text:
Purchase of large blocks in South Africa
I have thousand's of small-single, two and four blocks but sometimes need to build larger structures and thus, would like to know were in South Africa I can
purchase these larger blocks without all the smaller blocks

Welcome! Can you clarify what you mean by "blocks"? That is not standard LEGO terminology - do you mean "bricks" - and if yes, are these of the 1xN stud variety, or of the 2xN stud variety - and which dimension are you looking for (e.g. 2x6, 2x10 etc)?

There are some BrickLink stores that operate in South Africa. You should be able to get from them whatever you need. Here is the list of stores:  http://www.bricklink.com/browseStores.asp?countryID=ZA


text:
Help finding Star Wars set, 8x8 grey cone with white end
Bought a bulk lot of LEGO with no instructions. I have one piece I can't locate the set for - any help would be great.

Based on the one picture that did come through, you have set 9490 - Droid Escape from 2012.

source: Stack Exchange

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sort: votes


text:
Information on the new Death Star
Is there any additional information, such as price, piece count, appearance or minifigures for the upcoming LEGO death star? Leaked, announced or rumored answers are acceptable.

The only information available as of today is the set number. It is #75159. No other rumors or leaked info is available. The speculation is that it will likely be based on the new movie, but even this is simply a speculation, not even a rumor.

Based on the new movie? Rouge One?

Darn. I thought there might be a rumour I had not yet heard. Oh well, I suppose I'll have to wait.

Caleb, no, The Force Awakens. Sorry if that wasn't clear.

But... There is no Death Star in FA... That's a (hacked) planet!

I've heard the Starkiller base rumours as well, but I don't think it would make sense for Lego to reveal it as a Death Star if it isn't.

It's an update of the previous minifigure-based Death Star, according to reliable hints.  It certainly is not a pure UCS model Death Star as many have hoped for.

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


text:
How many BIONICLE store display tubes were created?
I'm an avid BIONICLE collector and am curious as to how many unique store display tubes were created during the lines original run. To add some known information to my question I know there was a Tahu Nuva display tube very early on but then there seems to be a gap. I hear there may have bee a Rahkshi display but have never seen it if anyone can confirm this? From 2005 every line had a tube produced including TWO for the Piraka for some reason. But I'm curious about the missing years. Toa Mata, Bohrok, Bohrok Kal, Rahkshi, Toa Metru, Vahki, do any of these have store displays? Or is it something that only started in 2005 and Tahu Nuva was an exception (as photographic proof exists of this one!)
Anyone with any knowledge on this it would help to fill a gap in the line's history! Also, where are the new 2016+ store displays? I've seen a single Tahu tube and a Tahu display case but nothing outside of that (except I believe a case of skull villains?) Are there any more being produced?
Here's a link to better explain what I'm talking about : http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/18801-retail-items-topic/

A friend in the BIONICLE department says:

Somewhere like 20, a lot more than I expected. We haven't really made anything new that I know of. The last one I remember was Mata Nui, and really Hero Factory heralded an age of models too big to display for a reasonable price. They're sorta like the special dolls that come in the clear-plastic boxes. You can't make them too big. We may see some new ones, but that means we first have to go back to a smaller standard BIONICLE figure size. There's a reason that Scopio, Ackar, and Takutanuva don't come in displays. Fikou or the Ragaha or the other little dudes, on the other side of that, would be too small. Gali and Tahu, if we could get some new guys like that, that would be ideal. But we're honestly moving to really small or really big, medium-size isn't flashy enough for customers.

TL:DR:

Like 20
Not unless mid-size models come back.

Hey thanks, that's a far more official answer than I was expecting! (Can't honestly say I was expecting any!!!) Did your friend see the 2015 Tahu one? It got a much bigger display tube than the old 2001-2011 line so could potentially fit sets like the skull villains in. I was surprised we didn't get a Kopaka uniter tube too which could be quite cool (despite the fact I don't exactly love the sets!

Yeah, friends in the LEGO business can be fun. Big tubes could be cool, but only if you can handle the pricetag.

As it turns out, a Rahkshi store display tube does exist and was recently re-discovered.
The following display tubes are known to exist.
G1
2002 Rahkshi Panrahk

2003 Tahu Nuva

2005 Hordika Vakama

2005 Visorak Keelerak

2006 Inika Jaller

2006 Piraka Hakann

2006 Piraka Vezok

2007 Barraki Kalmah

2007 Mahri Nuparu

2008 Mistaka Lewa

2008 Mistaka Lewa and Tanma

2008 Mistaka Tahu

2009 Glatorian Gresh

2009 Glatorian Mata Nui

2009 Stars Tahu

G2
2015 Tahu

Others
2001 Onua Sculpture
(Technically a display tube, but a brick sculpture rather than the set.)

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text:
EV3 screen stuck at "Starting..."
After I turn the device on, its screen is stuck at "starting..." for a long time. It hasn't change into the regular screen, and the light behind the button was still red (didn't become green). Is there a fix for this?

Try flashing the firmware. To get into firmware update mode, hold down the right button when turning the EV3 on. (You can also reset the EV3 without removing the battery by holding down the back and enter buttons for a few seconds.)
You can find much more detailed information on here.

I've tried flashing the firmware, but the EV3 brick gets stuck with the "Updating.." message and the Mindstorms PC application does not recognise that there is an EV3 brick attached.  More details at http://bricks.stackexchange.com/questions/8630/ev3-brick-does-not-get-past-the-starting-message-when-it-is-turned-on

It sounds like the firmware needs a factory reset. Try this:

Remove the battery for 10 seconds and then put it back
Hold the Center and Right buttons until "Updating..." pops up on the display
Connect the EV3 brick to your PC using USB
Update the firmware using "Tools" -> "Firmware Update" in the EV3 software

This did not work for me because the PC does not recognise that the EV3 brick is attached.

Have you tried another OS like LeJOS that can be installed on an SD card? Insert that into the brick and start the brick up. I don't know if this will work, as I don't have a non-functional brick to try it with.
Have you ever had your brick connected to your computer and communicating properly? Are the comm port drivers loaded for the Lego brick to be able to communicate with your computer?
Do you have a friend with a working brick that can test that you have functioning comm drivers by connecting their functional brick with your computer?
What was the scenario that led your brick to stop working properly?


text:
What are some "Illegal" LEGO combinations?
On Brothers Brick, there is an AFOL term for bad LEGO combos: Illegal.  These combinations are "unconventional" and put stress on the bricks. Essentially, they are nonconformist, risky maneuvers, typically compromising the integrity of any parts in it.
For example -- from the site -- wedging a flat plate between studs on a brick.  I have used this term before, and can testify to dangerous combinations. So I'm posing this as another challenge for the community, like my hard to separate combos.
What are some Illegal combinations * you* have found? Largest number of unique combos wins! (please don't try to kill anything for this.)

I would again politely ask the community to like the question being answered as general policy, after all, no good questions means no good answers!

How can LEGO building techniques be illegal? Would you be put In jail for using on? I like to wonder

"Illegal" is just the word lego designers use to define building techniques that are considered undesirable because:

they place stress on te elements, making them wear out
they cause elements to be out of sync, making them difficult to combine with standard building techniques or difficult to model with designer software
they make the set difficult to assemble or dissassemble for a kid
...

There are of course no repercussions if you use these techniques anyway, it is your LEGO...

I do not think it is up to us to determine what is considered an Illegal Technique - TLG (The LEGO Group) determines this for their commercial products. It depends on how much of a purist you are whether you apply these constraints in your own builds.
That said, LEGO Designer Jamie Berard has made a presentation in the past that highlights most Illegal Techniques.
Some examples:

Studs-on-side bricks cannot have their side stud in the hole of a
technic brick
Bricks mounted SNOT style onto Ehrling/Headlight bricks cannot sit
directly above a normal stud (the minimal height of the LEGO
embossing makes that combination illegal)
Technic pins have to be fully inserted into technic holes, otherwise they stay in compressed state which causes stress on the element.
Plates cannot be inserted with their studs into technic bricks, unless it is a 1x1 plate (so only 1 hole is used) and there is no brick attached to the technic brick directly above the inserted plate.
As mentioned by you already, you cannot insert plates between studs (this used to be a valid technique 20+ years ago, but is no longer considered "legal" by LEGO).

LEGO designers are also strongly discouraged from ever directly mating polycarbonate or transparent pieces. I don't know if this counts as "illegal" or if there is any official set that breaks this rule.

@jdv certain trans pieces cannot be used with other trans pieces because the plastic forms a chemical bond between the elements. The linked PDF gives the example of a transparent bar inserted into another transparent element such as a cone. Stud-to-stud connections are still allowed.

Is putting a round piece between four studs legal?

One illegal technique I've seen was two elements stuck together using a sticker to bind them. The builder claimed that the solution was "purist" because it was a lego sticker from a set.

This is not even a building technique. :)

@Aziraphale It was used in a moc to hold pieces together... depends on your point of view I guess. Load-bearing stickers.


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I have several sets of unidentified Lego bags with no part number. How can I figure out what to build?
I have a photo but it is too large to post. These were donated to me.
In fact, I have a huge tub of random Legos that were donated to me and I have no idea how to organize the parts. Most were not in Lego bags. The bags say @The Lego Group 2007 and each one has a single digit on it ( 2,3, 6, 9). There are no directions.

Welcome segurry! Unfortunately, those bags are very common and don't help in determining which set(s) you have. You will need to try and post a picture - that way we can help you identify the set(s). Can you try to reduce the size of your picture and upload it again?

You must classify parts first and find out which parts you have. You can always use Rebrickable website which is a great system that gives you the sets you can build with your parts. Most difficult part of the answer is of course classifying the parts and upload them to your Rebrickable account but once you done you can find out what you have and google the instructions.

You could try to find some details via http://brickset.com/sets/year-2007, be warned you will get a long list. If you have a bag numbered 9, then it must have been a big box. So try to sort by number of pieces in descending order.


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Sending Gcode to LEGO Mindstorms X/Y plotter?
I am building an x/y plotter out of LEGO Mindstorms. I would like it to read an SVG file on the EV3 Brick, convert it to Gcode, and draw the coordinates.  How would I go about doing this?

