Lego thread: Shiiiiiiiit, I don't got the money for this.

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Hobbies, Crafts, & Houses > Lego thread: Shiiiiiiiit, I don't got the money for this.

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einTier: Sep 25, 2003; Charming, friendly, and possessed by demons.
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Factory posted:

Is there somewhere where I can buy a cheap, cool set that I can sit on my desk?
Like a train robbery or something?

The Toy Story Army Guys are pretty cool and less than $10.

# ¿ Jul 19, 2010 04:38

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# ¿ Apr 28, 2024 22:08

einTier: Sep 25, 2003; Charming, friendly, and possessed by demons.
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Factory posted:

I can go 35-50$

The Army guys aren't doing it for me.

Thanks though.

What kind of thing are you looking for? I know you said train robbery, but Lego doesn't really do "aggressive play". That's why so many of us go to Brickarms for firearms and such -- Lego just doesn't offer those kind of options.

So, you're stuck with either a really cool display piece, like the Lego Ferrari Scuderia Truck, which you might be able to get used in your price range, or something out of the licensed line that includes "untraditional" weaponry, like Star Wars, Indiana Jones, or Harry Potter.

Or, you gotta make your own.

# ¿ Jul 19, 2010 15:57

einTier: Sep 25, 2003; Charming, friendly, and possessed by demons.
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BrainWeasel posted:

This was posted in the PYF funny pictures thread. Anyone know who built it, and if they have instructions?

Maybe you can't afford to build it, but you can get it as a t-shirt. No idea which came first.

# ¿ Jul 21, 2010 07:10

einTier: Sep 25, 2003; Charming, friendly, and possessed by demons.
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3 posted:

Wouldn't be called a fad if there werent

OK, what part is that? I can't find it on Bricklink.

# ¿ Sep 30, 2010 01:21

einTier: Sep 25, 2003; Charming, friendly, and possessed by demons.
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Nagna Zul posted:

Of course, I'm missing one part, so I can't finish assembling it I guess that hasn't changed...

Call LEGO and tell them you're missing pieces. They'll send them to you for free.

Wish I had known about that as a kid, it seems they've always done it.

# ¿ Oct 6, 2010 06:12

einTier: Sep 25, 2003; Charming, friendly, and possessed by demons.
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CharlesWillisMaddox posted:

All of this reminds me of my LEGO childhood. My brother and I used to play LEGO together all the time, our rooms we right next to each other and our adventures usually went between our rooms. We had a steady universe, main lego characters, supporting LEGO characters. We drew maps of where all our countries were located, books of "ancient" writings from the lore of the world.

Almost all of it was bastardized versions of videogames, comics or TV but dammit it was fun. We shared most of our LEGO except for our huge sets and certain LEGO figures.

...Christian Humber?

# ¿ Oct 20, 2010 04:26

einTier: Sep 25, 2003; Charming, friendly, and possessed by demons.
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I thought this might be a fun little challenge for us.

I got this LEGO education thing in the mail, which was designed for teachers and has three small challenges in the back for students. The pieces are pretty common, so I think it wouldn't be hard for others to get the pieces together and play along. The colors other than the yellow and red ones aren't important, and they aren't that important in the big scheme of things. They are:

4x2 brick (yellow)
2x2 brick (yellow)
2x2 brick (yellow with eyes)
1x2 brick (yellow)
2x4 plate (red)
2x3 plate (red)
4x4 plate (light green)
2x6 brick (green)
1x4 brick (green)
1x2 brick (green)
1x6 brick (light grey)
1x3 brick (dark grey)
2x4 brick (orange)
2x2 brick (orange)
1x1 brick (pink)
2x6 plate (black)
2x4 slope (black)
2x2 plate (white)
2x8 brick (blue)
1x6 brick (blue)

Challenge 1: Build a Duck
Remove the yellow and red LEGO bricks from the LEGO smart kit. Using only these six bricks, ask students to build a LEGO duck within one minute. When they are finished, have students compare their ducks to other ducks in the room. Are any of the ducks exactly alike? What features are similar throughout the designs?

