Week TechVideo, 2010 #08 - Remote controlled 8258

Today the 8258 (Crane Truck) in a modified version by Xander Soldaat (mightor).
This was a demo model for LW 2009 in Zwolle, with all functions remote controlled.

In addition to the 4 powered functions in the original model, Xander wanted to make it drive and steerable, from the PF remotes, thus counting 6 function in total. In order to achieve it, he needed to take out all the gear boxes housed in the middle of the truck, and added some PF motors and IR receivers.

• 1 PF XL-motor for driving the rear wheels
• 5 PF M-motors
• 3 PF IR Receivers

Quite a bit of work...
You can find some more photos from the original post, at Xanders' blog.


I have been to write about this since a few weeks ago, and as a matter of coincidence today when revisiting the materials to finally write it, I realized that also today, Xander added a post about one NXTfied version from the same truck, by Ramacco.

The crane truck here was automated using one NXT brick with 2 NXT servos for driving and steering. Furthermore, 3 PF motors were used to control the crane itself.
The NXT controls the PF motors via an HiTechnic IRLink sensor, while the NXT brick itself is controlled from a Nokia 3109c phone via Bluetooth.

The embassy got mail

Many of you were caught in surprise this morning when got to see the10 nominees for the February challenge.
Reactions started a bit all over the online places, where Technic fans have presence, once the participating AFOLs felt somehow "disqualified" without notice or previous warning.
While the reasoning behind was correctly anticipated and well understood, some have been suggesting such kind of contest should then have two categories. One for TFOLs and another one for the AFOLs.

Sometimes things do not happen exactly as we planned beforehand.
But frustration is something no one wants to cause you! So before you get to think about it, there was already a decision to address the tremendous success achieved by the first challenge of "The LEGO Technic Challenge".
Read the good news below, that Monica asked me to spread.




As you have all discovered we have kicked off a building competition on Technic.LEGO.com called “The LEGO Technic Challenge”. The purpose behind the challenge was to show kids, that they can do so much more with LEGO Technic than they might think. Basically to inspire kids to fetch their LEGO Technic elements and start building. We have lined up 8 competitions in total – all themed around something different.

We have of course been following the discussion on different web-sites about AFOLs and their submissions, which eventually got us thinking whether the competition would only get entries from AFOLs and if it was thought to be only an AFOL building competition. When the panel of judges got together to review and select the contenders for the February vote we realized that even though there were a lot of great entries made by kids, we also saw a lot of great models made by adults. But as we wanted to show kids what they can build with LEGO Technic and inspire them to continue to build different models themselves, we wanted to keep the competition clean; i.e. we only chose models submitted by kids. Please note that some of the kids submitting entries are only 7 years old – how can they expect to win this competition when up against all of the great AFOL MOCs out there? So the LEGO Technic Challenge will continue in its current form – but only kids’ models will go through to the voting phase each month.

However, we also want to acknowledge the many great models that AFOLs are building so we decided to create an extra prize for you. First, we will each month make sure to showcase the best adult entries in our blog and at the end of the competition (October) a panel of judges will select the 20 best adult models from the previous months and these models will compete for the same prize as the kids: the complete LEGO Technic novelty assortment from 2010.

We want to just share a few things with you to pay attention to before next competition in March:

• Submissions with URLs are being moderated out before the judges even see the models
• Submissions with e-mail and other contact information in the description are being moderated out before the judges even see the models
• The format the judges will be judging from is still photo; ie. no videos will be taken into consideration, and the judges will not see them
• Visuals that look like 3D renderings will not be taken into consideration as this is a building competition

More models than the ones showed on the blog has caught our attention (DaVinci comes to mind) and they will all be taken into consideration for the final vote.

So please continue building and submitting – we are enjoying looking at every model and are honored that so much time and effort is being invested in building with LEGO Technic.



On behalf of the LEGO Technic team
Monica



You may also find a similar communication from Ricco (LEGO Technic, Design Manager), posted at Technic.LEGO.com blog, this morning.


So you, TFOLs and AFOLs out there, lets vote for the current challenge and to participate on the next one!

... and now the video from 2H10 Technic sets, at NY Toy Fair

And here it is, what we were also looking for.

One video taken by BrickJournal featuring the 2010 Technic sets, as shown at the NY Toy Fair. Thus of course including the novelties for the 2nd half 2010.

Unfortunately no one took the opportunity to play with these models, and let us dismiss the final doubts. If still any...

High-res pictures of 2H10 Technic sets, now from NY Toy Fair

The NY Toy Fair 2010 started yesterday and this morning FBTB website had already published photos from every 2H set, at Flickr.

Great is that we finally got some decent resolution images from all the 2H Technic sets.
Click at each image to get the correspondent highest resolution image available. Depending on the browser you are using, you may need a 2nd click over the image, for the full resolution image where you will need to pan in order to inspect each detail.


8051: Motorbike

This is not the first set with a 3-inline motor (only 8455 had one before), but the shaft is farthest to the cylinders for the firs time, so it got a new crank design.
Instead of the 2852 (Technic Engine Connecting Rod), I guess this motor uses cranks made with an axle towball with angled connectors #1 and #2 (well... not angled in this case).
New use cases for the same parts, everyday!...


8052: Container Truck

This model has a registration plate with the characters "AP 54183", which makes me think it was designed be Alfred Pederson.


8053: Mobile Crane

This is the model where the only new Technic part for the 2H, was found up to now.

