CP5670

I think "juniorization" is much less of a problem these days than it once was. TLC basically ended that experiment in 2000 or 2001, starting with the World City line. You occasionally still see an odd part or two in a set, but it's been like that for ages (look at the trailer in the 6395 set for example) and doesn't detract much from an otherwise good set. Among current sets, the large planes are the only thing I can think of with any <insert that tiresome argument> parts, and even with those, the wings are the only piece I don't like. Maybe also the dumper pieces on the Heavy Hauler to a lesser extent. In all of the cases, the excellent details in the rest of the set easily make up for it.

Dust is a major problem for me but it (usually) comes off okay without having to wash stuff. For assembled models, I use some cotton dust brushes and sometimes a vacuum cleaner. It occasionally sucks a part in but I can retrieve it from the bag easily. If the bricks aren't part of a model, rubbing them on a carpet also removes the dust very well. Dirt or other stuff isn't much of an issue for me, so I just wash them by hand since there are generally only a handful of bricks that are affected. It would be impractical for built models anyway. I also sometimes use a metal polish like Brasso to remove fine scratches, especially on transparent pieces.

I like the idea behind this site a lot. *y* I've always been interested in Technic history and how the line has evolved over the years. I can add a few things on the issue of multiple editions of sets. Several 1988 and 1989 sets had new versions released in 1990, containing motorizing instructions for 8720 Power Pack instead of the older 8700 set. These newer sets also contained the modern black friction pins which were introduced that year, replacing those extremely annoying old versions. Another possible case is with the Airtech Claw Rig (8868), which has a slightly different compressor design shown on the box than what's actually used on the model. The box shows two medium pulleys running from the motor instead of a single large one (which would make the compressor run faster but also stall more quickly). I've never actually seen a set with the medium pulleys though, so those pictures may just be from a preproduction version. That set was also strangely never advertised in the US Lego catalogs. It doesn't appear in anything I have from that time period, although it's in the European ones. I didn't know about it at all until many years later.

I have the two space monorails and their tracks are the same, so the airport shuttle track (which came out between them) should be too. They all use different arrow tiles on the direction changer switches, but you can easily change those. It's a pity TLC didn't do more with the monorail system. I like the monorails better than trains in some ways, because the tracks can be laid out in all three dimensions. That opens up a lot of new building possibilities. (I know you can make vertical ramps with train tracks too, but they aren't designed for it and it takes up a lot of space)

This is great, better than most Lego comics I have seen. Can't wait to see more. I also think the classic happy face heads make it all the more funny. :-D

It's like they stole each other's pants and helmets. :-D (including some from the Space Police; the space lockups are going to get filled up quickly at this rate)

Good to see a fellow Lego fan nearby. :-) I'm actually from the DC area and only moved here six months ago (I'm a grad student at the university here), but have most of my collection over here now. Do you have any plans to go to Brickfair later this year? I will be going, although I haven't signed up yet.

I'm hoping the 2008 sets will have the fixed bricks. I guess it's a question of whether TLC has any of the bad ones still left in their own unpackaged inventory, and not just in the sets currently in circulation. Yes, they're basically different shades, although it's seemingly caused by a difference in the density of the plastic. Unlike the blay and gray parts, I can tell the difference right away without having them side by side. You know how the studs normally cast small shadows on bricks and plates? The shadows on these bad parts look quite a bit lighter than usual. Also, if you hold them up to a light, especially the plates, you can clearly see that they are translucent (very much like Mega Bloks in fact) while the older bricks remain opaque. They also don't seem to snap together as firmly as usual. I would take some pictures but don't have a camera with me right now (should have one in a week or two though). If you have any of the "milky white" axles from those old Samsonite gear sets, they look like that color. This affects a variety of colors, mainly white and yellow, as well as some that are not very common like dark blue. Black has no problems (good thing for me, since I use that by far the most :-P), and I think normal blue is okay too.

I'm having the exact same problem. I thought the site was down actually, although it let me on once a little while ago.

Yes, this is quite a weird set. I would like to have one just for the rare parts (half-octagon wall panels, baseplates and red Futuron torsos) but the default models suck IMO, maybe except for the base. Dacta has in fact released some non-Technic/Mindstorms sets like this. Maybe they're intended to be used in elementary schools or something. I remember one of the product descriptions for these things said something about building "creativity and roleplaying skills" in kids. *wacko*

Yeah, I can see the problem here, but I think ebay's solution is even worse. It completely puts the seller at the buyer's mercy. I occasionally sell various computer hardware on there and the buyer can always claim the item was defective and demand a refund, even if there is nothing wrong with it or he accidentally damaged it himself (I take the buyer's word if this happens but don't want to have to do this on a regular basis). I believe they have also increased their final value fees, especially on small items. It will be good for buyers but sellers will really get the shaft. As for Bricklink, I have fortunately only had good experiences with it so far. The only time I had a real problem was with one European seller using crazy exchange rates (I didn't know about this whole issue back then; the real price was a good 30% more than what the invoice had shown), but he agreed to let me cancel the order and we both gave each other positives.

I got some of those too through Bricklink orders over the last year, along with some similar looking yellows. It's a result of their cost cutting moves during the last year. I'm honestly surprised more people haven't complained about this, given the huge uproar there was over the grays. This color "change" is more noticeable to me than the grays, but since it's unintentional and caused by quality problems, there are also a couple of intermediate shades between the two extremes. *n* Anyone know if this has been fixed in recent sets? They were supposed to have fixed the problems a while ago, although it would take some time for the existing bad bricks in their inventory to clear out. I haven't bought anything from Lego S@H recently for precisely this reason.