Lesson learned: There are many ways to reach a solution.

Challenge 2: Tallest Tower
Working in pairs, instruct students to build the tallest tower possible from their set of LEGO bricks within a two-minute time period. When complete, have students compare their towers, measuring for accuracy. How did teams decide to construct their towers? Do the students think it would have been easier or harder to build it on their own?

Lesson learned: Some challenges are best accomplished using teamwork.

Challenge 3: Back to Back
Divide students into pairs and give each student an identical set of LEGO bricks. Ask the students to sit back to back so neither can see the other. Instruct Student A to build a structure out of their set of bricks. When they have finished, ask Student A to give only verbal instructions to Student b on how to build the exact same structure. Student B cannot look at Student A's structure or ask questions during the re-construction process. Student A cannot watch Student B's progress. When student B is finished, compare both structures. Are they identical? If not, what could have been done during the activity to correct the errors?

Lesson learned: Not all solutions can be seen, some must be heard.

I've built the duck and the tower, but I'm hesitant to post pictures, because I can only see one way to build a duck, and I want to see if I'm right, and because I think I've done something novel with the tower and want to see if others have the same idea. Oh what the hell. The tower isn't even the tallest possible, I forgot to use two of the bricks. Just as well, I don't have anything to measure it here at the office.
http://imgur.com/7q9ONl.jpg
http://imgur.com/iqUUvl.jpg

I'll build the structure tonight and write a build guide. Anyone can then attempt it and we can compare photos. Others are welcome to make their own structures and build guides which we can then try to match.

# ¿ Nov 12, 2010 01:29

einTier: Sep 25, 2003; Charming, friendly, and possessed by demons.
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Awesomely squamous and rugose!

# ¿ Nov 17, 2010 06:30

einTier: Sep 25, 2003; Charming, friendly, and possessed by demons.
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Baronjutter posted:

It's too bad I don't have the box or instructions anymore, but I'm sure I've got all the parts. Are they actually rare/valuable?

Considering that just the hats alone go for a couple hundred dollars each, I'd say yes. I'd sell those now before the new train comes out and the parts become more common.

# ¿ Jan 26, 2011 19:42

einTier: Sep 25, 2003; Charming, friendly, and possessed by demons.
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Sockser posted:

Then I found this
http://spacepolice.lego.com/en-us/products/5984.aspx

Oh dear Lord. I had to watch that three times. Then everyone else in the room had to see it.

# ¿ Feb 18, 2011 08:11

einTier: Sep 25, 2003; Charming, friendly, and possessed by demons.
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Shuppiluliumas posted:

I have come to you tonight to talk to you about a lesser-appreciated part of Lego history: Modulex. I did a history post on the Lego-Maersk relationship recently, so I figured I'd do another one.

The last time I heard about Modulex, it was when Eric Harshbarger did his Calista Flockhart ASCII art translation using the Modulex letter bricks. It's fairly amazing and really large.

Info page here

# ¿ Feb 22, 2011 06:10

einTier: Sep 25, 2003; Charming, friendly, and possessed by demons.
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SynthOrange posted:

Holy crap, yeah, I didnt appreciate the scale of those Modulex blocks.

Modulex:Lego:Duplo:Quatro. Is that about right?

Pretty much.

# ¿ Feb 22, 2011 06:31

einTier: Sep 25, 2003; Charming, friendly, and possessed by demons.
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Knormal posted:

...Calista Flockhart?

Yeah, that's what I said. I guess he really likes Calista.

# ¿ Feb 24, 2011 07:06

einTier: Sep 25, 2003; Charming, friendly, and possessed by demons.
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# ¿ Feb 25, 2011 06:01

einTier: Sep 25, 2003; Charming, friendly, and possessed by demons.
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Pagan posted:

If anyone is thinking about getting the space pimp limo, do it now. According to the official LEGO store, the Space Police line is discontinued. Neither Wal-Mart nor Target had any in stock; I had to call two Toys R Us stores to find one.

