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I've seen lots of different (and awesome) drawbridges on
people's castles here, but I've never seen one like I'm
about to attempt. I'm curious if anyone has done this, and
if so, how they dealt with the issue of the drawbridge
getting caught on studs.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. :)
What I'm setting up is a retractable drawbridge that operates
with the Technic 1x4 Gear Rack (a plate with teeth:
http://www.lugnet.com/cad/ldraw/parts/ref/images/3743.gif
Of course, the biggest problem is keeping the thing from
catching on the blue plates that it's supposed to span. I
could use blue tiles on the water, but it would look kind
of goofy. What would really be slick would be some way
of putting the drawbridge (just the plank part) upside down
so I could put tiles on *it*, but then I need a plate with
a male stud on both sides so that I can attach the piece
mentioned above.
I suppose I could put the gear rack on an 'L' and have it
on the side, but I'm not sure I like that.
Am I making any sense? Anyone have a good, working solution
that doesn't involve glue? :)
Chris
--
Remove the nospam machine name in my email address to send a personal
reply.
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In lugnet.castle, Christopher Lindsey writes:
> I've seen lots of different (and awesome) drawbridges on
> people's castles here, but I've never seen one like I'm
> about to attempt. I'm curious if anyone has done this, and
> if so, how they dealt with the issue of the drawbridge
> getting caught on studs.
>
> But I'm getting ahead of myself. :)
>
> What I'm setting up is a retractable drawbridge that operates
> with the Technic 1x4 Gear Rack (a plate with teeth:
>
> http://www.lugnet.com/cad/ldraw/parts/ref/images/3743.gif
>
> Of course, the biggest problem is keeping the thing from
> catching on the blue plates that it's supposed to span. I
> could use blue tiles on the water, but it would look kind
> of goofy. What would really be slick would be some way
> of putting the drawbridge (just the plank part) upside down
> so I could put tiles on *it*, but then I need a plate with
> a male stud on both sides so that I can attach the piece
> mentioned above.
>
> I suppose I could put the gear rack on an 'L' and have it
> on the side, but I'm not sure I like that.
>
> Am I making any sense? Anyone have a good, working solution
> that doesn't involve glue? :)
>
> Chris
> --
A long time ago, I experimented w/ this style of bridge... I used tiles to
start and manually retracted it w/ my finger...I later added a winch, but
this led to some stress issues and imbalanced/jerky motion...
Before trying to use old technic gears and 1x4 plates on the right side of
the bridge, I tried a simple lever and tile system...essentially I put a 2x8
or 2x 10 (I forget) plate underneath a 6x16 black plate...I then "made a
tract" by mounting 1x2 tiles 1-2 studs apart on top of pair of 1x8
plates...these were attached to my structure on either side of the 2x8/2x10
plate underneath the 6x16 plate...I affixed a "handle" made out of bricks
and plates that slid in a slit I designed to the right of the bridge...I hid
this inside a room next to the gate...the advantage to this was that the
drawbridge did not "dip" in meeting the other side of the moat or just fall
out of the mechanism due to its own weight or overextension...
I eventually scrapped the idea when my bridge span became too long and I had
run out of the proper Technic pieces to do a geared bridge....before I moved
on though...I tried using the town small wheels underneath part of the span
to aid motion...this was many years ago when lego came out w/ the nonstudded
wheel hubs that allowed bricks to be placed on either side of the wheels to
hide their presence.
I hope this explanation is more helpful than confusing
= )
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In lugnet.castle, Christopher Lindsey writes:
> What I'm setting up is a retractable drawbridge that operates
> with the Technic 1x4 Gear Rack (a plate with teeth:
>
> Of course, the biggest problem is keeping the thing from
> catching on the blue plates that it's supposed to span. I
> could use blue tiles on the water, but it would look kind
> of goofy. What would really be slick would be some way
> of putting the drawbridge (just the plank part) upside down
> so I could put tiles on *it*, but then I need a plate with
> a male stud on both sides so that I can attach the piece
> mentioned above.
I would personally use the round, 2x2 'disc tiles' or whatever they are
called. Slightly curved bottom, 4 studs on top, so they can attach to the
bottom of your drawbridge plate. They're often used on small boats to
keep them from 'sticking' to the baseplates.
Current sets that have them include the X-Wing and the Flash Speeder.
You might also try elevating the drawbridge slightly and keeping it level
using some sort of slot mechanism - that way it wouldn't 'drag' on the
baseplate studs. The 'slot and t' bricks would work well for this.
(B-Wing, Gungan Sub, some Aquazone sets I think). You could also rig
something up using tiles & plates...
Good luck!
J
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In lugnet.castle, Christopher Lindsey writes:
> Am I making any sense?
Me? You lost me after the first paragraph... :-)
How are you setting up this drawbridge? How is the 1x4 gear rack
connected/related to the drawbridge plate?
> Of course, the biggest problem is keeping the thing from
> catching on the blue plates that it's supposed to span. I
> could use blue tiles on the water, but it would look kind
> of goofy.
I wouldn't think it would look goofy, but that's just my opinion.
> What would really be slick would be some way
> of putting the drawbridge (just the plank part) upside down
> so I could put tiles on *it*, but then I need a plate with
> a male stud on both sides so that I can attach the piece
> mentioned above.
Well, you can try this <part:4733> laid on its side for two male studs (that's
the right kind, isn't it?)
-Shiri
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Jeff Johnston wrote:
> I would personally use the round, 2x2 'disc tiles' or whatever they are
> called. Slightly curved bottom, 4 studs on top, so they can attach to the
> bottom of your drawbridge plate. They're often used on small boats to
> keep them from 'sticking' to the baseplates.