I like gray better because I have far more of it. I treat blay like a separate color and use it in models, but don't mix it with gray. To be honest though, I don't use either color a whole lot anymore since gray stuff is hard to come by and I don't have enough blay yet to do much with it. Technic models are an exception though, for which I have no shortage of gray parts, and I will probably start using more blay in the future as I collect more of it. I don't understand how blay is more "realistic" though. *wacko*

SP Striker. It's my single favorite space set of any kind. I didn't even know it existed until 2000 or so (I think it only appeared in the 1989 catalog in the US) but I promptly picked up two copies on ebay at that point. I made some slight modifications to them to allow a second guy to sit in the back, under the canopy extender.

I think the 6915 Warp Wing Fighter is the best example of this. For me, it's one of the top two or three space sets of any kind, but it doesn't seem to be in great demand. Brand new ones generally go for less than $20 on ebay. I saw one for $13 just a few days ago. I might get another one for parts at those prices. A minor modification to it also allows the guy in the back to sit upright. As for sets with crappy box art, one that comes to mind is the 6894 Invader. The picture is taken with the wings folded in, which makes it look really ugly in my opinion. The wings can be folded out and it looks a lot nicer that way. It also comes with a few rare parts that are unique to it. Those are somewhat rare because three of the four sets were only released in the US. I think the sets are pretty hit or miss. The monorail is cool just because it's a monorail, but apart from a few nice ideas (the radar dish mainly) is generally not well designed. I like their smaller base a lot though. The Star Hawk II (1789) actually seems to be in very high demand on ebay and BL and goes for much higher prices than other stuff around its time period. It doesn't look that great to me in either the box pictures or the instructions, but I don't actually have one.

I only have one MB set, something from the mid 90s. I have the pieces in a box somewhere in the basement but don't mix them with my Lego collection. I generally don't buy large lots of parts blindly, as I like to know exactly what I'm getting and what condition it's in. :-P That being said, I don't think there is much separating Lego and MB these days as far as quality goes. Lego's quality really went downhill during the last year when they began outsourcing the bulk of their brick production to Flextronics. I've gotten a number of white and yellow Lego pieces of various types that have the same, slightly translucent appearance that MBs have (the plastic is seemingly less dense), and some black plates with slightly rounded edges that makes them look strange. They claim that it's only temporary and was unintentional, but I don't know when they are supposed to have the problems fixed (or if they have already) and it has really put a halt to my Lego purchases lately. :-/ There have also been some issues with the durability of stickers and the material they use for smaller tires for several years now, although those are quite minor compared to the brick problems.

It's mostly Bricklink for me these days. I buy sets too, but I tend to keep those on display and usually only take them apart if I have multiple copies or if they contain some rare parts I can't easily get elsewhere. I generally try to buy from only one or two sellers at a time, but order a lot of parts/lots (typically around 1000/100) from each one, so minimum orders aren't much of an issue for me. I don't think I have ever had to wait more than about a week for the order to come. No, it takes far too much time for most things and especially for Technic models, you can't tell how well the mechanisms are working or how strong things are. However, I sometimes plan out the basic overall shape in MLCad, especially for large models. I only use a handful of big pieces, just to get a rough idea of what I want it to look like. Also, I make MLCad versions of all my major projects after the real versions are finished, just for my own reference. In case anything happens to the real ones, I can rebuild them again easily.

I love the Blacktron canyon chase and the Technic one. There is another nice Technic commercial on linked on that page, apparently from 1994: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opayzmleFN4&feature=related

Thanks for the welcome and the compliments about my stuff. :-) It's basically random nonsense. I was trying to sign up for an online game service in 1997 but was finding that all the names I tried were already taken. After trying a bunch of crap that didn't work (even names of dll files in the windows folder), I mashed the keyboard a few times and the system accepted that. The name has sort of stuck since then, since I have used it on other forums and games for many years. :-P Nothing in particular, lol. I don't really have any Castle or Pirate stuff though, apart from a few small things (the Shell sets from the late 90s). I mostly just prefer modern and futuristic stuff in general. I like pretty much everything up to (and including) UFO. My favorite one as an overall theme was probably Space Police 1, although their actual sets were pretty hit or miss. My main project at the moment is a Blacktron 2 carrier that will have a basic shape similar to these, but is much larger and carries four of those fighters inside. It should have various L&S light bits and some pneumatic functionality. I haven't had much time to work on it lately but plan to get back into it soon. There are also a couple of smaller Technic WIPs I work with on and off, like this thing.

Nice article. The Onion never disappoints. :-D As for the issue about Lego having superior part quality, that was definitely true in the past but things have changed a lot in the last year or so, seemingly ever since TLC started outsourcing the production of their bricks. Some of the pieces they're coming out with these days look indistinguishable from mega bloks in terms of the colors and opacity of the pieces, and they don't grip together as firmly as they should either. I posted some thoughts on the issue here some months ago. They say that these issues were due to a manufacturing glitch and not something intentional, but I don't know when they are supposed to get it fixed or if they have done so already. I have actually held off buying a lot of sets I want during the last year because I haven't heard any updates on this issue and have still gotten some of these dud pieces in recent Bricklink orders.

I just registered here a few days ago. Looks like a nice place. :-) I'm a 21 year old AFOL and have been a Lego fan for pretty much my entire life. I am mostly into Space and Technic, although I collect stuff from other themes too. I used to post a lot in lugnet.technic several years ago, but haven't been there much recently (just got a bit tired of their forum software and interface). Some of the stuff I've built in the past is on here, although I haven't gotten around to updating it with a few of my more recent things. If anyone here is going to the Brickfair event this year, I will probably be there as long as I have time. I'm from that area, although I currently live a bit further away.