Today's the Day...

[K'Tesh]

Well, my last post got obliterated by the mods after a lot of people took it off the rails... Let's see how this goes.

TODAY IS THE DAY... No Chance to do this tomorrow, it'll be too late.

I VOTED (with my wallet) to begin changing this:




Into this:

I've done it before (last week)... I can do it again (but not with that pile).

I should say that it's not all black and white, there are some grey areas, and the flags (for some reason) fit upside down, unless shifted to the left (HONESTLY).

My school bought my last one, and they want a second one (we have 2 locations in the city (over 130 across China, a few in Vietnam, and a few sister schools in the US)).

 

[K'Tesh]

I have no idea why there is a stupid useless Orange giraffe in there, but it is mixed with a lot of very useful blue parts: the stands used to support the complete project (when it all goes sideways). I am going to toss the orange part out ASAP.



[EDIT] I've since learned that the orange part is a tool used to pry parts apart.

 

[K'Tesh]

Oh, and for the record... It took me 12 hours yesterday to build this:

A few brown parts, some yellow too. All in one big grey area.

 

[K'Tesh]

First step... Sort all the bags into their appropriate assembly sequence... Unlike LEGO's this company breaks the bags down into smaller bags with the same number (1-12). Unfortunately, they don't tell you that "bag 1" is 1 of 10, or 1 of 3. So, I have to go through all of them to find which bags are #1, and so on. The markings for the Saturn V are done in white, which can be a PITA to read with as many white parts are in this kit. The Sisyphus kit had several that were not marked at all. Not fun.

 

[K'Tesh]

Bag 1 consists of 4 smaller bags, and took me 50 minutes to assemble into this:

 

[dr wogz]

the orange giraffe is probably a brick separator..

Love how Lepin is a blatant rip-off of Lego.. And glad to hear they've won their challenges against Lepin.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...ctual-property-lawsuit-against-lepin-in-china

https://www.lego.com/en-us/aboutus/news-room/2018/november/lepin-case/

 

[K'Tesh]

Bag 2 consists of 3 bags.

It took ~30 minutes to build that up and add it to the first section:

 

[markg]

I have no idea why there is a stupid useless Orange giraffe in there, but it is mixed with a lot of very useful blue parts: the stands used to support the complete project (when it all goes sideways). I am going to toss the orange part out ASAP.
[EDIT] I've since learned that the orange part is a tool used to pry parts apart.

 

[HASTE]

What the ? Is going on in that image in post 3.
The "Foundry " from that "Simpsons" episode ?

Oh, and for the record... It took me 12 hours yesterday to build this:

A few brown parts, some yellow too. All in one big grey area.

 

[jlabrasca]

What the ? Is going on in that image in post 3.
The "Foundry " from that "Simpsons" episode ?

WTF indeed. Lepin wasn't only ripping of LEGO with this one, I think.

 

[K'Tesh]

What the ? Is going on in that image in post 3.
The "Foundry " from that "Simpsons" episode ?

It's an automaton representing Sisyphus... Again from Lepin... based on a design that was featured by Adam Savage in one of TESTED's One Day Builds.



I'm looking to find the original designer, and if I can, I'll toss him a few bucks for his efforts in designing the Sisyphus model. I'm sure Lepin isn't compensating him for it.

 

[K'Tesh]

Bag 3 is made from 3 bags: took 25 minutes to build

 

[dr wogz]

Lepin's catalog is extensive, with many Lego branded sets copied pretty much "to the brick".

They've also 'taken' a few MOCs (My Own Creation - self built models) from web sites, posts, and Lego shows..

But, they are cheaper, and with the typical consumer's "I'm not going to pay $300 for that when I can get this same set for $150.." attitude, they did well..

(Sorry, it's one thing to augment / add to a toy line / universe, it's another thing to blatantly "take" the ideas from another company.. If Lepin made their own sets, like Mega Blocks or Coby does, I'd have a little more respect for them..)

