Tag: Lego Technic

Lego Technic Design Competition 2012

Exciting news…In the latest issue of the Lego Club Magazine, there is a one page ad announcing a Lego Technic design competition where the winner will have their original design made into an official Lego set!

I must admit I passed over the page in my first few viewings of the magazine (not being an overly “Technic” family). However once I settled in to read the issue from cover to cover, I realized the significance of this rather unassuming page.

Lego is actually asking you to design a set for them!

Lego 9398

The competition states that Set 9398 The Technic 4X4 Crawler is one of the most detailed and exciting sets the Lego design team worked on this year.
Now Lego wants Technic fans to design their own version of the vehicle.

Lets get to the specifics:

  • Lego Technic fans need to design their own version of the 4X4 Crawler.
  • The top 10 entries will be put online for people to vote
  • The entry with the highest amount of votes will be determined the winner
  • The winner’s creation will be made into a Lego Technic set in 2013!

The page from the Lego Club Magazine prompts interested readers to go to www.Lego.com/Technic to find out more information.

It’s fairly empty when you get there though. As yet, the only reference I could find was this blog post from way back in May of this year.

The post states:

“In the LEGO Technic team we are currently working on an exciting new competition, with a grand price (sic) never seen before in LEGO Technic history! We know you will love this competition and we can also reveal that it includes a completely new gallery for you to upload and share your fantastic creations. 

The competition will launch around October 2012 and we encourage all of your to stay tuned on Technic.lego.com for more information.”

So putting two and two together I am guessing that this competition is the one referenced in the Lego Club Magazine.

If you are interested you could wait until October to start on your design or get a head start now and begin designing your own version of the Technic 4×4 crawler.

Over on the Eurobricks Technic Forum they have started a very informative discussion already so head on over to find out what your peers (and fellow competitors) are saying.

Here is the full page ad/article:

Lego Technic Competition 2012

 

Lego Technic – Set Guide And Reviews

Lego TechnicLego Technic sets are a little different from regular Lego sets in that they focus on technical aspects of construction and design rather than play.

Based on a system of beams that connect with small connector pegs and then move with axles and cogs,  the sets are more complicated to build than regular sets, take more time and concentration so are generally aimed at older Lego fans.

Technic sets are perfect for tweens and teens who may have played with Lego when they were younger but have become more interested in detailed design and construction rather than imagination and role play.

The sets are wonderful tools to teach the essence of mechanical design and engineering concepts.

Lego UnimogLego Technic Sets 2011

Lego Technic

Lego Technic is one of the oldest Lego themes.

The first set of this particular style was released in 1977 under the banner of “Expert Builder”. Due to the success of the sets the Lego Group then renamed the theme “Technic” in 1984 and started releasing the sets on a regular basis with an emphasis on cars, trucks and other vehicles.

Lego Technic Unimog InstructionsTechnic sets are highly detailed and generally based on actual existing vehicles like the Mercedes Benz Unimog (pictured). The sets are constructed using beams that connect together with small connector pegs. Early Technic sets used Lego brick beams with holes in the side but modern technic sets use “studless construction” beams.

The models often come with moving parts and this dynamic movement is achieved using axles and cogs. The sets are sometimes motorized using a Lego motor, more recently the Power Functions mechanism, while others utilize pneumatics elements.

Constructing Lego Technic sets generally takes more time and concentration due to the need to connect the beams using the small connector pegs.

As the sets also integrate movement into the model’s design the instructions are often more complicated than regular Lego sets (see picture).

Lego Technic in Other Lego Themes

Apart from the main Lego Technic theme, Lego has sometimes used the Technic components in other themes including Ben 10 and Star Wars but the sets are few and far between.

Lego ‘s Robotics theme, Lego Mindstorms, also uses a large number of the Technic pieces and concepts in it’s construction.

Lego Technic continues to be a strong theme for the Lego company and each year larger and more complex models are released to challenge and inspire mechanics and engineering aficionados.