Details: While I (Dan) continue to be largely absent due to personal issues (I'm now moving to a new state again), I have still kept building and kept attending events. At one such recent event (this year's BrickFair Alabama), I was interviewed by our friends at Beyond the Brick about my Super Mario Bros.Piranha Plant. While the mechanism still doesn't run smoothly enough for me to be completely happy with it, it's worked well enough to take to shows - but I've been avoiding documenting it online until I've had a chance to make it work better (in this clip, it's already lurching along at a slower speed and sticking a little). I'd like to revise it further to fix the motion problems and to try to capture more of a world from Super Mario Bros. - perhaps with a few more moving characters.
This model debuted at last year's Maker Faire Orlando, which coincided with the 30th anniversary of the original release of Super Mario Bros. It also works out nicely that Piranha Plants were actually green back then (as compared to the red that's currently more common). Not that colors showed up on my classic Game Boy, anyway...
Details: You may remember the spectacular pop-up model of Kinkaku-ji (the Temple of the Golden Pavilion) from a few years back. More recently, the builder has made another excellent pop-up temple - Nara, Japan's Todai-ji. This one also includes the Daibutsu inside the temple. Around the 1:52 mark, the video switches from a demonstration to CAD-based building instructions, complete with part counts for each step. All 8,816 pieces are accounted for, and there's a complete parts list with BrickLink part numbers at the end.
Details: Back in 1995, LEGO released the (then-groundbreaking) Control Center II. As a "programmable" (through routines on a specialized console) tool for motorized Technic creations, it was a precursor to the more recent Mindstorms kits. One of the models you could build with the kit (the dinosaur) has been used as a flagship for the LEGO company long past when you could actually buy the Control Center II - giant sculptures of it can be found at LEGOLAND attractions. Here, we have life-size reproductions of some elements from the kit - the Control Center itself, and the European version of the power cable - alongside a 9V motor (a newer version than the one that came with the Control Center kits) and the end of a European extension cord.
Details: Using Technic and Power Functions parts (plus non-LEGO lens, lamp, and reels), this projector can display movies as seen in the clip here. Sadly, this clip seems to be it for first-hand documentation of this model. The rewind transmission feature shown is pretty nifty, but I think I speak for all Technic nerds when I say I want to know how the geneva mechanism was implemented here.
A brief note about this past week: between recovering from BrickMagic and the Blogger outage, we didn't stand a chance at actually getting posts up in time. In the interest of not staying behind, we'll be skipping that week and picking up again with today.
Details: If you've tried to play the Ninjago game and had trouble getting the "spinners" to spin (it's OK, I can't do it either), you probably need one of these. This simple Technic device works like the top launchers we've seen before (with a rip cord) but can also be ran by a motor. The result is fast, reliable spinning. No word yet on whether or not this is considered cheating within the scope of the game, but it sure looks like a fun "spin" on the concept.
Details: Here's another set of winners for our alternate models category - which recognizes great original creations based on parts from only one kit. In this case, there are actually 8 new models shown (all of which can be built with the 314 parts in set 8048 Buggy)- a motorbike, a plane, two trike designs, a helicopter, a wasp, a rabbit, and a dinosaur. As you would expect with alternate models from a Technic kit, some of these have working features - a knob in the back make the rabbit's arms move, for example, and the motorbike features working suspension and an engine with pistons that pump as you roll it along.
Details: You can use this ball clock to tell time. The third row tells the hours, the second row gives 5 minutes increments and the remainder is shown by the first row of balls. Mechanical logic keeps the balls flowing into the right places. In a technique I'm surprised I haven't seen in a Great Ball Contraption module yet, a ball lift is made out of chain with a few pieces of tread in the middle. Half-width beams are then able to attach to the treads. Building instructions for this model are also included in the Brickshelf gallery.
Details: Here's a new twist on the Technic snow plow idea: a heavy-duty truck with a large plow on the front of it. The system uses pneumatics (with auto-valves) and Power Functions to allow it to be remotely controlled. All four wheels are powered (plus steering in the front), and the plow is fully controllable. The suspension system is surprising - it's sort of a beefed-up version of the live axle concept that moves a chunk of the chassis down to simplify delivering power.
Details: We've seen plenty of walkers before, but I haven't seen a fully steerable hexapod that uses only two motors before. One large Power Functions motor handles the walking motion, and a second motor articulates the body at two points to allow it to change directions. It's a surprisingly simple solution, but it works well. The other nice thing is that we now finally have a walker design that can be made with a LEGO robotics kit without using all of the motors in the kit.
Details: Every once in a while, someone does away with the goofiness of fanciful airships and instead does something "steampunk"-ish by actually doing something great with a Victorian-era technical idea. Sure, things can look cool if they're using that style, but it'd have to actually run on a boiler to really hit the spot.
To be honest, I'm not up-to-speed on the topic enough to know if this is truly based on the design used in 1929 in a failed attempt at setting a new motorcycle landspeed record (a few quick Google searches didn't turn up anything decisive). This model, though, looks like it has the right amount of detail and could compete nicely with most of the official motorcycle kits. The engine in particular is very well fleshed out.
