title: Is there a LEGO clamping tool?

text:
# Question
Title: Is there a LEGO clamping tool?
Sometimes we cannot easily attach 2 LEGO pieces.

Is there a tool to help clamp together LEGO pieces that are very tight?

# Answer
> 3 votes
I agree that sometimes adding smaller plates can be tricky - the issue is usually caused by misalignment of the studs and holes.

You could use one of the Brick Separators in reverse (i.e. add the brick to the separator and then attach it to the other part), or you could try adding a larger brick first temporarily to help you line up the piece.

The other elements that we have trouble with are the hinges and clips, and for that I've found just taking your time and easing it gently is the best option.

# Answer
> 3 votes
If you’re using regular bricks and plates, there is really no sure way to tightly lock them together. The only way to ensure secure assembly is to use special or Technic pieces.

If you use special bricks with “knobs” separating each row or layer with two rows or layers of plates, you can then use plates across the knobs.

A more secure assembly would be to use Technic bricks with connector pegs, separate each row with two rows of plates and use Technic beams across the connector pegs.

If you have a wall structure that is two units thick you can also use bearing elements which are 2×2 bricks with snaps.

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Tags: tools
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# Question
Title: Looking for information on a Lego manual I had as a kid
I had a lot of Lego when I was younger (in the late 80s/90s). In a flash of nostalgia I recently remembered having a great instructions/ideas book that I loved to read through - I can't remember the number, or even if it was an official instruction manual, all I can remember is that it contained information on a 'line plotter', which used a roll of paper and a few pens to draw lines, which at the time I thought was amazing - I may have even built it.

I've been able to find out some information - it appears that the plotter was built by Larry Page (yes, of Google fame!), and I have also managed to find this picture from the book...

Does anybody else have any information on this book? A PDF would be excellent, but any information would be of interest to me.

Many thanks,

# Answer
The book you're looking for is the "Expert Builder Idea Book (8888)". The complete book is available on Peeron.
> 6 votes

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Tags: instructions, design, vintage
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# Question
Title: What was the slot for in the 1950's slotted bricks?
Bricklink has a list of ancient bricks from the 50s that have slots in them. What was the purpose of the slot? Its positioning on various pieces suggests that there was something specific you were supposed to put there — a window, maybe?

# Answer
> 7 votes
Oh, I should have read further down the page. There were special panes of "glass" in frames that fit the slots.

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Tags: piece-information, history
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title: Mega Bloks vs LEGO bases

text:
# Question
Title: Mega Bloks vs LEGO bases
Are Mega Bloks compatible with LEGO bases? Do they sell larger LEGO bases for them? I am making a table but want to use the correct base.

# Answer
LEGO Bases work with Mega Bloks, as the bricks are the same dimensions. However, certain Mega Bloks pieces, like specialized items and weapons, may not fit optimally with LEGO minifigures.

Certain bricks (including the maxi and DUPLO-sized bricks) are on a larger scale. They produce bricks that will work with DUPLO plates and such. This is probably the most produced size.
> 0 votes

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Tags: compatibility, 3rd-party
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# Question
Title: Parts/Step not fitting ( technic / gear not aligning)
working on Lego Technic; Recovery truck. Reached Step 27(book 1)....fixing the rope spool. and found that the white gear wheel is not fitting in. i.e., i have the white gear fixed on the shaft with the spool, but when i try to fit it on the frame, it does not fit in, if i force it in, it goes on a angle. have relooked at the previous steps and can't see any part missed out or put in wrongly.

Any ideas what i am doing wrong? isn't the white gear wheel supposed to align with the small black gear wheel?

# Answer
> 3 votes
Problem solved. I had a part wrongly fitted. both parts look similar ( black gear wheel)...one(part#6012451) is smaller that other(part #4177431). back on track now. .. :-)

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Tags: technic, gears
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# Question
Title: What pieces are used to create this Djembe MOC?
I sent an E-mail to the creator but haven't heard back. Any thoughts on the part numbers on the Lego djembe? Trying to build one for Christmas gift :-)

# Answer
From the looks of it, the base is made out of a 4x4 red plate (#3031) and a 1x4 red plate (#3710). On top, you have 3 1x4 red tiles (#2431) arranged in a U shape within the center of the U 3 1x2 tiles with center stud (red - #3794) and 1 regular 1x2 tile (#3069), like so:

```
________
|_______|
| |_o_| |
| |___| |
| |.|.| |
|_|_|_|_|

```

The seat is a hinge piece (#3938 on #3937), sitting on 2 of the 1x2 tiles with center stud, whereas the djembe itself is a 1x1 cone (#4589b), an inverted 2x2 round disc (radar - #4740), a 2x2 round disc with X hole in center (#4032) and then the finishing 2x2 round tile (with optional pattern - variants of #4150).

The cone, inverted disc and 2x2 round pieces are attached together using a Lego Friends magic wand #87994pb01 or a Bar 3L (#87994), though I don't have access to such a bar and hence wasn't able to try it out in my draft build, but I did test out a Bar 4L (#30374) and know that that works if trimmed down to about 3L. Alternatively you can use a tool screwdriver (#6246a), but this doesn't secure the top 2 round pieces very well.

Here are step-by-step instructions :) :
> 4 votes

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Tags: part-identification
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title: LEGO STUDIOS Moviemaker Set

text:
# Question
Title: LEGO STUDIOS Moviemaker Set
I was offered a set from LEGO STUDIOS line, very well maintained but without his software.

Can someone share the installation CD in English of LEGO STUDIOS 1349 Steven Spielberg Moviemaker Set or where can I download the software in English??

# Answer
Generally speaking, you should ask LEGO to send you a replacement disc. In 2006 they sent the software without any further cost according to this forum thread.

Note though, the official software is almost 15 years old by now, and so it is likely incompatible with any modern computer. There is a version that is compatible with XP, but anyways it is generally accepted that the official software is far worse than the best generic alternative.

Keeping this in mind, I would rather recommend you to look around for other generic video-editing software: Free software collection of a hobbyist LEGO movie group
> 4 votes

# Answer
I do have a copy of that floating around somewhere\*, and can attest to the fact that it only worked directly with Windows 98.

LEGO did release an updated CD for the "Mindstorms Vision Commander" set that worked with Windows XP that should enable the drivers for the webcam which I also have somewhere\*, but I was unable to install the correct drivers for the Camera (effectively a low-spec Logitec webcam iirc) from the install media on a 64 bit Windows 7 machine (I also tried both compatibility settings and Windows XP Mode) - this seems to be a limitation of the Camera.

The software itself was quite good for editing (based on a Pinnacle Software video editor), but the rendered output was far worse than the original/in-app player.

If you have an Apple device, you will get better results from the LEGO Movie Maker app, which provides decent live onion skinning in the viewport, as well as a better camera and output. Other devices have other apps available as well.

`*` In this case "in a box in the loft" I think - not sure how accessible it is, but I need to get some stuff down this weekend, so will see if I can dig it out.
> 3 votes

# Answer
I managed to find the English version for Windows XP:

http://www.mediafire.com/download/h88sxgzkfs2278x/studio.iso
> 1 votes

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Tags: software
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title: LEGO or DUPLO ringing doorbell

text:
# Question
Title: LEGO or DUPLO ringing doorbell
Does anyone know if this piece can be found anywhere or what it is called? My kids had a ringing doorbell appox 28 to 30 years ago, where you push down a red button that sits on top of a curved yellow DUPLO or LEGO piece. (similar in shape to an eyeball piece)

# Answer
> 9 votes
I think you mean this part: Duplo Brick 1 x 2 x 2 Rounded Top with Bell

It comes with 3 different prints.

There are several sellers on bricklink selling the part.

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Tags: part-identification, duplo
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title: What is LEGO Junior?

text:
# Question
Title: What is LEGO Junior?
Are LEGO Junior bricks bigger than regular LEGO?

I can't decide between Junior LEGO and Duplo for my son who is just over 3. I had thought the Junior sets might constitute a happy medium, but am now less sure.

# Answer
> 14 votes
LEGO Juniors sets use normal LEGO System bricks. In other words, they are exactly the same size as the "normal" LEGO bricks.

However, the Junior sets are specifically designed for younger children. They often have large single-use pieces (for example, for walls or frames), and are generally very easy to construct. They also limit the use of small or difficult to handle pieces as much as possible.

Depending on how advanced your son is, my guess is that Duplo is the most appropriate. If he no longer attempts to put toys in his mouth, and can focus/concentrate on a task for a decent amount of time, and has started developing fine motor skills, then Junior would probably be the most appropriate.

For reference, LEGO labels the Junior sets as appropriate for 4-7-year-olds, but I have met only a couple 4-year-olds that I would give the Junior sets to. Most 3-year-olds should probably be playing with Duplo.

# Answer
> 3 votes
Lego Juniors is fine for 3-year-olds who know not to put toys in their mouths. My son, when he was three, was playing with regular System Lego (of which Juniors is a subset) and it was okay. If it's important to you that your son have things like vehicles, or minifigs, and that he build the whole set himself, then Juniors is the way to go.

Otherwise, I see Lego as a longer-term investment: most kids enjoy playing with it from 3 to 13 or later. Stuff like the Juniors kits, or Duplo, gets to be too babyish after a couple years, but the regular stuff is still good forever. So if you just want your son to build, get a box of basic bricks (regular Lego bricks, not Duplo) and let him build. There are no instructions for him to worry about.

If he has any interest or aptitude he'll be ready for the kits that say they're for 5+ or 6+ in no time, and those kits will mesh well with the stuff you've already bought.

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Tags: duplo, size, terminology, juniors
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title: How to connect chain links to the axle

text:
# Question
Title: How to connect chain links to the axle
In my project I want append two 21 chain links to the axle 12. Is this any axle connector with knob ending?

# Answer
You probably want something a little similar to this:

There was a similar setup in the Bespin Cloud City scene that used a string attached to two studs that was wound around an axle in the same way.

As Phil B. suggests, adding an additional round plate on top of the chain will provide you with a bit more support for the stud, at the possible expense of making the winding thicker - it will tend to wrap around the plates then.
> 1 votes

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Tags: building, technic
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# Question
Title: can someone identify this lego character for me?
I have a mini figure that I can't find on the web or any where else (I also don't have any instructions for it). Not sure where it came from but I found it in a pile of lego at home that I collected years ago.

