The guys over at TechnicBRICKs.blogspot also compared the prices of all these new sets for every country

I also noticed that Lego UK have lowered their prices for the snowmobile by £6 and the tractor by £12. looks like im going to be spending my birthday money after all!

Read more HERE

The new set, “Town Plan” also includes three 2 by 2 golden bricks as well as a letter from company owner Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen, who appeared on the original town plan box when he was much younger and returns on this one.

They’ve also produced a nice little anniversary site with a historical overview of their products.

You can read more about this on the Lego site

-Airkraft

“LEGO-touch for the iPhone will allow users to build virtual LEGO creations using a large catalog of basic building blocks.”

“Using the iPhone’s multi-touch display, you can easily grab blocks and assemble them into just about any shape you can imagine. A slick user interface lets you easily zoom in and rotate your designs, and easily apply any color in the spectrum to each of your blocks”

A small NXT (a Lego robotics kit) rover drives around with a sensor that detects which way an obstacle is. The shiny white robot dashed around quickly, and the whir of the motors rises and falls as the rover drives around autonomously. The robot turns away from several walls, then finds a cup and grabs it. The sensor is made by Mindsensors, an online store that makes some of the best sensors available. (A sensor gives input on something, in this case, it detects if the robot will hit something ahead of it or not.) However, all of their sensors are all un-Lego-like because they don’t have any protective encasing. They are just bare-bone circuit boards.

Mindsensors, in my opinion, has the best sensors among all other stores I have seen so far. They have a wide selection of sensors that has all the sensors that other stores offer, and more. Their prices are reasonable, ranging from $19.95 to $97.75 and their sensors are well-made. Hitechnic, another sensor company that Lego has joined with, sells a sensor for $46.99, yet Mindsensors sells one with the same exact capabilities for just $32!

Therefore, I think, Lego should do what they have already done several times these past years with other innovative companies: join with Mindsensors and allow them to use their plastic encasing with their logo. Doing so would protect their sensors from being damaged by static shock; someone who had just walked on a carpet could easily burn a circuit on a sensor by just touching it, since it has no protection. Without the plastic encasing, it is also hard to attach to a robot, since the only way to attach it is by the holes that Mindsensors punched into the circuit board. The plastic encasing comes with Lego compatible holes, so allowing Mindsensors to use the encasing will solve ALL these inconveniences.

I admit that some of Mindsensors’ products do not meet Lego’s requirements. However, from some communications I’ve had, Mindsensors is not even aware of that. If they did, believe that they would even change their products to accommodate Lego’s requirements.

Therefore, I request that Lego to join with Mindsensors and allow them to use their plastic encasings. If they would accommodate this idea, many others and I would be very grateful to Lego and I’m certain that their sales will increase.

–ro1000

And I must say, this is one of the best sets I have ever bought (apart from the NXT). It took me about 70 minutes to build, and it spent last night guarding my phone on my desk. Today I will build the second model that can be made from the set, and then tomorrow I will set about sorting out the pieces, so I can use them in my upcoming Mindstorms Models.

-Airkraft

Here are some links to sites that have information on Sorting Lego’s:

Box 4 Blox – Sells A tiered System that will sort a huge pile of legos into certain sizes.

JD Organizer – Has 16 Different ways to organize your legos. A great place for somebody who is just getting into Mindstorms or want to find a great way to organize.

Remy Evard’s essay on the evolution of LEGO sorting – Goes through the entire sorting process In a humorous essay.

Robotic Learning Store – Sells customized storage solutions for the NXT and other pieces.

Go to the Forum to Talk how you organize all of your Ideas. Feel free to give suggestions and request help. Click Below:

I use several different ways during different steps of building and organizing. As our collections grow we are all constantly changing the way that we organize and how many bins or containers that we have to use.

I just recently Added the Multiple Drawer cabinet to my collection.

This is a must have if you have lots of pieces.

Lift arms are sorted by size and color.

More lift arms and Miscellaneous Stuff.

Connectors – Gears – Axel’s

Gears sorted by size.

Connector Pins.

Axel’s and Joiners

Angle Connectors and Others, Overflow it the rear containers.

Tires and Wheels It the Lego Education Resource Set Container.

I use the Glad Snap lock Containers for Presorting and When I am Building a new Set

It works out very well, the small ones are the perfect size to pick pieces out with your fingers.