(1+2/3). This means that without plates you would need 6 x 6 x 5 (length x width x height) as the smallest possible cube (?)

The ratio between the height and width of one brick is 6:5, so yes, if you have to it out of only standard bricks, that will be the size.

LEGO's height to width ratio is 6:5. Since the smallest common multiple of these numbers is 30, the smallest perfect cube you can make (excluding studs) is one that is 5 bricks high and 6 bricks deep and wide.
EDIT: On how to build it: start with a layer of 3 2x6 bricks. Then place 2x 1x4 on two sides to join the 2x6 bricks, and complete a square by using 2x 1x6. Now make alternating layers of 1x6 and 1x4 bricks to make it strong, and top it off with another 3x 2x6 bricks as the fifth layer.


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LEGO bag with no instructions or box
It's bag #2 and the only # I can find is 135149 and a date of 2011.
There are 2 mini bags inside the large bag.
It has some very long grey pieces and 2 blue wall looking pieces.
Thank you for your help

I don't think there is enough information here to identify the set. Can you add a picture?

Number and date identify the plastic bag design, but not the set nor the pieces in the bag, so that info doesn't help us (apart from eliminating sets that were no longer produced in 2011). We'd need a picture as per Alex' comment.

It is from '4645 Harbour' which was produced in 2011 and bag 2 contains blue wall panels and stone grey 1x10s.

Instructions can be found here.

I'm hoping Kevin can confirm your findings, but that's a pretty awesome find based on the meagre description provided.


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How to open Duplo train base 2961b?
How can I open a Duplo train base 2961b without destroying it? It is not working despite fresh batteries. There are no screws.

This part wasn't meant to be taken apart,
but it is possible.

Source with more text and images
also this (very dark) video tutorial
and another video tutorial

Thank you for your answer! I managed to open the train base using the poorly illuminated video tutorial and three kitchen knives. It is surely the easiest, but also most dangerous way to do so. The train did not work because of a loose contact to the motor.


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Programmable sound bricks
Regarding this component
It comes in several versions, each producing a different sound when pushing the button, e.g. a barking dog or doorbell. However, the sound is "fixed", is there any way to replace the sound with one of your own choosing?

It can be programmed, but it requires specialized equipment
Here is one connected to a circuitboard

The external board is wired straight to the internal board. It plays the "doorbell then dog bark" sound from the brick in set 5771 - Hillside House.
Searching the number on the chip (39VF020) reveals it's a simple flash memory chip.
The board (AMA9AA) brings up pages from a Chinese company, Alpha Microelectronics, thatseems to specialize in voice/sound synthesizing hardware. There are references to software called EZSpeech and FlashWriter. There are download links for the software on their website, but they are password protected.
(by mpfirnhaber on Eurobricks)
This not LEGO related hobby store can make them with custom sounds
TopdragonHK


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Can you ID these storage bins?
I've seen snapshots of official LEGO Group design studios in books published by DK and the like. They use neat, removable drawer inserts for sorting elements, but I haven't found them available anywhere online.
Does anyone know if these specific bins/drawer units can be purchased anywhere? Are they unique to the LEGO Group, or perhaps produced internally for internal use only?

Source of images: LEGO DC Universe Super Heroes Visual Dictionary, 2012, DK Publishing (New York)

No answer after a few days. Hmm. Perhaps that's not unusual, but I wonder if it will take some more research. if someone thinks it worthwhile to share my question outside this Bricks site, please comment. Do you think I could ask the LEGO Group directly? If so, where do you think I could begin? Perhaps the customer service department?

According to Liam Nilsen from The LEGO Idea Studio, he believes the storage bins may have been produced in-house by LEGO and are not commercially available.

The online portfolio for GXN (the designers of the studio) mentions:

Bespoke elements are accompanied by Open Desk furniture pieces, all
  fabricated by local makers and assembled on site.

I couldn't find the drawers on the Open Desk furniture site but it seems the parts containers are designed to fit snugly into the drawers.

Very interesting info. Another option for the little plastic trays could be Room Copenhagen, which makes all the official LEGO storage trays and bins. They are also located in Denmark. But if Liam said they are made by LEGO directly that makes sense too.


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Can't find the LEGO set number for this item, black car with clear light blue canopy and front wheels?

What LEGO set number is this item?
I just want to rebuild it after buy buying many boxes LEGO.

This vehicle is missing some pieces, but comes from set 70162 Infearno Interception from the Ultra Agents series. It came out in 2014.

That's from set 70162 Inferno Interception.

Here are the instructions that you're looking for:
http://cache.lego.com/bigdownloads/buildinginstructions/6093658.pdf


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How can I build a compact EV3 gearbox?
I'm building a sumo bot in EV3 and would like to have both 1:1 and 1:3 gear ratios, with the first being useful for general driving and the second more for pushing other robots.
My problem is, I cannot seem to figure out how to get the actual gear switching (moving a + shaped pin left and right on both motors) working. I have only the EV3 parts. Advice greatly appreciated.

I think it's quite limiting to only consider parts in the standard EV3 sets. Many technic sets have gear switches. I believe the cheapest set currently available that has it is the Race cart (42048), the switch can be motorized as was done for example in the motorized excavator (8043). Also the pieces are readily available on bricklink quite cheap.
I think it is a great idea to have a gear switch in a sumo bot, but the only reliable way to do it is use pieces designed for that.


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Identify set for Star Wars parts, dark grey base with 4 studs and embossed Star Wars logo
Would greatly appreciate help in matching this to a Star Wars set.  Front and back 2"x 2"plate with top back ridge.  Dark gray color.  I have nine pieces.

This is Tile, Modified 6 x 6 x 2/3 with 4 Studs and Embossed 'STAR WARS' (30566):

It appeared in 4 sets back in 2000, always in dark gray. The sets are:

3340-1 Star Wars #1 - Sith Minifig Pack
3341-1 Star Wars #2 - Luke/Han/Boba Minifig Pack
3342-1 Star Wars #3 - Troopers/Chewie Minifig Pack
3343-1 Star Wars #4 - Battle Droid Minifig Pack

Thank you!  I'm a bit disappointed that this isn't part of a large set.

