Bellaire Big Red's Football comes to the Bellaire Ohio Toy and Plastic Brick Museum.

This one a kind LEGO made Football is made in original brown!

For those who may have not noticed it yet, Eric (Blakbird) has produced great building instructions for the 1:10 Lamborghini Gallardo, designed by Paul Boratko (Crowkillers).




If you want to have professional like instructions, they are actually being sold by both the MOC designer and the instructions author, for the amount of $24,99. It's up to you to chose from whom to buy them, so I provide both ways through links under the logos from these two very well known AFOLs, below.



There are over 1.500 parts in this model and the building instructions include 68 pages.
If for some reason you don't think their work worths the money or don't agree on someone selling his hobby's work, don't forget you can just access the photo instructions like, made available by Crowkillers for free. They can be found at his Brickshelf folder.


In case you would like to acquire the car in a complete kit, boxed with all the required parts and instructions, you may also buy it at eBay, directly from Crowkillers.



Just in case the auction link above is not working anymore, by the time you get into reading this, then just search for 'crowkillers-incorparated' at eBay.

Primus's Katsumoto is a fine samurai-inspired creation with some creative parts use. Note particularly the use of treads and the unified design aesthetic (read: poky bits) on the arms, shoulder armor, and torso.

Jason Corlett has a pair of steampunkish post-apoc sort of creations, the Wasteland Scavenger and Clockwork Soldier:


There's more at his MOCPages if you're into the story side of things.

Intact or fistachpl, made a few weeks ago an extensive presentation from his new Telehandler model, at Eurobricks.
This is another model with an awesome cross looking. A mix from Technic and Model Team, without sacrificing the functionality a bit.

In fact it has an unusual number of functions, from which I would highlight the fork tilting.
Usually a missing function in LEGO models from this type of machinery. If you remember the LEGO recent official Telehandlers (8295, 8293), this was always a manual function controlled close to the fork itself.






From the 11 motors used and depicted on the right, there are plenty of functions present in this model. Most of them electric and remote controlled. To know:

• 4x4 drivetrain with full independent suspension (2 shock absorbers per each wheel)
• Normal and Crab steering modes with remote switching
• Boom raising
• Boom extending
• Fork tilt regulation (leveling)
• Front outriggers (electrically operated and with dummy pneumatic elements)
  
• Cabin lights
  
• Switching on/off of nightime lights (manual control)
• Dummy V6 engine(always working)
  
• Raising engine hatch and opening cabin doors (manual control)

The boom can be operated between -11 and +63 degree angle and can be extended up to 260mm, thus operating at a maximum height of 440mm.

You may find some more photos from this model, at Fistach's Brickshelf folder.

While browsing stuff for a LEGO integration project, I came across these compatible Linear Actuators from Firgelli (a Canadian company), what they call "LEGO Actuators"...

They look quite interesting, specially because they are self contained units which include their own electric motor embedded.
The motors must be really small, as per the actuators pictures we see on the respective Firgelli webpage.
Also Firgelli claims for compatibility with both NXT and LEGO Power Functions systems.
Hence these could turn into a useful piece, as an alternative to designing with awkward gears, motors, servos and linkages. This, if you are not a purist, of course... and this the point we return to heavily animated discussions, like in a few posts ago...

Despite never having seen them available for ordering, since the day I've noticed them, they are actually advertised in two sized versions (50 and 100mm stroke lengths), as pictured below.



The use cases, are:

• For use with the NXT Brick you will need a standard NXT connection cable to connect it in place of one of the MINDSTORMS Servos, and you will need to download the respective NXT-G block from Firgelli.
  

• For manual use with LPF components, you will require an NXT-PF cable available also from Firgelli. The combination of LEGO 8528 NXT converter cable, with one 8886 or 8871 extension wire is also likely to work in my suppositions.
  

• For manual use with older Technic style battery packs, you will require their NXT-Technic cable, but guess the original one from LEGO (8528) should also work with Firgelli actuators!?
  

