Nov 03, 2005 05:53 PM
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(Updated Nov 03, 2005 05:53 PM)
Lego is probably the most famous toy manufacturer in the world. Throughout the ages, kids from all over the world adored Lego. Lego is very popular in Europe and North America. In other parts of the world, their penetration is low because of comparative high price and poor marketing. Lego is company based in Denmark founded in early 70’s. Lego builds mecanos. It helps kids to make cars, trucks, planes, houses etc. using small parts (known as bricks and studs in Lego terms). Lego sets have various themes – like trains, bionicle, duplo, technic etc. Among all these, Technic sets are the most sophisticated. In this article I shall discuss Technic sets only. What makes Lego unique from most other toy manufacturers, is its excellence in providing features in its sets. Don’t you feel amazed at 5-speed transmission in toy cars? How about a 4-wheel drive transmission, then? Does Lego still build wonderful sets? Unfortunately, the answer is no. Though the company still makes toys, its quality has surprisingly fallen compared to past. Like many Lego fans, I don’t know the reason. May be they are trying to capture a different market or so. That means, Lego has probably already made its best toys. Lego has several technic sets. Not all of them are good. However, some are so good that they are more suitable to crazy adults than kids! At the later part of this article, I have described all good Lego Technic sets in details. Lego has sets of train models as well. However, I personally never liked Lego train models as Hornby (or similar manufacturer) trains are seemed far more realistic to me. Features of Lego Technic sets Please be aware that not all features are available in all sets! Most single sets have only two or three features available from the following list. Turn wheels using steering Differentials on transmission shaft Independent suspension on car/truck/bike wheels Air tank driven pnuematic cylinder movement (mostly in cranes & trucks) Multi-speed gearbox 4-wheels drive transmission Adjustable seats Opening doors, engine hood etc. Tilting truck container Engine mimicking cylinder movements (not real petrol engine!) Battery driven electric motors to move vehicle or cranes. Programmable movements (mostly on Mindstorm/RCX models) Rudder and aileron movement in planes Turntable movement in cranes Telescopic booms in cranes Rotor movements in helicopters Lego parts are made of plastic materials. Their precision and manufacturing quality are quite high - they always fit together with one another. Usual shelf life of Lego sets is around 15 years or more. However motors tend to seize operation sooner. Lego resource on web I am sure you are going to ask how you can get old Lego Technic sets now. Well, there are several shops who sell those old items but their prices are usually quite high. Following websites may help you. https://lego.com (official Lego site – only current modes available for sale) https://bricklink.com (unofficial Lego market place for new/used sets) https://lugnet.com (Lego fan site - see picture of any Lego set and read review) https://brickset.com (Lego fan site - see picture of any Lego set and read review) https://brickshelf.com (scanned pages of Lego instruction books) https://ebay.co.uk, https://ebay.com etc. (for used Lego sets) It is even possible to create virtual Lego models on computer. There are CAD like programs available for this. Fortunately, they are free. One such original program is LDRAW ( http://www.ldraw.org). However, it is a DOS based program. But you can have several of its Window's GUI versions. One such popular GUI is MLCAD ( http://www.lm-software.com/mlcad/). LDRAW is an open architecture program. That means you can even incorporate custom parts with it. When buying used Lego, be careful about its completeness! Often seller claims items as 100% complete and which after purchase turns out to be not so. If some minor parts are missing, you can probably replenish them from your other Lego sets, however, if any critical part is missing, it might render your entire model incomplete! Also, battery operated motors tend to become faulty with older used models. Lego in India Unfortunately, very few shops sale Lego technic sets in India. Moreover, their price seems to be too high! (Rs 3,000 – 7,000 range). Moreover, you'll only get latest Lego sets in the market.. Also, it is highly difficult to get old Lego sets in India.
