Signature Technic Quirks?

[jwarner]

I haven't been very active here as of lately, I've been working on a fairly large project. But I got to wondering, what are some of your signature quirks when you build? Me personally, I hate the look of bushes; just can't stand them for some reason. I replace as many of them as I can with two half bushes; I know it's not efficient but IMO it looks a lot better What about you guys?

[TechnicRCRacer]

Overcrowding panels

For some reason, in small things I build, I will even angle the slots of the pins horizontal and make the mold marks face away!

[N-4K0]

It borders on an obsession to me, but I always have to align pins so that the slots go parallell with liftarms.
I also have to turn every liftarm, connector etc. so that the mold mark faces inward and doesn't show.

[Bublehead]

Even-  Every axle and every cross axle connection must be even or flush. Spacing and symmetry- everything must be somehow symetric.  I have to be forced by a deadline to build anything that doesn’t match symmetry front to back, side to side, and top to bottom, and symmetrical color distribution as well... if I have two 7L beams, one on each side of the model, they better be the same color. If not, and I don’t have two of the same color, I will rework the model until I find a solution that is symmetrical in both shape, placement and color. My last MOC for TC14 didn’t adhere to these rules due to using the parts on hand to finish before the deadline passed.

[1gor]

3 hours ago, Error404 said:

It borders on an obsession to me, but I always have to align pins so that the slots go parallell with liftarms.
I also have to turn every liftarm, connector etc. so that the mold mark faces inward and doesn't show.

I have the same addiction 

[Ngoc Nguyen]

3 hours ago, Error404 said:

It borders on an obsession to me, but I always have to align pins so that the slots go parallell with liftarms.
I also have to turn every liftarm, connector etc. so that the mold mark faces inward and doesn't show.

Me too. Mold mark means marred model.

[Sariel]

Colors must be symmetrical at all times. If I use a blue piece on the left, even if it's deep inside a MOC and can't be possibly seen from outside, the corresponding piece on the right needs to be blue too.

[Fatteh]

Definitely the mold mark hiding for me. Also struggling with the grey liftarm visible on the back left of the Bugatti when it's black in the right. Arrrghh!! 

[HallBricks]

Mold marks, as many others already have pointed out. Sometimes I also make sure that bushes are symmetrically orientated. 

[Frequenzberater]

I can not accept when there is an unused pin sticking out somewhere. You can finde it on some official models and a lot of mocs. I need to put something on it, even when its just a 1L liftarm. 

[Maaboo the Witch]

27 minutes ago, Frequenzberater said:

I can not accept when there is an unused pin sticking out somewhere. You can finde it on some official models and a lot of mocs. I need to put something on it, even when its just a 1L liftarm. 

The underside of 42070 must drive you insane.

For me it's that bloody yellow axle sticking out in the cabin. 

[shadow_elenter]

13 hours ago, jwarner said:

I replace as many of them as I can with two half bushes

LOL, me to I use the yellow once , and all those little yellow accents just make it that bit nicer!

I enjoy building symmetrical, down to the pins in unseen places, I have been known to take something apart to correct it if I mess up. 

I do this partially in case I want to add something later. Otherwise I might for instance have a pinhole free on the 4th hole in a specific lift arm on the right side or something , and when I have built an add-on and I want to copy it to the other side I might be unable to because the 4th hole is in use on the right side.

And... of course my signature color scheme...

Edited September 12, 2018 by shadow_elenter

[jwarner]

2 hours ago, shadow_elenter said:

I use the yellow once , and all those little yellow accents just make it that bit nicer!

As many as I have Most of mine went into my mobile crane, I think it's the only yellow piece in the whole model. Those accents right

[Yevhen]

I'm always spending a lot of time on optimization of resources even when I have enough parts. I feel as if I were a designer, who has to save some money for TLG!

I never set a 15x1 beam if I can set a 13x1 one instead.

Also I don't respect MOCs with a crazy bunch of motors (1 function=1 motor). Connect 6 functions to a 1 motor if you are such a genius!

This is why I so appreciate old Lego Technic models.

I recommend you to take a look at a mobile crane from 8094 and forklift from 8082. In both cases 2 motors provide 3 functions thanks to very smart mechanics.

Edited September 13, 2018 by Yevhen

[shadow_elenter]

16 minutes ago, Yevhen said:

Also I don't respect MOCs with a crazy bunch of motors (1 function=1 motor). Connect 6 functions to a 1 motor if you are such a genius!

You must hate me then, my latest MOC has 4 motors in one function... TWICE
If you start building BIG you will find that LEGO motors are very limited in their strength. I could make the outer ring in my TC14 entry spin very slowly with 2XL motors, but making it spin at a reasonable speed will simply require more torq.

A gearbox is not an option in this case because shifting back and and then shifting up would result in a VERY slow revers of rotational direction. these are physics you simply can not overcome.

In smaller models I agree, but when you go big or go for RC play-ability...
It's not always that black and white

[AFOLegofan66]

For sure it’s mold marks for me! Sometimes it can be tricky but I do it. 

[Mylenium]

10 hours ago, Yevhen said:

Also I don't respect MOCs with a crazy bunch of motors (1 function=1 motor). Connect 6 functions to a 1 motor if you are such a genius!

I feel the same. I'm always surprised how little of an effort some people make to optimze their setups.

Mylenium

9 hours ago, shadow_elenter said:

In smaller models I agree, but when you go big or go for RC play-ability...

I don't really agree. I don't know enough about the internal workings of your models, but I'm pretty sure at least some of them could be optimized, judging from the available videos. Of course it's a lot more complicated to develop complex drive trains than just plug on a motor with an axle, which to me most often seems to be the only reason why people use motors excessively.