Can someone please tell me what number these 'pieces' are or tell me what lego set this came from. That would be great!

# Answer
this appears to be Robot Devastator 4 - Red Eyes

from the following sets

8101-1:Claw Crusher or 8107: Fight for the Golden Tower or 8112: Arachnoid Stalker or 8115: Dark Panther

Partlist for Devastator

Bricklink part list
> 11 votes

# Answer
That figure came in quite a few Exoforce sets a few years ago in both silver and bronze. As far as which sets, I don't recall, but I hoped it helped.
> 2 votes

# Answer
That looks like "Robot Devastator 4", which came in red-eyed and regular versions.
> 0 votes

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Tags: minifigure-identification
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# Question
Title: The program downloaded from the education ev3 programming software has a error "VM program validation"
I cannot run the program from the ev3 software.It only shows "VM program validiation" How do I stop this from happening?

# Answer
How did you download the program to the EV3? According to this post on the Mindstorms forum this can occur if there was a problem sending the program, usually via poor quality Bluetooth adaptors.

You can confirm this if the downloaded program is only a few bytes in size on the Brick.

If this is the case, try downloading the program via a USB cable.
> 1 votes

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Tags: ev3-g
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title: Dimensions for EV3pieces

text:
# Question
Title: Dimensions for EV3pieces
I need to know the dimensions of the EV3 pieces for a school project (in mm). Does anyone know?

# Answer
> 2 votes
I don't know of any comprehensive parts dimension reference, but following should help you get started. You can calculate part dimensions using fundamental dimensions of LEGO parts. The distance between holes in technic bricks is 8 mm (8 mm is one of core dimensions in whole LEGO).

So for example, lets take a beam (aka liftarm) with 7 holes, then length is 8mm\*7=56 mm, and width is 8 mm.

Same rule for pegs, e.g. black pin with friction (used to connect 2 beams) has length of 8mm\*2 = 16mm, diameter of 4.8mm - 6.2mm (depending on what part of pin you would measure).

LEGO technic axels follow same rule: their length is a multiple of 8.

You can read more on LEGO dimensions at http://www.robertcailliau.eu/Lego/Dimensions/zMeasurements-en.xhtml

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Tags: piece-information, ev3, size
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title: Execute program programmatically

text:
# Question
Title: Execute program programmatically
I want to program our Ev3 for FLL (class assignment), and I want to use an object oriented approach in a very procedural environment. Is there a programmatic way to execute another program inside the same project using the augmented LabView? (This is more like using other programs as methods rather than programs, and then calling the "methods" to do a certain task like pull a lever, push a button, move the wheels...)

# Answer
This is more of a LabView answer than a Mindstorms answer, but you should be able to create a SubVI that represents a task, and then you can place that in the main VI.

This help document might be useful: http://zone.ni.com/reference/en-XX/help/372962A-01/lvnxt/creatingusingsubvi/
> 5 votes

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Tags: mindstorms, ev3, programming, labview
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# Question
Title: Where can I get LEGO bricks to build a life size wall?
I would like to create the structure, meaning walls of my stand in an exhibition, made by LEGO bricks, so I wonder if I can order great quantities of bricks just to create this and if I can talk to an engineer who can design for me a particular product made by Lego's bricks.

Who can I speak to? Can I receive a quotation for that?

# Answer
You can always go to Ebay and buy some (or should I say, a lot) of the 1x16 bricks. I don't know the dimensions of your exhibition, so I cannot give any further information. Good luck with that project!
> 0 votes

# Answer
I'd ask someone like Warren Elsmore to help with this. He's done many unique creations for organisations all over the world, and he's written 3 books about LEGO.

Although I would also consider this idea. These guys rocked up to BRICK 2014 in London this past weekend and built the walls of their stand with their product of LEGO storage bricks. It worked great. The dimension are huge and still recognisable as LEGO. It would also be heaps cheaper than trying to build it from standard size bricks.
> 2 votes

# Answer
If there is a Lego Users Group in your area, see if you can place a LUGBULK order through them.

Otherwise, your best bet is probably BrickLink.
> 1 votes

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Tags: shopping
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# Question
Title: Are there LEGO compatible CAD Files For Injection Mold Manufacturing?
I've designed some fun building brick sets that are compatible with LEGO but I know the market for them is smaller than what LEGO would be interested in. I've contacted some manufacturers at alibaba.com to see if they could produce the sets for me however most of them want me to send them 3D model files.

I can convert the LDRAW files to OBJ files, but are they accurate enough for use for manufacturing? Has anyone else tried this?

# Answer
Look here: http://www.thingiverse.com/tag:LEGO

But be aware- as a single person manufacturing a LEGO compatible item, you might be open to litigation. You would probably win, but winning very frequently bankrupts people either way. Do you really require a unique piece that LEGO does not make? There are many custom sets around that are a kit of LEGO manufactured pieces.
> 2 votes

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Tags: manufacturing, cad, 3d-printing
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# Question
Title: What are the pros and cons of using a Lego rental service such as Pleygo?
Anyone used Pleygo which is a website advertised as *A Netflix-like rental service for Lego® sets*? What are the pros and cons?

# Answer
I guess I'm too stunned (I mean, is this for real?) to answer anything remotely meaningful, although some obvious cons come to mind:

* you get bricks which have been used, potentially a lot, and you have no clue how or by whom (well ok they say they sanitize them in between, but still)
* you don't get to keep them (well maybe that's a pro given the first con).
* 15$ per month seems rather expensive too, I'm not saying LEGO is a cheap toy but I'm confident you can get a decent amount of your own, new bricks for that price

But of course I've never used (or even known about) the service, so maybe I'm unnecessarily harsh about it.

However, I have some related experience with this: when I was a kid, there was a library in the village which doubled as a toy library on Saturday, where you could rent toys for a week. While this was great to play all sort of different board games and they made a very good effort to ensure they were always complete, I have some memories of one particular game which smelled kinda funny. We liked the game though, so we played it quite often, but it did smell funny.

So that would be one thing to be wary of - how exactly do they sanitize blocks? How do they deal with blocks which are rented to smokers, or people with pets (considering some people are allergic, it's a very valid question).

Of course inventory of the set would tend to be an issue too - as a matter of fact, they did have a few LEGO sets at said toy library, and I can tell you they were far from complete (since the library was at the school, we could sometimes play with the toys when waiting for our parents, or something like that; in any case I never rented LEGO sets as I had my own LEGO bricks and the sets weren't complete anyway). In any case, considering how easy it is to lose a LEGO parts, and seeing pleygo claims "No charge for lost pieces", it's bound to happen a lot that pieces are indeed lost. I assume they'll try to replace them somehow, but I'm extremely curious about how they'd do that.

If you're willing to try the service, I would at the very least recommand you get answers to these questions (they may be on their site somewhere, I didn't check), and more importantly, check if you can get a trial somehow. It would be nuts to have to pay one full year to realize the service is sub-par.

But in my opinion, it's probably always better to buy sets. Keeping in mind LEGO usually keeps its value rather well, is it wise to pay 15$ a month and not get anything you can keep in return?

---

Edit: it seems Pleygo is getting some momentum these days, and I assume the fact they're still in business speaks in their favour. Also, the owners have been kind enough to answer some questions to Brickset, which is a very interesting read and provides much needed answers to questions you may have (In particular, cleaning). Still not for me, but it seems they're quite serious and professionnal about it all. They do seem to offer the first month for free, too.
> 5 votes

# Answer
Pros:

* You get to try LEGO sets to see if you like them before you buy
* You can build LEGO sets that you might not be able to afford
* You don't have to find a market for sets you don't want to keep long-term
* You don't have to worry about lost parts, cleaning etc. because someone else takes care of those things for you
* You don't need to find space to store all that LEGO permanently
* You don't get charged for lost parts

Cons:

* You can't conveniently mix the components in with other sets to create your own MOCs (because you'll have to sort it all out again afterwards)
* You may have concerns about the quality or cleanliness of parts (although Pleygo does go to considerable lengths to deal with these issues)
* The sets you're interested in might not be available from the service at all
* You may have to wait a long time for popular sets
* The service may not be available in your locality
* Your financial investment doesn't give you any long-term benefits (other than a building experience with a particular set)
* It may still be too costly for some (although still much cheaper than buying)

On the whole, the service is aimed at families with children rather than AFOLs. As such, it appears to be gaining ground and meeting a real need.
> 5 votes

# Answer
Cool idea but not very realistic. Pros: Get to build a variety of sets Don't have to purchase so many

Cons: Too expensive. $40 a month for the big sets. The ones that everyone wants to build. No return time may make sets hard to get
> 1 votes

# Answer
Its not for everyone, but those who just don't want to store the sets it makes sense. It is more aimed at the parent with a 6 year old who asks for LEGO sets every time they walk through Toys R Us. If you go to their page right now and click the vote banner at the top, the CEO's profile has a video that shows the cleaning process. Again, it is not for everyone.
> 1 votes

# Answer
I have considered having my 9 year old son attend Lego camps during the summer. Those camps can be really expensive. I just saw one at the University of Missouri. Look at these prices.

```
*****Space is limited to 15 kids and registration is on a first-come, first-served basis.
Time for all camps: 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Cost:
2-day camps: $175 (lunch, CD and insurance included)
3-day camps: $300 (lunch, CD and insurance included)*****

```

Now! This is the price for 2 and 3 days. With Pleygo you are allowed unlimited sets monthly for $15-$40 per month. Your child will be able to construct a multiple of sets in the comfort of his or her own home and be able to use the rest of the money for a neighborhood basketball camp or beading class or something else. I believe that the cost far outweighs anything like a Lego summer camp. Looking at the 3-day camps after paying those fees you will have paid for the entire year for Pleygo's subscription in but only have access for 3 days versus 365. Totally something to think about especially if you are looking for summer activities, you see? I see mega savings!
> 0 votes

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Tags: 3rd-party
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# Question
Title: Can I Conect 2 NXTs so that they work together?
I am building up a robot and I want to use 2 NXT connected together because I need more than 3 ports A,B,C. So my question here is: When I write the code, is there anything different I have to do?

For example do I write the same code I would use for 2 NXT and just connect them together or do I have to do something more than this?

I found a way to connect them but I have not found examples yet of the blocks (nxt code software).