It is a reinforced new variant from 48496, with axle-holes instead of pins as connection points.
My guess is that it takes the function of part 61904, where a Linear Actuator isnot present and its form factor doesn't make a perfect fit.

The several stickers with the inscription "MK 8053" leave no doubts about who have designed this model. Markus Kossman of course, who had also designed its predecessor 8421 XXL Mobile Crane.


8043: Excavator

There is also a small sticker on the cabin "door" who leaves us with any doubts about who have designed this beauty. "Goose" which makes a perfect match with the nickname from Anders Gaasedal Christensen and the sticker with model name (8043ag) which matches also his initials.
The 2nd model here, makes it pretty clear that such model couldn't have been left for anyone else to design...


If it was not yet clear for you, that all the 6 functions from this Excavator (3x for the digging arm, driving, steering and superstructure rotation) are fully remote controlled, take a closer look and read the text in the box PF banner.

   "Fully remote controlled digging function"
   "Remote controlled driving, stearing and turning"

So there is definitely a steering function on this infernal machine.


For a few more photos, you may take a look at the Technic photostream, from FBTB.

Week TechVideo, 2010 #07 - Lightning CubeStormer

Many Rubik's Cube solvers have been produced based on LEGO MINDSTORMS robots over the last years, but this one I just saw beats them all by far.

The CubeStormer as they call it, was created by Mike Dobson with the software support from David Gilday. Unlike we may expect these days, it is based on the old RCX and many Technic parts.
They claim their contraption scans and solves any 3x3x3 Rubik's Cube combination in less than 12 seconds.
This is lightning speed, so that I'd need to see it in slow motion...
However it looks to me that all the intelligence behind this prodigy, lives on the laptop rather the RCX itself.

As mentioned in The NXT STEP, this thing reminds the Large Hadron Collider and is probably just as impressive.

Don't blink, or you might miss it!...


Via The NXT STEP


Edit:
Meanwhile a trustworthy source has informed TBs that the following elements were used to build the CubeStormer:

• 4x RCX Bricks
• 24x 9V Motors.
• 4x Rotation Sensors.
• 8x Touch Sensors.
• 4x Light Sensors.
  
  
• 10x 9V Lights.
• 1x PF Light pair, to light the cube while scanning.
• 2x Fiber Optics Elements.
  
  
• NQC used as programming language.

Apart from the laptop and Rubik's cube it is 100% LEGO


Last Update: 2010.Feb.17 00:30 CET

TBs TechPoll 18 (Results) - 2009, 4th Quarter - Favorite week TechVideos

TBs poll for '2009, 4th Quarter Favorite week TechVideos' finished with about 260 votes, after the usual two weeks election period.
Poll objective was to let you choose your favorite videos, from those weekly highlighted here during the 4th quarter from 2009, at 'Week TechVideo' section.



Once more, huge advance that most voted video took from the competition.
However if I remember right, it is the first time someone, get two videos in the podium. 2nd and 3rd positions, for the present poll.


Below, the usual 1st, 2nd and 3rd most voted videos for your review.

#1- "Week TechVideo, 2009 #47 - An automatic gearbox (Ads must be paid...)", by Zblj

#2 - "Week TechVideo, 2009 #34 - Just want some treads like these...", by Mahjqa

#3 - "Week TechVideo, 2009 #37 - Igniz got new shoes", by Mahjqa

Once more congratulations to the producers of the most voted videos, during the last quarter!

TBs TechTOC 08 - Racing Bike

Not that I use to post about MOCs. Very rarely, except those in the weekly TBs TechVideo series, but...
Someone thought I would find this interesting, and I think you'd too.

Click on the images to enlarge and see the details.

You can find it at BrickShelf and it is labeled as a 1:3 scale racing bike. In fact it looks to me at a smaller scale, but who cares.

It is absolutely awesome for the details and originality!
Amazing the hub and the brakes made with the old Technic Flex System. Just wish it would come back...

Week TechVideo, 2010 #06 - Technic plane

Today a nice video from one CAD generated model by Matt G Ellis, for those always demanding that TLG should realease more plane models.
Based on set 8434 (Aircraft) from 2004.

Also because TLG is asking you to design flying machines, in this month of February, for their LEGO Technic Challenge Competition. Lets take some inspiration, from what was already done before.

One excuse less, for not participating!...

8043 Excavator, at another Toy Fair

New photos from the 8043 Excavator, which I guess to be from the Nuremberg Toy Fair, still running.

Click over, for bit larger images.

Now we are able to see it also from upper and the backside.

Really awesome from these angles!
It looks a sensational model.

I see a red handle just behind the battery box, but hope it to be for making easier the on/off switch and not any other manual function.


Edit:
Have replaced the original photos, by others meanwhile also found online.
A lot more there, about other LEGO themes.



Last Update: 2010.Feb.07 13:20 CET

2H10 Technic sets at Toronto Toy Fair

Probably you may have noticed from the calendar in the right column, that we are right in the middle of the Toy Fairs season, all over the world.

Toy Fair in Nuremberg is starting today, but London and Toronto Toy Fairs have just happened.
Thus is time for the first photos from the real models to debut. And here we have at Brickshelf the first ones from Toronto.

New angles, new details, some modifications.


8051: Motorbike, 467 parts

8052: Container Truck, 686 parts

8053: Mobile Crane, 1289 parts

8043: Excavator, 1123 parts

What will you find from these new pictures