 

[jlabrasca]

I'm looking to find the original designer, and if I can, I'll toss him a few bucks for his efforts in designing the Sisyphus model. I'm sure Lepin isn't compensating him for it.

https://jkbrickworks.com/sisyphus-kinetic-sculpture/

There is a "donate" button.

 

[K'Tesh]

https://jkbrickworks.com/sisyphus-kinetic-sculpture/

There is a "donate" button.

Thanks for that... I'll get on it as soon as I can...

And...On with the build

Bag 4 takes 5 bags. However, I lost one of them temporarily (hidden under another bag)... Then there was the filling (as in my upper right bicuspid) that crumbled while I was building... I can't find my dental wax (a temporary filling material)... and my build speed dropped...

This section probably would have taken 30 minutes or less.

 

[K'Tesh]

Bag 5 takes 4 bags and about 25 minutes to complete (barring exploding tooth fillings)

 

[Arsenal78]

I got the LEGO one back in February or so from Toys R Us and built it. It has fallen a few times and a small piece here and there have gone missing but it was fun. Frankly it’s too wobbly to keep it standing unless it’s in a secure location away from pets and kids.

 

[K'Tesh]

Bag 6 consists of the parts for the nozzles and the aft end of the first stage, and is made up of 3 bags. Things went smoothly until I tried to fit the last piece. The "tunnel" from one of the previous steps had popped loose and taken a distinct S curve. I had to pull it off then mod the parts slightly (filing the bottoms of the pieces that formed the tunnel to shorten them) and then was able to complete the step. Had it not been for that problem I suspect it would have taken me an hour and not the 80 minutes it did.

 

[K'Tesh]

Bag 7 is composed of 6 bags, and will be used to build the core of the 2nd stage of the rocket. It took 50 minutes to build.

 

[neil_w]

the orange giraffe is probably a brick separator..

The Lego version doesn't have the Giraffe head on it.


As with so much Lego stuff, this thing regularly amazes me with it's effectiveness and versatility. My respect for the designers at Lego is boundless.

 

[K'Tesh]

On to bag 8... Composed of 3 bags. Took about 40 minutes to build.

 

[K'Tesh]

Bag 9 is composed of 3 bags. Took 20 minutes to finish.

 

[neil_w]

I hope you are taking bathroom breaks and such.

 

[K'Tesh]

I hope you are taking bathroom breaks and such.

Yes, as needed.

OK Bag 10 is made up of 3 bags, and finishes the 2nd stage. Took about 20 minutes.

 

[K'Tesh]

Bag 11 is made up of 5 bags, and will build the 3rd stage. It took 50 minutes to complete.

I'll be posting images later... I'm taking them, but not uploading them.

 

[K'Tesh]

Bag 12 is made up of 4 bags. Took 40 minutes to finish... And the kit is done. So, this time it took roughly 10 hours.




I can see in that last image that the US flag part has disappeared... I now have an idea of where it may have been lost.

 

[Nytrunner]

The Lego version doesn't have the Giraffe head on it.
View attachment 366129

As with so much Lego stuff, this thing regularly amazes me with it's effectiveness and versatility. My respect for the designers at Lego is boundless.

Back in my day, it didn't have that fancy axle poker thing. You had to poke them out yourself if you wanted to!

 

[K'Tesh]

Back in my day, it didn't have that fancy axle poker thing. You had to poke them out yourself if you wanted to!

And you had to walk 30 miles to school uphill (both ways) into a a headwind (both ways), in 12' of snow... barefoot.

 

[Nytrunner]

And you had to walk 30 miles to school uphill (both ways) into a a headwind (both ways), in 12' of snow... barefoot.

Oh heck no, we had minivans in the 90s

 

[jlabrasca]

And you had to walk 30 miles to school uphill (both ways) into a a headwind (both ways), in 12' of snow... barefoot.

Luxury! Sheer luxury!



In my day Legos were called Lincoln Logs. I'd like to see you build a Saturn V out of a pile of those.