Hi all,

I'm thinking of buying the NXT 2.0 set, but because of it's low piece count (a complaint in many reviews) I might be tempted to get an additional set just for parts.

The question to the experts is what set to get for such a purpose, it shouldn't be too expensive ether because of the already high price of the NXT set.

I really don't understand why there are no proper expansion sets anymore like 871

Also is it just me or are those NXT motors HUGE?

8421 has a huge part count, loads of gears and other useful parts and can be had cheaply if you're not in a hurry

I picked up the NXT2 8547 set last Christmas. It was my first time dipping into it. The models on the software provided are easy to build and you will learn the basics of programming from them. There are a couple of websites out there which will give extra building models, using the pieces from the set, and also give you the downloadable program file. I learned more from them.

The motors are bulky and are more difficult to integrate compared with xl or m motors. Nut they are very powerful, with programmable speed, ramping up or down, as well as having an integrated rotation sensor.

It is better to buy the NXT as a set, as the separates can be very expensive.

There are a good number of studless beams in the NXT 8547, but it is a little weak on the gears.

I would recommend getting the 8252 crane truck as well. It's a set full of gears, 5x7 frames, and lots of other nice parts, including a PF XL motor... If you don't have any studless parts from before it also has a great collection of studless liftarms and panels.

I haven't got NXT yet myself, but I have one of the older mindstorms sets. It hasn't been used much though because of a limiting array of sensors... Main reason I haven't gotten NXT is that I had no studless bricks when it came, and after PF showed up I've basically been waiting for a PF compatible mindstorm set.

I do however think the NXT is a great brick for anyone who wants to learn/train programming.

Hi all,

I'm thinking of buying the NXT 2.0 set, but because of it's low piece count (a complaint in many reviews) I might be tempted to get an additional set just for parts.

The question to the experts is what set to get for such a purpose, it shouldn't be too expensive ether because of the already high price of the NXT set.

I really don't understand why there are no proper expansion sets anymore like 871

Also is it just me or are those NXT motors HUGE?

Hi Roland,

You should definitely buy the NXT 2.0 as a set. I have two sets and I do love them. The possibilities are endless.

(yes the motors are big and strangely shaped, but you'll get used to it)

Buying another set for parts depends on your current collection. Do you already own other (studless) Technic sets?

The Crane Truck (as suggested) is indeed a very nice set. It will become rare soon, so buying it is a good idea anyway.

Do you already own other (studless) Technic sets?

I do own a couple of other sets but they are currently showcased (including 8252) and I wouldn't want to disassemble them (yet), they might get plundered eventually if this nxt thing gets addicting.

The idea was to get an extra 'cheap' set just for gears and or beams so I could experiment without having to disassemble the other models.

Getting a 2nd 8252 would set me back an extra 130 euro's though (blowing my 2011 budget to hell), so I have to think about that. Also I might be tempted to show case the B-Model :)

Thanks all.

@ roland: You could consider getting the "Unofficial LEGO Mindstorms NXT v1 to v2 Upgrade Parts Kit" from the Inanimate Reason Bricklink store. Look at the blue field on that store's webpage, and click on "Show All Custom Items". You'll see the kit 1/2 way down the first page. Here is the description:

"There are three differences between using this kit to upgrade your NXT and buying a new set.

We don't include the sticker sheet, the new color sensor or NXT-G version v2 (the CD-ROM). Programs requiring the color sensor would have to be adapted to read grayscale values using your existing light sensor. As for the CD, LEGO has a very restrictive license prohibiting resale of their software. It's written so restrictively, you technically couldn't even include it if you sold your own original kit!

Due to availability, the elements probably won't be the exact same color as ships with the official NXT v2 kit. I'll match them when I can, but there are no guarantees as to colors included.

THIS KIT IS $200 LESS THAN THE PRICE OF A NEW NXT KIT. Why rebuy all the parts you already own?

This kit is a fraction of the price of buying a brand new Mindstorms NXT. We created it by comparing the inventories for both sets as listed on Bricklink. Once we made the comparison, we identified which parts were either not included in the original v1 sets or had fewer items included. For example, the NXT v1 kit does not include any Zamor Ball holders while the v2 set has two. Another example - the v1 kit has only eight of the Orange Bionicle teeth while the v2 kit has ten. We include the extra two teeth to bring your total up to ten. If Bricklink lists an item as extra in the v1 set, we assume it was not always present and include it in our upgrade kit.

With this kit, you receive:

170 original LEGO elements

One original LEGO NXT touch sensor

A printed list detailing exactly which items are included

The following chart details the contents of the kit":

Edited September 19, 201113 yr by DLuders

@ roland: You could consider getting the "Unofficial LEGO Mindstorms NXT v1 to v2 Upgrade Parts Kit" from the Inanimate Reason Bricklink store. Look at the blue field on that store's webpage, and click on "Show All Custom Items". You'll see the kit 1/2 way down the first page. Here is the description:

Darn, I didn't even know this kit existed. Thanks, I will probably order it sometime.

I do own a couple of other sets but they are currently showcased (including 8252) and I wouldn't want to disassemble them (yet), they might get plundered eventually if this nxt thing gets addicting.

The idea was to get an extra 'cheap' set just for gears and or beams so I could experiment without having to disassemble the other models.

Getting a 2nd 8252 would set me back an extra 130 euro's though (blowing my 2011 budget to hell), so I have to think about that. Also I might be tempted to show case the B-Model :)

Thanks all.

Why not temporarily cannabilize the 8252 for the parts, so you can experiment with it and later on put the truck back together for display. The truck is great for showcasing, but you have a fine model to build other stuff with. No extra costs and you have the fun of building the truck again (or it's B model). It's a win win

Edited September 20, 201113 yr by Gekke Ted