# Answer
Without 3rd party hardware or software, the only way to do this is to use Bluetooth messages. For example, you could write motor power to a Bluetooth mailbox on one NXT. The other NXT just has a simple program with a loop that reads the Bluetooth mailbox and connects it to a motor block.
> 2 votes

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Tags: mindstorms, nxt, remote-control
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# Question
Title: How can I prevent my train from derailing?
I have motorized the Constitution Chase train by putting a PF train motor into the coal car. I disassembled the rest of the cars, down to the car bed, and let my kids build whatever train cars they want. This, plus a few cars from a City train let me run a train with the engine (which is a dummy), the motorized coal car, two short cars with fixed wheel trucks and two long cars with turning wheel trucks.

The problem is that sometimes this train works really well and other times it just cannot stay on the tracks at all.

The tracks are laid out on a carpeted floor, but I always put the train in the same place and it usually runs fine. But today's layout was just unworkable and I had to disassemble it and start over. The second layout works and I'm not sure what the difference is. The train rolls along and then whoops, the front wheels of the engine are turned, and the whole things falls down.

The layout itself is designed to withstand the perturbations of the train. This is accomplished by using a single piece of flex track every 1/4 turn and wherever there is a switch. This helps keep the track from shaking loose, as nothing is typically attached anywhere, except for the snap-together action of the track pieces.

Today I tried to settle down a particularly bad stretch of track by mounting it on some 10x20 bricks but that didn't really solve the problems.

Is there a way to reliably run the train on a carpet base? Or even to just improve the reliability over what I have now, which seems somewhat random.

# Answer
One thing I would say from my model train experience is that shunting (pushing) is more likely to derail a train than pulling, especially at speed.

There are a few factors that influence this in models more than we see in "real life":

1. The force is usually transferred via the couplings rather than buffers. This means there is more chance that the force will be applied at the wrong angle, forcing the leading elements off the track
2. The elements are too light. In real "multiple unit" trains where the driving force is at the rear of the train, the front elements are still very heavy, which mitigates the effects of force distribution somewhat - if you can add more weight to the Locomotive build then you may have more success.

A simple confirmation of this would be to remove the Locomotive from the train and see if you get the same derailments?
> 5 votes

# Answer
I've taken apart, and rebuilt, my layout a few times and come to the following conclusion. It seems that the locomotive is extremely sensitive to any curve or gap in the tracks. The front wheels are attached via a technic pin, and essentially float under the front of the boiler, but the pin only really allows for lateral movement and not vertical. Thus, when the tender pushes the locomotive, if there is anything that causes the rear of the locomotive to drop slightly or be twisted, the front wheels will lift and the train falls off the tracks.

The problem is worse, but not limited to, the flexible track. Sometimes a simple curve is sufficient, and the switch tracks are also problematic.

I tried putting a boat weight inside the boiler, This makes the locomotive heavier but doesn't really apply much force on the front wheels, and it means the center of gravity of the locomotive is not well placed for taking corners.

The other change I've made is to how the IR sensor is mounted in the locomotive. I rebuilt the roof of the cab so that the sensor pokes up out the top of the roof. I also re-routed the wires between the tender and the locomotive so that they are coming out the bottom of the tender, just above the coupler, and go under the sensor. I also pack them tightly into the locomotive so that there is no slack. This prevents the wires from pushing against the locomotive, which was causing at least a few derailments.

Finally, I removed as much flex track as possible, and put 2x4 plates on the track to hold the layout together.

The result is that the train runs acceptably well as long as nobody separates the tender from the locomotive.
> 1 votes

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Tags: trains
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title: Cracked LEGO torso

text:
# Question
Title: Cracked LEGO torso
I recently discovered that my LEGO Legolas minifig from LEGO Lord of the Rings has two small cracks starting from the base of the torso on each side, but I wonder: will these cracks extend and damage the fig?

# Answer
> 3 votes
These cracks will often get worse over time as the legs are removed and replaced, or simply from normal play. Even if they don't get worse, the legs probably already have low clutch power which may be causing the legs to simply fall off.

Given that LEGO is still producing a Legolas minifig, they will almost certainly be happy to replace that torso for you. You can either find the piece that is broken and submit a replacement request to LEGO, or you can contact customer service directly and explain which piece is broken.

# Answer
> 2 votes
This really depends on how much you plan to use LEGO-las. If he's to be used just as a display or collectors item, he should be fine; to ensure safety, super-glue the poor elf's pants to his body.

If you plan to make him hop around and destroy orcs on a regular basis, try super-gluing the cracks from the inside while the pants are removed or it will get worse.

If the crack is too small to super-glue, I wouldn't worry till LEGO-las' legs get loose, which will happen if he is excessively used for play.

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Tags: minifigures, history, repair, replacement-parts
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title: If I design a lego set

text:
# Question
Title: If I design a lego set
If I design a Lego set that you may be interested in selling, whom do I contact in the company?

My husband iis constantly building new buildings etc. Thought your company may be interested.

# Answer
Lego has a website called Lego Ideas through which fans can submit set ideas. Other fans vote on their favorite projects, and if a project receives 10,000 votes, Lego will consider making the set into an official release.
> 4 votes

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Tags: design
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title: Starting a wholesale LEGO business

text:
# Question
Title: Starting a wholesale LEGO business
I would like to start a company trading in bulk LEGO. I have been told, however, that trading in volume is quite difficult and good discounts are only really given to the likes of Walmart and other huge players. So I would be interested to know if there are other secondary sources in Europe or North America, where new LEGO can be bought in bulk.

# Answer
You can buy LEGO in bulk at any official LEGO store. It is called the PAB (Pick-A-Brick) Wall. They will sell them to you buy the cup, or if you need really large quantities, you can also ask them for full boxes. Keep in mind that the selection changes seasonally, and you will not be the only seller who buys parts this way, so there will be competition.

Other than that, your only other option is to take advantage of sales at retail stores. Right before Christmas is an excellent time to stock up as many stores have great deals. Also, right after Christmas when stores are clearing out last year's stock to give room to new sets (LEGO always releases a whole range of new sets in January).

LEGO does not sell parts in large bulks to individuals, unless you become an official LEGO Certified Professional. However these people get access to huge amounts of LEGO not because of reselling the pieces, but because they are creating art. In general LEGO does not like resellers and will not support them in any way. You will have to find your own resources/angle if you want to get into the business.
> 10 votes

# Answer
Trading in LEGO isn't an easy way to make a lot of money. The margins are much smaller than they were, and you'll face stiff competition. That said, it is possible to make a profit if you do your research and you're willing to put the effort in. Few of us make a fortune, but many of us make enough to fund the odd purchase for our own collections.

To trade LEGO successfully, you're going to need several things:

1. A lot of dedication and enthusiasm for the product.
2. A good source of information.
3. A regular supply of cheap LEGO. Not just any LEGO, but LEGO that is of interest to your target market.
4. A reliable place to sell your LEGO.

So, where to source your LEGO?

I am given to understand that TLG won't deal with you at all unless you're able to take substantial quantities of stock - I've heard the figure £40,000, but I can't recall where, and to be honest I question its accuracy. Nevertheless, you're going to have to sell a *lot* of LEGO if you want to deal with them directly, let alone get the big discounts that are reserved for sellers like Amazon and TRU. The remaining ways to buy LEGO from TLG - such as PAB and the replacement parts service - tend to be expensive and unsuitable for bulk purchases. (And forget LUGBULK - the T&Cs prohibit reselling).

You may be able to find a wholesale distributor of LEGO, but this isn't an area on which I am qualified to comment. Furthermore, it may be possible to buy remaindered or damaged stock from wholesalers or resellers. I don't have a lot of experience in this area either, but some time ago I came across auctions for pallet loads of goods, some of which included LEGO. Whether or not this is still a viable approach I couldn't say.

An alternative - the approach I use - is to buy LEGO from regular retailers when it is on sale. If you research the market you will be able to find sets at substantial reductions, and by combining offers you can pick up 10s of boxes of LEGO at a good discount. Of course, you need to be choosey, as the cost of storing, selling and shipping LEGO quickly eats into your margins. Even though I've been at this game for a while, I still make small losses from time to time. Fortunately, these can be offset by the wins. The main problems with this approach are that (1) the risk that you won't get the returns you expect, (2) supplies are limited to what is on offer at the moment, and (3) you may need to hold on to some sets for a while: getting a good price for your LEGO is often more about timing than anything else.

My final idea - one I have yet to try, but which certainly looks viable - is to consider buying *used* LEGO from private sellers with a view to selling at a higher price. The two general approaches to this are (1) to pick and choose individual sets where you can see a market and a profit, or (2) buy bulk loose LEGO at low prices. Either way, you may end up spending a considerable amount of time sorting, cleaning and replacing LEGO parts.
> 6 votes

# Answer
Also define what you mean by "Bulk LEGO" - just the pieces in bulk, or are you planning to purchase sets in bulk and resell them online (so basically becoming a LEGO retailer like Walmart/Toys'r'us and the likes? The latter would probably be something you can get set up by working with TLG directly (I have no experience though).

To resell pieces I would think you would need to go the route outlined by @TheBrickBlogger.
> 0 votes

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Tags: shopping, investment
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# Question
Title: Can anyone identify this strangely shaped piece (1970s?)
I bought a tin of old Lego second hand - most of the pieces date from the 70s and very early 80s. These definitely say Lego on them. They may be damaged. I cannot find them on other brick identifier sites. Can anyone help?

All help gratefully received. The image isn't great but they are the classic red colour. The holes in the side fit the old style metal pins in Lego wheels.

# Answer
It's a "Vehicle, Tipper End Flat with Pins". It was used in trains (but not only trains) a long time ago (1969-1982), and I actually have a couple from a train I owned as a kid.
> 10 votes

# Answer
They're part of the 1972 train-sets 130, 171, 180, 181 and 724 (picture is set 130)

Yellow version is part of the 1979 technic-set 856.
> 9 votes

# Answer
We had a couple of yellow ones of these. Used for mounting snow plough blades onto the front of the Unimog kit.
> 3 votes

# Answer
I have two red ones which I got in a lot of Vintage LEGO, since there were many parts of vintage train stuff in the same lot like the blue train tracks, my guess is that they are parts to the train lego, I could imagine that they were suppose to be parts making up a tipping container...
> 1 votes

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Tags: part-identification, vintage
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# Question
Title: Is it safe to use a hot glue gun for Mega Bloks?
I've just managed to secure a copy of the Mega Bloks StarCraft Battlecruiser set on eBay after they dropped significantly in value with Blizzard clearing out the last of the stock with their recent Black Friday sale. It's going to be here in about a week, and it's the first model of this magnitude that I've ever done. I figure that the actual process won't be any more difficult than usual, but considering the collectible nature of this item, I'd like to make sure that when I put it together, it's permanent.