Details: You may remember having seen this builder's difference engine some years back, but he now has another viral hit and fantastic mechanical computing model working its way across "teh intarwebs". This time he has taken on reproducing the Antikythera Mechanism, an ancient device that predicts eclipses. Discovered off the coast of Antikythera over a hundred years ago, the mechanism appears to have accurately calculated the locations of planets, the moon, and the sun - all based on a date input provided by a hand crank. For more information on the original machine, see the research website and this article in Nature.
Since the original mechanism was rather damaged when it was found, replicating the original gearing exactly wasn't really an option (nevermind the limitations in how many sizes of gears LEGO actually makes...) - so this machine is as close as possible to the original math, but features different actual gearing. More specifically, rather than very precise bronze gears, the exact ratios needed to get the calculations right are handled by differentials. Normally, when you see differentials used in a mechanical computer, they're being used to average two input speeds. That's not the case here. You'll need to look at the original webpage to fully understand exactly what was done here instead, and how that enabled the more advanced gear ratios necessary here. If tomorrow's LMOTD is late, it's probably because I'm still studying the details of this one.
Details: I've wondered for a while if it would be possible to control a Nerf gun with an NXT. After following the MakeMagazineblog'sarduino-basedattempt (that's not even all the links, but you get the idea), I was relatively well convinced that it was too complicated, since it might require dismantling the Nerf gun itself. Not so! Today's model solves this problem with a simple cam assembly. That's before we mention the gargantuan - and yet still motorized - base, or the way this can be controlled by either a remote or NXT (done through Power Functions motors - a person can use the Power Functions IR remote, or the NXT will use a third-party IR component to control them). The video and links above fill in a few more interesting details. No word yet, though, on how you can get it to load more ammo.
Details: I've thought for a while now that the field of alternate models should be more popular. Way too few LEGO hobbyists seem interested in building something small that anyone could build, and instead you see things head the other way - towards giant behemoths full of expensive parts, which often say more about how much you're willing to spend on LEGO than about how skilled you are as a builder. Coming up with alternate models for an official kit serves as a bit of an equalizer: it's all about what you can do with a reasonable set of constraints, and not about what you can afford. That said, even when people do experiment with building alternate models, they usually only try out a few simple designs. Not today's builder. If you look at his Brickshelf gallery, you'll find no fewer than 26 designs that are made entirely out of the parts in set 8271 - a small kit that only cost $20 and has exactly 200 pieces. While the part selection isn't that bad, I don't think anyone would have expected that so many decent models could be built without any additional parts.
...which brings us to today's model. It's an evocative design that is very clearly an elephant. Some simple gearing allows the head to sway from side to side when a knob is turned, and a lever in the back can move the head up and down.
Details: If there's such a thing as "LMOTD bait", this is it. Why yes, that is a variation on a Classic Space color scheme. Those really are X-Pod lids used as wheels in the front. That really IS a pair of Bionicle weapons on either side of a large wheel made out of DUPLO tubes. Did I mention the front wheels can be steered by an axle in the middle of the vehicle that is geared to a knob behind the antennae? Yes, it's a minifig-scale Classic space / DUPLO / Bionicle / Technic trike, with working steering, great greebling, and decent construction techniques. This is the good stuff.
That DUPLO tube wheel is mounted on a few tires (which can hold quite a bit with friction, surprisingly), which in turn are connected to the Technic bits and Bionicle weapon. Little more than an inch away from that, we see the Technic structure used as a double-sided element to flip the blue plates (well, this piece) over (yes, this technique's been available for years. You'd be surprised how many seasoned LEGO fans don't know this and continue to whine about how LEGO doesn't make double-sided parts). A few sideways-mounted sarcophagi give us the base of the greebling, and - yes, more places where the studs face a different direction. Many people would think to try something like mounting windshield elements sideways to create a cockpit, but few can build a craft this great all around.
Name of Model: RedSedanI (Brickshelf gallery lists the longer description: 4 Door, V8, four speed, parking brake, 4 Wheel Suspension, Rear Torsion bar, Tilt steering, 6 way adjustable front seats -thank you pixsrv-, front center armrest, rear flow through armrest, full size spare, adjustable sunroof, thirdwig@yahoo, up for more)
Details: As a genre to attempt building in, the massive vehicle with brick-built details and working features made out of Technic elements seems like an intuitive idea to try. The reality of building such a thing is considerably more difficult - even though many of us know how to use Technic pieces to build cars that can drive around and reliable suspension systems, all those great working features can easily become nearly useless just by adding extra weight onto a vehicle. There are few things more depressing than building a great car, only to find out that the wheels won't rotate because they're now brushing against the top of that true-to-life wheel well that took an hour to get just right. Sadly, this means we get very few "best of both worlds" models, and we see an ever-growing schism between people who build models with realistic functionality and people who build models with realistic looks.
The builder of this car, though, took on this challenge and excelled. This Porsche has a full body and interior, steering, suspension, and even the hallmark of a truly thought out car in this genre - adjustable seats. You haven't truly made a LEGO car that attempts to match real cars in looks and functionality unless you've included at least one feature that's only of use to the tiny passengers.