They're easier to buy in smaller sets and you can add it to anything as large as you like.


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Please help identify set with 2x3 and 3x4 red slopes with blue and yellow triangle printing?

Any help identifying the set these bricks come from would be appreciated.  They possibly look like awnings maybe to a town storefront.

Part 3297px18 - Slope 33 3 x 4 with Blue Triangles with Yellow Borders Pattern appears in 5 sets.
Assuming for a moment that all 4 of these bricks come from the same set, there are two possible sets that you could have (there is one more set that has 1 of the 3x4 and two of the 3x2 slopes).

4226 Building Monsters - contains 4 of each.

9287 Bonus Lego Basic Town - contains 12 of each.


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Boosters from set 71214 Benny don't fit
The booster pieces don't fit into their place on Benny's Dimensions set (71214). I'm talking about the bigger booster in the middle.

This seems to be a really common problem, but is there a fix?

Which of the booster pieces are you asking about? The larger ones with the translucent red cones, or the smaller ones that look like binoculars? And which connection is causing you trouble? I don't see anything wrong with the set.

From owning this, the element connecting the transred cones (a tap, https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=4599#T=C) to the main body does not form a tight join (or any join, in some cases) with the positioning rocket element (https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=3963#T=C). It either doesn't seat, so they fall out, or seats so tightly that it can't be removed. Seems to be a bit of variance in individual pieces though, as some work as intended.

That may be some manufacturing fault. I also have this set and inspected the pieces carefully. The rocket element has a standard Technic axle hole inside (looks like an X), and the tap piece fits in nice and snug, as it should. I also have extras of both elements, and never had a problem with them. I would call LEGO's customer service and ask for a replacement if either the rocket or the tap are faulty.

Yes it is the bigger booster. Sorry for being unclear.

I'm not the only one with an issue with that set, the right tap doesn't stay put, almost goes by itself...

I experimented with several different "rocket" pieces (3963) and both variations of the "tap" piece (4599a & 4599b) despite the set listing only the "b" variant, and could not replicate the issue. There obviously had to have been a "bad" batch (or "fault" as mentioned by TheBrickBlogger) of one of the two pieces that unfortunately made it to some customers.  The simplest solution, if you don't have any extra parts of this type, would be to put a tiny piece of paper or tape on the tip of the nozzle before inserting it into the rocket piece.  Another suggestion, if you have a couple of 1x1 round plates with open studs (part #85861), is to insert these into the rocket holes to hold the nozzles in place.  There is just enough room for them:

Also, as mentioned above by TheBrickBlogger, Lego would probably be more than happy to replace any defective parts you were to encounter. Even though this is an old question I hoped maybe an answer could still be useful for someone with a similar piece problem. (In case anyone noticed, I didn't have any of that piece in blue for the nose piece)


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How to get double the speed from 2 regulated EV3 motors?
So I've noticed that if I connect two EV3 motors to one another (with gears), I still get exactly the same maximum speed as if I had a single motor.
So, my question: how can I get twice the power/speed out of two motors?
Update: here's an interesting observation: if I get both motors to spin as unregulated, I get a much higher speed than if I get them to spin in a pair (e.g., B+C move tank).
Update 2: ended up building a differential as per accepted answer:

By adding two motors together with gears, you have doubled the torque the motors provide. Power = torque x speed, so if you don't want the doubled power from the motors to go to the torque component but to the speed component instead, I think you should use a differential and put the motors on both outputs of the differential, and use the input to feed your construction. I haven't tested this out though.
EDIT: Here is a picture I found that shows how 4 motors can be joined into a single output with 5 different motor combinations (and many more different speed combinations):

Technically, what you did is just another way of gearing your motors - you increased the speed by adding a gearing reduction. To make my solution you would need to do something like this: http://tinyurl.com/mv2odap . The differentials make sure that any speed difference between the motors does not cause friction, which in your example could happen. Friction would cause the vehicle to stall, or in worst case, cause gears/axles to break due to the enormous torque difference that comes with it. For your purpose you only need 1 differential per wheel, no need to join the 2 wheels with another 1.


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Instructions for building this bird? Parrot from session at Legoland Windsor in 2013

I built this bird at Legoland Windsor in 2013. It was in an instructor-led session where a Lego expert showed us some SNOT techniques and we all made the same model.
I've had the model on my shelf at home and although it's nothing too special my kids have expressed an interest in making their own.
Does anyone recognise it (ignore the colours as we had a free choice) and know of any instructions? I'd rather not dismantle and reverse engineer it!
From memory, the instructions were shown using a projector and were slightly pixelated, like from a computer design app rather than the slick instructions in normal Lego sets. So this may be a MOC by the instructor rather than something published, but you never know.

I don't have a copy of the instructions, but I've recreated the model making some educated guesses:

Here are two highlights of the internal construction:
The first shows how the feet tie into the body.

The second shows the basic SNOT work to attach the sides to the model.

The full instructions are available here.


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A 90 degree turn with Wheel part number 56145
I'm making a program for my ev3rstorm and I want it to have a 90-degree spin turn. I use the standard part ev3rstorm wheelbase or rather, treadbase. Using the move tank block (I use that block all the time) how long should I move back/forward at 75/-75 power?
Wheel picture:

Use your gyroscope sensor, set your program to have the Move Tank block turn very slowly in the "On" mode, and then use a Wait block checking the Gyro sensor until it sees an absolute change of 90 degrees. Then add a Move Tank "Off" block. That's the closest you will come to 90 degrees.


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Please help identifying these parts, brown and dark grey base with light brown feet

I recently got hold of a huge box of mixed LEGO Star Wars.
Any idea which set this piece is from?