Is it safe to use a hot glue gun? Naturally, I wouldn't want to try it and find the bricks melting under the heat. I would just test it on some more easily replaced pieces, but I currently don't have any Mega Bloks in my collection, only LEGO elements and Tyco.

# Answer
It's probably not the best option to use no: according to Wikipedia, glue guns tend to operate at the following temperatures:

> Low-temperature glue guns operate at approximately 120°C (248°F) \[...\] High-temperature guns operate at approximately 190°C (374 °F)

LEGO and Mega Bloks' primary component, ABS, has a melting point around 105°C (221°F), which is a bit lower than the glue and it will have started to deform around 80°C (176°F).

Your best option would be to use a glue that "welds" the LEGO elements together, such as Plastic or Polystyrene Cement.
> 5 votes

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Tags: 3rd-party, glue
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title: Do LEGO bricks float?

text:
# Question
Title: Do LEGO bricks float?
Is it possible to build a boat out of LEGO bricks? I appreciate you couldn't make it watertight but would a LEGO boat float by itself due to the buoyancy of the bricks themselves?

Pictures of any home-made floating constructions would be really interesting.

# Answer
> 62 votes
The plastic is a bit heavier than water and should sink, however in practice I have experienced that 2x4 bricks (and the like) have a tendency to trap air inside them and actually float rather well. It probably isn't failsafe, however for shorter periods of time (like a half to a full hour) would probably work fine. (I haven't actually tested the time it could stay afloat, I'm trying it out now. When my small mini-boat has sunk, I will add the time here.)

**Update:**

24 hours have passed, it is still floating.

It sunk about 1mm compared to the beginning, but nothing of importance. However while I did push it around from time to time, it was still in still water and stationary most of the time. How it will perform during play is unknown.

Notice how the internal structure of the bricks causes the air to be trapped inside them.

# Answer
> 27 votes
A few years back there was this solid single-piece hulled police boat which would float.

There was also a small red boat (pre-2000) that came with part of a pirate set (I believe, anyway)

As for building a boat from scratch...no. It tended to capsise then sink (somewhat impressively). Place 2x 4x2 bricks on another and place in water, they only float on their side. I expect this is down to a center of gravity but I'm not a sciencey type so I can't confirm for sure.

# Answer
> 23 votes
I had a Police-Boat when I was a child that had a one-piece-body, so it was watertight and able to float:

There are some other LEGO-boats with similar bodies (even some bigger ones) that should also be able to float.

# Answer
> 18 votes
There is another not mentioned way to achieve flotation. My kid discovered it today with his "water bat": **surface tension**. The long flat wings did the trick : ) It is not exactly *due to the buoyancy of the bricks themselves* as wanted in the question, but might help as a complement.

For more on the Physics underlying: Surface tension

# Answer
> 14 votes
In addition of the various boat hulls, you can use pneumatic tanks for extra buoyancy.

If you want to motorize your boat, keep in mind that means extra weight, which has to be countered in some way.

# Answer
> 12 votes
My kids had Captain Redbeard's Pirate Ship - it certainly floated in the bathtub!

I believe many of the other Lego pirate ships could float, particularly if they had molded single piece hulls - see this list.

# Answer
> 10 votes
My children play with the lego fishing boat (see picture) in our bath tube. This design does have a serious flaw (imo). Even if there are very small water waves in our bath tube, water enters the boat which then becomes to heavy and sinks. So if you are planning to built your own lego boat i would make sure the sides are high enough to prevent water from entering the boat. Or if you are really clever make a water drainage system like normal boats have.

*Lego fishing boat 4642*

##

You also asked for some examples. Found this simple but effective example online.

# Answer
> 7 votes
For a very small "boat" - something like a 4x8 plate with 1x8 and 1x2 brick sides it might stay afloat for a short amount of time before the leakage takes it down. For larger stuff, LEGO is just too heavy when you get in to building the necessary structure for a real boat.

There were some sealed-hull boat sets I remember from childhood that were designed to float, so using the special parts from them would make it possible.

# Answer
> 7 votes
Already a correct answer accepted, but... the original question seems to be "do Lego bricks float by themselves?"

Most Lego bricks are made of ABS plastic which has a specific gravity greater than 1 (but only slightly). So, they are heavier than water and will not float naturally. You can get small bricks to float initially since small bubbles cling to their surface, but they will all sink eventually.

Since ABS isn't affected by salt water - it *might* be possible to increase the salinity of the water to a point where the bricks naturally float (would need to be higher concentration than sea water...)

# Answer
> 7 votes
Yes, if built carefully. When I was a kid I made a number of lego boats to play with in the tub, and later in the pool. The main thing I remember was to make the hull upside down and out of at least two interlocking layers. Lining the inside with plate also helped.

# Answer
> 1 votes
I'd have to say that in general, only the parts that are designed to float will do so reliably. You may be able to make some sort of raft by inverting several large bricks (studs down).

I haven't tried Lego bricks in water (other than a police boat set), however, when using Duplo's in the bath tub we were only able to make submerged structures. The water easily seeps into the bottoms of the bricks and causes them to sink.

# Answer
> 1 votes
Yeah they float but make the hull wide not narrow as it will stay up right if you make the hull wide. Narrow means top heavy. I first started making LEGO boats now I make home built boats. And no need to be water tight for LEGO just get more surface area. Who knows you might even be able to make a cruise ship that floats.

# Answer
> 1 votes
Styrofoam bits trapped in brick-built chambers might work Ok to keep structures afloat.

# Answer
> -1 votes
Yes, just as long as the bottom is able to displace the boats weight onto the water.. Just like how a Polar Bear can walk on thin ice; displacement.

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Tags: boat, water
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# Question
Title: Identify this uniformed figure with four yellow buttons and a grey belt
My son recently got a huge box of figures and pieces (from what I can tell an original spaceship with figure too) and I can't figure out what set is from or how old this figure is.

He has four yellow buttons and a silver/greyish belt on a black sticker on his chest. Body and legs are black and no other discerning features about him.

# Answer
Looks like a 1980's Fireman. Found an example from the 620 lego set:
> 11 votes

# Answer
1978 Fireman. I've got a couple from set 374 and 602.
> 5 votes

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Tags: minifigure-identification
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# Question
Title: Should I buy the retail or education version of Mindstroms EV3?
There are other questions that list the differences in the retail and educational version but I cannot judge which one I should buy (educational or retail).

I am buying Mindstorms for the first time, The educational kit looks more appealing to me as it has more parts, gyro sensor (I need this) and it is also $10 less than the retail version.

I am 27 year old and want to buy the best value for money and one I can get most out it. Any add-on suggestion will be also great as it is not available in my country and I would like to buy most of the stuff in one go.

# Answer
Note that the Education version doesn't come with any software - if you want to use the full features of the Education EV3 brick (mostly around Data Logging), you will need to purchase the Education version of the software - thus making the price about £70-85 higher (which may still be cheaper than purchasing the Retail edition and adding the extra components).
> 3 votes

# Answer
Edu version is better. You can use Home software with it and it has more and better sensors (2 touch instead of 1 and ultrasound instead of infrared). It has better mechanical parts - better tracks and metal ball to use as third wheel.

It is also cheaper for some reason.
> 2 votes

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Tags: ev3, education
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title: 70728/2 Ninjago piece too short?

text:
# Question
Title: 70728/2 Ninjago piece too short?
My son is putting together the 70728 set and the grey tall pieces in book two at step 8 seem to be too short, they leave a gap. By about a mm. Has anyone else had this experience?

# Answer
> 2 votes
As this set is built on a plate-built base, it is quite possible that they are not pushed together tightly. I have ran into this numerous times when building the LEGO Modular Buildings as the second and third floors have a plate-built floor. Look through everything that has been built so far and make sure that the plates are pushed together all the way. LEGO does have some tolerance and viggle-room, but it is much less than a millimeter.

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Tags: building, instructions, ninjago
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title: What set is this minifigure from?

text:
# Question
Title: What set is this minifigure from?
I found this minifigure in an unmarked box, but do not know what set it came from.

# Answer
> 8 votes
Legs and torso are from a Unitron figure: http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?M=sp048

The red bandana has appeared in almost 100 sets (often pirate-themed), while the head and hands are generic and could be from any number of sets as well.

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Tags: minifigure-identification
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# Question
Title: Which parts can I use to connect a cross axle to a car body?
I have some wheels that are connected to cross axles. The wheels don't turn on the axles (they have an X-shaped centre whole ). Which parts can be used to Connect the axle to the car body? It's supposed to be a very basic car for my 4 year old.

# Answer
> 4 votes
You don't give many details, but there are cross-axle to round-axle pegs available, or you can put the cross-axle through a round-axle brick.

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Tags: wheel
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# Question
Title: How to fit lego power function LED lights onto cargo train (set: 60052)
can anyone out there explain / illustrate how to fit lego power function white LED lights on the blue cargo train (set number 60052)? We have assembled the engine but I cannot see where or how these lights fit on the engine. I have watched a couple of YouTube videos showing how to fit these on other trains, but not the cargo train. There are not any holes or compatable pieces on the engine that can take the lights - as far as I can see anyway. My son is 7 and I am no lego expert by the way. Thanks

# Answer
> 1 votes
The cargo train (60052) is not out-of-the-box able to be converted to using LED lights. The light bricks (1x1 round bricks) are fitted on the front bumper of the train with no space left for the light plugs. You would need to make modifications to the train to embed the lights - for example by mounting an additional light on top of the train, or by putting different lights on the front bumper. But you would need special transparent headlight (aka Erling) bricks for that - part 4070 or 30069 is typically used in other train sets.

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Tags: power-functions
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# Question
Title: How to control a 88004 Servo Motor with a Raspberry Pi?
I am able to control a simple servo motor such as SG90 by using pulse-width modulation. However when it comes to controlling a 88004 LEGO Servo Motor it is simply a nightmare.