Parsing XML is expensive.  The EV3 doesn't have much memory or CPU for XML libraries.  I'd do the conversion to Gcode in Linux off of the EV3.  Then use wifi or Bluetooth to send the simplified instructions to the EV3.

Maybe you could collaborate with this guy: https://www.facebook.com/groups/legomindstorms/permalink/596979523783611/

If you are using Inkscape, it appears there is this plugin that allows you to export Gcode.  This is only part of a solution however.


text:
Can you identify these parts? Sliding brick and plate with a groove
Please help me identify these LEGO parts - I'm trying to build them.

You can see the original video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLquE3OtUqkrS_-kdpBk8Xzdbzggfskzxu&v=DZcMTnmFbo4

The plate is probably a Plate 1X8 With Rail or maybe Plate 1X2 With Slide
The Brick is a Sliding Piece 1X4

Thanks!   You're awesome!  I hope you're having a nice day :)


text:
Curved little bar piece seems incredibly useful... what is it?
On this link, there is a special recurring curved piece throughout the photos. It is light grey, can be held by a figure on both sides but not the middle, and looks a little like a paint-roller handle.

What is it? I want, like, 30!

This piece is 12885 Minifig, Utensil Paint Roller Brush Handle.


text:
Which 3307 Arch 1 x 6 x 2 is correct for 10225 R2D2 Set? "Thick Top with Reinforced Underside" or "Thin Top without Reinforced Underside"
BrickLink shows that the 10225 R2 D2 set contains 3307 Arch 1 x 6 x 2 "Thick Top With Reinforced Underside", but I purchased that set and mine contains the newer "12939" variation which is described as "Thin Top without Reinforced Underside". Does anyone know which is the correct ORIGINAL arch variation contained in this set? And when did the change take place?

I got my R2D2 at launch in 2012 for the May the 4th celebrations through the Dutch Lego@home web shop. This set contains the old 3307 part.

Good to know! Thanks for sharing your experience. I was wondering, because I bought one off EBay last fall, and it was new and sealed, but I was concerned because my arches were not 3307's, even though the bags were sealed, it just made me suspicious, but now I see that it is perfectly possible to have the 12939 arch too...

I cannot give you the definite answer, but LEGO changed the design of the "Brick, Arch 1 x 6 x 2" two times over the last 6 years. The original version is 3307 which was in production/circulation until 2014. It then produced 12939 which entered production/circulation in 2010 and is still out there in new sets, however, in 2014 LEGO started producing yet another design numbered 15254.
Since 10225 R2D2 was produced for about 2.5 years from 2012 to 2014, it fell right smack in the middle of the change-over between these 3 molds. So per set it really depended on what mold had been printed and was sitting in the supply for the given production facility - some sets will have gotten 3307, other sets 12939 and even some late sets will have gotten 15254. For LEGO there is no difference in these parts and they will have been substituted.
Bricklink indeed mentions 3307, but has 12939 listed as alternate, so it recognizes both came in this set. Brickset has both 12929 and 15254 as parts for this set, and Rebrickable has 3307. Finally, BrickOwl is missing this piece from its inventory altogether.

See here http://www.newelementary.com/2015/11/bow-window-3307-15254-12939difference-lego-arch.html for more details about the three arches 3307, 12939 and 15254 that are not always interchangeable!

@Philo that is a great article - perfectly explains the whole 3307-12939-15254 switchover. So 15254 is the final design, with R2D2 falling right in the middle of the 3307-12939 switchover, but too early to have the "rectified" 15254. Thanks!

This was a great informative answer, thank you so much! I'm impressed. I just discovered this website, and, holy cow, how awesome it is because of the knowledge of people like yourself!

@Sharkfin182: You're welcome. If you think my submission answered your question, feel free to use the checkmark to indicate your acceptance as "the" answer.

@Philo: Thank you as well, I didn't at first see the difference between "Phil" and "Philo" in these answers! Thanks for the article that went along with Phil B.'s answer, I appreciate you knowledgeable ones!


text:
Where can I find a good tutorial on programming with Lejos?
I want to get started with LeJOS and use Java to check to see if an EV3 touch sensor is pressed, but I can't find any decent tutorials.  Are there any good resources for this?

The makers of LeJOS maintain a blog on WordPress: https://lejosnews.wordpress.com/ where they also give tips and write howto's. I think that is the best place to get started, apart perhaps from the LeJOS.org wiki pages which are located here: https://sourceforge.net/p/lejos/wiki/Home/.
Those wiki pages tend to have some inconsistencies between versions (some of it is not yet updated to the latest version of LeJOS EV3) but when I got started with LeJOS 2 years ago I found it quite easy to get going using those pages.
Of course, all of these pages assume you understand how to write programs in Java - otherwise you'd need to look for a Java tutorial, like the ones published by Oracle at https://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/.


text:
How do you get LEGO Education EV3 Software?
Does anyone know how to get it?
I have a rough feeling that you get it by purchasing the product?
Please help.


text:
Minifigure arms and legs do not have stamps
I have loads of minifigures from the 1980's and have just found out that none of the arms or individual legs are stamped with the LEGO logo.However, torsos, heads, and hips are all stamped. Does this mean they are not genuine parts?

Nope!
Torsos and leg-pieces are special. They are some of the few pieces of their size that are not actually two separate parts of different IDs. Torsos actually include their two arms, which is why they come assembled, with the arms and hands already attached, and only the torso is stamped. Legs are actually a three-piece combo of left, right, and waist. A mini-figure is made of (typically) a hat/hair piece, a head, a torso-combo, and a leg-combo, all of which have only one stamp apiece. So fortunately for you...
All of your pieces are legitimate.


text:
Does this 2x4 brick exist?
I've been working on a little history project to make a shadowbox/display-type thing of all of the major evolutions of the 2x4 brick over the years.  (I know this can get really in-depth, and I'm trying to hit major changes only, to preserve my sanity).
My question is this:
is there such a thing as a 2x4 brick (it would be ABS) with the "Pat Pend" obscured (covered by a blob, denoting an updated mold), that has tubes only?
In other words--no braces, horizontal crossbars, ridges of any kind (no slotted tubes either), just like a 60's brick, but made late enough to have the "Pat Pending" obscured, but early enough to not have any added reinforcements.
Also, by all of this I mean a brick that would have been in normal sets, and not a sample or test brick.
It's getting frustrating, and I wonder if I have invented this category!

It sounds like you're describing a brick you have; a picture would be nice in that case.

No, I'm just trying to find out if there's such a thing. One site lists something that sounds like it, but in the photo you can't see inside the brick!  (Leggodt.nl Unless I am reading it wrong.)

The entry I am referring to is #25 on this list of 2x4 variations.  In the second photo, you can see the "Pat Pend" is obscured, but you can't exactly see if there's a cross-bar running through the tubes! (He says "without cross support" which I am taking to mean the sidewalls in the modern 2x4 brick:                                                                                http://www.leggodt.nl/items/lego/part.php?group=4&sq=25&language=en

Yes. There is.
I have a few. They are really bad for connecting to things.
Like, BanBao bad. I can't really use them for anything.
But they do have the blobs.
So yes, there are those, and they are rare, for the same reason the "Pat Pending" ones are rare, mostly the age, and short transition period.

THANK YOU.  Of course, trying to find them on Bricklink is a nightmare.  Can you direct me to somewhere I could buy a red one?

Umm. I think... I could mail you one... If I can ever find it.

Please drop me a line if you do!

Since you're new, I would like to direct you to the little check-mark on the side of the question, which indicates that this answer is the accepted one. Also the up-arrow is an up-vote button, to indicate you like the answer. But only if you do.

Caleb, can you or anybody confirm for me that what we've been talking about has no crossbar (I've seen it called a "flowrib" also, the horizontal ridge inside the brick that goes through the center of the tubes).  In other words, it would look like this, but would have the PAT PENDING obscured:   https://www.flickr.com/photos/111441268@N03/21832397930/in/album-72157648936541745/  I can't find a photo anywhere.  Transition bricks I can understand; test bricks I don't think I'm going to get into...

Yes, that's it!

Leggodt.nl lists such a brick as part of their collection and also has photos of them. Here is the entry, and on this site you can find a good picture showing the brick and the obscured Pat. pend.:

(The entire site is a good source for what does exist.)


text:
Torso and legs with different LEGO logos. Are they genuine?
I have a torso with rounded edges and "Lego" stamped on top. The arms not stamped.
I also have a torso with straight edges and "Lego" stamped on top. The arms are stamped.
Are these both genuine?
I also have hips with 2 different logo's on them (see the image below). The one with the LEGO mark is not stamped on the bottom. The one with the (c) LEGO mark is stamped at the bottom.
Are both of these legs genuine?

Both rounded shoulder and sharp shoulder LEGO torsos are genuine (as long as the LEGO logo is on the neck-stud). They are just manufactured at different facilities. Most people never even notice the difference, but once you do, it's hard to un-see it. ;)
The arms with stamps were mostly seen on the early LEGO Collectible Minifigure Series, but later they were made the same as other minifigs with no stamps on the arms. This is likely because of the complaints from LEGO fans that they didn't like the unsightly stamps on the arms.
The legs are also genuine. Different orientation of the LEGO logo on them is very common, and also just means they made at different facilities.
Changing the orientation, placement, and even size of the logo is very common, and LEGO elements with these different variations are popular items to collect by those who are really into LEGO's history and unique elements.

Legs and arms do not need to be stamped on order to be considered genuine. LEGO considers a torso with two arms as a single assembly, just like a hip piece with two legs.

Meaning of different orientation of LEGO logo is pieces produced by using different molds. Both of are genuine. If you check several two by two slopes (item no:3040) you could easily find differences on rough diagonal surface of the part. This is because of using different molds on production stage. LEGO changes it's molds time by time. Especially on old sets, this alteration gives us the chance that finding out if some of the parts are replaced or all of them are originals that came with the set.


text:
LEGO controller 8879
How does the LEGO Technic 8879 controller work? When you make it go forwards/backwards and let go does it stay at that speed like the more recent helicopters or does it go back around? And how does it go forwards and backwards, is it like the 8885 controller where you have to have a motor for each of the front wheels to turn?