These parts are from:

9491-1 : Geonosian Cannon


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Which sets are these parts from? White and brown cycles with no wheel?
Any ideas about these half assembled pieces that were given to me in a big star wars LEGO box?
Thank you!

These are from a number of different Star Wars Battle Packs:
Clone Troop Battle Pack (7913):

Endor Rebel Trooper and Imperial Trooper Battle Pack (9489):

Snow Trooper Battle Pack (8084):


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Need help identifying the set for these parts green pieces
Probably LEGO Star Wars, but no idea which set.

The wedge piece is 43712pb023 Wedge 6 x 4 Triple Curved with Air Vent and Hatch Pattern (Sticker) - Set 7734 and comes from set 7734-1 Cargo Plane.

The tubular brick is 6042 Brick, Modified Octagonal 2 x 2 x 3 1/3 with Side Studs. It came in only three sets in Green, all from 1997, all from the AquaZone theme. These sets are 2160, 2161 and 2162.
The other two pieces are too generic to be attributed to a specific set.


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EV3 connection problem via USB on Windows 8.1
I am using LEGO EV3 on windows 8.1 eclipse Neon. When I try to launch the class as a LeJos application I get this error.
IP address is /10.0.1.1
Creating the jar file or uploading the program failed
java.rmi.ConnectException: Connection refused to host: 10.0.1.1; nested exception is:
    java.net.ConnectException: Connection timed out: connect
Caused by java.net.ConnectException: Connection timed out: connect
See Eclipse error log for detailed stack trace.
Creating the jar file or uploading the program failed
java.rmi.ConnectException: Connection refused to host: 10.0.1.1; nested exception is:
    java.net.ConnectException: Connection timed out: connect
Caused by java.net.ConnectException: Connection timed out: connect
See Eclipse error log for detailed stack trace.

I would suggest asking on the LeJOS forum: https://lejos.sourceforge.io/forum/viewforum.php?f=18

I suspect that you can't use it with this version of Windows. It's not compatible. Try using another version of Windows.

I’m voting to close this question because we can't help with general support for this kind of thing.


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Set Identification from Garage Sale Score
Sorry for the immediate request upon joining, but you guys all seem so knowledgeable that it might save me a bunch of searching!
We picked up some used and (mostly) built LEGO, and I'd like to try and find all the instructions that might be available before I tear them apart into pieces. My son is still pretty new to the LEGO world, so he likes to have the specific instructions and hasn't quite hit the "use your imagination and build whatever you want" phase.
If you have a few moments to delve into set identification, I'd really appreciate the help! I have about 15 things!, but I recognise that this is a ton to ask for! But, if you know what this F1-type car is, my son wants to try building it first!

Howdy. Welcome to Bricks.  It would probably be better to split this up into a few posts.  Asking for a 2-3 identifications in a post is totally acceptable, but asking for 15 at once is probably too many at once.  It would also be great if you could inline a couple of images per post rather than linking to a gallery.

Totally understandable! I was thinking that seeing a bunch might allow someone to recognize something quickly, but now that you mention it - it does seem a bit unreasonable! I'll reformat things. Thanks.

Responding to the gallery from the original question:
Photo #1
7124-1: Flash Speeder
Photo #2
7316-1: Excavation Searcher
Photo # 3
8644-1 Street Maniac
Photo #4
4743-1: Ice Blade
Photo #5
8650-1 : Furious Slammer Racer
Photo #6
8356-1 # Jungle Monster
Photo #7
4743-1: Ice Blade
Photo #8
7315-1: Solar Explorer
Photo #9
4098-1: High Flyers
Photo #10
don't know
Photo #9
8643-1: Power Cruiser
Photo #11
7314: Recon Mech RP
Photo #12
7315-1: Solar Explorer
Photo #13
7141-1:    Naboo Fighter
Photo #14
6616-1: Rocket-Dragster
Photo #15
4587-1: Duel-Racers
Photo #16
7313: Red Planet Protector
Photo #17
7316-1: Excavation Searcher
Photo #18
7312-1: T-3 Trike
Photo #19
8650-1 : Furious Slammer Racer
Photo #20
don't know

Thank you so much! This is a wonderful start and I really appreciate the time.

That's a great answer.  Sorry for messing up the question so it doesn't fit any longer.  Hopefully I fixed the answer to your liking.

It really is a great answer!  I have a very excited kiddo, so thank you again Syberion. We've already put the little Racer Power Cruisers together thanks to your help.

It appears that 10 and 20 are not from a set, but rather self-built. It might help to provide multiple views for those.

20 appears to be an assortment of parts from this power racers collection, with several additions that are not part of the set.
https://www.bricklink.com/catalogItemIn.asp?S=8383-1&in=S


text:
How to connect two LEGO Bricks EV3 by USB using python
For some project, I have to use 7 motors with ev3 bricks.
So I would like to connect 2 bricks using USB-USB link, and make them communicate, in python.
But I don't know how to do that, I've tried some stuff using serial module, but without any result.

You can create a network connection between two EV3s using USB + ev3dev. Just enable tethering (the "Gadget" checkbox) on one of the EV3s. Connect the USB cable to the USB peripheral port on that brick (the small port next to the output ports) and the host port on the other EV3 (the USB port on the side of the brick).
Then, you could use something like RPyC to remotely control one of the EV3s. Here is an example that explains how to do this from a computer: https://sites.google.com/site/ev3python/learn_ev3_python/rpyc. So just substitute one of the EV3 bricks for the computer.

I have not tried this for myself. But as far as I know ev3dev does not support EV3 USB daisy chaining.
EV3 serial to EV3 serial over sensor ports should work. e.g. as an example https://github.com/ev3dev/ev3dev/issues/346 and https://github.com/ev3dev/ev3dev/issues/695
Make your own cable with a wire for ground, and cross-over wires for TX and RX.


text:
Identifying this turbine piece with a stud and a Technic axel
I promise that I don't simply dump photos on here without researching them.  I've been using Bricklink's system for 15 years, and it still perplexes me occasionally...such as this bizarro part.
I swear I went though nearly every possible category this weekend (and all of the Technic groups), and I can't find it.
Can anyone please help?