Were they on sale there? I can still get it at Amazon.com for $33.56 with free shipping.

# ¿ Mar 7, 2011 06:19

einTier: Sep 25, 2003; Charming, friendly, and possessed by demons.
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vandalism posted:

There were polar bears in the arctic explorers line.

Well, obviously it's time to do a LOST tribute in LEGO.

# ¿ Apr 18, 2011 20:36

einTier: Sep 25, 2003; Charming, friendly, and possessed by demons.
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Flavor Bear posted:

Saw this guy on facebook today.

What pieces would be needed to recreate this? Did some of the pieces have to be painted?

# ¿ Apr 25, 2011 19:39

einTier: Sep 25, 2003; Charming, friendly, and possessed by demons.
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Something tells me that graduate guy is going to be a hot seller. They should just sell him separately in a little clear box. They'd probably sell a few hundred thousand of them this month alone.

Cazic Thule posted:

Should I buy a bunch of these boxes or what? http://shop.lego.com/product/?p=6166&LangId=2057&ShipTo=US

Your best bet is to just go on eBay and buy LEGO by the pound.

einTier fucked around with this message at 19:40 on May 6, 2011

# ¿ May 6, 2011 19:38

einTier: Sep 25, 2003; Charming, friendly, and possessed by demons.
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benito posted:

Lego has gone into space for the first time, with the delivery of a set to the ISS:

First Lego in Space

They claim that teachers can get a set to build the same models and demonstrate to their students how they behave differently in zero gravity.

What I want to know is, where can I buy that set? That's one I'd definitely buy two (or three) of. A couple decades from now, that's going to be worth serious bucks.

# ¿ May 17, 2011 21:46

einTier: Sep 25, 2003; Charming, friendly, and possessed by demons.
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bewbies posted:

Is there a good example out there of a to-scale Lego airliner that can fit the proper number of Lego men? The closest I've found is this but it doesn't look like it fits the 500+ or whatever the A380 can actually haul.

The guy answered that question in the article. Basically, it's impossible to do what you want, because the LEGO minifigs are very fat for their height. You either have to have less people inside the plane, or you have to have the proportions of the plane distorted.

# ¿ May 18, 2011 20:55

einTier: Sep 25, 2003; Charming, friendly, and possessed by demons.
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Guzwar posted:

If Lego would release the ISS set to the public, they'd make a killing. I need to make some teacher friends and get the instructions.

What about homeschooled kids? Surely there's a way to get that stuff for them.... and consequently, for us.

A-ha! "The sets used in these activities include the LEGO Education Space and Airport Set and Simple and Motorized Mechanisms Set."

Requesting a catalog now...

Space and Airport is $131.95
Simple and Motorized Mechanisms Set is $136.95

Not cheap, though I'm pretty sure you could do without the Space and Airport set.

einTier fucked around with this message at 18:30 on May 19, 2011

# ¿ May 19, 2011 18:21

einTier: Sep 25, 2003; Charming, friendly, and possessed by demons.
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Pyroclastic posted:

About $2-7, depending on condition. The gold printing on their torsos is commonly faded away and the chin pieces of their helmets were easy to break.

I wish my stepfather had never given away my old LEGO. I had lots of space, and apparently, I played well with my toys because I never had a broken helmet.

# ¿ May 23, 2011 17:44

einTier: Sep 25, 2003; Charming, friendly, and possessed by demons.
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quote:

I'm also working on this idea I just got:

Two things:

Can you think of a better way to do the glass? Because I can't. Even if I had these bricks in trans-clear (I don't), the seperation between the bricks would still cause this to look... wonky. But I can't think of any other glass that is big enough to cover this. The only thing I can think of is to not have glass there at all. But I want to have this vignette to include fans, and fans are always behind glass. The only part of the boards without glass are player benches, and I don't have any other Blacktron shirts. (I'm using Blacktron as the jersey since it looks the most like a hockey jersey. I've got other fans in the stand wearing M:Tron and Extreme Team 'hockey jerseys'.)