It is not spring loaded, meaning if you set a dial to a specific value it will stay there. There are two channels that can be controlled with the two dials, and either can be set in one direction ("forward") or the other ("reverse"). I put these terms in quotes because their exact function depends on your model, but in the simplest scenarios (like controlling two separate train engines) they act so.
A single channel (dial) can control one or more motors, but in the latter case all motors will receive the same signal which means they will rotate in the same direction with the same percentage of their maximum speed - different motors can have different maximum speeds.


text:
EV3 won't connect through bluetooth anymore
I was using VS2015 (C#) to write simple programs for my EV3 using a bluetooth connection.  This was working fine for several days and then suddenly stopped.  I can't for the life of me figure out why.  It's not my code, I don't think, because the sample program that came with the API also won't connect.  However, I can connect with LEGO LabVIEW just fine.
What I've tried:

Flashed the brick and updated firmware to 1.09H
Reinstalled BT devices and drivers on host PC
Reboots of brick and PC

I'm not receiving any exceptions on instantiating the brick, ConnectAsync(), nor any DirectCommand calls.  Connections with USB do work fine.
Any ideas?
EDIT:  I had typed firmware v1.06H (I believed this is what it was).  It's currently 1.09H, although I did manually update to 1.07H to no effect.

My son's new EV3 with 1.09H doesn't connect the official Android Programmer app, even though Android can see/pair the device. :( (They're not called Brick for nothing?)

You should always be using the latest firmware. If you have an EV3 brick that was produced in mid 2015 or later, it may have a newer Bluetooth chip that requires firmware v1.07 or higher. See https://bricks.stackexchange.com/a/7237/3498 for an unofficial firmware changelog.
If updating the firmware does not fix the problem then the name of the comm port probably changed. This is something like "COM1" or "COM5". Look in the Device Manager to see what comm port is assigned to your EV3 and make sure it matches your C# code.

Thanks for the answer, but unfortunately upgrading the firmware had no effect (see my edit).  Also, in case this helps anyone, if you attempt to connect to the wrong COM port an exception will be thrown.


text:
Does LEGO still exchange the Mindstorms NXT bricks with flicker problems?
I'm new here. Does LEGO still exchange the Mindstorms NXT bricks with flicker problems? If not, does anyone know of someone willing to try and fix them for a fee or barter?

Have you seen http://bricks.stackexchange.com/questions/677/nxt-screen-either-flickering-or-blank-what-do-i-do?


text:
LEGO Minifigures Series 14 Female Ghosts!

Do all of the LEGO Minifigures Series 14 Female Ghosts have a smaller, more square-ish neck part?

I checked all of mine, and they the same smaller mark as well.

Yes
I asked with my BIONICLE design friend, who asked his manager, who asked a guy on production, who...
honestly, I don't know how many people were in the stream, but the answer came back as one word: Yes. That's all I know.
It's not a very detailed answer, I'll admit, but it is a true/false question.

I just checked a random handful of my collectible minifigs. Most of them have no black mark at all. Some of them, such as the Siren you posted, have a small black mark. Other recently produced minifigs do or don't have the mark: my Dr. Who figs have the mark, the Ghostbusters Firehall figs don't. Only the collectible minifigs seem to make use of the smaller mark, as far as I can tell. The standard figures have a larger mark.


text:
Absolute position regulation NXC
I am trying to position the LEGO NXT motor exactly at a certain absolute angle:
PosRegEnable (OUT_A);
PosRegSetAngle (OUT_A, 0);
Wait (500);                  // to read sensor value
PosRegSetAngle (OUT_A, 90);
Wait (500);                  // to read sensor value
PosRegSetAngle (OUT_A, 180);
Wait (500);                  // to read sensor value

My Brick has V1.31 firmware.
When I load this program and run it, it doesn't display any error but the motor doesn't run.
Has someone experienced this before?

According to the docs (emphasis added):

Warning
This function requires the enhanced NBC/NXC firmware version 1.31+

Make sure you are using the enhanced firmware provided with NXC and not the official firmware from LEGO.


text:
What are good books for building techniques of LEGO Technic
I've been searching for good resources for especially LEGO Technic. I find the Unofficial LEGO Technic Builder's Guide by Paweł “Sariel” Kmieć. The book is very good at explaining things. Beside that one are there any other books that I can learn basic to advanced building techniques of LEGO Technic?

In addition to Sariel's excellent book, I'd suggest Yoshihito Isogawa's "Tora no Maki" (Book of secrets) downloadable PDF book, and his Ideas books in print. All are full of clever mechanisms, easy to reproduce and integrate into bigger constructions.
See: isogawastudio.co.jp

Isogaway Yoshihito is without doubt one of the greatest "Technicians" of all time
here are some books of his:
https://www.google.co.in/search?q=yoshihito+isogawa+books&oq=yoshihito+isogawa+books&aqs=chrome..69i57.191j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8


text:
Do WHITE LEGO elements fade or yellow while sealed for years, or do they stay their perfect white original color?
I was wondering if anyone has opened a sealed set like Taj Mahal or Star Wars UCS Imperial Shuttle after it had been sealed for years, and if so, were the white LEGO elements still perfectly white, or did they fade or yellow even while sealed? I'm debating about buying an expensive UCS Imperial Shuttle that's still sealed, instead of Bricklinking, just so I can have one looking brand new, but wanted to know if it might already have faded or yellowed even while sealed.

Lego bricks typically turn yellow due to a chemical change that occurs when UV light interacts with flame-retardants in the plastic. So bricks stored in darkness shouldn't turn yellow at all.

Like my answer says, if you keep 'em in the box, you'll be good! Or indoors, even.

Yes, like your answer says, 45 minutes after I posted it.

Ok, ok, let's keep the peace here! Caleb answered it hours earlier, but I appreciate details in both of your answers. I agree with Mr. Shiny that they're not even a little bit yellow-proof. If they're better than a decade ago, great, but it's still a major problem, especially with the color white.

@CalebWoodman, "indoors" isn't enough.  "Indoors, away from direct sunlight and south-facing rooms" is more like it.

Should be Fine
The sealing process, at least in the new bags without perforation, keeps the bricks safe from aging. The Taj Mahal should be just fine, and even opened, my Imperial Shuttle bricks are great!
In fact, all the newer bricks, 2003-2007, seem to be pretty yellow-proof. You'll typically only find those in much older sets.
Yellowing occurs because of UV interaction with the bricks. Box, indoors, away from windows, any of the above should keep them plenty safe.

I beg to differ about newer bricks being yellow-proof. I have lots of examples I could show you.

Thus my statement, "pretty yellow-proof." Not entirely, but statistically, the odds that you open a mint set and find yellow bricks are zilch, and a re-boxed pre-owned model will still likely be just fine.

Thank you both! I didn't realize that about UV light, and how keeping them away from that is the key. Very helpful information!!! @Caleb: I do have to disagree that they're even "pretty" yellow-proof, I've had way too many, even newer, whites get yellow, but at least you've explained why so i can prevent it! Thanks again


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How to represent infinity in NXC?
Is there anything like Java's Float.POSITIVE_INFINITY in NXC?
How else can one represent the positive infinity in NXC?

I don't believe that a constant or macro is available in NXC for positive infinity. C99 defines INFINITY in math.h, but the math module in NXC does not appear to include this.
NXC uses IEEE 754 floating point, so something like this should give you the raw value of infinity cast to a float:
int raw_infinity = 0x7f800000;
const float INFINITY = *(float*)&raw_infinity;

I don't have a way to test this currently, and I'm not sure how the underlying firmware and hardware handle special floating point values, so this may or may not actually meet your needs.

Thank you! Seems to be working- at least compiles, except for the "(float)&". Are you sure, that it is possible to cast type like this? I think, it just does it automatically:  int raw_infinity = 0x7f800000; const float INFINITY = raw_infinity; or just const float INFINITY =  0x7f800000

At least in standard C, you have to do the cast in the way I did in my answer. C will treat the hex value as an int and cast that value to a float. You need the actual binary representation to be used as a float directly without casting it through an int first.


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LEGO Model to 3D Converter
I've created a LEGO figure using a great number of ball joints for maximum flexibility. The pre-finalized version of this model, before I got the legs working the way I wanted them, is shown in this picture:

For those of you who've been around a lot recently, this is the figure for which I posted the palm build challenge a while ago; still considering the answers I've gotten for that, by the way, because you all have such great ideas that I can't just choose one.
But I'm getting sidetracked. I'd like to see if I can use this figure as a custom rig for the new program FaceRig. In order to do that, I need a 3D model with specially labeled joints. My question is, is there a program somewhere out on the internet that can take a LEGO model, or LEGOCAD file, or some other form of LEGO input, and produce a 3D model articulated the way the real-life version would be? I know there are programs out there that can convert 3D models to LEGO replicas, for those who are into sculpture builds, but precisely because there are so many articles and questions about those programs, I can't find what I'm actually after, which is the inverse. Anyone know of anything like this?

Hmm - what you're after within the 3D app is typically called rigging, and uses bones which you can usually lock to constraints for their motion. It's a reasonably advanced topic, but the Character Animation Tools plugin within 3ds Max for example can automate the process of rigging a model - Rigify in blender may also help.

@Zhaph Well, part of the problem with a normal rigging method is that I want to keep the pieces from deforming the way a natural joint would, and if I started with a static 3D scan of my LEGO model I would have to pull the pieces apart at each joint first to make sure the rigging system won't twist them up. Due to the sheer complexity of the model in question, it would be much easier to simply use a program that does this automatically for an existing LEGO model.

Could you rebuild the model using LDD?  If so, then there are a number of programs out there that will take that and convert it to a .obj or something (LeoCAD and LDraw are two), which can then be read using a 3D program of choice (Blender is a free one).  I don't know exactly how FaceRig works, but you can create bones in Blender that move around the individual parts of your model by weight painting.


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Cutting a LEGO baseplate
I have a regular LEGO baseplate that I'd like to shave down to fit into a car travel kit. Does anyone have experiencing cutting a baseplate? I'd love tips on tools or technique!

What sort of size are you trying to cut the baseplate down to? Unless you plan to permanently attach the baseplate to something, you might be better off getting a few plates and using those. 8x8 or 8x16 plates are large enough for a small base while still being easy to transport.

I do want to permanently modify it. I only need to take about two rows off.

The easiest way to do this is to score the baseplate with a straightedge and knife. Once you've made a deep enough cut, you should be able to bend and break the plate where you've scored it. You may want to sand the edge to clean it up a bit.