It's part 4869 - Engine, Smooth Large, Center.

Thank you very much! I'd have never guessed it was the center to a jet engine, to represent the turbines...!


text:
Can you identify these curved grey parts?
Any ideas which set they belong to?

The bigger part looks like 47846 - Cockpit 10 x 4 x 2 Curved, which has been in 7 sets, but only in one in light bluish gray, that set (8096) only contains the two wedges that are quite common, they have part number 41749 and 41750.

Cool, i now figured i have LEGO set 8096 in my mixed box


text:
Are there factories in China that produce raw LEGO-compatible blocks?
Nowadays Chinese are getting really good at making LEGO-compatible blocks. Some sets are really unique and of very good quality. But still - we got our own ideas. I wonder does anyone here know any source in China, that produces blocks (not sets)? So blocks of requested shape and color. I would like to contact them somehow. They should exist, since set producing companies do not seem to produce blocks themselves, but rather taking them from somewhere else.

Welcome to Brick.SE! That's a nice question. As a reminder to answerers: clone blocks are fine, but anything that infringes on LEGO copyright is not (e.g. clone sets, minifigs, etc).

There are vendors that sell LEGO compatible blocks. One place to look for these is on AliExpress, which is an online marketplace affiliated with Alibaba, the world's largest retailer (wikipedia).

You can search around for what you want, but here are two sellers that I found as an example (1, 2).
Note that these don't appear to be significantly better prices than what you might find on a secondary LEGO market such as Bricklink, and quality varies a lot between brands, so I'd recommend sticking with Bricklink unless you are looking for massive quantities and quality isn't as important to you.
High quality LEGO compatible brick manufacturing requires very high mold tolerance and tight tolerances on the entire injection molding process. It isn't easy to do cheaply, and LEGO's scale allows them to be fairly price competitive on bulk parts among manufactures with similar quality.

+1 for Bricklink. However what I'm looking for is to give a printout of parts constituting my custom designed set to manufacturer, who could then mass produce it for me.

Note that shipping from China is ridiculously cheap and typically included in the prices found on AliExpress. So if you need just a handful of parts, it's actually a lot cheaper to buy from AliExpress than buying from LEGO or on Bricklink, beause of the high shipping cost when buying in Europe or the US. Also, the quality of Chinese bricks has improved so much they're barely distinguishable from LEGO.

@JohnSlegers that is about to change, at least for Europe, where the EU has abolished the VAT except for imports below 22 €. Now every package will have to pay customs, no matter the cost.

If you are looking for a product in China, but do not know where to find a manufacturer, I suggest you consider using a sourcing agent. These companies can help people in European and American countries find suitable factories. They are locals and have more experience in doing such things.

Hi Cynthia, and welcome to Bricks :) When posting recommendations for companies, we ask that you declare any affiliation (or lack of) with the post so that it's not considered spam. Having seen a number of other projects use Chinese manufacturers, I can agree that having a local sourcing agent seemed to help them.


text:
How to get leJOS to run on macOS Sierra
I am working with an eclipse plugin that requires it to run 32bit Java 6 on it and I do have Java 6 on my computer but when I run the program I get this error.
Error: This Java instance does not support a 32-bit JVM.
Please install the desired version.
Linking the file failed with exit status 1

The Java 6 I installed was from Apple's legacy Java 2015.
In the installation tutorial of leJOS it said that

Note that even if you have a 64-bit system, leJOS will always chose to run java in 32 Bit mode by automatically passing the -d32 parameter to the java command whenever necessary.

If that is the case why doesn't my program run if I have Legacy Java 6 installed on my Mac? Can anyone get it to work on their mac on this version macOS?

I've gotten it to work on Sierra, minus Bluetooth support. There are a couple of hoops to jump through, that aren't made clear. I'll write up an answer later when I have time.

I've managed to get leJOS working on macOS Sierra, minus Bluetooth support. Bluetooth support is officially broken and has been for a while. There also hasn't been a new release in years, so a fix likely won't come. Otherwise it still works, if you jump through some hoops.
Guide:
1. Fantom Driver:
First, you need to install the "Fantom driver". You can find on the Mindstorms download page.
Extract that ZIP, and you should have a installer package named MAC legodriver.pkg. Unfortunately, it may or may not install. Some people say it installs for them, but it doesn't install for me.
If it doesn't install, someone has created a script that can unpack the installer and get around the compatibility issues.
2. Legacy Java 6 with 32-bit support:
You need to install Apple's legacy Java 6 package with 32-bit support. Sierra isn't listed as supported, but it still works.
This legacy version of Java probably won't become the default if you have a new version installed, but that's fine, we will configure leJOS to use this version later.
(Incidentally, there were some plans to make it support 64-bit Java, but I wouldn't hold my breath.)
3. Download leJOS:
Download and extract leJOS for Mac as instructed here.
4. Setup environment:
You need to setup some environment variables as vaguely specified here. You will want to add something like the following to your .bash_profile, .profile, or other shell startup script, adjusting the NXJ_HOME to where you extracted leJOS.
# leJOS
export LEJOS_NXT_JAVA_HOME="/System/Library/Frameworks/JavaVM.framework/Versions/1.6.0/Home"
export NXJ_HOME="/Users/<USER>/<PATH_TO>/LeJOS/leJOS_NXJ_0.9.1beta-3"
export PATH="$PATH:$NXJ_HOME/bin"

(The LEJOS_NXT_JAVA_HOME variable is how you tell leJOS to use the legacy Java version.)
5. Profit:
Now when you open a new shell, the leJOS commands should work.

are you running eclipse Neon or an older version of Eclipse?

