General Part Discussion

[jantjeuh]

I have a question. Why does LDD have two tan 20 tooth double conical gears in its palette? I also noticed this when I checked the inventory for 8285 (2009) and 42030 (2014) on the Lego website, and it showed that the 20 tooth tan gear for 8258 was out-of-stock while the 20 tooth tan gear for 42030 was in stock; this means they are different gears. Was there a change in this toothed wheel?

Yes, the mold was slightly changed. The old mold uses an 'x'-style axle hole, the new mold a '+'-style axle hole (relative to the rest of the mold). Compare http://rebrickable.com/parts/32269 with http://rebrickable.com/parts/18575. When in doubt, check Rebrickable

Edited February 18, 2015 by jantjeuh

[DrJB]

It is not the only part. In fact, if you look 'closely', you'll find that MANY parts have gone through some mold-redesigns. Those changes are either minimal or very visible, and are typically driven by either part durability (such as the small half bushings) or cost reduction (3L vs. 4L cardan joint).

[Saberwing40k]

It is not the only part. In fact, if you look 'closely', you'll find that MANY parts have gone through some mold-redesigns. Those changes are either minimal or very visible, and are typically driven by either part durability (such as the small half bushings) or cost reduction (3L vs. 4L cardan joint).

i don't think the actual reason the u-joints were made 3L is cost reduction, although that may have been a part. I think it was to harmonize the parts better with the studless system. Also, has anyone actually recorded new versions of the 20z double bevel gear in the wild? I decided to check my 42009 crane, and the gears on that are identical to the oldest ones of that type I have, in spite of the fact that the new type appears in Rebrickable's inventory for that set. What is going on here?

Edited February 20, 2015 by Saberwing40k

[Richard Dower]

I just bought part #2854 in the rare Black colour!...they were brand new!

[DrJB]

i don't think the actual reason the u-joints were made 3L is cost reduction, although that may have been a part.

You and I will never know, but for sure it's one of many very plausible reasons. To reduce costs, a company has two options: lay off personnel (fixed costs) or improve processes and reduce raw material (plastic/oil) consumption (variable costs). Despite many (different) opinions on here, TLG is in the business of making money, just like any profitable company out there. To you and me, the joy we get from the plastic parts way eclipses the high $$$ we spend, but I assure you, TLG enjoys much more getting your and my $$$ than making plastic .

Also, has anyone actually recorded new versions of the 20z double bevel gear in the wild? I decided to check my 42009 crane, and the gears on that are identical to the oldest ones of that type I have, in spite of the fact that the new type appears in Rebrickable's inventory for that set. What is going on here?

It's well known that many sets were seen to come with different versions of any given part. TLG produces sets on a 'per-demand' basis, depending on market/fans' demand. As such, they may run several production runs throughout the 'life' of a given set. They simply use whatever part was available during a specific production run, and when they run out of one part, they use the next available part. That is why, in Bricklink, there is a list at the bottom, called 'alternate' parts. For example, the 8285 Tow Truck was first released with silver wheel rims, then LBG. Simply because they ran out (or decided to cut costs) of the silver version.

Edited February 19, 2015 by DrJB

[D3K]

I'm pretty sure the 3L u-joint is not a matter of cost cutting (the savings would be absolutely minimal for such a small part), but rather for better integration into studless building system. Same logic as for the new driving ring system actually.

[Jim]

I'm pretty sure the 3L u-joint is not a matter of cost cutting (the savings would be absolutely minimal for such a small part), but rather for better integration into studless building system. Same logic as for the new driving ring system actually.

Agreed. This is clearly a matter of a better design, instead of cutting costs.

[Corvette3]

The new system is longer too, so saving plastic was not the objective.

[DrJB]

Fair enough, all of this is based on our own opinions, but by no means this is bashing TLG. I for one, and have said this many time, find the 'plethora' of tiny parts (not just in Technic) rather annoying. But, we all come to this hobby with different interests, and that's a good thing.

Let's get back to the topic then: I'm making an LDD of Mahjqa's Metal Grudge, but LDD does not have the part below. Has anyone concocted an LDD alternative?

Edited February 19, 2015 by DrJB

[Corvette3]

Does it look like it could be constructed from other parts? like the L motor and servo are?

[DrJB]

I tried, but could not successfully replicate all the 'holes'.

[Epic Technic]

I just made one for you, hope it's good.

the LDD file is here: http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/Epic-Technic/stuff/random.lxf

[DrJB]

Thank you, but that's missing the hole at the top. This little piece is a real puzzle.

[aol000xw]

This?

44135.lxf

[DrJB]

Thank you, that's exactly it. I did not think of this, I had made one with 2 thin 3L liftarms at the bottom (in place of the 2L beam and bushing), but one round hole was replaced by an axle-hole.