The PF or 9V connections will just drive the actuator motor, wilhe the 6-pin NXT connection will allow for actuator driving and position control.


These "LEGO Actuators" seem to be built based on one of the Firgelli L12 Linear Actuators & Servos, which do exist in several versions (the basic version, one with limit switches, one with position feedback, one with internal position controller or a servo version for RC and robotic applications).
Once I didn't manage to get answers from the manufacturer, just can give my best guess, which goes for the L12-I version (with internal position controller).


From the L12 specs described in the Firgelli datasheet, we can get them in 5-6V or 12V versions, and also with gear reduction ratios like 50, 100 or 210, which correspond respectively to 23, 12 and 5 mm/s maximum speeds (no load condition) at 43, 80 and 150N force. See the datasheet if you are looking for more detailed info, like force and consumption curve characteristics.
Nevertheless it is still unclear, which of these versions is used in their "LEGO Actuators" products.


While the real product doesn't seem to be yet available, we can take a look into another L12 linear actuator in action, from one Firgelli video at YouTube.



I guess the Firgelli webpages about these actuators, aim for an early product announcement/promotion, or have anyone here actually bought them?
Probably it is just a matter of getting final production parts for the specific LEGO compatible plastic cases, which from a few details in the pictures above, look like still in a prototyping phase, at the time they were taken.

Advanced prices at their website, are however quite expressive.

It is about time for another poll, about the videos weekly featured at TBs during the last quarter of 2009.

In the next two weeks vote for your favorite video(s), among those highlighted during the 4th quarter (2009, Q4) under the 'Week TechVideo' tag.


Bellow is the list with the videos posted within this period:

• Week TechVideo, 2009 #40 - Closed loop pneumatic excavator (Linmix)
  
• Week TechVideo, 2009 #41 - Liebherr L 580 Wheel Loader (M-Longer)
  
• Week TechVideo, 2009 #42 - Beep, beep, beep,... another Liebherr L 580 is coming (Fabione)
  
• Week TechVideo, 2009 #43 - LEGO Ship Racing (Shmade)
  
• Week TechVideo, 2009 #44 - Continuously Variable LEGO Pneumatics Tutorial, by Mark Bellis (Mark Bellis)
  
• Week TechVideo, 2009 #45 - Hypnothic mechanical ecstasy (superbird28)
• Week TechVideo, 2009 #46 - Just want some treads like these... (Mahjqa)
  
• Week TechVideo, 2009 #47 - An automatic gearbox (Ads must be paid...) (Zblj)
  
• Week TechVideo, 2009 #48 - Heavy Duty Differential (HDD) (sunsky)
  
• Week TechVideo, 2009 #49 - LEGO Excavators at LW 2009 (barman)
  
• Week TechVideo, 2009 #50 - One 1:7 Supercar (jamesbond0096)
  
• Week TechVideo, 2009 #51 - American Truck (2LegoOrNot2Lego)
  
• Week TechVideo, 2009 #52 - Igniz got new shoes (Mahjqa)
  

As usual, you can vote for more than one video!


Notes:
- This video poll does not aim to select the best MOC, but rather well done videos featuring a LEGO Technic model, a nice video reportage from a Technic subject as part of an AFOL event, or some cool/innovative thing with interest for the Technic fans community.
- These are videos that somehow caught my eye at some point, thus based on a personal choice, and do not intend in any way to be considered as the best representatives from the work done by the Technic fans.
- Please notice, this is a poll taken for the fun. The authors of the videos here featured are not rewarded, independently of the rank position they will achieve.

Flickrite Pate-keetongu has built a rendition of, well...Keetongu. The colors could use some work in that the secondary one should be all black or all gray, but I like the use of Bohrok headplates. They give this revamp a Juggernauty sort of vibe.

Even during a $$ downturn there are new models coming in for the museum! Come on down and say hi to "Starkist the dolphin"

The winter adventure continues...