@ProgrammingCuber I've never used the Eclipse plugin. I'm afraid I don't know anything about it.

well if you could try it out and see if it works I would be interested :) just search the marketPlace and install it from there. Since you have the other things working it should be fine. Just upload the NXT firmware and then try to run a simple program and see what it outputs.

I did do everything  in your tutorial but I still have problems running it I still get the same error, I can't run it in eclipse.

@ProgrammingCuber If it's the 32-bit error, you might need to configure Eclipse to use a specific Java runtime or something. Not sure, I haven't used Eclipse in years.

It turns out that it need a lower version of eclipse :( I would have to downgrade from eclipse Oxygen down to eclipse luna from years ago .

The one thing I needed to change to make the above solution work was this:
LEJOS_NXT_JAVA_HOME="/Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/1.6.0.jdk/Contents/Home"

I hope this can be of help to someone.
Wim


text:
EV3 T-Rex we build keeps toppling over on step
I'm building the standard T-Rex project from Benedettelli's book.
We double checked construction and also step my block - all looks correct.

Any pointers appreciated.

I built a walking machine when I was a kid several (cough) decades ago, and it had a similar problem. We finally figured out that what I had built was very front-heavy. Weight has to be balanced equally, forward and backward, over the "hips" of the creation. Pick up the creature by the top of the hips and see which way it swings. I solved the problem by adding a longer tail. You might also try putting the head up in a higher position or moving a battery case rearward.


text:
Existence of a Technic 1M Half Beam
I am building a fidget spinner out of LEGO and need two parts to help it spin better while not being extremely loose. The only part I can think of that would work would be a Technic 1M Half Beam, but I don't know if it exists. Does that piece exist? If so, where can I buy it from? If not, do you know of any piece that would work just as well?
Here is a picture of my WIP:

You can see in the middle where there are two spaces that I would like to be filled. Something the height of a tile would fit.

If I understand your question, you are seeking a spacer that can spin freely on a Technic axle. Essentially, you want a 1/2 bush that has a round hole rather than an axle hole. I don't believe that this piece exists in Technic.
The old Technic Hub/Handle (424) may do what you want, but it is thicker than a 1/2 bush:

Failing that, a minifig ring may work for what you need if you have one handy:

Feel free to post pictures of your WIP and we may be able to provide better suggestions if those don't work.
Edit:
Now that you've posted a photo, I wonder if a 1/2 Bush might just work:

Edit2:
I've now had a chance to play around with some alternate designs, and the one that I like best simply replaces the 2x2 plate and 2x2 tile with this wheel hub (3482):

This is solid and has a nice feel in the hand. It gives you the flexibility to have this rotate as tightly or loosely as you'd like.
Some others like to just use an additional 2x2 round plate:

I added a picture

That hub would be way too large

How many tiles thick are those rings?

The ring is 1 tile thick. I wonder if a half bush would do what you need seeing your photo.

I have tried using the half bush, but that causes too much friction. I don't know if the ring would be any better

I don't think the ring is any better. I've updated my answer. I like just using a wheel hub instead of the plates, but I'm not sure how attached you were to that look.

To keep my design, I may need to use a longer axle and use my 1M (full) Beam.

A little late, but a round tile with hole exists now.
https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=15535#T=C


text:
Lego® Train 60051 alternate IR remote
I live in Uganda and purchased the LEGO High-Speed Passenger Train (60051) for my two sons. I am wanting to know if anyone knows of a different remote control that I can use besides the brick remote that comes with the set.
Reason being my youngest son was in a house fire before being adopted and doesn't have fingers making the standard remote impossible for him to use. Any options that I can order from abroad and get shipped over would be so much appreciated.

Hi Joshua Q, this is a really interesting question. I haven't personally used the remote provided with the set but it seems to have quite a few points where bricks can be connected to possibly create modifications to make it easier to use. I understand this doesn't directly answer but I will try looking into it.

There are some limited options for third-party remote control add-ons but Lego doesn't license or endorse them and they're not (as far as I know) made with improved accessibility in mind. However, it may be possible to modify the standard remote using pieces you have or can get.
For example, the train remote has an axle hole in the round speed controllers. If you put in a technic axle, you can attach certain technic beams to it, which would act as a handle for turning the control. You need a beam with an axle hole, such as this one

The holes in the side of the remote will accept technic pins and there are studs on the top, which would allow you to build a frame on the remote if you needed a more robust build or if you wanted to build a larger button that could activate the red stop button.
Moving the tiny directional control arrows is probably beyond what you could achieve with any Lego add-ons.
Adding structure around the remote to make it easier to manipulate will be much sturdier if you stick to using technic parts.
I threw this together:

which has a red liftarm beam for controlling the speed and a dark grey liftarm beam for the stop button. It's not perfect: the stop lever can be over-extended and flipped upwards so that it no longer engages, but it can be easily reset. The construction is pretty strong and not likely to fall apart.
If this sort of fix helps with your son's issues and you need more information about how I did it, what parts I used, etc, please don't hesitate to comment on this answer.
Some technical details:
The axle holes on the buttons line up directly with the holes in a technic beam but the built-in technic holes on the side of the remote are half a beam in from where the resulting platform lines up, hence, I had to first attach a half-beam to the remote on the side, then attach the 90-degree beams to that. I'm not much of a technic builder so there may be more elegant solutions.

The extra effort that goes into some of the answers on this site is awe-inspiring.  Bravo!


text:
How to inventory a large collection of LEGO sets
I have a fairly large collection of LEGO sets, most of them still as completed models. I also have all of the instruction books organised into plastic wallets which are stored in two A4 folders.
I'm looking at creating some kind of inventory of my LEGO sets. I'm thinking an Excel spreadsheet is the way to go. I would like to include information such as original price, current value, number of pieces, e.t.c.
I'm looking to see if anyone has some kind of template I could use or a quick way to automatically pull information from a site like Brick Picker or BrickLink. And also have information like current value be automatically updated.

