2GodBDGlory

Ooh, that looks very cool! I didn't know that existed, but now I'd love to read it! (Though not enough to actually buy one. Maybe I'll get lucky and find one at a library!)

Hmm, I'm not really aware of anything more advanced than Isogawa's books, other than the Unofficial Lego Technic Builder's Guide. That's too bad that the second edition is out of print! There's a few copies in the $60 USD range on Ebay, but at least the first edition is still readily available at low prices, there and on Amazon. Honestly, I'd likely just get another copy of the first edition. Were there really significant changes to the Technic parts lineup between 2012 and 2016? I don't think there was anything huge that really affected Technic building strategy in that time period, so I think the "newer" aspect of it isn't that relevant. IIRC, the other additions were the chapter on 3D printing and the chapter on planetary gearing, but the core book is still about as relevant as the 2nd edition. Now, a future 3rd edition would, I feel, add a lot over the older ones! The transition to PU electronics, the introduction of rotary-selector gearboxes and additional clutch gears, and the massive explosion in new parts the last few years, would mean that any future book would have significant value added to it over the older ones

I've done something similar, grinding flats onto the output shafts of stepper motors, to allow for tightening 3D printer extruder gear grub screws onto them. It worked well for me there, but obviously it's a much lower-speed operation

Interesting solution! I can see that working well for lighter-weight models, like you've been building, but probably not for large, heavy models

Very fun! I love large-scale, detailed car models that actually have enough speed to make them fun to drive

Well, I'd guess it would be a situation where builders who understand the limitations of the part would be able to use it properly and usefully, but less experienced builders might have unrealistic expectations of its strength, and put it into situations where it would break.

Right, I remember seeing the 4Runner; so now the plan is to fit that body on this chassis. Fun!

Ooh, I like that idea a lot! Can't say I've seen it before.

Nice job! Are you planning to build bodies for both the FJ and the 4Runner, or just one?

PyBricks is really the ultimate existing solution to this. It requires programming to set it up, but it allows for fully offline remote control with either PU train remotes or Xbox controllers directly connected to hubs. I'm also pretty sure they have support for multiple hubs (they were showing off a Liebherr crane fully controlled by an Xbox controller, for example l

I'd say just keep tweaking values until you find something that works well for your printer. Unfortunately, this often means that you can't use designs shared by other people, and have to design things yourself. One thing I've done fairly often is export obj. files from Stud.io part designer for printing. Typically I can't edit these to change pinhole sizes, but at least pinholes can often be manually drilled out afterwards. (Axle holes would be more of a problem)

Thanks! Their website seems to be broken for me right now, but I think I've found some good info. This website here: https://filamentcolors.xyz/colormatch/ allows you to search their library of filament samples using a Hex code, and I was able to find the Hex codes of all Lego colors using Sariel's Colors Table app, so after searching for 969696, I found a few different close options. They're not always as cheap or as Canadian-accessible as I'd like, but there's some good options to look at. I think the best one at the moment is this one here from Amazon.com, which I'd have to ship to a US address to get a good price on (thankfully, that's pretty easy for me right now): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08BXLQ26X/ref=ewc_pr_img_1?smid=AFZQIF3WLZ4BA&psc=1 I'd say it's not realistic to expect parts of equivalent quality to Lego, but with the right tuning you can get things to work fairly well. Some parts will print quite strongly; others not so much--it's just the nature of 3D printing that some shapes work better than others. Even if it's not just for Lego, there's lots of everyday things that printers are good for, so I would recommend one! Here's three different recommendations: 1. (Classic) Ender 3. These are available from $60 USD from this site: https://www.creality3d.store/products/used-ender-3-ender-3-pro?variant=42293787623477 This is the printer I have, and it's shockingly cheap to get into these days! Fair warning, though, these are maintenance-heavy machines, and you'll probably want at least a few upgrades, so I'd only recommend this one if you're interested in 3D printing as a standalone hobby, and aren't afraid of a steeper learning curve. 2. Ender 3 V3 SE. This one is currently available from $169 USD: https://store.creality.com/products/ender-3-v3-se-3d-printer?spm=..collection_90778a1d-d845-4ff0-a8c4-48fded4b7d74.albums_1.1 This one seems like the best all-around deal for a new printer today, in my opinion. Lots of great features that one would have to seriously upgrade the classic Ender 3 to get, in a ready-to-go machine! 3. Bambu Labs A1 Mini. This one is a bit smaller than the Enders, but is about as close to having appliance-grade reliability as you can get! I'm surprised to see it on sale for only $200 USD, so it's not too expensive either. https://us.store.bambulab.com/collections/a1-series/products/a1-mini This is the one to go for if you want 3D printed parts, but aren't interested in tweaking/modifying your printer. This isn't my personal taste, but for a lot of people it's a good fit. Also, this one notably has a $150 multi-color unit that can be added to it, for about the slickest multi-color print system available these days. That's not necessarily important for what you're doing, but it is cool to have the option!