Details: As seen in Zwolle recently, there is a new LEGO Mindstorms NXT-based version of Wall-E. This version tries to be strictly purist and true to the NXT system - not only does this not use any third-party robotics components, but this doesn't even use Power Functions motors (unlike the first great Wall-E we covered)! 8 NXT motors and 3 NXT programmable bricks were crammed in here to get this realistic and surprisingly expressive range of motion. While it doesn't transform, it seems to have every other Wall-E behavior down. Color sensors were even used to allow his eyes to light up in different colors. Don't miss the second link above, which has some photos of the internal mechanisms.
Details: Apparently the most popular Technic creation at BrickCon this year (it also won a trophy at that event), this seaplane with a wingspan of nearly 5 feet (just over 1.5 meters) is modeled after a DeHavilland Twin Otter.
I'm going to try to keep this short - although this hasn't been singled out post-documentation on any blogs, much has been said about it already. Here's the list of features from the flickr set above:
Specifications:
Wingspan 59.5 inch (151 cm)
Length 43 inch (110 cm)
Height 28 inch (71 cm)
Weight 26.5 lbs (12 kg)
Passengers 9 (incl. 2 Crew)
Motors 5
Cylinders 6 Large, 3 Small
Compressor 6 Cylinders Total
Switches 3
Sensors 1 Touch, 2 Rotation
Power 1 RCX, 2 Battery Packs
Pieces 20 000 (estimated)
Working Features:
Elevators
Rudder
Ailerons
Flaps
Landing Gear (With Main Gear Suspension & Casting Nose Gear)
Independently Variable Throttle
Independently Variable Propeller Pitch
Regulated Compressors in Engines
Regulated Auxiliary Compressor
Navigation Lights
Beacon Light
Passenger Entry Door
Sliding Pilot Seats (allowing entry)
Folding Wings
The information above is for the flickr set, but there's actually more documentation for this model spread out across a few sites. For the long write up (by a Technic expert who didn't build this personally - I've briefly mentioned his Technicopedia a few times), you'll need to look at this post on the Eurobricks forum (of all places - we actually try to avoid linking to Eurobricks because of their set-news-leaking habits). There are also photos (again, by Blakbird instead of the builder) on Brickshelf in a BrickCon 2010 directory, not to mention two YouTubevideos that were made by the builder. That's the extended reading when you're done with the 59 flickr photos linked above. For extra credit, write a report on that, create an LDRAW set of instructions for the plane, or build your own that's even larger, more detailed, or more functional.
Details: In this video, this giant rover base is being run by remote control. At LEGOWORLD in Zwolle right now, it's operating autonomously, controlled by 9 NXT programmable bricks. Although the video and links above don't show the full version, they're impressive enough already and give you a sense of the sheer size of this 'bot. There's a close-up of the treads that shows that they're actually made out of hundreds (or more likely, thousands) of 3-stud long Technic beams. Another video from the event shows the completed robot driving around taking pictures from inside the crowd.
I'm guessing that we'll be seeing many more photos of this (and taken by this) model after the event is over...which I'll be rounding up here as I see them.
Details: Coaxial rotation is one of those concepts that used to constantly stymie Technic fans. Specifically, those of us who likes clocks. Surprisingly, while I've blogged a working grandfather clock before, I've never pointed out how hard it is to solve this problem. Or is it? In recent years, we've seen LEGO designers make frequent use of the once-rare transmission gear to allow multiple different speeds to be transmitted on the same axle. New for 2010, we even have a bevel gear that sits loose on an axle. To build clock hands, it's particularly useful to use that transmission gear with plates with toothedends (if you have some, that is - few molds from when LEGO liked that "toothed" system are still in production now. There were issues with the sturdiness of the parts, and the newer parts that replaced those elements are much more reliable).
Of course, all of these parts and issues from the past few decades can be worked around by using vintage parts. The earliest LEGO gears, released in 1965, don't connect firmly to Technic axles. They work with Technic axles, but these gears actually were around first. Not only do these work nicely for coaxial rotation, but since they're large enough to be used as clock faces anyway, you can also just build a hand directly onto one and use it as both a hand and the face of the clock.
That solution is clever enough, but this builder upped the ante by powering this with wind-up motors. The result is an analog clock that can really be wound. Follow the links above for video, photos, and more details (including some information on the escapement).
Details: We've all had days where we've wanted to shish-kabob people, sell them to a shark, run them through a LEGO rotisserie cooker, and feed them to rock monsters, right? Right? Here's a model to cheer you up on those days. A light, minifig-scale spoof of a street-side food vendor, this is actually geared so that the heads spin (and cook evenly) when a hand crank is used (there's video!)
Of course, what really sells it is the terrified minifig facial expressions. Well, that, the fire in front of the line of excited rock monsters, and the spectacular use of color. Magenta slopes look great on the frame, transparent pink flowers perfectly fill the spaces between heads, and translucent red bricks on the sides of the cooker give this the look of a proper grill.
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gun itself. Not so! Today's model solves this problem with a simple 