Do you think the ice color should be a light blue? Because I am thinking it should. But I don't have any light blue tiles.

The reason I'm not using the hockey player minifig is twofold. One, I don't like his pads and the facemask, which looks like it belongs on a football player. Two, I don't own one, I bought the skates and stick off Bricklink. The helmet is a space helmet which I cut.

Other than the fact that you cut pieces to make this, I love it just the way it is.

# ¿ Jun 12, 2011 04:17

einTier: Sep 25, 2003; Charming, friendly, and possessed by demons.
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Travis343 posted:

Wow, if you looked up "trying too hard" in the dictionary, I'm pretty sure you'd find a picture of Time Cruisers. I'd never seen those sets before, they're pretty garish.

These were the dark days of LEGO, back when they were falling fast into bankruptcy.

It seems silly to think about it now, but they very nearly did go bankrupt in the early 2000's.

# ¿ Jul 8, 2011 19:40

einTier: Sep 25, 2003; Charming, friendly, and possessed by demons.
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This Porsche 911 just popped up on Jalopnik.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnGj4wxsNZY
It's fairly impressive.

# ¿ Jul 9, 2011 06:39

einTier: Sep 25, 2003; Charming, friendly, and possessed by demons.
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Rythe posted:

Wow. Someone actually bought that thing.

# ¿ Jul 13, 2011 18:23

einTier: Sep 25, 2003; Charming, friendly, and possessed by demons.
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I need a parts list and some instructions, stat.

# ¿ Jul 18, 2011 17:59

einTier: Sep 25, 2003; Charming, friendly, and possessed by demons.
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Captain Invictus posted:

They're not that bad, man. Batman's wings, maybe, but the others don't look too awful.

Just buy the head and build a body for it, one-up Lego's design team!

I don't think they're bad at all.

Not what anyone would traditionally call LEGO, but seven year old me would have loved to have that stuff. It's also no worse than Bionicle, and like Bionicle, these look like they'll be giving a lot of cool pieces to build mechs and such.

# ¿ Jul 22, 2011 17:44

einTier: Sep 25, 2003; Charming, friendly, and possessed by demons.
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Pyroclastic posted:

Peeron tells me they came in Smoke in that set. And TransLtBlue in two other sets.

Bricklink says five kits in 'transparent black'. That said, looking at the pictures, that must be the faintest black I've ever seen. If you told me they were clear I'd believe you.

I'd order a couple and see what you think. They're only $0.50 each.

# ¿ Jul 26, 2011 22:18

einTier: Sep 25, 2003; Charming, friendly, and possessed by demons.
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Baggy_Brad posted:

The cylinder pieces are definitely smoky black.

Not that I doubt you, it's just that they must be using some creative photography. Every one of the kits with that piece makes them look like they're just ever-so-slightly tinted if at all.

# ¿ Jul 27, 2011 16:26

einTier: Sep 25, 2003; Charming, friendly, and possessed by demons.
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Wow. That's amazing how dark it is when it's lying down and how faint it is when it's stood up and there's something behind it.

# ¿ Jul 27, 2011 23:03

einTier: Sep 25, 2003; Charming, friendly, and possessed by demons.
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MaliciousOnion posted:

That's because of its shadow.

Oh, I get that, I'm not stupid. It also has to do with light transmission and the fact that there's little light entering from the back.

But still, as dark as it looks on the paper, it very much matches the description of "definitely smokey black". I'd expect them to be very noticeably black when picked up -- to the point that if that was the picture I saw, I'd never suggest them to someone looking to build a clear tube.

Then I see the photo with the guy standing behind it, and it seems reasonably clear again. Not as good as a true clear, but certainly acceptable. It's just surprising to see that.

# ¿ Jul 27, 2011 23:57

einTier: Sep 25, 2003; Charming, friendly, and possessed by demons.
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Captain Invictus posted:

Also, Fonzie.

That guy would make the perfect rat-rod speed shop mechanic.