Thanks! I do have a filament that's pretty close to DBG, which is good to have. I wonder if there'll ever be a market for specialized filaments designed to directly relocate Lego colors

I just wanted to say that it's been fun watching you build! It reminds me of my teenage years, when I had lots of spare time to build, and didn't stress too much about making everything perfect/acceptable to the online world. Your build style reminds me of how much fun that was! I'd still find your posts easier to read if you used punctuation and capitalization, though :)

No, I wouldn't be bothered too much by the layer lines. I've used black parts in bodywork before, but I guess the layer lines aren't as visible in those, but I'd still hope they'd be acceptable in a lighter color n I do recall hearing about a filament color matching resource online; I might have to try digging it up and seeing if it's helpful

I haven't been able to find a dedicated 3D printing topic on Eurobricks, so I'll just ask here: Does anyone have any recommendations for a 3D printer filament that approximates the color of Lego LBG? I'd love to be able to print parts for MOCs, which I typically build in LBG, but I don't have any filament in that shade, and I'd hate to gamble buying one that just looks close Thanks!

Oooh, I'd say that something like 90% of my modern 3L half-stud liftarms and maybe 70% of the 4L ones of mine are cracked at the end, at least in the colors I use. It's probably just because I've been building and rebuilding with the same parts so heavily for years, but it does get pretty annoying!

Plus, the frictionless one was introduced for a specific purpose (motorcycle wheels on some System sets), and so I think it's more of a nice bonus that it works for Technic, than a sign that they want to introduce more general-purpose pins.

I take it you're editing that in Blender? I've never used that, just more geometric programs like Fusion 360. Might be worth trying some time!

That's interesting about the overdrive! In the past, I've stuffed Lego tractor tires with marbles to up the weight. It's worked pretty well for me, and I guess it could be done puristically with the ball bearings used in some Mindstorms sets, but I think water would also work fairly well! Also, that's a beautiful picture of the real truck up there... Now I want it as a desktop background or something! Have you considered building a stock-style bed for it? It wouldn't perform as well, but it would probably look pretty nice!

Very cool build! You've been expressing interest in 3rd-party electronics for a while, but I guess I was subconsciously wondering how that rather messy category of build would contrast with your typically pristine presentation of models! You definitely did a good job in the end, though, with the usual clean digital build! What's the theory behind the front axle overdrive? That's not a strategy I've heard of before. It's cool that the buggy motors fit in the L-motor housings! I wonder if the same motors are used in clone buggy motors and those red L-motors. The body looks nice too! It's fun that you modeled the slightly older Hilux than usual, too

Looking good! I was trying to import a file into Stud.io this summer to use as a reference, but I don't think I ever managed to get it small enough (except by splitting it in half), and even then it didn't seem to make Stud.io very happy. Maybe I'll try again later, but then again, I usually don't build digitally anyways, so there's not much need to.

In my experience, the old one has significantly less friction, but it's also much easier to disassemble, so probably not as strong.

Hmmm, I think I've got one of those lying around my parent's place. I don't think there's any non-destructive way to get the flywheel out, and I don't think the gear teeth on it mesh with any other gear parts, but I can still see uses. I've had gyroscopes on the mind recently after learning about their use in aircraft instruments, and if you could find a good way to drive this at high speed (probably via friction from the rim), it might be a good way to accomplish that!

Huh, interesting. Can't say I like the idea of a program like that. I mean, I don't know what Lego would be doing with the parts, but it seems to be doing the opposite of "keeping bricks in play" by taking perfectly good parts out of circulation! Plus it doesn't sound like nearly as much money as you could get on the open market. Anyways, I guess we're drifting from the topic at hand!