There's a more detailed set of instructions in this Instructable.

You are a beautiful person - thank you! This is EXACTLY what I needed!

I'll also add that I used a nail file to smooth the edges when I was done and it worked perfectly.

I was shocked at first to see someone cutting a black baseplate: I didn't even know that part existed; it must be rare. Who could do such a thing?! Oh, it's a clone part. Carry on.

Press down 8 x 2 / 10 x 2 / 16 x 2 plates etc. to the board to give you a cutting line, make sure they are firmly pressed down.
On a flat surface, gently score the board tight up to the edge of the plates 2 or three times then firmly bend to snap the board and finish by trimming a small 45 degree.
Cut at the new sharp corners and hand finish with fine rubbing down paper. I retail vintage / used Lego and we often cut down damaged boards to make smaller ones and this method works well so long as you don't try to cut too hard and lose the line up against the guiding plates.

I advise you to use a sandpaper. First use a clamp to fix the part you want to cut, then use sandpaper. Instead of trying to cut it i think you should grind it with sandpaper.


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How to pass an unknown type as a function parameter in NXC?
I was trying to do it as in a regular C, with void*, but it didn't work. Is it possible to pass it in NXC? If it is- how to do it?

What exactly did you try and what was the error?

Like this: "int foo(void *lv, void *rv){ ... }". I took it from here: http://www.dreamincode.net/forums/topic/318113-passing-unknown-type-as-function-parameters/ ,   from jjl example.
The following errors were shown: "Unknown datatype", "Unexpected character encountered" and "Variable name expected."

You may be able to use variant instead of void * (or variant *), although to be honest I've not got any experience with BrixCC/NXC.

Yeah, I tryed the variant but there was no result. Seems, that they jast don't have it in NXC. But thank you anyway.


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How to find a set(s) contain most parts of my wanted parts list
I have a parts wanted list (in BrickLlink) and I want to buy a set contain most of my parts wanted list.
Does there is a way to import a part list and find which set(s) contain most of them?

I've never tried it, but I suspect you can do this with Rebrickable.com. It lets you upload MOCs, which must have an inventory. It then lets you see how close your collection comes to building that set, including some possible piece substitution (i.e. similar parts, related molds, ignore colour, etc). Finally, it recommends sets to buy to increase your total. To my knowledge it doesn't try to optimize the "purchase" list to maximize coverage or keep costs down, but it should at least give you some candidates.
For example, when I try to build this MOC, it tells me I'm missing a bunch of black pieces:

Then it suggests some sets I might buy:

Note that the suggested sets are not always practical.

It's really a very nice workaround !! Thank you !


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Scooby Dum LEGO character?
I like playing with LEGO sets a lot. I especially like the Scooby Doo sets.  I'm wondering if LEGO has ever made a Scooby Dum character? Scooby Dum is Scooby Doo's cousin.

VTC This is not an official Lego site. We are fans of Lego, but do not have access to the information you are looking for.

@Gliderman even though we as a site are not affiliated with Lego, that does not prevent us from answering the question with what has or has not already been released by Lego. I am going to go with unlikely, as there is no listing under the Lego website. Also, isn't the character spelled Scooby "Dum" as opposed to "Dumb"?

@user2813274 Oh wow, just reread question. I had seen it was addressed as if we were Lego, and assumed it was something we couldn't answer. Sorry about that!

One can never be certain about everything Lego has ever produced, but If you search on Brickset or Bricklink for the word "scooby" you don't, at this time, find anything except Scooby-Doo.


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Non-working technic system
Recently I've been working on a car which when going forward is fast, and when going backward automatically goes slowly.
Here are two photos of it:

(Just replace the text by "input") As you can see, it uses a switch to change of speed.

Above view.
To make the system work, the motor not only turns the most visible circular gears but also the worm gears. And then these worm gears move the switch and the speed is automatically changed.
Here is my problem: Once the 8-tooth gear between the worm gears  gets to one end, it won't go back. Plus, when it is going from left to right, the motor has a big difficulty turning the worm gears. I want to avoid using a rubber band, so can someone help me?

I would suggest another solution. On the 9396 helicopter the blades can only rotate in one direction, because when a backwards rotation is input, a gear in the transmission line is lifted away from its neighbor automatically. In the instructions it's here (the yellow L-beam lifts up):

Where the gear is lifted away, place another gear for it to interact with there, which would be the transmission for your backwards drive.

I would try to action the switch with a rotating motion directly applied to it; on your picture it seems you're just holding it in place with an idle grey axle and trying to move it with a somewhat clever, but complex, mechanism.
You can use a torque gear to prevent the movement from going too far; but there's probably a more elegant solution using a differential to split the output to both your gear train and the switch. Assuming the load on your gear train is important enough, the power should first go to actuating the switch; and when that is blocked, it should revert to your gears and wheels.
This means you have to make sure moving the switch is always the easiest thing to do even when it's in the middle; as such you may also want to make sure to use a smooth axle joiner instead of a ribbed one; and you'll want to have some basic load on the gears even when the switch is in the neutral position.
On the other hand, I'm confident there should be a way to achieve a similar effect (different speeds according to the direction) using other means, such as multiple differentials and maybe some wheel only able to rotate in one direction.

authors: 金匙室內設計工程有限公司


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Does LEGO ship to my country?
Today I wanted to order some LEGO sets from official LEGO Shop to get the exclusive LEGO fountain. But when I went to checkout, my country wasn't available in the shipping list. I live in Slovakia. When I read the "Shipping & Handling", it wasn't stated that they don't deliver to my country. I'm very confused. What should I do?

LEGO not sending to my country too, I find two options to solve the issue (workarounds):
1. Send from USA - you can send the package via external company that give you an address in USA
2. Buy from another online shops, like  bricklink - http://www.bricklink.com/v2/main.page - you can also find shops close to your country.

I don't believe that LEGO currently ships to Slovakia via shop.LEGO.com. You can see the list of available countries in the "Regions" drop down in the top right on shop.LEGO.com:

I'm sure you are aware that there are plenty of other places to order LEGO that would ship to your country, but that doesn't help you if you're mostly interested in getting the current fountain promo as a freebie with some other things you are ordering.

If you know any third party shipping  companies or have a trustworthy friend out of country, have TLC ship to them, and then said friend/company will send it to you through the regular mail. It will take a while, but it insures you get all of what you want.


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Understanding the makeup of an XML .ev3p file
When you unzip an .ev3 program, there are many txt and xml files that are inside. In particular, there is an xml file produced with the filename extension .ev3p, which seems to contain program instructions which the EV3 brick can then interpret and execute. I am interested in using these .ev3p files produced in order to analyze the correctness of programs.
To test this, I created two .ev3 programs: one which moves forward 3 cycles, one which moves forward 5 cycles. Upon text-comparing their respective .ev3p files, I found :
<ConfigurableMethodTerminal ConfiguredValue="3">

in the first file and
<ConfigurableMethodTerminal ConfiguredValue="5">

in the second file.
However, there are other small, unexplained differences between the respective .ev3p files. I need to know:

Is there any documentation that is provided by National Instruments that can give me insight into how these .ev3p files are produced and how they can be interpreted.

I personally doubt that there is any publicly available documentation of the contents of these files. However, you may gain some insight from the documentation in the "EV3 Block Developer Kit" available on the LEGO MINDSTORMS Download page.
Tip: rather than using the outdated copy of the EV3 software included in the EV3 Block Developer Kit, I have found that you can create a file named MindstormsEV3.ini with the following contents:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<Tokens DeveloperMode="True" />

and save it in the LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 program directory to enable developer mode on any installed version of the software.

Do you know if the developer mode can be enabled on the macOS version of the EV3 software? I tried creating an INI file per your instructions and saved it in the Content folder in the app's package. I didn't see anything obvious indicating a "developer mode."

It needs to be in the same folder as MindstormsEV3.exe (the MonoBundle folder on macOS).

What exactly do you mean by "developer mode"? What happens when you enable it?


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How to motorize Technic 42040 Fire Plane
Where can I find instructions on how to motorize the Technic Fire Plane.  We have the kit 8293 which contains a motor, battery box, lights and switch, but we have no idea how to attach them.  Will there be instructions online somewhere, or do I need to improvise?

The retail box does not show the usual "+Power Functions" decorations on it so I doubt there are official instructions. Time to get your build on.


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Need help identifying some sets

So I have a few LEGO sets that I bought at a garage sale. They didn't come with an instruction manual or anything but they are from 2011 and one of them has a white box that says 6049732 on it. Can anyone help me identify these sets or where I can go to identify them? Thanks. This is the first set.

Welcome Hunter Jin! Quick clarification: That number "6049732" and the year "2011" are not related to the set - they are the identification numbers of the plastic bag itself. All you can deduct from those is that the set was made in 2011 or later (and in this case, had at least 2 bags).

I think you have bag #2 from this set: 60022 Cargo Terminal, based on the tan 4x6 base plates, the black 2x2 round plate with 4 arms and the red City minifig cap. I've also cross-checked the rim piece, the 2x3 Red plate and the 2x4 yellow brick.


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Verify authenticity of the Star Wars Snowtrooper minifig
I recently acquired a number of Lego Star Wars minifigures from an online seller who's looking to dispose his full collection. However, after I bought some of them and carefully inspected each part at home, I get rather confused...

Helmet - There's no "LEGO" logo anywhere in the helmet. Is that legit?
Faces - All are black, round, with no "LEGO" anywhere. Is this legit too?
Torso - Only what seems to be "LEGO" on the stud connecting to the head that's somewhat "punched" in the middle. Legit?
Feet - 2 of them have the "LEGO" on the left feet, and 1 has both feet with "LEGO". 2 of the "LEGO" in the centre area do not have the copyright icon, and 1 has. Too many "LEGO"s also suspicious?
Weapon - This is the one that got me most confused. These 3 do not have the "LEGO" word on them, but there's a copyright icon and number on the side. They are numbered 2, 5, and 7. I can't make any sense here. So are they legit?

Sincerely looking forward to help please....
P.S. I'm restricted to posting only 2 pictures ."