By using PWM all I managed was bringing it to its normal position. It seems the pulse length doesn't play a role at all - I've tried several ones...

Another difference between a SG90 and a 88004 is that the first has only three wires (PWR, GND and Control) whereas the LEGO servo has 4 (PWR, C1, C2 and GND).

* Which of those wires (C1 and C2) should be used with the PWM?
* How long should the pulses be to move the motor through its 15 positions?
* Is there another way to control a 88004 directly from the Raspberry Pi such as I2C?

EDITED

It works!

```
#Importing the necessary library
import RPi.GPIO as GPIO
from time import sleep

#Reference by GPIOs IDs
GPIO.setmode(GPIO.BCM)

#Assigning the GPIOs to the Lego's command wires
C1 = 21
C2 = 26
moveFactor = 14.285714286

#Setting up the necessary GPIOs
GPIO.setup(C1, GPIO.OUT)
GPIO.setup(C2, GPIO.OUT)

#Setting up the PWMs - (GPIO ID, Frequency)
pwm1 = GPIO.PWM(C1, 1200)
pwm2 = GPIO.PWM(C2, 1200)

def setPosition(position):
    pwm1.stop()
    pwm2.stop()
    i = round(position * moveFactor, 2)

    if position >= 0:
        print 'Position: ' + str(position) + ' at a Duty Cycle of ' + str(i)
        pwm1.start(i)
    else:
        print 'Position: ' + str(position) + ' at a Duty Cycle of ' + str(i*-1)
        pwm2.start(i*-1)

#Testing the commands with a LED
try:
    setPosition(-7)   #180 Degrees
    sleep(2)
    setPosition(7)    #0 Degree
    sleep(1)
except:
    pass

pwm1.stop()     # Back to the normal position (90 degrees)
pwm2.stop()
GPIO.cleanup()

```

# Answer
LEGO "Servo Motor" has little to do with a RC servomotor. To drive it, you need to:

* Power it at 9V (probably works at 5 volts, but with less torque) through PWR/GND terminals
* To move in one direction, send a PWM signal (1200 Hz, 0 to 100% duty cycle) on C1 and keep C2 at GND level. As duty cycle varies, servo motor will move along 7 positions on one side. See this video.
* To move in the other direction and reach the 7 other positions, send PWM to C2 and keep C1 at ground level.
> 9 votes

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Tags: technic, motor, power-functions
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# Question
Title: Creating ski gondolas/tramway with Duplos
I've got a three year old who just came home from a ski vacation where he was enamored with the gondolas (like below).

I want to make one with Duplos for him. I'm most of the way there, but have a few specific issues. He has a 21 month old brother, so I can't use regular legos (or I think this would be easier).

I have the cab from this set:

I plan to attach it to the bottom of a regular wheel base (like the wheel base from the same set), which creates the gondola - all good so far. However, I haven't figured out how to recreate the track/wires/etc. without some permanent modifications.

I have a pretty large supply of Duplos to work with (including the large powered train set), and I live in an area with a large Lego Store and a Legoland, so I probably have access to anything that is produced and sold in the US, and I don't mind buying odd sets - I just haven't found something that seems like it would work. I have plenty of duplos to build a little mountain with, and the little guy has sufficient imagination that he won't require a specific color scheme or a skier minifig (which I also haven't found).

I have considered using track, but I don't think I quite have the space for that (as it would take up a lot more) - and would rather do something that appears more like string/wires, as he's very aware of how that works and is very bright and detail oriented.

Specifically size-wise, I plan to build a mountain around 10-20 dots square, and about 8-12 bricks high (this depends in part on how many bricks I decide to use, and on how high it needs to be to make the gondolas work). I would put the gondola 'base' a bit away from the mountain, and the gondola end point near the top of the mountain. Sort of like how Playmobil did theirs:

except with a nice large Duplo mountain and a less complex base (I probably would just do a 8x4 platform or whatever size was necessary to manage the setup.)

In particular, I'm looking for suggestions for how to manage the hanging aspect. Since it's on a wheel base, I can put that wheel base on top of strings or wires or something else, but I don't know how to do that within the Duplo setup; I can make large knots or something through small openings in various piece combinations, and use regular string, but I'm not sure I could do that in such a way that the wheels would stay on (These are regular wheel base wheels, so they don't have anything that would help them stay on the wire/string).

# Answer
For the pulling mechanism there have been several Duplo winches (though I have no idea whether there is a current one, I'm afraid). However, for the track I immediately thought of using those (very sturdy) ribbons that they use around mail order boxes. If you have two parallell and they are pulled tight the wheels might stay on and the look might still be acceptable to your son as resembling wires?
> 2 votes

# Answer
What I have done so far: used a ribbon like suggested, but more of a clothes ribbon. It works well - the fabric fits in the spot behind the wheels and friction is usually enough to prevent it falling back. I have yet to add the winch (not sure it will be long enough but will see when I get it next weekend). I used a simple stack of squares to anchor it - on the bottom needed a bit more support for some reason but nothing fancy.

(The buildings were child made, by the way :)
> 4 votes

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Tags: building, design, duplo
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title: What is this notched or angled 1x2?

text:
# Question
Title: What is this notched or angled 1x2?
It looks old. the only markings on it is LEGOS stamped on the top of the stud holes, and a number 2 stamped on the bottom. It looks like a normal 1x2 with a slight triangle taken out of each side.

I couldn't come up with the right words to describe this piece to determine on my own what it's called or what set it might have been from. But maybe someone else has seen this before?

# Answer
Old style minifig legs (70s). Sets that have it
> 7 votes

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Tags: part-identification
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title: Giant LEGOs--that aren't QUATROs?

text:
# Question
Title: Giant LEGOs--that aren't QUATROs?
We got a big tub of secondhand LEGO bricks, and included was a random pile of what appear to be giant LEGO bricks. They are a bit bigger than DUPLO bricks but smaller than QUATRO bricks and have an old style LEGO logo stamped into the studs. They're all the same size. What's the story of these bricks?

Here's a picture of them. I've put a DUPLO in the picture for scale ;-)

# Answer
> 5 votes
I think these are LEGO Jumbo Bricks from Samsonite.

Left to right: normal brick, duplo brick, Jumbo brick and Quatro brick.

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Tags: history, part-identification
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# Question
Title: Chamber of Secrets set 4730 assembly issues
We recently obtained a secondhand set with no instructions that I identified to be "The Chamber of Secrets™ 4730". So we downloaded the Building instructions from Lego's website and started to build. But there were a few issues we were confused about as we built--and I was hoping some other lego expert builder might be able to clarify.

1. Step 3 on page 5 adds a 2x3 brick that hangs off the side of the board. What is this piece for? It seems kind of extraneous, and the best I could come up with was that maybe this was to attach the baseplate to another baseplate from the set?

2. Starting on page 16 through page 20, you build 3 towers. The instructions are incredibly vague about where these towers are attached and which orientation they should face. Page 61 is the only place I can see that even shows the towers attached to the buildings, but it only gives you a side view with how overly compressed the images are on the pdf, it's hard to see. Any 3d models of this? or photos of a different angle of the completed models?
3. Am I correct in thinking pages 62-66 is an alternate build? That isn't intended to be made at the same time as the previous pages? (I'm not missing a ton of pieces am I?)
4. Hinges... The ones added on page 32 in step 17 of the skull-face wall. To what should they attach? They appear to, perhaps, be used to attach the skull-faced build to the two large builds? But where exactly?

It kind of looks like it ought to fit like this...but the 3x4 towers are in the way:

This was the only thing I could come up with that fit, but the placement seems awkward:

# Answer
I don't own the set but found some pictures of the assembled Set 1 and Set 2

It looks to me that you can reenact the scenes of the movie with this set, therefor you have the different sections of the room, where in the movie the action takes place. You can combine the different sections to create 1 corridor by placing them as shown on page 61, the bricks of question 1 & 4 can be used to connect them.

The towers are placed on the wall sections for example as: http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=5727533

Pages 62 and further are indeed alternative builds, I don't know if this can be done with the parts of this set, but I thibk so.
> 3 votes

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Tags: instructions, harry-potter
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title: Light on color sensor is blue

text:
# Question
Title: Light on color sensor is blue
We had the sensor color on red and it was working with our remote. We changed the batteries in the 'brain' and now the light sensor is blue and won't work with the remote. Any suggestions? It's a mindstorm EV3 sensor.

# Answer
The color of the LED on the LEGO EV3 Color Sensor depends on which mode it is in.

From the EV3 help file:

> **COLOR MODE**
>
> When the Color Sensor is in Color mode, red, green, and blue LED lights on the front of the sensor will turn on.
>
> **REFLECTED LIGHT INTENSITY MODE**
>
> When the Color Sensor is in Reflected Light Intensity mode, a red LED light on the front of the sensor will turn on.
>
> **AMBIENT LIGHT INTENSITY MODE**
>
> In Ambient Light Intensity mode, a blue LED light on the front of the sensor will turn on dimly.

If you want the LED to be red, make sure you are using the Reflected Light Intensity Mode in your program.

If you are doing this and the LED still does not turn red, you should contact LEGO MINDSTORMS customer support.
> 3 votes

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Tags: ev3, lighting, sensor-colour
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title: EV3 T Rex problems

text:
# Question
Title: EV3 T Rex problems
I am new to this and I need some help with the moveabsolute block which is described in Chapter 16 of Daniele Benedetelli's book. In figure 16 - 2 he describes the block and here is my problem: I cannot find the first symbol all the way to the left in figure 16-2 . I believe it is called "connection " or "connector" . Right of that symbol is the symbol "speed" followed "degree" and "brake"

Where do I find this symbol "connection or connector"? Where do I find this block or do I have to assemble it myself ? If I have to assemble that block myself - how do I do that ?

# Answer
*The Lego Mindstorms EV3 Laboratory* by **Daniele Benedettelli**

1. Open / create the EV3 program for the T-Rex
2. add the **motor rotation**, **math** and **large motor** blocks to your program. Don't search for the first block.
3. Select the 3 blocks you just added.
4. Select *My Block Builder* under *tools* menu. You get a new window
5. Give the block a name.
6. In the top half of the screen click the button *add or edit* parameters 4 times (4 Connections)
7. On the **parameter setup** tab you must changes the values according the book.
8. Under **Parameter Icons** tab you can add some icons to the different parameters.
9. When finished select the finish button

Now the My Block will be created and opened. Here you see that the first connection block is added. Now you can add the different signal lines.