I would recommend taking a look at BrickPicker's BrickFolio feature. It allows you to maintain a list of sets you own, including place of purchase, purchase cost and seal code, and keeps track of the current EBay value on a month-by-month basis. It also tracks CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) - a measure of how well the set's value is performing over time.

Clicking on the set name gives you an overview screen with key set details such as piece count etc.

Having played around with some of the tools it does show promise. Still think I might put some time into making a custom spreadsheet later this summer.

A custom spreadsheet solution gives you great flexibility and leaves you in control of your own data. Be sure to use a spreadsheet tool that supports the use of web images in cells (Google Spreadsheets, for instance); then you can easily use online resources to automatically show thumbnail pictures of your sets on each row (given the set number). This makes it so much easier to navigate your sheet.
In addition, you can harness the power of websites such as Brickset, Rebrickable and Brickpicker to get current valuations of your "brickfolio", or enable powerful database features that let you make queries on your collection. Note that some of these support the exchange of collection data as well as batch-style import, so that you don't have to tediously enter your collection set by set.

+1 for Rebrickable and Brickset. Those sites can share data with each other, have good coverage of the existing sets, and are flexible in how you can organize your data. I use Rebrickable, it's nearly perfect for my needs.


text:
Can you find the set for these Star Wars space ship parts? Dark grey with some dark grey detailing?
Just wondering if someone can identify these parts so I can locate the correct instructions.

The set is 7673, The MagnaGuard Starfighter.

Instructions are here.
I was able to verify the dimensions of the cockpit piece using Lego Digital Designer.  Once I knew it was 4x8x3, I was able to use brickset.com to identify the set as this piece only appeared in one set.

These are part of 7673-1: MagnaGuard Starfighter.


text:
Lego Star Wars ship identification, white and grey body, grey wings, dark red and yellow trim?
I really appreciate the help from you all earlier but I have one more LEGO set I need identified. I tried looking up by parts but couldn't find what I was looking for any suggestions from you all? I am even wondering if they are all from the same set.

This is 8019-1: Republic Attack Shuttle


text:
Is it possible to fix a broken EV3 Port?
I have an EV3 running RobotC version 4.55.
The medium motor connected to Port A does not run, but if I connect it to another port (B,C,or D) it works. I tested it manually through the EV3 motor tab and with a program. I also tried connecting other motors to port A and they do not work there.
Is there something I can do to "revive" port A?

When you say "does not work", do you mean that it does not run at all?

Correct, any motor connected to that port will not run

It sounds like the polyfuse (the fuse that protects the motor circuit) or the motor driver (the chip that switches power on and off to the motors) has failed.
You can contact LEGO customer support and let them know about it. They will probably replace the EV3 if it is determined to be defective.
Or, if you are the do-it-yourself kind of person with surface mount device soldering skills, you could attempt to replace the components yourself.

A and B share the same driver chip on EV3. So it can't be the polyfuse. Probably the driver indeed, Could also be the RJ connector...


text:
Why the use of different colors for the inner bricks?
I'm currently building the set 10221 and it's not the first time I notice that the colour of bricks used for the inner parts (parts that aren't visible) of the set are different from the main colour of the set. For example: the main colour of this set is light grey/light bluish grey but bricks for the inner parts are in blue, red, tan, etc.
Is there any reason for LEGO to use different colours (some are difficult to find if bricks are bought separately) for those sections of the set?

LEGO uses different colors on interior (non-visible) parts of a build to make the building process easier. Different colors (especially contrasting colors) are easier to recognize in printed instructions. There might also be a cost-saving factor involved, as those colored bricks might be in larger supply at the factory and hence easier to source for a given set.

This is particularly helpful where there are very similar sections at rotated positions, such as with the Saturn V - there are a few places where the positions of blue blocks is the best hint to the correct position for the next parts.


text:
Set identification - 4 bags of mostly yellow grey and black, some Technic bricks?
Any ideas which set(s) these 4 bags belong to?

Based on the yellow windscreen and the red tiles 1 x 4, these bags belong to:
6753-1 - Highway Transport


text:
What set do these large grey circular pieces belong to? (possibly a Star Wars set)
I got these pieces in a bag full of random pieces.

The decorated 10x10 dish is easy, it has only been in 7748
Those round corners aren't in that set. In light bluish gray (that you have one of in the picture), it has been 5 sets, in dark bluish gray (that you have three of in the picture) it has been in 4 sets, there are no sets that have contained that piece in both colors. You can find the list of those sets on bricklink by following a few links from the linked page about the part.
The conclusion is that there are parts from at least 3 different sets in that picture.


text:
Optimal way to remove door from frame
What is the best way to remove the transparent door from the white frame?

I am asking this since I want the door to last as long as possible without damaging the slot or bump.  Any method will do, but the less vigorous, the better. Also, the method is to be without tools apart from a brick separator:

This is probably useless, but just in case...

I usually remove the door by folding it outwards until both points snap. I do it this way mainly because it's the quickest and easiest way. I've never had a door or frame break after doing this.

If you really want the door/frame to last as long as possible, my first obvious suggestion would be to never disassemble the the two pieces unless you have to.
A more practical solution would probably be to remove one point of the door at a time. In the example below, I removed the top piece first. Once you remove one corner the other side will disconnect without being 'clicked', it simply slides out.

You probably would want to alternate which side you remove the frame every time so that you don't wear out one side faster than the other.

On the contrary, I am prone to door breaking


text:
Can you identify this minifig and its set?
I would like to know what set this minifigure belongs to.

The legs might be LEGO, but the rest definitely isn't. No idea what it actually is.

The legs appear to be LEGO, the torso and head are from the old Mega Bloks Dragons series.


text:
Help me figure out what sets these minifigs belong to!
I was given a huge box of LEGO bricks from my neighbor and these are the last men I can't figure out what sets they come from.  If anyone can help it would be greatly appreciated!

Numbering your minifigures 1 to 19 by going from left to right, top row first, I see the following:

gen035 - Skeleton with Round Brick Head (Ninjago Bowling Pin) from set 2519 Skeleton Bowling.