It's hard to be certain without some more pictures or information to narrow down when these minifigs were produced, but it sounds like what you have are some of the older Snowtroopers with the helmet and backpack attached in a single piece. Based on that assumption and the details you provided, I think you are looking at authentic Lego, with the possible exception of the blasters.
Point by point:

I couldn't find a LEGO logo in any of my helmets, but it did look like there was a copyright icon in the central anti-stud.
Many of the older snow/storm/clone troopers have blank, black heads. The ones that do not have a solid central stud hole (but a triangular arrangement of holes) do not have a LEGO logo.
Your description matches my torsos. All have the LEGO logo on the top of the neck stud, somewhat obscured by what I assume is where the mold injected the plastic.
The legs all sound legitimate to me. I was able to find minifigs that matched the variations you describe.
These seem suspect. I was unable to find any in my collection that matched these patterns of printing. In all of mine, there was printing in the recessed "bolt" section of the barrel. None of them had printing on the trigger section.

I will check the helmet again carefully for the copyright icon. 2. Yes, you're right, the central hole is made up of triangular holes, so confirmed legit. 3. Torsos legit too :). 4. Legs legit! :D 5. Argh this is the bad part, how am I gonna get the blasters replaced man

Your best bet for getting new blasters is either BrickLink or BrickOwl.

Out of the 3 helmets, only 1 of it has a copyright icon in the anti-stud :O that said, the 3 of them do look exactly similar no matter which angle I compared them from, side by side. How I wish I can send more pictures here, arghhh. And hi again, and thank you so much for the links, I will get my authentic blasters!

Looks like my blasters -.-@ https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=58247&name=Minifig,%20Weapon%20Gun,%20Blaster%20Short%20(SW)&category=%5BMinifig,%20Weapon%5D#T=C

That particular copyright symbol is definitely a Lego mark. Not as obvious as the word Lego, of course, but in my experience (including lots of Lego knockoffs bought second-hand), it's never been on anything but Lego.

authors: Роман Колісник


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What LEGO clone brand are these with 4-peg studs?
I think this was a present in the mid-late 80s.
Very sophisticated building blocks for top-view apartment-room design. They also had furniture and appliances. Can anyone tell me the brand etc?

You might find it here: https://web.archive.org/web/20120730061221/http://www.freewebs.com/orrex/constructionclones.htm

Do you know which country they were sold in?

I believe they were italian.

Maybe a quick seach on wikipedia:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Construction_toys

These do not match any entry on the above Wikipedia link. Can you provide better pictures of the blocks themselves ? Anything written on them? Any paper, cardboard piece ? Can you picture the different types of bricks present in this photo ?

They look similar to Arckit, but the "stud" placement is different.
Perhaps you have a picture of an earlier design?
https://www.dezeen.com/2015/05/24/architect-modelling-system-arckit-posh-lego-damien-murtagh/
https://us.arckit.com/


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Overview of online LEGO discussion forums?
To help give an outsider an overview of the online LEGO community:
What are the main online discussion forums in the LEGO world?  Who hangs out where?  What are the popular special interest forums?
For example:

LEGO Message Boards is operated by LEGO® and appears to be targeted at (and popular with) the younger generation of builders.  The number of members and posts is not apparent.

This question applies specifically to online communities centered around the threaded discussion forum format.
Related questions:

Best online community for Lego Builders?

The main discussion boards for teen and adult LEGO fans are as follows:
EuroBricks Forum - this is one of the oldest and most established LEGO fan forums with a huge number of discussions going on at any given time. You can find everything here from news, to custom building, to contests.
Brickset Forum - this is the second largest LEGO forum, mostly focused on collecting LEGO sets.
Reddit Forum - this is a very active forum in the standard Reddit format, focusing mainly on breaking news, shopping deals, and helping out those who are new to the hobby.
BrickLink Forum - this is another very old forum, mainly focused on buying and selling LEGO.
BrickPicker -  for those who are into buying, selling and investing in LEGO. It has set & build reviews, availability information, deals on buying LEGO etc.
There are many other, smaller forums specialized on a specific topic (like customization, castle building, Technic building, LEGO Star Wars, etc.), but if you participate in any of the big ones mentioned above, you will be well connected and informed.


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Unidentified LEGO 6 bag set dated 2007, sand, dark grey, and dark red pieces with small dinosaur statues
There's six bags here dated 2007:

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Most parts are from 7627-1: Temple of the Crystal Skull, based on Wall Element 1X6X5, Abs and Limb Element,
There are also some parts from 3315-1: Olivia's House is the photo's, like: Wall Element 1X6X5, Abs, Fence 1X4X2 W. 4 Knobs & Flat Tile 1X4.


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LEGO Technic Unimog crane will not turn
I finished the Unimog from LEGO 2 or 3 years ago, and I noticed this issue, but now I'm getting pretty angry because I still can't find the problem.  It seems to be that when I use the instructions for the function that should turn the crane, it doesn't turn.  All other functions work but unfortunately the turning, one of the coolest functions, does nothing.  Any recommendations?

When rotation / movements is blocked in a pneumatic set, this is often caused by the routing of the hoses.
Remove the crane and check if its possible to rotate the crane by hand. If not, check if the hoses have enough slack to allow movement, or try the re-route them again.

This can have many causes, starting at the gearbox, followed by the transmission of torque to the turntable, the build of the turntable itself and as Joost wrote, the pneumatic hoses or other components can also interfere with the correct operation.
I would recommend following the path of the torque from the motor to the gear that turns the turntable and keeping an eye open for any locking pieces or possible sources of extreme friction.
If you can't find the cause, you could take some highly detailed photos of the aforementioned areas and I'll gladly check them with my Unimog to see if I can spot a difference.


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Identification of a piece, 1x1 bar piece with studs and handle

Sorry for the small image, but does anyone know what number that piece is?

I don't want to start anything, but as the rabid editor/moderator of the site, I think it would be good if you would give titles for your questions that show what you are asking about a little better.

This is 4599b - Tap 1x1 without hole in end.


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Bracket identification, 1x2 plate with 2x2 sideways overhang
I would like to know the name of these pieces.

The grey one (not the one with the towball socket)
(edit: found, it is 6009014 "Bracket 1 x 2 - 2 x 2") and the green one, they're similar but the grey one have the studs on the "inner" part, I think.
Edit: Found the grey one, still need the green.

The pieces are Bracket 1 x 2 - 2 x 2 and Bracket 1 x 2 - 2 x 2 Inverted. The grey piece is actually the inverted one.

The numbers should be printed underneath, then it's just a matter of finding the right colour e.g. look up part 44728 on BrickSet.com and you get http://brickset.com/parts/design-44728, then I'd say the right colour was dark green giving you http://brickset.com/parts/4212471


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Where can I download the English LEGO Catalog for 2005 to 2014?
I tried Google and found a LEGO catalog that is mostly in German.
May I know where can I download LEGO Catalog (English version) for the year 2005 to 2014, in PDF format?

Brickset.com maintains an archive of all catalogues they can find. Unfortunately it only goes up to 1999 at this time.

It's 1966 by now.

Here's a pretty extensive collection of Russian catalogs. It does cover the years you requested. Since the catalogs are mostly images, I imagine that may be sufficient (and the part numbers are there). You can use Google Translate to navigate around the site.

I could mail mine to you, If the catalogue part is what you're looking for.


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How many mystery collectiable minifig bags to buy to get them all?
There are 16 distinct LEGO minifigures in a collectible series. They are sold individually in "mystery" bags so that you cannot tell which one is inside.

To get all 16 minifigures, what's the expected number of bag purchases I need to make?
For simplicity let's make the assumption that the probability of a single bag containing a specific minifigure always is 1/16.
In fact, you may sometimes be able to buy a case with 60 of these bags, guaranteed to contain the complete series. And you may swap figures on the Internet. Let's ignore such options for this question.

Well you might need to add in how many you pick from a certain box, or is it a mix of 10 boxes, this all would increase the probabilities etc. I think using a bred new open box (which should contain min 2 full sets) you should be able to work out the math there I just feel the bags and 98% of the time get the one I want and if I have the time ill feel for a whole series in one hit from a Lego store and get a good 90% of the series (like the recent disney ones)

@Adam Mann Pro: Where I purchase these bags there are hundreds of them mixed in big boxes. And I don't have the talent to "feel" the contents with my fingers, hence the assumption that what I get is truly random.

your odds seem quite high then, as they might be the duplicates from many boxes. if you were looking to sell them people are still willing to buy them opened (with all bags, accessories etc) as they will be guaranteed to get the one they want.

There are lots of folks on ebay who will sell you a complete unopened set.  I bought one and it was complete and the bags were still perfectly sealed.

Even if you can feel out a couple of figures, that can increase your odds of getting a complete set quite considerably. For example, the wedge-shaped "skirt" of many female figures is often easy to identify. The short, non-jointed legs are only a little harder, as are accessories like 2x2 tiles. I recommend giving it another go: you might surprise yourself.

55 Bags
If the distribution is assumed to be completely random (not necessarily true), and of a large enough group to make your purchases not effect the total probability (likely) then this is an alternate of a classic math problem known as the Coupon Collector's Problem:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coupon_collector%27s_problem
There are many discussions of this and other probability problems in the Mathematics Stack Exchange.
Avoiding all the maths The answer for 16 individual units is 55.
If they have a case of 60 with a guaranteed full set, personally I'd buy it rather than depend on the random distribution of bags.

This is a great explanation of the maths. Note, however, that the distribution of figures is not completely random: there are more of some figures than others.

I agree it wouldn't be random, but it was an assumption listed in the question itself. Without knowing the actual distribution there is no way to solve the problem without making some assumptions.

16 Bags
I know the question was phrased as a sort of math problem, but most LEGO fans solve it as a sort of LEGO problem. The bags are opaque, so you cannot see what's in the bags, but almost everywhere they are sold you can feel the bags, and you can determine what figure is in the bag. With the exception of the recent Soccer Team figures, collectible minifigures are always unique in terms of what parts are in the bag. Just shake and squeeze the bag until the distinctive piece is found.
The problem with the math way: One can compute the probability of, say, picking two matching socks out of a drawer of miscellaneous socks, or of picking a whole collection of figures out of a box of figures. But there are a few complications:

Someone else has been there before you and squeezed the bags to find all the space marines.
Someone else has been there before you and grabbed a few at random, but then squeezed a few more bags to find the Princess.
The store takes what's left from the first box and jams it into the second box when the box runs low; or they don't even display them in the original box, making it impossible to know how many boxes are in play and how many figures have been picked.
There are usually 16 figures in a collection and 60 figures in a box; this means the figures cannot be evenly distributed. Some series have had as few as two of one figure in the box. Given that, it's entirely possible (though unlikely) to pick 58 figures and miss both of that elusive Unicorn Girl.

