Generic Contest Discussion

[Jim]

I was thinking 10 weeks, so if you start right away, you will have 11

Or, what we could do, is set a deadline for the A-model, finish it. And then everybody gets another 4 to 6 weeks for the B-model. The deadline for A-model could be 1st of Jan.

[zux]

How about giving a week or so in new year for A-model's deadline?

[MajklSpajkl]

I think I'd prefer only one deadline for both finished models. December is full of festivities and other family activities so the time will be short, at least for me.

[TheItalianBrick]

Sounds like a good idea to have a cubic studs limit!!

And I don't mind the A and B model concep!! Go on Jim!! :blush:

[Erik Leppen]

Or, what we could do, is set a deadline for the A-model, finish it. And then everybody gets another 4 to 6 weeks for the B-model. The deadline for A-model could be 1st of Jan.

This would mean that you couldn't change the A-model if the B-model requires certain parts.

So I'd rather see a single deadline for the whole set.

[GoldVillage]

I'm in for the A/B contest.

If there will be a 6 months development time.

But I guess there will be a specific theme. Or should I get starting now?

I would say 6 months to 1 year... we have to remember that the flagship sets we getting year after year takes Lego approx 1 year each to complete, and then they're also getting help from such advanced hi-tec software that we could only dream of, (while we are stuck to very simple programs that has many missing pieces) AND they work in team (we build alone..)

BTW has it ever been a forest machine theme??

Edited November 15, 2015 by GoldVillage

[Erik Leppen]

I don't think any competition should take as long as 6 months.

If the deadline is known at the start, then everyone can adjust their scale of building to the given timeframe. This went fine with the cranes, and some huge models have been built in two months, I don't see why two medium-sized models couln't be build in, say, 10 weeks.

If a competition is held that takes 6 months, then either the people not interested in the theme have to wait, or there will be a second, hence competing, competition, which is kind of weird.

10 weeks is plenty of time to build 2 models, especially given the size limit. Just to get a sense of scale, I tried to build something that would fit in the box, and in as little as about 12 hours last weekend I got pretty far, and it looks to be around 800 parts for a model that MLCad reports to be about 36x19x11, which is 7524 cubic studs. Of course, doing a good model will take longer, and doing a B model will take even longer, but if 12 hours is a simple model (plus its MLCad counterpart), say 20 hours is a good model, and 40 hours is the B model, which is 60 hours total, which would be 6 hours per week. 10 hours if you build more slowly :)

Edited November 16, 2015 by Erik Leppen

[BusterHaus]

Wait, is it imperial cubic studs or metric cubic studs?

I don't want to be a nitpicker, but this is a somewhat valid question. 1x1 bricks are higher than their width or depth.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1a/Lego_dimensions.svg/1280px-Lego_dimensions.svg.png

Why not just use centimetres or inches to measure the volume, and avoid confusion?

[Epic Technic]

I don't want to be a nitpicker, but this is a somewhat valid question. 1x1 bricks are higher than their width or depth.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1a/Lego_dimensions.svg/1280px-Lego_dimensions.svg.png

Why not just use centimetres or inches to measure the volume, and avoid confusion?

Well, bricks are 1.5 studs tall so it shouldn't really matter, plus this is a technic competition so it should be easier because technic beare 1x1xlength studs long.

If we are going the cm or inches, I would not use inches since only three countries officially use it, therefore the rest of the world might have trouble finding an inch ruler.

[Lipko]

I was only joking with the 6 months.

So, do we have a clear statement yet of the volume limit? Is it 10000?

[Jim]

I was only joking with the 6 months.

So, do we have a clear statement yet of the volume limit? Is it 10000?

Yeah, I think 10.000 will suit most needs.

I don't want to be a nitpicker, but this is a somewhat valid question. 1x1 bricks are higher than their width or depth.

Just use a 15L Technic Liftarm to measure the dimensions, including the height.

[JamesJT]

Does TC9 have to be totally non PF?

[Jim]

I will post a full description Thursday or Friday, but indeed, no PF or other electronics.

[9v system]

I will post a full description Thursday or Friday, but indeed, no PF or other electronics.

WHY can we not use PF motors or lights? that is the whole point of technic.

[Moz]

Why not just use centimetres or inches to measure the volume, and avoid confusion?

The correct imperial unit is the furlong. The two systems are the mks (metre-kilogram-second) and ffh (furlong-fortnight-hundredweight). The latter commonly called imperial because it's based on the size of your king.

I think 10k studs is a decent volume, small but not so small that it's unreasonable, and it avoids the "mine is bigger than yours" problem.

[Jim]

WHY can we not use PF motors or lights? that is the whole point of technic.

Nope, it isn't. Most of the official sets come without PF. Each contest has his limits and one of the limits for TC9 is no PF.

I think 10k studs is a decent volume, small but not so small that it's unreasonable, and it avoids the "mine is bigger than yours" problem.

That's exactly what we're trying to avoid.

[Captainowie]

ffh (furlong-fortnight-hundredweight)

If you're going to use furlong and fortnight for your distance and time units, then surely surely you should be using the firkin as your mass unit!

[Moz]

If you're going to use furlong and fortnight for your distance and time units, then surely surely you should be using the firkin as your mass unit!

I would rather use the slug (a mass that accelerates at 1 foot/sec when one pound-force is applied = ~32 pounds). That was the abbreviation for the system is the apt FFS. But so few people have heard of it that it just causes blank looks.

[Jim]

While I like this conversation, it's rather off-topic. Let's stick to the contest discussion

[Samer]

Very interesting setup. I like the volume limit, it implies both weight and piece limits. Excluding pf is also cool, show us your mechanism and shape creativity, especially with the model B challenge. I'm in! And it's my 1st! So not that I'm winning, sure not, but its going to be joyful. When is that scheduled?

Just a suggestion captain Jim: I think it may be useful to illustrate the volume limit in a graphic (of 2 different objects) within the description.

[Sir Wolf]

Very interesting topic. I think I like it! I like the A-B theme plus the volume limit

Just to be clear, are pull back motors classed as PF? It's not electronics, and not listed on the page, but was neither explicitly forbidden nor approved (like pneumatics).

[Jurss]

I will post a full description Thursday or Friday, but indeed, no PF or other electronics.

Which week?

[Jim]

Which week?

Should have been this week, but I haven't found the time. It will be online shortly.

Just to be clear, are pull back motors classed as PF? It's not electronics, and not listed on the page, but was neither explicitly forbidden nor approved (like pneumatics).

Actually....let keep the pullback motor for a next contest

(I will add no pullback motor to the list)

Pneumatics is allowed.

[aminnich]

Why are pneumatics allowed but not PF or pullbacks, seems a little unfair

[Jim]

it sure is!

Next time it might be the other way around. That keeps it interesting. Otherwise we would have the same limits for each contest.