[Gnac]

Just discovered these while crawling TLG's server for upcoming new parts (as any fule do).

I don't know their purpose, but they're SUPER-INTERESTING.

EDIT: Purpose discovered, and oh cripes I appear to be more than a year late with this.

Edited February 20, 2015 by Gnac

[Epic Technic]

Just discovered these while crawling TLG's server for upcoming new parts (as any fule do).

I don't know their purpose, but they're SUPER-INTERESTING.

How and where did you get these ?

[DrJB]

These are from an extension of the Technic Line into 'Duplo'. They were discussed here a while back. It's TLG's attempt to make kids younger than 3 use gears and levers .

Edited February 20, 2015 by DrJB

[Gnac]

How and where did you get these ?

I made a little PHP script to loop through a range of elementIDs, and show an image if it exists on TLG's server. These things were the most interesting, but there also appears to be some existing PF stuff with grey (rather than black) wires, which is a bit unusual.

Edited February 20, 2015 by Gnac

[PeterF]

Hello everyone,

I'm a new member to the forum (although I have been reading it for a while), and in need of some advice.

A few years ago studless technic drew me back to LEGO after a long dark age. First just to try it out, but I was sold pretty quickly and since then I have collected all flagships since 2007. So I have quite a lot of lift arms, gears, axles, power functions, pins etc. but little else. I really enjoy building MOCs, but mostly just functional models with limited visual modeling. However, I have been thinking about starting that too (seeing all the TC6 entries does inspire).

Via a good friend and fellow AFOL (but not into technic) I got the opportunity to go through a large batch of LEGO he is looking to sell. First of all I collected all the longer (studded) technic beams, since I don't have enough of those, and cool tires, you can never have too many ;-), that was easy. But about a lot of other parts I'm not sure, and I don't just want to take everything. So here come the questions. Which LEGO parts that generally do not appear in recent technic sets are most useful for MOCing? First some functional parts:

Large ball joints (attached to both studded and studless parts). These seem quite useful, but are they strong enough? And is the friction not a problem? That obviously depends on the exact use, but if you can share any experience would be very helpful.

This other type of joint, I did not see before:

This round piece (maybe for a huge universal joint ;-)

Very short studded technic beams (1L, 2L) with 1 or 2 pin holes or an axle hole. I have not used the studded building technique enough to know how often you need these.

Then some parts that seem useful for modeling, but are they really? E.g. this bracket or hinge.

And finally, purely visual parts

Is it useful to stock those up, or is the probability of having the right one too small anyway, and should you only find them when you know you need them.

Are there other parts I should be on the lookout for?

Both very specific and/or general advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks a lot!

Peter

[Jim]

Hi Pete,

Welcome to EB!

In my opinion you can do without most of the parts you showed. I wouldn't bother getting them, unless you are planning on actually using them right away.

When you pay attention to the design of a model, there are basically two options; using Technic parts like panels etc, or using "regular LEGO parts". Either way you are better off deciding what you need at that moment and placing some Bricklink orders.

[PeterF]

Hi Jim,

Thanks for your reply. I think I'll follow your advice and leave them for now. Better than gathering a whole bunch of parts that I will never use.

After some looking around rebrickable, I also found that the ball joints are not really used in technic MOCs. I was a bit surprised by that actually. I know we also have the small ones for the steering links, and the big one that can hold a universal joint. But still...

[JohnBS]

There is something that puzzles me!

I am not a great MOCer myself, although I mod quite a bit. But I have built a few "iconic" MOCs like Sheepos Landrover, Jürgen Krooshops ultimate 8043, dfs473 wonderful Sennebogen tracked crane etc. Right now I am building the Grove K460, so I can say that I have seen quite a few instructions.

But nobody, I repeat: NOBODY has ever used this part: http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=15100!

I find this part extremely versatile and useful and it´s neither rare nor extremely expensive,so it`s quite astonishing nobody uses it.

Enlighten me!

I wondered the same, but I can understand why, having seen the later posts. I came across this part a few weeks ago and bought a dozen on the basis that "they will come in useful for something". I wish that TLG would produce a companion piece - a combination of a friction pin and an axle bush. That would be super useful for handrails, for bracing beams and for using axles to triangulate trusses, etc. Think about it.

John

(Moderator, please move this if it is the wrong place)

[Jim]

It's a relatively new part, which will be used quite often in the future, I reckon.

Year Released:

2014 - 2015

I think it comes in very handy. My upcoming reviews will address this part.

[5imon]

It is actually a part that comes very handy, and it has already helped me a lot in newer MOCs.

However, I find it not very comfortable to work with. When trying to push it in a pin hole, you can only grab it by the round part, and it slips out of alignment very easily. This is more accentuated when working in tight spaces or when the pin hole part of it is already attached to something.

Edited February 25, 2015 by 5imon