If squeezing the bags isn't an option, the only way to be sure is to buy a new, unopened box.


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LEGO variant, or is it?
I'm in the early stages of sorting through a mothballed childhood collection of over 20,000 pieces mainly dating from about 1980 to 1992, some of which I will keep for my little boy to play within the coming years with a proportion to be sold on to raise funds.
In among it all is a quantity of these which I suspect are not genuine LEGO, but perhaps someone here knows precisely what it is? A lengthy Internet search has so far proved fruitless so I'm hoping for identification here.
Firstly it is perfectly LEGO compatible, the same dimensions. There are no tubes underneath and they have studs that resemble those of Technic beams. Baseplates have a crisscross pattern underneath and window elements with a couple of lugs to aid location.
The plastic seems slightly thinner than the real thing, less flexible, more brittle, with a tinny sound when chucked into a pile. Corners are rather round and the side walls aren't as flat as modern Lego bricks. There are numbers molded into the undersides of the bricks, possibly factory codes.
I've got a bag of several hundred pieces and would part with them if there turned out to be someone collecting them. I've assumed they are probably not made by LEGO unless very early examples but research so far suggests that isn't the case.

These pieces appear to be similar to some unidentified pieces that I have asked about.  In particular I notice that the windows appear to be identical, the larger sloped pieces are the same and in the second photo the underside view of the rectangular brick shows a number imprinted, just as all of my bricks have too.  Unfortunately that doesn't help confirm their identity, but I thought you might find the answers I have received of interest. I am not sure how to provide a link to my question, but the url contains the number 9468 and it is the only question I have posted.

If you are still around after all this time... Do the window frames have studs on the top of them? (It looks like they don't.)  Also, could you please post a closer picture of the back of the green base plate, I'm interested in the detail of the cross-points.

Yes, I still have these bricks in storage. I’ll dig them out shortly to take some more photos.

Only took me 6 months to get around to this! Ok the window and door frames have no studs on top. I have the base plates in front of me so I’ll get a photo in a moment.

At first glance, many of those pieces look very similar to pieces from the 1950s/1960s, and in the 1950s there are some lego sets that use a different type of plastic than ABS (cellulose acetate), along with certain other features I see here, but looking closer at the details and what pieces are "known" in brick databases, there are several details that just don't look quite "right" to be real legos, and I think you're correct in your assessment that these are much more likely be some sort of knock-off brand of unknown vintage.
Toys Period is one of several sites with a database of lego parts and what sets they are in. In their list of lego windows https://www.toysperiod.com/lego-set-reference/parts/windows-and-doors/windows/ I do not see any windows with dimensions 1x6x3 with two panes (with or without glass). There are windows of the same width that are 1x6x2 with one center 2x2 pane and two side 1x2 panes, and 1x6x3 windows with a single pane (both of which I've seen in actual sets as they are fairly common), but not 1.5 stud panes on a 6x3 window. But even looking at the 1x6x3 window that is a single pane, the details still seem wrong. The bottom of the window only has nubs to connect the window every other stud instead of every stud. Every picture I could find of genuine old legos of that vintage either have nubs between every stud, or was completely without nubs on the bottom. And the pattern carved above and below the space for the window "glass" doesn't appear to have the correct groove pattern.
Next, the large green plate. the tops of those studs are hollow (actually, the tops are hollow on all the pieces shown), which is sometimes used in legos, especially modern legos so that they can hold small parts like flames, but usually not on large plates, and having every piece in the set have those kinds of studs would seem incredibly surprising... And although I have seen old lego plates with square holes on the bottom, from the period before they switched to round pegs between studs, the genuine ones I've seen have a single thicker "bar" of plastic between each stud not two parallel strips of plastic between each stud.
And that roof tile that is 3x4x1 is an unusual dimension for a lego roof tile. I'm a bit suspicious that combination, especially with hollow stud tops, will not show up in lego parts databases either. Having a 30 degree slant 3x4x1 with only one row of studs on top would be common, or having a 45 degree slant 2x4x1 would be common...but not two rows of studs on top with a 45 degree slant.
Most of the other pieces in your photos are too blurry to really identify at great detail, but already there just seem to be be too many things "off" about these including other details you mention (aside from the numbers molded into the underside, which is a feature also present in genuine legos of older vintages)

Window and door frames

It's hard to be sure from a picture, and I know people who know a lot more about old parts than I do.
I have seen LEGO plates with the structure of squares underneath, I believe they had a single wide wall between the holes though.
If they are LEGO they are older than 1980, is there any chance you got some old stuff that some of your relatives had lying around?
2x4 bricks without bottom tubes have been made, but those that I remember having seen, didn't have recessed studs, and the studs were "hollow" seen from below (see http://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=bhol04#T=C).
The windows look slightly different from what I've seen from LEGO.
The slopes in your pictures don't match anything I've ever seen or heard of.

It could date from my fathers younger years, perhaps 1960s, first half of 1970s? I vaguely remember it from when I was young but by 1982 the Town and Trains were pretty detailed and this stuff is basic in comparison, so I never bothered playing with it.  Dad is an architect and I did wonder whether this was some sort of professional system but it seems a bit too toy-like for that.  I shall have to ask him if he knows where it came from when I next visit.

I have a bunch of pre-1980 bricks, and those windows at least appear to be real LEGO bricks.


text:
What files are required to run an ev3 program?
I'm working on a project that aims to help beginning Lego Mindstorms programmers. I'm developing certain "modules" (moving straight, making a turn) for students to try, and I want to develop a program that can pull an .ev3 file, unzip the .ev3 to reveal its files, and analyze any of these files that are useful in determining "module" correctness. After unzipping a typical MyProgram.ev3 file, I find:

___CopyrightYear (txt)
___ProjectTitle (txt)
Activity.x3a (xml)
ActivityAssets.laz (I've read that this is a compressed folder, but I am unable to unzip this)
Program.ev3p (xml)
Project.lvprojx (xml)

Only one of these file (Program.ev3p) seems to contain information about the actual instructions of the EV3 program. Does the EV3 brick interpret this file to execute the program instructions? Is there any other program information in the mentioned files that I am missing?

My googling did not reveal any evidence of software other than the official LEGO Mindstorms that will read these files.  It would be great if somebody (like yourself) built a library for reading these and posted it on github.  :)

Possible duplicate of Understanding the makeup of an XML .ev3p file

The titles headed with underscores are unneeded. The title is not necessarily required, and the copyright is obviously useless to the machine.
However, none of the other files can be skipped or removed and still allow the program to work.
These others are written in XML, Extensible Markup Language, and are designed for use by both human and machine. The microcontroller needs all the information in these files.

There is a website, that may help you: https://ev3treevis.azurewebsites.net/Default.aspx
This site enables you to view the programs, and even edit them on a text-based interface!

Interesting, thanks for sharing that. For those that want to dig deeper, the code is also available on Git Lab


text:
TIE Fighter instructions
Need to know what instructions go with this set. Bought them this year from LEGO store.  My kids lost the instructions. Comes with three separate bags in the set. Please help I'm trying to give it to my neighbor kid. My boys are still way too young for this set.

Welcome to Bricks.StackExchange! Do you know the set number of this TIE Fighter? Is it the First Order Tie Fighter (set number 75101)? http://brickset.com/sets/75101-1/First-Order-Special-Forces-TIE-Fighter ... Instructions for this set are found here....

LEGO have instructions for all their recent sets, and many older ones available directly from their website:
https://wwwsecure.us.lego.com/en-gb/service/buildinginstructions
There you can search for a specific set number, or search by theme ("Star Wars TM") and year of release - for example 75101 can be found here.


text:
Is there on/off function on the 8879 IR Speed Remote Control?
Just got 8879 IR Speed Remote Control yesterday. Does it have an on/off switch? We don't see one.

No, it doesn't have a specific on-off switch.
But like most remote controls, it uses very little power unless it's actually transmitting. I find that self-discharge in the batteries is more of an issue than the tiny power use testing to see if you're using the controls.
Where this can be a problem is if you throw the controller in with a bunch of loose Lego, and a button ends up pressed. That will drain the batteries quite fast, because the controller is constantly transmitting (just as it would if you used your finger to press the button). So the main thing I worry about is making sure the remotes are all stored with nothing touching the controls.

Sadly, no. Sorry for your short battery life.

I rarely have to change the batteries in mine. Like a TV remote, it doesn't use much power when you're not using it.


text:
Rescued Minifigure ID, read torso with armor and yellow head with mustache and glasses
I found this poor guy in a stream by a school. I assume the pieces are cobbled together, but I want the ID of the head and body, as I might be able to salvage them.

Keep being awesome, guys!

You are right,
the parts are from different minifigs:

The head is Minifig, Head Moustache Brown Hair, Glasses on Forehead, Raised Eyebrow Pattern - Blocked Open Stud
The torso is
Torso Armor White with Black Muscles Outline and White Belt Pattern / Red Arms / Pearl Gold Hands
The legs are Hips and Dark Blue Legs

Those pearl gold hands will be a pain to find.

authors: هلوسات مجنونة


text:
I bought a LEGO set from a yardsale and have no instructions, box or date
I want to find out what LEGO set I have so I can get some instructions for it. I'll add some pictures of the pieces as that's about all I can do.

I hope this is enough for someone to be to figure out which set this is.

For some reason it took the rest of my pictures away. Tell me if you need more and I'll try to add them.

Does the raft have any decals or printing on it?

No it is just all blue except for the spot in the middle.

Ahh, it's blue - the picture makes it look black.  Dark blue right?

If the boat is dark blue then the set is almost certain to be set 60069-1 Swamp Police Station since according to Bricklink it is the only occurrence of the boat (part 62812 Boat, Rubber Raft, Large) in dark blue.
The presence of the bars (parts 92586 and 60621) with white frame[s] (part 60596) and light bluish gray radar disk thingy (part 4285b) confirm this theory.
However, I was unable to identify the large black piece near the top-left of your picture, or find something similar to it in the set's inventory.  Is this a single piece?  If so it is probably not part of the rest of the set.