The winter season is closing and after some snow adventures, Mahjqa (Peer Kreuger) went for an Ice Racing in the frozen lakes from the Netherlands.



The video description at YT, contains:
"The first three cars are built on the same chassis, with some modifications between versions. The green car only had rear wheel drive, and thus had a tendency to get stuck. The white and blue cars are basically the same, with only some minor tweaking in the steering department. The IceTen at the end has skid steering, which basically means that it only works on VERY smooth surfaces. However, on ice, there is nothing more maneuverable. "

You may also find some photos of the featured cars, from Peer's photostream at flickr.

Keep your Nnenn. I still remember when he showed up and everyone was like "What is this? Megablocks? Modded bricks?!" That's not the point. He's great and all, but I'm not here to blog his stuff. I'm blogging a couple of lovely spaceshippy thingies (technical term) built by people who have been around as long as I remember, and whose creations greatly inspired me as I was first getting into the online Lego community.

Dan Rubin checks in with the Hornet bomber:


Justin Vaughn has imaginatively dubbed this one the "orange fighter."

Old news, no news...

Yes! As I did, many of you should already have seen these long time ago.
But I'm pretty sure not everyone did. Also this is worth in itself for a reference and to become widely known, not to mention it may turn very useful for many more, who may have not seen it yet.

After the 8265 (Front Loader) release in the 2H2009, many attempted their own modifications to make it fully motorized. We have already seen some of them here [1, 2], with a special note to Attila's photo-instructions illustrating his solution in a series of multiple but comprehensive steps.
As seen, some made this model fully remote controlled and improved from each other who did it before. But none took the huge task of making it into professional like instructions.

... until some time later Sarafiel (Minshik Kong), a Korean AFOL from BrickInside, took the epic challenge to fully document his proposal for the motorization of this model. Originally in a Worm Steering version.



Not happy with the amount of work done, he made it again. The second time, for an LA Steering version.



This is a tremendous work, where the full models had to be made into MLCAD and then converted into stepwise instructions with LPUB 4.0.

The images above have links to the respective folders at Brickshelf. However if you want to download the full instructions at once in a convenient manner, I'd suggest you to use the BSBackup free software.

As a suggestion to Sarafiel, he could also use the RapidShare free online service, to upload the respective single file PDF document versions (which I'm glad to have), as he did initially at some other restricted hosting service for the first set of instructions (although not available anymore).


Meawhile, the 8265 motorization seems to have become a very popular "sport" in Korea :) and many have developed their own solutions.
Here a few links to the BrickInside forum. Despite everything in Korean, the images worth a thousand words, and speak for themselves.

• ridder, directly assembled and took pictures.
• pcility, also does not use Linear Actuators in steering.
• Isyou2, built 3 motors side-by-side. Then engine was removed but everything is very compact.
• Lumix, made his version in red of passion.
• luh2000, in a large post.

Important is that all them tried own ideas and finally got 8265 moving.



Edit:
One of our readers, provided us with links to download the Sarafiel's single file instructions (PDF format), from MegaUpload.

• Worm Gear steering version
• Linear Actuator steering version

Last Update: 2010.Jan.16 23:30 CET

Hi-res pictures of some sets for Hero Factory, Bionicle's new summer replacement line, have surfaced. Bearing oddly human names and overly specialised parts (I thought Lego said this new line was supposed to be more flexible? I really dislike the arm-covering weapons as they will be difficult to use with anything besides these 45-degree arms), the sets still look all right. The leg armor and helmets may find good use for their intended purpose in other creations, as will the feet, which are probably my favorite pieces. Below, the improbably named Jimi Stringer:

See the rest of the sets here.

Tim Goddard (RogueBantha) brings us a great microscale M-tron themed freighter:



Tim Gould takes a break from trains and presents a cyberpunk flying machine:



It reminds me of the Naboo starfighter from the Phantom Menace, but cooler. If you are in a train mood though, check out Nathan Proudlove's subway train. It's lime!

And if you haven't taken note already, there's a building challenge in the starfighters group on flickr.