In your main / used program the 3 blocks are replaced by your My Block
> 2 votes

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Tags: ev3
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# Question
Title: Opera house 10234 book 2 instruction 20 left hand side and then 22 has got me stumped. Can't figure out how these pieces fit. Please help
Opera house 10234 book 2 instruction 20 left hand side and then instruction 22 has got me stumped. I am not sure whether there is a space between the "high 2 and the blue 4. Please help

# Answer
There is indeed 1 stud between both parts.

The gray 2x1 is on the yellow 1x1 and 1 stud of the brown 6x1, than there is 1 free stud on the brown piece. The blue brick is on the remaining 4 studs of the 6x1
> 2 votes

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Tags: instructions
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# Question
Title: Question about a Lego Compatible brand with "B L" logo
My son has a small orange and grey space ship building set. It has two astronauts with it. The logo on the bricks shows the letters "B L" on them. We're trying to find instructions online so that he can put it back together. I'm not familiar with this brand and I have no idea where the gift was purchased. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

# Answer
> 6 votes
My guess is:

bestlock construction bricks, a inferior lego clone brand

Best-lock

logo should be this

the only grey and orange set i found Space ship

couldn't find the instructions

# Answer
> 5 votes
Could it be this one?

http://web.archive.org/web/20160410154631/http://commandercottontail.com/index.php/blog/get\_post?id=12

If so, I included some photos of the instructions about halfway down in that review.

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Tags: building, 3rd-party, clone-brands
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title: Two-state clicker button

text:
# Question
Title: Two-state clicker button
For no particular good reason, I think it would be interesting to build a Lego button that behaves somewhat like the button on a click pen: as you press it, it alternates between a "down" state and an "up" state.

I've researched how pen buttons work and done a fair amount of Googling. I've experimented on my own. I haven't yet been able to figure out how to build such a thing. It's surely possible. Any advice?

**Edit**: OR I'd accept, as a solution, the official (Googlable) name for such a mechanism. If I can find a number of examples online I assume I can figure out the Lego version myself.

# Answer
> 3 votes
Ok, I have managed to build a working cam mechanism using LEGO Technic. Only thing missing is a big enough spring or elastic band to pull the entire assembly upwards - Still thinking through that part but sharing in the hopes that others can take my idea further (My current best thought is to have rubber bands on the outside of the mechanism pulling the "clicker" upwards.). Here is a demonstration of the mechanism at work (was difficult to demonstrate with just one hand as I haven't lined the walls of the vertical holder enough and sometimes the up/down motion goes under an angle): video on youtube.

Pictures:

The entire mechanism:

Clicker in the "up" position (i.e. retracted pen):

Clicker in the "down" position (i.e. pen out) - my hand is in the picture as there is no spring to provide pressure upwards:

The insert with the loop (I believe this is what is called a "cam"). There is a resting point on the top (the "down" position) as well as a resting point on the bottom (the "up" position):

The "ball" - in this case a simple Technic axle with 2 1/2-width bushings on it - is supported in this mechanism, which allows the black part to slide freely from left to right. This "ball" moves around the loop defined by the "cam" from the previous picture:

# Answer
> 2 votes
What you can do is use an old-style spring loaded missile, the rubber tip is soft enough to let you trigger the launcher without putting the missile back in, and you don't need to trigger the launcher to lock the missile.

I you press the flat bar at the top it works about 90% of the time.

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Tags: mechanical
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# Question
Title: Which train motor is more powerful, 9V or 12V?
I recently picked up LEGO bricks again and due to lack of space I'm planning to build a multilevel train layout. I do have a descent amount of 12V track along with trains and switch points, but I was wondering if it would be a good idea to switch to 9V.

Because there will be a lot of inclined track on this layout I was wondering which train-motor-units are more powerful. The ones I have, 12V from the gray era, or the track-powered 9 volt ones?

12 volt:

9 volt:

# Answer
A user on YouTube posted the following video that tests a lot of the various train motors in Lego history for their pulling strength.

The battery model train from the 1960's destroyed the competition.

Pulling Power of LEGO Trains 1966 till 2009 (Systems: 4.5V 12V 9V IR)

The newer engines do not have rubber traction to grip, so they have a tendency to slip more. The lack of weight on top of the engines also hindered some of its ability. The newer engines tend to be faster, but not more powerful.

Another link that summarizes many of the various Lego motors (unfortunately, it didn't include the 12v line):

LEGO® 9V Technic Motors compared characteristics
> 5 votes

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Tags: trains, 9v, 12v
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# Question
Title: API for Android or iOS connecting to EV3 by bluetooth
There is official API for Windows, WindowsPhone8 and WinRT https://legoev3.codeplex.com/ it lets you connect to EV3 brick and control it remotely from your WindowsPhone.

Are there any libraries available for Android (Java) or iOS (Objective-C)?

I would like to write custom app for myself that will let me steer my own robots (using either Android or iOS device).

# Answer
I have started a c++ iOS API at https://github.com/dsjove/legoev3cpp. Contributions are welcome.
> 3 votes

# Answer
I wrote an android app to do exactly this using LEJOS. I have an example java project that uses bluetooth communication here I'll come back with a link to the actual android app project later, but this will get you started.
> 3 votes

# Answer
There's an official app released by LEGO called the LEGO MINDSTORMS COMMANDER. It's available on both Android and iOS.

I believe this is what you are looking for. LMC lets you control the EV3 brick via bluetooth on your smartphone. It's not exactly an API, but it lets you control the EV3.
> 2 votes

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Tags: mindstorms, ev3, programming
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# Question
Title: When did LEGO decide that it was okay to put a stud into a Technic hole?
At one point, LEGO didn't really support putting a stud into a Technic hole, stating that it caused too much stress on the bricks. And for a while, there were no sets where that's the case. However, lately, I've been seeing several sets that do put the studs into Technic holes; and I'm curious when that started.

There's an example of the technique here. You can see it with the trans-orange 1x1 round plate on the side and top that's attached with the stud in the Technic beam.

# Answer
> 34 votes
# 2006

LEGO's official position on this technique was explained at Brickfest 2006. Jamie Berard, then a relatively new designer in Billund gave an excellent presentation on why certain techniques are considered "illegal" in official sets. The basics message is that building techniques should:

* not stress the bricks
* be suitable for the target audience of the set

He described in some detail the ways that Technic beams and regular system bricks can and cannot be combined in official sets. The main problem areas occur because:

* Technic holes don't exactly line up with the studs on the sides of system bricks
* the holes in Technic beams are slightly smaller than the ones in system bricks

The implications are:

* Although system brick studs can be inserted in the holes in Technic beams, this should be avoided where it would be difficult for children to take apart. Jamie gives an example where a brick has a single stud inserted into a beam, and describes it as "technically legal" (but not recommended). This is the situation in your example.
* Where the combination of Technic and system bricks results in an assembly where components interfere with each other, this can stress the parts. However, this is not the case in the example you cited.

According to these rules, then, the example you give is *not* illegal. Clearly, it can be a problem under some circumstances, but is acceptable under others.

Unfortunately, none of this actually answers your original question, as there remain two possibilities:

1. Your assertion that "at one point, LEGO didn't really support putting a stud into a Technic hole, stating that it caused too much stress on the bricks" may not be correct. The misapprehension may have arisen because Lego emphasized the illegal uses of the technique, but down-played legal ones. In that case, we may assume that set designers simply chose not to use the technique (or were unaware that they could because they, too, were misguided).
2. The alternative explanation is that LEGO did make a sweeping statement to this effect, but later realized that it needed clarification. In which case, Jamie's presentation in 2006 seems to be the first clear public statement of the more detailed rules (of course, internal designers might well have been aware of the policy tweak much earlier, but still chosen not to use the technique). If there was such a policy adjustment, this would establish why the technique was not used until recently.

Without the text of LEGO's earlier communications on the subject, it is difficult to know which explanation is the correct one. Either way, I'd urge you to look at the slides for Jamie's presentation. It is available online in powerpoint format and as a pdf. Apart from being an interesting read in their own right, they also make it clear that this single stud-in-a-hole has been legal since at least 2006.

# Answer
> 24 votes
# 1977

When Technic was first introduced.

Check out this alternative build of set 850:

# Answer
> 7 votes
Seems to have really come into use this year. The Winter Village Post Office (pages 65-66) set also uses it for a larger piece with a SNOT block holding the window roofs on:

# Answer
> 3 votes
Good question, but I think the example shown demonstrates where Lego currently accepts this kind of construction; i.e. only for small, decorative components and not for major structural interfaces.

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Tags: building, technic, history, snot
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# Question
Title: Buying minifigure parts at the Lego Store
Is it possible to buy individual Minifigure parts (like minifig heads only) at the LEGO store? (the physical ones, not the online) if so, how much would they go for?

# Answer
Short Answer: Yes, you could buy minifig heads at a lego store. Caveats: The heads are part of the "build-a-mini" feature of the lego store. So while you could technically just pick 1 head, you would still be charged for the whole set ($9.99 in USA, I believe). So you may as well pick whole minifigs + 1 accessory + hair/hat. Variety of head, torso, legs and accessories is limited and poor...

If you're ok with "generic", then it may not be so bad. If you need to build an army of medieval hun knights stormtrooper with galactic helmets... not so much.
> 4 votes

# Answer
There is the Build-A-Mini station where you can build three minifigs (plus one accessory each) for $9.99.

That said, some stores will let you buy 15 minifig heads and be done with it.

On the other hand, when our local store recently had the ghost pieces, they restricted us to 3 of those per pack of 3 figs.
> 1 votes

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Tags: minifigures, shopping, pick-a-brick
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title: Any good alternatives to BrickLink?

text:
# Question
Title: Any good alternatives to BrickLink?
I'm trying to find certain bricks online, and of course, came across BrickLink. But it's so darn hard to use it; search is absolutely useless, and I can't figure out how to use the catalog for the life of me. Are there any good alternatives out there?

(I've skimmed through peeron.com and BrickOwl, but haven't had time to really investigate -- can anyone vouch for them?)