I don't know what that piece is. From what I've seen that's the only one I got in the container. But thank you very much for finding out which set it is. I am really excited to find some instructions and build this. Building is something I love And I love lego so this really made my day! Thanks again!

@EPICPOPTARTNINJA  That's odd, I'm pretty sure it doesn't belong with the rest of the set.  Now you have me curious!  Can you find a part number on it?  (BTW, if this answer has sufficiently answered your question, you can mark it as accepted with the green checkmark under the voting buttons.)


text:
What are LEGO rubber bands made of?
I have noticed that LEGO rubber bands (along with just about everything else LEGO) are fantastically durable.  They last ages without getting crusty and dying like most commonly available rubber bands.  They can even be held in stretched positions for extended lengths of time without showing any signs of wear, or even any noticeable hysteresis.
So anyhow, what are they made of to make them so superior to common rubber bands?
Clarifications:

By "standard"/"common" rubber bands I mean those which are commonly available to purchase at the store, like these.
I am talking about the newer "round cross section" type, not the old "square cross section" type which are more similar to standard rubber bands.  Part #'s x1106, x90, x89, x37, and x71.

http://bricks.stackexchange.com/questions/191/what-kind-of-plastic-are-lego-bricks-made-of quoted LEGO Group "Tires and elastic materials found in some LEGO sets are manufactured from Styrene-Butadiene Styrene (SBS), a material commonly found in vehicle mud guards and shoe soles."

They are made of SBS rubber.
According to user "B. Lister" on eurobricks.com, these bands are silicon rubber, used in medical and dental work for long lasting connections and tension.
Source
However, a LEGO representative at a toy safety site indicated otherwise:

The colors and materials in ABS plastic do not rub off or leach and, in fact, meet the same material standards for safety that are required of plastic eating utensils. Tires and elastic materials found in some LEGO sets are manufactured from Styrene-Butadiene Styrene (SBS), a material commonly found in vehicle mud guards and shoe soles.

Source
SBS has some very similar traits to silicon rubber, including sterilization and long lasting properties. I noticed in the other answer that bike tire cuttings worked almost identically. They should! Those inner tubes also consist of a Butyl base.

I cannot be certain about this, but I think it could be one of these two material options,
(1) Urethane: i.e. it's not rubber at all, and it is moulded, and not extruded. That's probably also why they have colour options.
(2) Butyl rubber: this is the rubber used in tyre tubes. I've used cut sections from inner bicycle tubes, and they stretch and seem to last forever. I'd be mildly surprised if I saw them in round section, or in colour, though.

You do not need to answer, if you are just guessing.


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LEGO Friends set identification from sealed bag
I have the unopened bags of a LEGO Friends set, but I can't find any number to identify the set.

This bag is from 3315 - Olivia's House.

The instructions for this set can be found here on the LEGO Customer Service Site.

authors: 電訊巴打 - 電訊優惠比較平台


text:
Need help identifying these castle pieces
Wondering which set these castle pieces are from?

They're likely from King's Castle (70404):


text:
Identify classic City sets from box of assembled parts
I have quite a few models: a gas station, airports, police station, and a lot more including a battery powered cart. They are all built on gray road baseplates. I also have trees, benches, people, police cars, others cars, and a service station or fire department

From left to right in your first photo:
Police Station (6384):

Fire Copter 1:

Motorcycle Shop (6373):

Fire Patrol Copter (6657):

Fire Station (6382):

Your second photo includes:
Gas Station (6375):

Delivery Center (6377):

Paramedic Unit (6364):

I may have missed some smaller sets, but based on your two pictures, that's what stuck out at me.

Oh my childhood ... endless hours with that Fire Station :)

There might be a https://brickset.com/sets/6634-1/Stock-Car in front of that police station (first photo), albeit with different (red) wheels.

@O.R.Mapper That's certainly possible.


text:
Why didn't LEGO make a Creative Building Box for Technic parts?
LEGO has many great Creative Building Boxes, especially the LEGO 10697: XXXL Box.
Why hasn't LEGO come out with a Creative Building Box that consists of Technic parts?

One answer is that TLG actually has done something similar in the past. They used to produce universal sets that were roughly equivalent to the Creative Box that you're referencing. Here's an example:

These sets all included lots of basic Technic parts and instructions for 3+ models to get you started building.
This is getting into the realm of speculation, but TLG stopped producing the universal sets right before Mindstorms launched, so I would guess that they felt that Mindstorms filled the free creative building niche and didn't want multiple subthemes in that space. The primary Mindstorms sets include a wide variety of multipurpose parts, instructions for multiple models, and encourage free building and exploration rather than just building a single main model. So, a second answer could be that Mindstorms is the Technic equivalent of the current "Bricks and Pieces" line.

I do think that it would be nice to have sets exactly like what you are describing. I grew up with a few of the universal sets, and they were great. If you're looking to get something like this, it's worth noting that there have been some sets like this recently in the Education line, such as Simple Machines (9689), but those tend to be overpriced in my opinion. You're better off just picking up the parts the you want from Bricklink.

The price difference between a Mindstorms kit and the old universal Technic sets is really big though.  Surely there's a niche for free creative building without spending hundreds of dollars at once.

Just to mention there is a book from Klutz "LEGO Crazy Action Contraptions Craft Kit" that might fill in the gap at the lower and smaller side


text:
How best to plan and design a custom LEGO creation?
I'm curious how best to proceed with my own creations. I have several ideas that I want to take a stab at implementing but know I probably don't have the all bricks I need. I am not new to LEGO, but I am definitely new to building high quality custom creations and am a little unsure where to start.

This is going to be different for everyone, but there are several different options.
I personally prefer to get my LEGO bricks out and just start building, this usually doesn't turn out exactly how I want initially, but I will take the bits I like and try again; building multiple versions to find what I like and come up with a finished item.  For larger builds, I will break it down into specific areas or elements to focus on and then work to integrate the sections when I am happy with each.
A very useful set of tools are the various computer Lego CAD systems, I prefer LDraw, the official Lego tool is the Lego Digital Designer, and there are others.
I have used these to start from scratch to generate a finished design, to generate a rough idea before moving onto the bricks, or to organize existing elements together into a larger build.
Depending on your experience they can be very useful tools not just for planning, but to generate build directions, parts lists, or high quality renders of you creation.  They will come with a large number of Lego pieces and colors allowing you to experiment beyond the Lego you have.  They are a little cumbersome for certain advanced SNOT techniques but can generally do most things Lego would.


text:
Which Star Wars set is this?
It is from the Star Wars theme but which one?

Based on the silver jetpack, Jango Fett head, Phase I clone helmet, and orange battle droid parts, I believe it is 75015 Corporate Alliance Tank Droid.


text:
Strange 2x2 Inverted slope with hollow center Identification
I have a brick that is similar to a 45 degree inverted slope 2x2 except where the un-sloped flat face should be there is a rectangular cavity into the brick
   _______
  /   ____|
 /   |
/     ----|
--HH---HH-

that is a rough cross-section of what it looks like where the H's represent the studs on the bottom

Does it have any numbers on the bottom?

no, but now that i look closer it has the letters TY and an infinity symbol.... TYCO perhaps....

If it's TYCO, and not LEGO, piece-id is gonna be nigh-impossible. As a clone brand, they can't afford good documentation like TLC.

Could be one of the bricks used at section 7 and 9 of this Tyco Super Blocks set:

Source: http://bricker.ru/instructions/download/Tyco%20Super%20Blocks/5281-2.pdf


text:
Working with Curved Bricks
I'm hoping to stack curved bricks. There are two slots along the edge to allow the bricks to be set on plates. These become unsightly when the bricks are stacked atop each other. Has anyone seen any techniques to fill these gaps while maintaining the general curve shape?

One possible "technique" could simply be to use the round wall panels of the same diameter:

This part has the same stud recesses at the bottom, but since it's much taller, they won't appear as frequently in your model (or at all if this part alone provides the height that you need).
This obviously has a number of disadvantages, the largest being that you're stuck with less flexibility over the color as you can't use stripes of different colors.
You might also be interested in this answer that provides other ideas for building curved walls.

I want to give you a shoutout for your work this week. We're getting some great results and user activity!


text:
How do you program mindstorms to keep doing a task until either the IR OR the colour sensor state changes
How do you program mindstorms to keep doing a task until either the IR OR the colour sensor state changes. I would like to use the wait block but it can only be either the colour sensor or the IF sensor. i want to continue the activity until either sensor changes to a specified condition.

One way of doing this is using a loop and interrupting it.

How it works:
The "Loop Interrupt" block stops all blocks running inside of the loop, so by interrupting the loop after either wait block, it will stop the other wait block. The type of loop doesn't actually matter because we never reach that point. I chose to wait for "Logic" with a value of "False" just so that it is more clear that we are not actually looping here.


text:
Is it possible to damage a pneumatic pump/motor by applying too much pressure?
I've recently bought the Mercedes-Benz Arocs model, which contains a compressor (i.e., a pneumatic pump which is operated by an L motor).
I was wondering whether you can ruin your pneumatic system and/or the motor by simply "overpumping" and thereby creating too much pressure? It doesn't look like there is some kind of "overpressure valve"...
If I just run the motor in pneumatic-pump mode and let it pump for a few minutes...

...is there a chance to ruin the pneumatic hoses or even the cylinders?
...is there a chance to ruin the motor?

If not, why not?

I would guess the slight gaps in connections and such would provide enough overpressure protection for a LEGO-scale system.

Thank you for your answer! I'd still love to hear some more definitive information than "I would guess" :-)

The Air Tech Claw Rig 8868 was definitely able at least once to overpressurize it's pneumatic system to the point of disconnecting a hose from a T-joint. Note however that this set was released in 1992, and the pneumatic components easily could have been updated since (for example with a safety valve).

In my experience, the pumps themselves have a very simple slipping mechanism which prevents overpressurizing.  (I will do a little testing to get some numbers before writing an answer.)

@zovits  I have noticed that the old tubes seem to be a bit softer and have an ever-so-slightly smaller inner diameter, making them pop off a little be more easily than the newer ones.

