Before you can vote for cool new LEGO sets, or submit your own you'll need to sign in with or register for a LEGO ID: You're currently signed in to LEGO ID as . Would you like to sign in to LEGO Ideas with this LEGO ID? LEGO Ideas is designed for older builders. We’re sorry, but based on the birth date we have on file for you, this means we can't let you have an account here. Create and Share Galleries as a place to share your models with other LEGO builders like you. Are you sure you want to log out of LEGO Ideas?LEGO Shop at Home North America has flagged six more sets as ‘Retiring Soon’ on their website. Some of these sets have not been available for long, which makes such a quick retirement unusual. But nonetheless, the following sets will… LEGO is continuing their recent trend of announcing which sets are retiring soon, and one of the latest, most notable entries is set 10244 Fairground Mixer. This set is potentially the first in a longer-running fairground theme, and as such,…
The LEGO Group has done collectors a big favor by revealing some of their upcoming retirements on the LEGO Shop at Home Europe website, and the list contains a number of interesting sets. Included in the list are: 10218 Pet Shop… LEGO 76042 The SHIELD Helicarrier is one of the largest sets currently produced by The LEGO Group. It was released relatively recently, but could it be retiring soon? Some might find that idea laughable, but there are valid reasons to… LEGO has released several Imperial Shuttle sets over the years, with the current 75094 Imperial Shuttle Tydirium being the clear best, non-UCS model. This set will be retiring later in 2016 and is potentially one of the best non-exclusive sets to… Many popular film and television series have found themselves adapted into LEGO models and minifigures nowadays. The first licensed theme was 1999’s LEGO Star Wars, and during its 25th season, we finally got LEGO versions of Fox’s long-running, animated sitcom, The…
Back in May 2015, LEGO released their line of Jurassic World sets to coincide with the film’s theatrical release in June 2015. The film was, unsurprisingly, extremely popular (just like the original Jurassic Park) and is the fourth highest grossing film at… The LEGO Group unveiled one of their most anticipated new sets today, in the form of 10253 Big Ben. This model of the iconic London landmark is quite impressive, standing at over 23 inches (60 cm) tall and containing 4163… LEGO 10234 Sydney Opera House is the most recent entry into LEGO’s lineup of large creator expert landmark models (at least until the rumored Big Ben arrives later this year), but it could also be the next one to retire.… The current lineup of LEGO Scooby Doo sets is perhaps an overlooked theme that may have hidden investment potential, with retirement lurking just around the corner. While Scooby Doo may not be as popular with kids today as it once… In this Brick Breakdown series I review official LEGO sets, from the perspective of looking at interesting building techniques we can all learn from.
Today we will be looking at one of the LEGO Monster Fighters sets, the #9467 LEGO Monster Fighters Ghost Train. You can also check out the previously discussed LEGO building techniques found in official LEGO sets at the end of this article. When I first heard about the LEGO Monster Fighters Ghost Train, I was looking forward to get my hands on it as soon as possible. Once I had a chance to put it together however I had mixed feelings. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great set – my disappointment came from the train-cars attached to the engine. I think the disconnect for me was that I was expecting more train and a little less amusement-park in the design. Now that I have had some time to absorb my initial disappointment, I can understand why LEGO went in this direction, and because of that we have more LEGO techniques to look at. Grab any round LEGO brick that is large enough to use an axle and chances are it will have a hole that can accommodate one. The reason for this probably stems from a need for re-enforcing connections made with round elements. I
f you take the time to notice, the studs on these elements are either slightly cut off or only cover certain portions of the piece. Most of the time this reduction in clutch-power won’t dramatically affect a LEGO model, however, since LEGO sets are designed for play, it’s important that all the connections hold up to rigorous use. Enter the LEGO technique “axle-coring”. This technique provides a slightly unconventional inner support-system for LEGO elements that have an axle-hole, by allowing the thus created rounded columns the ability to withstand a lot of side-to-side movement. Consider the axle as bone, and the pieces it cores through the rest of the body; the bone help to shape and solidify long structures. In the LEGO Monster Fighters Ghost Train, the boiler of the engine fully utilizes the axle coring method. It also uses the pin holes found in many 4×4 round LEGO bricks to either connect to pins or receive half-pins to create stud surfaces. In the case of the Ghost Train, the axle connects large four-by-four round plates and bricks, as well as 2×2 round bricks surrounded with “macaroni”-bricks. T
he end result is a highly detailed train-engine where the sturdiness is entirely based around the axle-core. ➡ LEGO TECHNIQUE – PADDLING As much as I didn’t care for the small cars attached to the train, they do contain a very interesting technique. Paddling typically results in an up and down motion. In the case of the LEGO Monster Fighters Ghost Train, you get bat-wings that flap up and down on the sides of the train-cars. The principle behind the technique is quite simple; take a LEGO element that is fixed to something that moves and make it stick out far enough to attach to another element that you want moving. This connecting element is typically a type of arm. The trick in this design is picking the right type of paddling piece. You don’t want something that will ruin itself or other parts while moving, so you have to avoid sharp-edged elements. In this set LEGO designers used a teardrop-shaped wheel that doesn’t scrape, thanks to all its curved edges. Other candidates could be rounded lift-arms, rounded propellers, elements with ball-joint ends, and rubbery tires. B
esides keeping your LEGO pieces safe, another reason you would want to choose the most suitable element is because your LEGO model will need to sustain the moving action whenever you activate it – which means it has to be reliable for long periods of time. Failure to do so may result in the number one reason why your model would stop, break, or no longer look right. I call this LEGO technique paddling because it represents the type of action paddles are designed to do. Take for instance a boat paddle; it is placed into the water to push against it and propel the boat forward. It is then cycled around to do the same thing over and over again. Another paddle example is the toy involving a ball and paddle connected with a rubber-band. The paddle in this case is moved to knock the ball out and away. The rubber-band brings it back so that the action can be performed again. Of course LEGO has its own way to go about applying this technique, but it is quite similar in principle. ➡ APPLYING WHAT YOU LEARN
When using axle-coring in your LEGO models, it is important to use elements that have the “X” axle shape. If the piece only has a round hole, you might end up with things that spin in place. It is also important to point out that axle coring is not confined to horizontal builds. It is often present when LEGO forms columns vertically or even at angles. The important fact here is that axle-coring gives round LEGO elements much needed structural integrity. Just keep in mind that taking them apart can be a bit of a chore. As for paddling, if you ever need to integrate an up -and-down motion in your LEGO models, it will be the technique to try first. LEGO has had a few pistons over the years, but nothing has stuck around long enough to depend on having those pieces. So until that changes, paddling is your go-to technique for continuous up-and-down motions. If you are trying the paddling-technique for the first time, it may be easier to use the paddle from below the object you want to move. G