Mylenium

[Bublehead]

Multi motor monstrosities have the advantage of one thing. Controlled timing and multiple independent actions occurring simultaneously. The novelty of one motor many functions puts a burden on the designer to innovate beyond the necessity of a personal MOC, and as has been pointed out, some try to imitate the existing paradigm of cost verses complexity verses number of functions as if they have to worry about such things like a real designer. I don’t pretend to need to do it to save money, I do it for the challenge of the build and the engineering challenge. Whereas in TC14, I went RC multi motor for the Trabant since I needed variable speed control of two independent functions and intermittent control over 2 other functions, all powered by a single battery in a package the size of a pineapple ? 

Now could I build it using a one motor-many functions approach? Not easily and get the control I needed, which is a two variable independent speed outputs plus 2 independent reversible functions gearbox that fits inside a split 6 ring stack of curved gear racks AND allows me to control all 4 outputs mechanically through a rotational interface (turntable).

Not impossible, but highly unlikely in the 3 weeks I had left to:

design, then build a Proof of concept bearing and drive, check prototype and finish the entry.

[Yevhen]

6 minutes ago, Bublehead said:

Multi motor monstrosities have the advantage of one thing. Controlled timing and multiple independent actions occurring simultaneously. The novelty of one motor many functions puts a burden on the designer to innovate beyond the necessity of a personal MOC, and as has been pointed out, some try to imitate the existing paradigm of cost verses complexity verses number of functions as if they have to worry about such things like a real designer. I don’t pretend to need to do it to save money, I do it for the challenge of the build and the engineering challenge. Whereas in TC14, I went RC multi motor for the Trabant since I needed variable speed control of two independent functions and intermittent control over 2 other functions, all powered by a single battery in a package the size of a pineapple ? 

Now could I build it using a one motor-many functions approach? Not easily and get the control I needed, which is a two variable independent speed outputs plus 2 independent reversible functions gearbox that fits inside a split 6 ring stack of curved gear racks AND allows me to control all 4 outputs mechanically through a rotational interface (turntable).

Not impossible, but highly unlikely in the 3 weeks I had left to:

design, then build a Proof of concept bearing and drive, check prototype and finish the entry.

Nobody limits you to use more than a one motor. But it's definitely not efficient (and nor challenging) to use a standalone motor for every single function.

Edited September 13, 2018 by Yevhen

[Mylenium]

1 hour ago, Yevhen said:

Nobody limits you to use more than a one motor. But it's definitely not efficient (and nor challenging) to use a standalone motor for every single function.

Agree once more.

Mylenium

[Mylenium]

3 hours ago, Bublehead said:

I don’t pretend to need to do it to save money

Good for you, I guess? But imagine us poor saps who need to save money for every bit of LEGO they buy. Also, regardless of this, I still measure a MOC by certain standards and one of those includes how viable it would be to rebuild it from parts in my own arsenal and/ or how realistically it could be turned into a commercial MOC or official LEGO set. I think you would agree that at least the latter criteria isn't met with anything that has more than three or four motors.

3 hours ago, Bublehead said:

I do it for the challenge of the build and the engineering challenge.

But that's the point, isn't it? I wouldn't call plugging on a motor with a direct drive to every function a challenge. Granted, these days there's a lot of linear synchronized motors used on industrial machines where there would have been a gear train in the past, but I don't think that doing the same on a Technic model is in any way adequate. More the opposite - to me the whole point is to find solutions that are clever and kinda non-obvious on first sight plus the models need to look nice. A compact model with only limited functions, yet smartly put together impresses me more than a 14 motor monstrosity that I could never hope to build nor would want to build.

Mylenium

Edited September 13, 2018 by Mylenium
Fixed typo

[Yevhen]

Totally agree. Also I would like to add. Efficient use of resources is an important part of the entire Lego Technic philosophy. And it makes Lego Technic similar to a real life, because in a real life companies always research how to make their products cheaper but not worse compared to products of their competitors.

It's called progress.

[LucyCol]

I talk to it, and tell the piece how lucky it is to be in such a crucial position and that it is holding the whole model together, or that is only there for decoration, but it's the bit everybody will see, mind I do live on my own and don't get out much 

[suffocation]

I always make sure the end model is laden in greasy fingerprints because it means I've been eating lots of pizza which means I've been good to myself.

[Bublehead]

@Mylenium, that was not my meaning of not pretending to save money... I wasn’t talking about saving money personally, but that people are pretending to be a TLG designer whose job it is to reduce cost and save TLG money.  And I don’t think accepting that paradigm is foolish, or anything, if that is your thought process while you build.  I just don’t do things like the other poster said, using a 13L beam instead of 15L beam or limiting the number of parts to reduce costs, but most of the time it is determining if you have enough of a certain element or piece in your inventory to finish a MOC without having to disassemble something else sitting on the shelf. As an older AFOL, my budget for Lego isn’t as limited, but its not unlimited either.  I am still amazed at the scale of some system model builders MOCs and their staggering piece counts.  You look at them and wonder what the Bricklink bill was for that many bricks.  But I still build with a limited “eye to save money” attitude by keeping to single motor, multiple functions when designing. My first amusement ride MOC was all about single motor multi function efficiency and I enjoy the challenge of designing and building using that mindset more than the one motor per function one. I do try to follow the “like an official TLG set” mantra and I am a purist mostly but I am not above creating non-TLG parts for my MOCs but those custom, model specific elements must conform to some actual previously used in an official TLG model format.  So no innovating new ways to make an element, but customizing using art or graphics like custom stickers, or customizing a thin film element’s outline and art such as Jabba’s Sail Barge sails or the sail from the racing yacht. 

Edited September 13, 2018 by Bublehead