No, it would be practically impossible to damage LEGO pneumatic elements by overpressurizing them.

It turns out that LEGO pneumatic pumps actually have a very simple "slip" mechanism that prevents overpressurization.  Once the pressure reaches about 35-40psi (the exact threshold varies slightly pump by pump) the rubber plunger disk will give way and bend back, allowing a small amount of air to slip by and escape out the top of the pump.
Here is a GIF illustrating the effect, watch the rubber plunger disk bend back as I pump it:

Sorry the quality is so bad, it's hard getting under SE's 2MB limit.  The number markings on the pressure gauge are multiples of 10, so it is slipping at around 37psi.
If you don't have a transparent pump or a pressure gauge it is still quite easy to tell that this is happening since the air escaping makes a fairly obvious pfft sound.

Some have also correctly pointed out that the tubes will pop off long before any damage is done to the components.  While I have experienced this, the pump will usually hit its max pressure before any pipes pop off if they are attached securely (i.e. pushed as far as possible onto their connections).
Some pipes also tend to come off easier than others, in my experience the older ones along with the clear types tend to make looser connections.  This is why I try to use the newer opaque tubes first since it can be a pain in the neck fixing and repressurizing when a connection blows off.

Great answer, nice GIF! Do you know if this slip-mechanism is also in place in the new, small pumps (used in combination with "compressors", e.g. the one used in the Mercedes-Benz I'm talking about in my original question)?

@D.R.  Yes, though it is a higher threshold, about 50-55 psi if I remember correctly.  Unfortunately I don't have any working ones of those to test at the moment, they seem to have a lot of leaking problems in my experience.

You wrote you would like to hear an answer that is more definitive as a guess. I guess then we can accept Sariel as a definitive source, and he writes here:

There is no risk of anything blowing up. If you’re using Lego pumps, they will simply lack the power to keep pumping once a critical air pressure is reached. There is a risk, however, that your Lego pneumatic hoses may pop off the inlets.

This is exactly what I have personally experienced, so I would be quite confident in this being the truth.
Also, it would be a pretty bad idea from TLG to release an official set that can damage itself during normal operation, so even based on this alone I would say there is no risk of overpressure.

Thanks - so, if the hoses do not pop off, the motor is going to stall, which is no problem either?

I read this as if it's not the motor that would stall, but simply the pump won't push any more air into the hose. But in order to be sure I performed a test where I let my Unimog run it's compressor "dry" (without activating any switches or cylinders) for three minutes. After the first few seconds the hose between the pump and the front-rear switch filled and the pump started to sound a bit differently. There was no other observable change for the next three minutes and the system was fully functional after this trial.


text:
Tools to unbuild a model more easily?
Are there any good tools out there to help unbuilding a model, for example removing axles from beams?
Something like the famous brick separator, but for Technic models.

I'm sure there are more separations that fall under "unbuilding a technic set" than just axle/beam separation, but for some reason, my daft little mind can't think of any.

back in the day, I used to use dental floss to split parts by getting in the 'seams' between them. It really depends on what parts. I suspect a small nylon spudger would do too.

Actually, the brick separator is a very versatile tool for disassembling Technic. The end of the wedge can be slipped into the slot on the side of several pieces to help pop Technic pins out from behind (I also use it like a screwdriver for aligning Technic pins while building). It can also be used to separate stubborn beam connections.
I've also got a 1:6 axle attached to the little axle pusher using an extender (sorry...I don't know the actual names of these things and I don't have time to look them up right now). It works great for pushing axles through deeper sockets, or for popping pins out from behind.
Other than that, I've never really had much trouble pulling Technic parts apart. I'm sure there are other uses I've yet to need, but that little orange tool has been a godsend for my sanity and fingertips. :)

I would recommend the 1:3 light grey cross-axle for popping other axles. It's more versatile than the 1:2 red cross-axle because it doesn't get stuck in the same spot you pushed whatever piece out of. It's also small enough that it's  unlikely to bend or break under pressure, which is a necessity for this usage. (I'm not the only one who's bent a big axle on accident, right?)

authors: Hermia 極緻美學概念店


text:
How can an EV3 motor "remember" it's starting position?
I am currently working on a project that uses large motors. I want the project to return to a "starting position" (0,0,0) at the touch of a button so that it can be used multiple (identical) times. How can I do this with the regular Mindstorms EV3 software (I am using the education version)?

I tried to find the answer to this a year ago. Unless you build some sort of synchronisation point using another sensor, you can't.

The simplest way to "remember" a starting position is to make the starting position 0. You can do this using Rest in the Motor Rotation block (1). After your motors have moved (simulated by (2)), you can use a loop (3) to run the motors back to zero.
The basic idea though is that if the motor position is negative, then we need to run the motor in the positive direction and vice versa. This way we run back towards a position of 0. Once we reach a motor position of 0, we exit from the loop and stop the motor (5).
This is meant to be an example to point you in the right direction and can be improved. For example, you could use a proportional controller at (4) to slow the motor as it nears the 0 position. The sample code as it is below will oscillate several times before it gets exactly to 0, which is not very nice.
Additionally, you will need to add code that waits for a button press before starting the loop and you will need additional loops for each motor.


text:
How to speed up assembly for big LEGO technic sets (e.g. 42043 Mercedes-Benz Arocs)
Is there any ways to help speed up the assembly process when building big LEGO Technic set such as the 42043 Mercedes-Benz Arocs?

Despite what it superficially looks like in (for example) Sariel's build videos, having a big pile of parts spread across the table is not the fastest way. Pour the contents of the smaller bags into containers (I use old plastic take-away containers). That way you are looking through a container of blue 3 long pins and red 2-long axles for a 2-long axle, rather than rummaging through a mound of everything. I tend to pour the black 2-long connector pins onto the build space because there are so many and that way they're close to the build, but everything else goes in a container.
A little time sorting will help a lot. Sort things like beams and large parts, but also axles if there's a lot of them. Having a row of beams sorted by size and getting a 9 long one is much faster and easier than rummaging and comparing randomly grabbed beams for length.
I find pulling out really large parts early makes things easier. Wheels/tyres, power functions, large panels etc. A stack of 5x11 panels is easier to deal with than when they're randomly in a container hiding little parts underneath them.
I find piling the parts to be used in a step up, then installing them avoids missing any. If you need to add 3 axles, but you have one left over at the "end" of that step... you missed one. This is less necessary with modern kits because you put so few parts in per step, but still occasionally helps. If you look at instructions for pre-2000 sets there's often 10 or more parts installed per step, which made this technique much more useful/necessary.
skim the online forums for build errata and common mistakes. For example, there were quite a number of people asking "the back wheels on my crawler turn one way, the ones on the front turn the other way" because they had mis-assembled one of the differentials. There's also a mistake possible in the core of the more recent wheeled loader, but the detail escapes me.
test mechanisms early and often. Spin every axle, make sure that it does spin and whatever the gears on it seem likely to mesh with, do.
read ahead. If you have an idea of what you're building you can often do things like making two mirrored sub-assemblies at the same time. But be careful, as you can easily end up building the wrong thing.
I build on a towel, rather than straight on the table. That way if I drop a pin or something small it doesn't bounce as much. Specifically, it doesn't end up on the floor under my desk.
have enough space. The days when you could build a set "in the box" just by opening the lid (or these days, cutting round the top) are gone. A towel is not a bad estimate of the space required for building something like the Arocs.

(the build videos are usually made by experienced builders who have excellent spatial memory, and they get things out without disturbing it, so parts stay more or less separated by bag despite being "in a pile". If you look for this it's often obvious. Especially If you're building with kids you'll generally have to struggle not to rummage until the pile is completely randomised)

What a great and detailed response!

There was an issue in the orange Technic Porsche, released in 2016 the gears in this model are not sequential: http://brickset.com/article/21758/lego-responds-to-instructions-issue-in-42056-porsche-911-gt3-rs Feel free to add this as an example of your 5th item.

There are errata for an awful lot of models, I left it fairly general deliberately. Eurobricks has a whole thread of "suggested minor tweaks" for the Porsche that starts with the drivetrain friction, then two gearbox fixes (the other for the partial shifting problem).


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How to disassemble this Technic combination?
How should I disassemble the axle (7) attached in this model?
(I tried using a brick separator but failed to remove it.)

Simply use the longest technic shaft you have, and use it to push the #7 shaft out just enough to where you can finish pulling it out with your fingers. Then pull out the long shaft.

I'd suggest using not the longest axle; but an axle 8 with stop - easier to remove afterwards. Also, the yellow beam looks like it should be easy to remove beforehand.


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Why was the original brick separator changed?
The old brick separator seemed indestructible, and would separate all bricks that I had without fail. This orange thing is dinky and flimsy compared to the others.
So, I ask, why did LEGO think that this is better? Is the only reason the wedge?

The 1-unit Technic axle remover could also be seen as a worthwhile addition, but I don't know if that's enough info as to LEGO's decision.

The new brick separator is smaller, therefore uses less plastic and is cheaper to mass produce, it also means it can fit better into tighter spaces.
It has a pusher to remove Technic pins and a chiselled edge to pry off tiles, there is a middle hole in the two female stud connections which allows you to remove 1X2 'jumper tiles'.
The additional Technic axle connection gives you a little bit more freedom to incorporate the part into other LEGO creations.
Brick Wiki has no  reference for this, but it also seems like a sensible decision consideration:

A new style of brick separator was introduced by LEGO in late 2011.
  To the satisfaction of many AFOL's, the new style comes in orange. (Many AFOL's had wished for brick separators to be made in orange for
  years, so that they could be spotted easily when needed.)

My guess would be that they wanted to include one in more sets; so they made a smaller (cheaper) version and took the opportunity to add functionalities, such as the technic axle remover or the flat end for removing tiles easily. If I'm not mistaken, this version works on jumper plates too; which wasn't the case with the old one.

do certain sets actually include a brick separator in the box? I haven't seen any. and it still doesn't seem like LEGO would do it just to put it in the box. their motto is "only the best is good enough"

According to brickset, 320 sets at the moment include an orange one, and 7 a green one: http://brickset.com/parts/design-96874

oh, I'm talking about the OLD green one, the one that looked bulbous.

Ha, sorry - not a lot, indeed; as I said I think they redesigned it when they wanted to include it more often.

This is correct.