The pfm Lego Investment Challenge

[James]

anybody who "invests" and tries to profit from child's toy is a rampant Tory capitalist.....just build it and use it

Many of the sets in my collection are 18+. That makes them adult toys.

 

[paulfromcamden]

 

[gintonic]

Concorde is now repaired and complete. The wall mount is excellent and it is now out of harms way

20231022_204943 by uh_simon, on Flickr

20231022_205002 by uh_simon, on Flickr

I was so impressed by the wall mount - i bought one for the Space Shuttle to yield some shelf space

20231023_152155 by uh_simon, on Flickr

That mount looks good, are they the “landing” variant for Concorde, and the “banked” for the Shuttle?

I’ll need both as well….

Just a heads up for anyone using the Space Shuttle mount, mine shared off during the week whilst we were away in Belfast.

My kind neighbour came in to feed the cats to find a pile of Lego on the stairs. She did collect up all the bits for me - so an interesting rebuild.

I'll need to check the Concorde mount as well for signs of cracking. I always thought the Concorde mount was better made.

 

[gintonic]

this is what happens when your wall bracket shears, and the Space Shuttle falls to the landing and down the stairs.....

20240423_163042 by uh_simon, on Flickr

I may well completely dismantle and start from the beginning again.......at least i keep the boxes and instructions..........

 

[Funk]

This is en route...

 

[suzywong]

this is what happens when your wall bracket shears, and the Space Shuttle falls to the landing and down the stairs.....

20240423

Whoops

When you say wall bracket shears, do you mean the thing splits & breaks up? Or do you just need a longer screw to hold it to the wall…..

Cuz Ive got one from the same seller holding up Concorde!!

and Concorde has also suffered from the attentions of one of the Terminator Kitties (Jasmine, in this instance).

 

[gintonic]

Whoops

When you say wall bracket shears, do you mean the thing splits & breaks up? Or do you just need a longer screw to hold it to the wall…..

Cuz Ive got one from the same seller holding up Concorde!!

and Concorde has also suffered from the attentions of one of the Terminator Kitties (Jasmine, in this instance).

no the thing split, I'll try and take a picture tomorrow, the bit with screw is still in the wall.

 

[windhoek]

I bought one of those 3-D printed mounts for my Concorde but in the end I never used it as it had the wrong orientation - my mistake when ordering. Anyway, I had my doubts when it arrived as the contact block just didn't seem to be solid and as one with the rest of the bracket so I', not sure I would have used it... but I tell you what, I'm defo not using it now!

 

[gintonic]

I bought one of those 3-D printed mounts for my Concorde but in the end I never used it as it had the wrong orientation - my mistake when ordering. Anyway, I had my doubts when it arrived as the contact block just didn't seem to be solid and as one with the rest of the bracket so I', not sure I would have used it... but I tell you what, I'm defo not using it now!

I should say I looked at my Concorde one today and it looks OK.....the contact point is much larger than the Shuttle one

 

[windhoek]

I just received some breaking intel about a brand new Imperial 'ground vehicle' called the Super Hovering Inter Trooper 2000 (the SHIT-2000 for short) that's equipped with all sorts of deadly weaponry and advanced technologies. Weaponry includes front and rear blasters for blasting away just about anything and everyone within 50m, ideal for making swift, dangerous runs through enemy territory, with pivoting side cannons mounted on each flank for punching holes through the thickest of walls or simply obliterating the enemy's heavy artillery. A capability of firepower to be reckoned with for sure!

From what I can tell, its advanced technologies include an electromagnetic forcefield, as indicated by the EM loop generator mounted towards the front of the vehicle, and there appears to be a new type of propulsion system too. At first glance, it would seem to be some sort of fan-powered mode of propulsion, but I'm inclined to think that can't be right as there are air intake vents at the very front. If I had to guess, I'd say it's a hybrid mix of pure jet propulsion and nuclear kinetics, or pure JANK for short.

Some features are essentially self-explanatory, but I'll run through them just for the record: joystick controls, wind-breaking windshield, ergonomic backrest, front indicators and headlights, rear brake lights, a pair of low-mounted spotlights, located on the base of the vehicle to the left and right of the driving seat, and of course, rear twin spoilers for generating aerodynamic downforce and therefore, the necessary grip for pulling off precise, hairpin-like manouveres.

My source was also able to take some pics:

The SHIT-2000 as seen from above

The SHIT-2000 getting ready to go out for a test run

An overturned Rebel dump truck carrying raw fuel supplies spills its load following a swift and sudden attack by the SHIT-2000

The SHIT-2000 pilot (codename Dave; nickname Tommy Cruise) hydrates himself and chats up Sue (codename mechanic; nickname Big Wrench Handler) as she inspects the SHIT-2000 post-mission

Fwiw, I made the SHIT-2000 from all the leftover bits and pieces I had lying around; the orange pieces are all leftover bracing supports from the Concorde set (except the spoilers, they're just two brick removal tools) and I literally couldn't have made the SHIT-2000 without them - thanks, Concorde!

Incidentally, the SHIT-2000 is the first homemade Lego thing I've made since... oh, I don't know, the early '80s? Since I started buying Lego again a few years ago I've always just made the relevant sets, but I thought I should have a go at making something myself from the leftovers... and the Super Hovering Inter Trooper 2000 is it.

Have any of you guys made anything with your leftovers?

 

[gintonic]

this is what happens when your wall bracket shears, and the Space Shuttle falls to the landing and down the stairs.....

20240423_163042 by uh_simon, on Flickr

I may well completely dismantle and start from the beginning again.......at least i keep the boxes and instructions..........

we can rebuild it........

20240425_160500 by uh_simon, on Flickr

remarkably not a single piece missing.

 

[gintonic]

I bought one of those 3-D printed mounts for my Concorde but in the end I never used it as it had the wrong orientation - my mistake when ordering. Anyway, I had my doubts when it arrived as the contact block just didn't seem to be solid and as one with the rest of the bracket so I', not sure I would have used it... but I tell you what, I'm defo not using it now!

Here is the shuttle bracket on my wall - you can see the small slot where the "tail" of the 3D printed dovetail slots in:

20240426_104103 by uh_simon, on Flickr

here is the (broken off) tail repositioned on the mount that the shuttle would sit on. It is very small compared to the Concorde one, and some mitigation to spread load is made in the design of the mount.

20240426_085710 by uh_simon, on Flickr

This is more revealing - showing the broken off tail and the mount. It shows in the 3D printing, little or no infill is use which means all (or at least most) of the load is on the edges of the tail in the mount. So not only is it small but it is inherently weak due to its structure. IMO structural failure was always going to occur over time.

20240426_085727 by uh_simon, on Flickr

I think i can reconstruct it with reinforcements.

 

[Tony L]

I’d not trust 3d printing with anything of weight or value unless it was done on a really high-end pro-level machine, e.g. done by PCBWay or whoever, and even then only if done in exactly the right material for the load.

 

[windhoek]

Load bearing considerations aside, I no longer need to mount my Concorde as I found somewhere for it to go that's out of the way but still visible so I'll be leaving it where it is for the foreseeable future.

 

[gintonic]

much to the credit of the seller he has engaged in conversation with me. He claims he had never seen a failure like mine, and tells me he is modifying the design of the Shuttle mount. He also says the Concorde mount has much thicker walls and a much larger contact space.

 

[mikeyb]

Lego offer this weekend

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/deals/lego/