# ¿ Aug 2, 2011 05:50

einTier: Sep 25, 2003; Charming, friendly, and possessed by demons.
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Pyroclastic posted:

If he's posted on craigslist, you better hurry, because lots that well-priced vanish, fast. You may even wind up getting into a bidding war instead of trying to haggle.

Well, it's not on the Ottawa Craigslist, I can tell you that.

# ¿ Aug 8, 2011 03:45

einTier: Sep 25, 2003; Charming, friendly, and possessed by demons.
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Lizard Combatant posted:

Yeah, I've found the # and now I'm trawling through the listings.

Yeah, it's available in more sets than you'd think. Bunches available for sale too.

# ¿ Aug 8, 2011 16:39

einTier: Sep 25, 2003; Charming, friendly, and possessed by demons.
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Revol posted:

It looks like it was due to the differential piece that is in the center of the unit. Why in the world did he design it with this? Sariel is like, the Technic AFOL guy in the entire loving world (he even posts on a blog on Lego's official Technic site), so he must know what he's doing. But I built it right; one axle doesn't spin as well out of the differential as the other.

So, I just took out the differential and simply replaced it with a regular gear. The system seems to drive both wheels at the same speed now. So, whatevs.

When I said I was preparing to build a super car.. I have no idea for the design yet.

You're looking at an inherent problem with open (non-limited slip) differentials.

If any wheel has less traction than the other, it will receive all or most of the power. In this case, where both tires have no traction, one wheel is easier to spin than the other, so it gets more power. Put it on the ground where both wheels get traction and you'll find it'll still move straight forward.

You will have problems with this if you expect it to go around corners. You need a differential to account for the differential in speed between the inside and outside wheel in a turn.

# ¿ Aug 13, 2011 04:17

einTier: Sep 25, 2003; Charming, friendly, and possessed by demons.
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Revol posted:

einTier, so if I actually have the two wheels placed on the ground and they have the weight of a build on it, they're going to drive at similar speeds?

Yes. It will work as advertised. Open differentials just do weird things in low traction situations or where traction differs from one wheel or the other.

If you hold one wheel while under power, you'll find you don't need much force to hold it still while the other wheel will spin freely. It doesn't matter which wheel, either. But if you try to hold both wheels simultaneously, you'll feel the full force of the motor and you'll feel it through both wheels in relatively equal amounts.

# ¿ Aug 13, 2011 18:35

einTier: Sep 25, 2003; Charming, friendly, and possessed by demons.
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Dame Cook posted:

Pretty much that exact shade of purple. But I'm not sure they make all the parts you'd need in it.

Sadly, even the basic 2x8 plate you need for the engine access cover isn't available in purple. It seems purple is primarily used as accent pieces on space sets like this and Batman sets.

# ¿ Aug 16, 2011 06:29

einTier: Sep 25, 2003; Charming, friendly, and possessed by demons.
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CADPAT posted:

Someone was telling be that their parents threw out a huge bin of Lego.

Sadness.

My stepfather told me that I was too old for LEGO and it was time for them to go in the attic.

What I didn't know at the time was that this was code for "put them in attic so that I can go up there, grab them, and give them away." None of my childhood toys are mine anymore.

# ¿ Aug 30, 2011 23:49

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# ¿ Apr 28, 2024 22:08

einTier: Sep 25, 2003; Charming, friendly, and possessed by demons.
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Powdered Toast Man posted:

I passed mine on to my nephew, and his mother promptly sold the entire massive collection at a yard sale. I'll never forgive her for that.

It seems like LEGO is one of those things that apparently few people recognize the value of. "Oh these kid's toys? Who'd want these?"

Never mind that LEGO doesn't rust or generally decay and even decade old parts are perfectly compatible with modern day ones, which means they retain their value very well even in bulk, and are worth tons if you have complete older kits to sell.

# ¿ Aug 31, 2011 19:58

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Hobbies, Crafts, & Houses > Lego thread: Shiiiiiiiit, I don't got the money for this.

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