Same as 1
Same as 1
oct027 - Octan - Racing, Blue Legs, Blue Helmet 4 Stars & Strips, Trans-Light Blue Visor from set 9293 Community Workers. Note that the minifig head in this figure is not correct in your image - it was likely swapped out by the previous owner.

The torso is 973pb0510 - Torso SW Armor Clone Trooper Pattern (Clone Wars). There are several minifigs that have this torso, including 8 with white arms and black hands. A full list is located here: https://www.bricklink.com/catalogItemIn.asp?P=973pb0510&in=M
Not LEGO.
Not LEGO.
Torso is 973px83 Torso SW Dark Gray Shirt, Belt with Red Buckle Pattern (Padme), which belongs to sw025 Padme Naberrie from one of two sets from 1999: 7131 - Anakin's Podracer or 7171 - Mos Espa Podrace. Note that the arms must have been swapped out by the previous owner as the original minifig had blue arms.

Either njo007 Kai (missing his headscarf) or njo052 Kendo Kai (missing his Kendo gear). Appear in 7 sets from 2011/2012.
sw258 - Hoth Officer (with another minifig's head on top). From set 8083 Rebel Trooper Battle Pack.

cc4066 Actor 1. From polybag 4066 - Actor 1, released in 2001.

njo013 - Lord Garmadon (Ninjago). Could also be one of 2 other Lord Garmadon minifigs (with different gear). Part of several Ninjago sets from 2011.
Not LEGO.
Not LEGO.
Not LEGO
sw401 Imperial AT-ST Driver from set 9679 - AT-ST & Endor.

The torso is 973pb0318c01 Torso Speed Racer Pullover Open Collar, Diagonal Wrinkles Pattern / Blue Arms / Light Flesh Hands from the Speed Racers theme. The legs do not belong to this torso. Torso belongs to sr001 Speed Racer, Blue Pullover from set 8158 - Speed Racer & Snake Oiler from 2008.

Another likely Castle related torso that I haven't been able to identify yet. Seems to have a sticker on it.
Thanks to Samuel L.(!), this torso is 973px67c01 Torso Police Vest, White Shirt, ID, Yellow Star Badge Pattern / White Arms / Yellow Hands. It was part of 11 minifigures in the Classic Town theme, and those minifigures appeared in 18 sets.

I think the last one might be from the Lego system police series. http://img.bricklink.com/ItemImage/MN/0/soc045.png. To check out the entire system police series:https://brickset.com/sets/theme-Town/instructions2/subtheme-Police. I'm not quite sure which set it came from, as it came in a lot of these system police sets.

Thanks! Added that to my answer. Curious why this torso didn't show up in my search - it seems to have most items that I searched for listed in the name.

Thank you so much!  I will spend the next while trying to make the sets to see if I've received all of the pieces....


text:
Can you help me identify the set?
These pieces are part of a large box I received and I am thinking they belong to a Star Wars set, but I have searched fruitlessly and haven't found which one.

Top left:
Darth Maul's Sith Infiltrator 7961-1

Top Right:
ARC-170 Starfighter 8088-1

Bottom Left:
Sith Nightspeeder 7957-1

Bottom Right:
One of 3 Alpha Team: Mission Deep Freeze sets. I think it's Ice Blade 4743-1, if that's the same sticker I see on the side.
Bottom Center:
No direct matches, but appears to be a sticker from a Hyena Droid Bomber 8016-1 on the wrong color of piece.


text:
Can you identify this truck with spikey wheels?

I would like to know what set this partially put-together truck belongs to.

Legends of Chima 70004-1: Wakz' Pack Tracker


text:
How are LEGO bricks packaged?
This week I got a LEGO set gifted and while I was building and unpacking I thought about how the single pieces might come in their respective little bags? I had some fun fantasizing to the point where I'd really like to see the packaging machine.
Id love a video "how its made" style but I only found some on youtube from a LEGO HQ tour showing molding and storage but not the step for pieces from storage to package.
So does anybody know this? :)

This is a comprehensive walk-through:
http://gizmodo.com/exclusive-look-inside-the-lego-factory-5022769
The last video shows how parts are retrieved from the shelves, decorated, packaged in plastic bags and put into set boxes. It is probably exactly how you imagined the process :)

The pieces are counted by weight, and placed into the bags which are then heat-sealed. If you are looking for a video, I can recommend one, it doesn't go too far in depth on how the pieces themselves are packaged, although that is part of it (skip to 33:26), but this documentary is certainly a good watch for anyone interested in the manufacturing of Lego:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zZjEuoPkLY
If you watch How It's Made, there are many on products with similar packaging processes.


text:
Can someone identify this LEGO Model? Brown Technic set with huge dark grey wheels?
Can someone identify the name and/or set number of this LEGO Model?

It's set 4481 - Hailfire Droid. You've got it tilted vertically, it needs to rotate 90 degrees - the black rocket launch pods need to be on top.


text:
What's the name of this model? White spaceship, flexible panel with hexagon pattern?
Can somebody tell me the set number of this  Model?

Set 7315 Solar Explorer, from the Life on Mars subtheme from 2001.

That's it.  Thank you very much.
This is a real nightmare.  I have dozens of sets from years ago.  The boxes and manuals were all neatly packed away in my storage unit (the Lego parts/blocks themselves safely in my home, thankfully) when everything in my storage unit fell victim to a fire... so I'm trying to identify each unit, get the assembly manual for each, and, if possible, find the original set box for as many as possible.

Under the "Teach a man how to fish" philosophy: It's fairly easy to look these up if you can spot an uncommon piece, and know the name of that piece (e.g. for this one I went with "Tile Round 2 x 2" for the printed round tile on top of the unit), then search at www.bricklink.com and browse through the results to get the piece, and from the piece go to all the sets the piece was in.