# Answer
> 16 votes
BrickLink is by far the best place to buy LEGO. It is also very easy to use. Once you get how it works, you will never look back. There are several very helpful videos on YouTube showing you how to use BrickLink most efficiently. Here is one: http://youtu.be/Cyat8aFVk\_k

I have also put together a detailed written guide on how to use BrickLink here: http://thebrickblogger.com/2011/02/shopping-on-bricklink/

# Answer
> 8 votes
I just did a search on all three sites for "2x2 yellow brick."

Peeron returned 50 results in a wall-of-text format with no images and I really didn't want to sift through it. But I did and none of them was a standard 2x2 yellow brick.

BrickLink returned 16 results, all with individual images of specific items, none of which was a plain yellow 2x2 (but almost all of them were 2x2 bricks colored yellow or green).

BrickOwl returned 58 results, most of which would make sense to someone who had no idea what Legos are, but none of which were a standard 2x2 yellow brick. More than half of them had a generic white 2x4 "this product is a Lego brick" image, which meant I had to read the description of each item to discover if it was what I was looking for.

So out of those three websites, BrickLink was the one that most-quickly informed me that I was using imprecise (but pretty good) search terms and Peeron was the one that most-quickly made me feel that I never want to look at that website ever again. BrickOwl made me feel like I was searching eBay for a replacement screw to the door panel on a 2003 Saturn Ion with the grey door panels instead of the standard black ones, and I know the original screw was a phillips head but I need a hex-head screw. I had to actually click on 47 results before realizing that "grey" isn't the correct color name and I needed to look up what Saturn called "grey" in 2003 (it's "Storm Gray," btw).

The problem with wanting a simple search function in the Lego catalog is that the catalog is so huge and the terminology so ambiguous (to the uninitiated) that a simple search query isn't likely to give you what you want unless you ARE familiar with the terminology or already know the part number you're looking for.

Conclusion: as complicated as BrickLink appears to the new user, it is the best-kept database of the three. There are images for (I'm very sure) every item, and the catalog is broken into very easy-to-understand categories. The website is difficult to navigate and the forum is absolutely useless, but if all you want to do is buy bricks, BrickLink is it.

# Answer
> 6 votes
I think BrickOwl is the best alternative to Bricklink, I placed an order there and it worked as well as on Bricklink. The fact that many sellers on BL also sell on BO. There are only two things that BO can't compete with BL: inventory, and a bit higher price.

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Tags: shopping, bricklink
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title: Building a 45 degree brace

text:
# Question
Title: Building a 45 degree brace
I'm trying to reproduce my own house in Lego, and attached is a photo of the porch above my front door that is supported by a 45 degree wooden brace:

At my current scale, the vertical white wood with the '71' on it is one brick wide. What technique can I use to build the 45 degree wooden brace? I guess it doesn't have to be exactly 45 degrees, but my attempts in LDD never join correctly with a horizontal piece to form the roof of the porch (although it's not obvious from this screenshot, I can't extend the horizontal plate to join the brace as the studs don't line up).

Any help much appreciated!

# Answer
Since no one has answered this, I'll reproduce my comment as an answer:

> If you are just going for something aesthetically close, and not load bearing, why do you need the hinge piece on the top? Just push the long hinge plate up in to the "awning" and then your problems are solved.
> 2 votes

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Tags: building, angles
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# Question
Title: Which block manufacturer made this type of person in the 80s
I always thought this was LEGO, and played with it in my LEGOs my whole life (got this in the 80s) but found out recently that it is not LEGO. What brand is it? Who made it? He can hold lego tools, etc, and he has holes in his feet and can be stood on lego bricks. I have several friends with this type person who thought it was LEGO as well.

# Answer
> 7 votes
He's made by Tyco as part of their "Super Blocks" range

You can see the guy on the label.

# Answer
> 3 votes
That figure is a Tyco Super Blocks minifigure.

I can't find any sets that your figure came in, but you can see in the following picture that the soldiers are the same proportion and style as your figure.

Unfortunately, Tyco Super Blocks is one of the oldest LEGO-clone brands, so there's not a lot of information on their product on the internet.

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Tags: minifigures, compatibility, clone-brands
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# Question
Title: I have an idea for a new kind of LEGO, using new types of elements
I have an idea for a new LEGO product (not a LEGO set or anything, I know that the Lego ideas site exists, but a new "kind" of LEGO)

I've been trying to contact LEGO about it without any luck.

So I thought I'd give this site a shot as well since I think the idea has a lot of potential.

Now to the question. Is there any way I can contact a LEGO designer or just anyone at LEGO to pitch my idea to? Or should I just give up?

# Answer
> 3 votes
If the idea is a new kind of part, element in plastic, you may want to take it into your own hands and try to design it in a free cad app (like Sketchup, Open SCAD, Creo Elements or something). There are people around here (like myself) who have 3d printers, and may be able to suggest or try things out. You can then see if there is a market for such Lego compatible elements - see who else is interested.

Lego are unlikely to take these kind of risks themselves, but there are resources for people to try new things themselves.

# Answer
> 1 votes
I'm not entirely sure which direction you're going in for the "new 'kind' of LEGO - but as you point out, unless this is based around existing LEGO elements Ideas is probably not for you:

> **Your models may only use existing LEGO parts. We do not allow suggestions for new LEGO parts.**

So unless it's based on System (and by extension Friends and Elves) or DUPLO you're probably out of luck there - from an older Cusoo FAQ:

> Models should not depend on new LEGO element molds. While we love considering new elements, if a model depends on a new element, there are more potential factors on which it can fail review. \[...\] An existing element in a new color is OK, but a new element in one set isn’t likely.

You might get some traction through the Marketing teams, as product development comes under the "Marketing and Products" division under the CMO - for example the 2011 edition of "The LEGO Group - a short presentation" talks about there being a number of "product development deparments", while the 2014 edition shows "product group 1" and "product group 2" and both state that:

> Concept and product development takes place primarily at our Billund headquarters in Denmark. The LEGO Group also has a listening post in Los Angeles to help monitor the latest trends.

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Tags: ideas
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# Question
Title: Quality issues with tan-colored Lego pieces?
I recently bought an expensive Lego set with a large number of tan-colored pieces. I was very disappointed to find out that *more than a dozen* (isn't that a spectacularly large number?) of 1x1 bricks had significant cracks (see picture). As I've only had problems with tan pieces, this seems to me like a systematic quality problem.

The tan pieces generally feel weaker than other colors, and it seems probable even more cracks will emerge later.

Question: Is it true that Lego has systematic issues with tan-colored pieces?

# Answer
> 11 votes
Please contact LEGO customer service. They will send you new pieces, and even more importantly, they will make note about the quality issues. The following quote is from the LEGO Ambassador forum in regards to quality issues by Keith Severson, who is the senior manager for community support at LEGO. It is about recent quality problems with another LEGO element (32x32 baseplates), but the same steps apply in your case:

> "The only way quality and engineering review potential issues is through data that is gathered through customer service. Every time a customer (such as yourself) call in it is logged with the specific element. Once that element receives a certain about of issues they will review it. So the best thing you can do is have your LUG members to report this through the system."

In the USA you can call LEGO Customer Service at 1-800-835-4386 8am - 10pm (EST) Monday - Friday and 10am to 6pm (EST) on Saturday and Sunday. If you are in another country, you can check the official LEGO website for phone number and hours of operation.

# Answer
> 4 votes
I don't know about the quality issues, but my experience has been that you can just call LEGO customer service, tell them the issue and the amount of affected pieces, and they will send you free replacements.

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Tags: colour, quality
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# Question
Title: Variable stick lengths and angles at nodes of building bricks
Is it possible to build 3D toys connecting several LEGO Bricks sticks/rods to make polyhedrons? Lengths and angles between sticks should be variable.

# Answer
You mean like these lovely polyhedrons?
> 2 votes

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Tags: building
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# Question
Title: Some LEGO elements not attaching as usual
I am building a tank made of purely normal LEGO elements, which means no gears or axles or that type of stuff.

I am trying to attach a 6x6 LEGO plate onto the base for support, but it is not working. I have used pieces from other ***countries*** and they all worked fine. The LEGO plate doesn't seem to want to be attached. It is hard to get it to stick, and sometimes a part of that LEGO is sticking out, like it was bent. Do you have any idea why this Lego plate is not being attached as well as others?

# Answer
> 1 votes
Please contact LEGO customer service. They will send you new pieces, and even more importantly, they will make note about the quality issues. The following quote is from the LEGO Ambassador forum in regards to quality issues by Keith Severson, who is the senior manager for community support at LEGO. It is about recent quality problems with another LEGO element (32x32 baseplates), but the same steps apply in your case:

> "The only way quality and engineering review potential issues is through data that is gathered through customer service. Every time a customer (such as yourself) call in it is logged with the specific element. Once that element receives a certain about of issues they will review it. So the best thing you can do is have your LUG members to report this through the system."

In the USA you can call LEGO Customer Service at 1-800-835-4386 8am - 10pm (EST) Monday - Friday and 10am to 6pm (EST) on Saturday and Sunday. If you are in another country, you can check the official LEGO website for phone number and hours of operation.

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Tags: building, piece-information
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title: Programming EV3 with NXC

text:
# Question
Title: Programming EV3 with NXC
I'm trying to run NXC programs (all run well on NXT) but when trying run it on EV3 I find an error. The download from computer to EV3 runs well but trying to run the program with RUN EV3, I have an error. Can somebody help me with this issue?

# Answer
NXC compiles to machine code that runs in a virtual machine running on the NXT. The EV3 has a completely different virtual machine that is not compatible. So, of course programs compiled for the NXT will not run on the EV3.

The developer of NXC and BrixCC started working on support for the EV3 when it first came out, but has not been actively working on it for some time now. If you are interested, you can find more information at https://mindboards.org/ (search for "BrixCC EV3").

I you would like to use a text based language for the EV3, the most active projects are:
> 1 votes

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Tags: ev3, nxc
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# Question
Title: Determining what set I have from a bag of lego pieces?
I have a bag of lego pieces that make a set of something but I don't have a box or instructions. Is there anyway to determine what set it is so I can download/buy an instruction sheet for it...or at least know what I am building?

I found a part piece with a number on it and found out what it was...Spiderman's doc ock ambush.

# Answer
I see you already found the answer, but in general, you can use Rebrickable. After registering, in the *My RB* menu you can upload the parts you have and the site will tell you which sets you can build out of them. It will even show partial matches, listing the bricks you still need to build them.
> 8 votes

# Answer
In addition to the other answers supplied, look for pieces with stickers on them. Often these contain the set number. A license plate on a Lego car is almost always the set number.
> 5 votes

# Answer
You need to find the rare/unique pieces, and that generally just comes from years of building different sets. You just know which pieces will be exclusive to a set or at least a limited number of sets. Then search that piece on bricklink and see what sets it appears in (hopefully only 1!). Get the inventory of that set online (bricklink, peeron, etc) and see if you have more bricks that make up the set. If yes, then you're on the right track. Minifigs are generally the easiest pieces which will tell you what you have.
> 3 votes

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Tags: set-identification
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title: Not detecting motor port D

text:
# Question
Title: Not detecting motor port D
We are trying to program in LabVIEW, using all 4 motor ports. On the port selector, port D is not even showing up.

# Answer
I think LabVIEW only works with 3 motors. You could use EV3-G instead.
> 2 votes

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Tags: mindstorms, ev3, labview
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# Question
Title: What's an effective strategy for purchasing large numbers of different bricks?
If you want to go on bricklink for example, you search by part but the end up with parts on various different stores. Buying on ebay is extremely expensive for groups of different parts. How do you deal with it?

# Answer
> 3 votes
On bricklink, your example, if you input the parts into a wanted list it allows you to find stores that have all (or most) of the parts on the list letting you minimize shipping costs.

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Tags: shopping
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title: 6216m2 motor found... what to do?

text:
# Question
Title: 6216m2 motor found... what to do?
I recently found a 6216m2 motor in a jumble of old bricks and such - but no connection wires.

* Firstly, how does this motor compare against all others? As it is a 4.5V motor, it is not listed in philo's list of motor comparisions, but I'd still be interested to know how it compares.
* Secondly, would there be much use for it, all comparisions made?
* Thirdly, I presume it should be simple enough to get replacement cables and such?

Thanks!

# Answer
Generally speaking, the 4.5V motors have higher torque than the higher voltage variants, but run at a much lower RPM. I have never personally tested this particular motor so I can't say specifically.

Utility is in the eyes of the beholder. For some people, this would be the exact motor they need. For some, it would be useless. It's hard to say if it would be useful/less without a specific application.

You can always order the LEGO branded cable/connectors from Bricklink or similar sites. However, it's quite easy to make your own cabling for the 4.5V motors if you are so inclined.
> 3 votes

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Tags: motor
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# Question
Title: What are the tiny, single-peg, statuette figures from the SHIELD Helicarrier called?
As this video and this report show, the Marvel S.H.I.E.L.D Helicarrier comes with a number of decorative, single-peg statuettes / figures, representing in tiny scale: 8 agents, Nick Fury, Iron Man, Hawkeye and Captain America.

The short, armless minifigures from the LEGO board games are referred to as "micro-figures" / "micro figures", but what are these tiny, single-peg statuettes from the Helicarrier set called?

Towards the end of the video, the designer refers to a plate printed with a road as usable with "all your microscale creations". I assume this means the single-peg figures could be called "microscale figures", but I'd like confirmation / clarification.

# Answer
> 7 votes
As you say, the figures used in the LEGO Games are called Micro-figures - these appear to be based on LEGO Part 90398 - Minifig Trophy Statuette, while Marcus refers to them as "Tiny Figures" in his video, the press release that is talked about on most of the sites calls them "micro-figures" as well - I guess LEGO can't call them "Nano-Figures" as that would clash with NanoBlocks - and most of the Games are now retired, so they can re-use the term.

**Edit to add:**

I've just received an email from LEGO promoting the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier proclaiming the "introduction" of "Microfigures":

> And now, introducing **microfigures**! Includes Iron Man, Captain America, Hawkeye, Nick Fury, and eight S.H.I.E.L.D. agents!

# Answer
> 6 votes
I suggest calling them "trophy figures". Here is my reasoning:

First, we need to understand a key term: Microscale. In Lego terms, microscale means anything smaller than minifig scale. Here is the definition from the *Lego MBA Designer Handbook: Kit 2 - Microbuild Designer*:

By that definition, both the traditional "microfig" found in the games and a few other sets as well as the statuette would be considered microscale.

Nonetheless, Lego has provided at least one source that names the figure generically, the Lego Digital Designer software. There, part 90398 is named a "mini figure trophy":

For comparison, here is the traditional microfig in the LDD software:

Several online sources use the term "trophy statuette", including Bricklink and Rebrickable.

Based on these sources, I would call the new figures "trophy figures".

There was one previous example, by the way, of this part being printed with character detail in a set:

# Answer
> 0 votes
I always thought they were called "microfigs", just as the normal LEGO people are called "minifigs". But I'm not the definite source you seem to be looking for :)

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Tags: minifigures, terminology, micro-scale, microfigure
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title: 9398 problem with the front wheels

text:
# Question
Title: 9398 problem with the front wheels
I've just finished 9398 4x4 Crawler. The rear motor works properly, but the front motor doesn't: The wheels seem to be locked, although they spin freely when I turn them by hand. What could be the problem?

# Answer
> 4 votes
Check if Cross Block 90° that is placed in step 53 of instruction book 1 is in the correct orientation with the round hole placed over the motor axle.

Mounting it the other way will prevent rotation of the motor.

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Tags: technic
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title: Help Identifying a LEGO Set from bag 7

text:
# Question
Title: Help Identifying a LEGO Set from bag 7
I have a sealed bag of LEGO bricks that I am trying to identify. The bag is labelled with a large number 7. The pieces are dark blue, light gray, dark gray. It looks like there is a smaller bag of pieces within the larger bag. I took photos, but can't figure out how to add them to this post. Can anyone help me?

# Answer
Without pictures it would be extremely hard to tell, especially since both dark and light gray are very common colors. However you might be able to identify some of the dark-blue color pieces to see which set the bag is from. Dark-blue is a much less common color than the grays, so it would be quicker to identify what you have. The fact that it is a #7 bag seems to indicate that it is coming from a larger set.

What I would do is look at the dark-blue pieces and find one that is NOT a common piece (so anything that is NOT a plate, tile or brick). Then go to the BrickLink color-guide for dark-blue pieces, and find the one you have. From there you will see which sets the part comes in. Identify another 3-5 less common pieces, and you should be able to see which set the bag is from. Here is the list to all the elements that come in dark-blue: http://www.bricklink.com/catalogList.asp?catType=P&colorPart=63&v=3
> 6 votes

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Tags: set-identification
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# Question
Title: How is this brick attached to the pregnant minifig?
While Google-image-searching pregnant minifigs (don't ask) I came across this fig, and other variations on it, but I can't figure out how the 2x2 round brick is attached.

# Answer
> 3 votes
They used an adhesive of some sort. You can see from the side that the piece is attached flush to the body of the minifig, and there is no additional gap between the torso and legs pieces to account for any sort of bracket.

# Answer
> -2 votes
Could be done with 2 brackets I guess (part# 42446).

holes over the leg-studs.

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Tags: building, minifigures
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title: Connect 39k3 powerpack to 417j3 motor

text:
# Question
Title: Connect 39k3 powerpack to 417j3 motor
I'm new to lego. Trying to connect the powerpack 39k3 from 42009 Crane to a 417j3 motor. Is a 8528 Converter Cables for Mindstorms NXT the right cable?

Is there a way to hack a phone connector onto a power cable? Where would I find the wiring diagram?

Many thanks,

Joe

# Answer
> 1 votes
You can accomplish this with these two parts:

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Tags: motor
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# Question
Title: Where can I find LDraw files to download for basic figures?
I would like to have a collection of simple examples for my youngsters.

Only for basic LEGO bricks. Not Technics or complex and complete space stations, just some step-by-step instructions for the basic bricks. Based on the starters edition from LEGO.

I was thinking of: houses, small animals, simple aeroplane, simple car, tree, ... All based on the basic instructions.

This would help the children a lot in playing.

***See the pictures. I would love to find step-by-step instructions in LDraw.***

# Answer
This answer will by definition have a lot of links, but here we go. Since you're looking for instructions there are a few sites that you should consider visiting.

The first is Cubiculus, which specializes in creating LDraw versions of custom and official instructions. The creator of the site adds plenty of his own (basic) instructions.

The second is Rebrickable. It contains many creations by various builders, and some provide LDraw files for you to download. The instructions are usually quite advanced, however.

Lastly, you could put together your own LDraw files from LEGOs basic sets. The biggest consolidated collection of instructions is available on Swooshable. (Full disclosure - it's my own scraper that consolidates set instructions from the five biggest sources on the web. I built it to not have to check different sites for a particular instruction.)

Hopefully that'll get you on the right track.
> 3 votes

# Answer
Another option is the LEGO Club Magazine \- available online and through the post in some countries too - they have three editions:

1. Green Brick - Junior builders, probably what you're looking for at this stage
2. Yellow Brick - Mostly Friends/Elves focused, but with some City/other
3. Red Brick - Mostly City/Chima/Bionicle, but with some others as well

All of these contain stories, activities and one or two building instructions for something that can usually be built with basic bricks.
> 1 votes

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Tags: building, ldraw
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# Question
Title: Can I download ldraw instructions from Lego Digital Designer?
Can I download ldraw instructions from Lego Digital Designer?

Is there a collection of simple examples for my youngsters. I was thinking of: houses, small animals, simple airplane, simple car, tree, ... Designs with only basic lego bricks.

Can I download them from Digital Designer to create step-by-step instructions with LDraw?

This would help the children a lot in playing

# Answer
Note that LEGO Digital Designer can also show you building steps, but the results have been known to be a little odd.

I'm not entirely sure what you're asking here:

**Can I export models from LEGO Digital Designer as LDraw files?**

Yes, although you will probably need to update the LDraw.xml file that LDD uses to export the parts. Once you've completed your model, chose File | Export and set the "Save as type" to (LDraw-Files (\*.ldr)" you should then be able to open the file in MLCad, LEGO Instruction Creator or similar and generate your steps.

**Where can I download simple LDD models from?**

There is LEGO's own LEGO Digital Designer Gallery (currently being upgraded, so this is an archived instance) - each model has a "Download" link under it to download the .lxf. Other locations are probably available as well.
> 2 votes

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Tags: building, design, ldd
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