Thanks.  I'll give that a try next time.  I have several more to identify.  But... question:  what's the best way to find the correct name of a selected "uncommon piece".  Is there a place where it's easy to browse all the Lego parts by type, or color, in order to get the proper name?

Start with looking at the Catalog Tree at BrickLink: https://www.bricklink.com/catalogTree.asp?itemType=P. That gives you an overview of how things are named. Main categories are "Brick" (the typical LEGO piece with studs on top), "Plate" (flat version of Brick; 3 plates stacked on top of eachother equal one brick) and "Tile" (a Plate without studs on top). If you look at the tree per the link I pasted, you can probably figure out what is in most of the other categories. From then on, it becomes a matter of searching often to get familiar with pieces and how they're called.


text:
Yet Another Model to Identify, Dark Grey Motorcycles?
I have looked and looked through Google images to find this one.  I'm also fairly certain that I don't have the major assembly connected to each other correctly.  But does someone know what the set number is for this one?

Looks like RoboRiders 8516-1 The Boss:


text:
Set 3368 Space Centre missing one 4211805
I've just bought a second hand 3368 Space Centre and I think there is a mistake in the instructions. According to the inventory there should only be one 4211805 in the pack

but the step looks like it requires two

The set was listed as complete so my question is, did Lego make a mistake and ship these sets with only one 4211805, or did the seller just go by the inventory and therefore leave out one of the 4211805s that came in the original box?

This looks like an oversight in the inventory printed in the instructions. Your interpretation of the instruction step requiring two of these is certainly correct.
The Bricklink inventory shows 2 of these, so that's what would have been included in the box. The replacement parts page on LEGO.com also indicates that this set should include 2 of the 7M axles.
It's likely that the seller just checked against the printed inventory and didn't include the second axle due to the misprint.


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Does the word Lego have anything to do with Latin verb lego?
When I started learning Latin and learnt the verb "legō" specifically (meaning, "I collect, gather"), I suddenly realized "Oh, so that's where the Lego name comes from!" and it made perfect sense.
It was somewhat surprising for me to learn later that in fact it originates from Danish "leg godt", meaning "play well". I actually still believe Lego has relations with the Latin verb, even though there is no clear proof of it in official sources.
Do you think Latin "legō" has anything to do here, or is it just a mere coincidence?

The official story is that Ole Kirk Kristiansen didn't realise until years after naming the company what it meant in Latin (normally it's said to mean "I put together", not "I collect"), and as there was no construction over the products made in the first many years, it seems unlikely that he should have thought along those lines.

Well, "put together" is what I actually meant (it's the same word in my language for all these meanings). Thanks for the answer! Couldn't really believe it was unintentional.

"Happy little accident" as Bob Ross would say. :)

Interestingly, "Lego" is the Greek word for "lay" or "put forth" ...from the verb "to speak." "Leg" is a Proto Indo European root word which shows up in many other words --most of which are cousins to the idea of something coming out, leaking, put forth, extends from, speaking. Logos, ology, legacy, leak, speech, logistics, etc.
https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G3004&t=NIV http://www.thefreedictionary.com/_/roots.aspx?type=Indo-European&root=leg-

Ole wanted to do "Le godt" but he wanted his name to be short, so he decided to go with the word "Lego" which is a Latin word. Then he realised,  the word he "made up" was a real word.


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What LEGO brick is available in the most colors?
I've read that the most commonly produced LEGO brick is the 1x2 gray plate. I am at the stage in Lego collecting that I'd like to make a Color Chart. This is easier said than done.
My question is this: what LEGO piece is available in the most colors? You'd think it would be the 1x2 plate or brick, but looking at Bricklink, it's confusing.
I think LEGO should offer color charts. I'd be interested in seeing if other collectors have succeeded in making color charts of what exists?

I think most people use 2x4 bricks because they're the most emblematic (see here for an example); but according to Bricklink it's only available in 45 colors (51 for 1x1 round plate)

Again, Bricklink can help with the answer: When downloading the catalog, you specify "Part and Color Codes". This will give you a list of all part numbers and the color codes they have been produced in. To answer the question, some scripting has to be done to count lines with equal parts, etc.
To make it short, this is the top 10 list:

Duplo Brick 2x2 (53 colours)
Slope 30 1x1x2/3, tile 1x2 with Groove, Brick 1x1 (51 colours each)
Plate 1x2 (50 colours)
Brick 2x2 (49 colours)
Brick 1x2 (47 colours)
Plate 1x1 (44 colours)
Brick 2x4 (43 colours)
Plate, round 1x1 straight side (42 colours)

So, it was a close race with a surprising winner from planet Duplon. Looking at the entries I realise that Chrome colors seem to be missing from some parts. They are probably not listed when they don't appear in regular sets (custom parts).
EDIT
The colour number distribution is very skewed. More than 80% of all 16500+ parts come in only one colour. This is because every printed part gets its own number. There are 2248 minifig torsos, most of them numbered 973pb.....
Anyway, it is fun to browse the catalog.

Fascinating information! And quite shocking that a Duplo brick would offer the most variety, too.  (And in second place, the "cheese" slope!) Thanks also to Joubarc for pointing me to a complete fan-made color chart.  It's interesting to see that what I wanted to contain on a baseplate would more likely become a wall of my living room...

It might be interesting to know that more than 80% of all parts come in only one colour! But I have to look deeper into the matter to see what that means.

BrickLink's statistics in Aziraphale's answer give a good answer if you're only asking about parts that were commercially available in sets. But Lego has made a 2x2 tile in every single color, for their internal color charts. They don't leave Lego's hands very often, but we do have pictures :) Here are some of them: https://www.flickr.com/photos/rjmorton/4879215625
And those are just standardized colors that were in Lego's official palette. If we're including test colors that never ended up being used, we're back to the basic 2x4 brick, which Lego's plastic providers like Bayer, BASF, GE, and Borg-Warner (as well as Lego's own factories) produced in thousands of varieties:
http://thebrickblogger.com/2011/05/lego-bayer-test-strikes/