Excellent idea! I had seen those before, but didn't think
I had any. Until... I got my package from kbkids.com today
that had a Deep Reef Refuge (6441) inside. I haven't opened
it up yet, but looking at the picture it looks like there's
a half dozen black ones on the underside of the boat.
Woohoo!
And a silver dagger! Finally! And a ship's wheel thingie
with spokes that I can't remember the name of! And a
winch! And apetalous flowers that I can stick the extra
pink petals from the Jumping Course (6417) on! I know what
I'll be doing tonight.. :)
Sorry, I think I got a little carried away there... And all
this joy will be lost when the credit card bill finally shows
up. :)
> Good luck!
Thanks!
Chris
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Shiri Dori wrote:
> > Am I making any sense?
>
> Me? You lost me after the first paragraph... :-)
That's OK. I lost me before I even started typing. :)
> How are you setting up this drawbridge? How is the 1x4 gear rack
> connected/related to the drawbridge plate?
Yes, it will go down the left and rightmost sides of the
plate acting as a drawbridge, and then a gear will turn
to pull it in or out (that's the theory, anyhow :)
> Well, you can try this <part:4733> laid on its side for two male studs (that's
> the right kind, isn't it?)
Hey, I hadn't thought of that either! Good idea! Although
first I'm going to try the 2x2 "boat stud" <part:2654> since
it's not as tall (and I happen to have more of these
than 4733s), but if it doesn't work, your idea is next!
Thanks,
Chris
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Remove the nospam machine name in my email address to send a personal
reply.
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In lugnet.castle, Christopher Lindsey writes:
> Jeff Johnston wrote:
>
> > I would personally use the round, 2x2 'disc tiles' or whatever they are
> > called. Slightly curved bottom, 4 studs on top, so they can attach to the
> > bottom of your drawbridge plate. They're often used on small boats to
> > keep them from 'sticking' to the baseplates.
>
> Excellent idea! I had seen those before, but didn't think
> I had any. Until... I got my package from kbkids.com today
> that had a Deep Reef Refuge (6441) inside. I haven't opened
> it up yet, but looking at the picture it looks like there's
> a half dozen black ones on the underside of the boat.
> Woohoo!
Youch. You'll discover soon enough that those pieces are overbearing and
everywhere, with not enough uses... They appear on every single town-boat ever
made by TLC AFAIK... (OK maybe I'm exaggerating, but just a tad). I copied
Erin W's idea to use them as plates (ie for food!) in my inn.
> And a silver dagger! Finally! And a ship's wheel thingie
> with spokes that I can't remember the name of! And a
> winch! And apetalous flowers that I can stick the extra
> pink petals from the Jumping Course (6417) on! I know what
> I'll be doing tonight.. :)
Wow, I didn't notice most of these. I barely went thru all the pieces in my
6441... after five minutes I got really disappointed... I should re-check that!
-Shiri
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Shiri Dori wrote:
> They appear on every single town-boat ever
> made by TLC AFAIK... (OK maybe I'm exaggerating, but just a tad). I copied
> Erin W's idea to use them as plates (ie for food!) in my inn.
I haven't gotten into the boat thing too much (although I did
just buy a River Expedition on clearance (what's up with that
solid palm tree? Ick!)), so these are hard to come by for
me so far.
Although I've been noticing that whatever I trade for or buy
on a per part basis invariably comes available through regular
sets within the next month, sometimes to the point that I have
a surplus. :)
I like the plate idea!
I was able to successfully use these to create a retractable
drawbridge, although it's really not wide enough. I need
to locate 5 6x12 black plates and then things will work well.
I hooked it up to the motor from the ZNAP sets (is that name
some sort of pun for '3l33t war3z d00dz'?) and it works well
in one direction. Have to manually pull it in for the other
direction, though... :)
> Wow, I didn't notice most of these. I barely went thru all the pieces in my
> 6441... after five minutes I got really disappointed... I should re-check that!
I think if I had paid full price I would have been disappointed,
but at clearance it seems a good deal. There are also some
gray 2xn bricks, 2 "castle-able" minifig heads, lots of white
4x4 plates (which I needed), and some long white and blue
bricks (1x12, I think). And there are *two* silver knives!
I'm drifting off-topic, so I'd better stop.
Chris
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One possible means would be to use 1xN bricks instead of plates for your
drawbridge plank. I.e., stack a whole bunch of black or brown 1x8s and lay
them on their side to form a two-plate-thick smooth drawbridge. There are
still several ways you could attach technic racks to mechanize its motion.
(Hey, that would look really cool from a wooden fortress if you used the
rounded wood 1xN's)
--
Paul Davidson, aka Tinman
www.theforce.net | Your Daily Dose of Star Wars
www.filmforce.net | Your Daily Dose of Film News
Christopher Lindsey <lindsey@nospam.mallorn.com> wrote in message
news:38F4BED7.850D594B@nospam.mallorn.com...
> I've seen lots of different (and awesome) drawbridges on
> people's castles here, but I've never seen one like I'm
> about to attempt. I'm curious if anyone has done this, and
> if so, how they dealt with the issue of the drawbridge
> getting caught on studs.
>
> But I'm getting ahead of myself. :)
>
> What I'm setting up is a retractable drawbridge that operates
> with the Technic 1x4 Gear Rack (a plate with teeth:
>
> http://www.lugnet.com/cad/ldraw/parts/ref/images/3743.gif
>
> Of course, the biggest problem is keeping the thing from
> catching on the blue plates that it's supposed to span. I
> could use blue tiles on the water, but it would look kind
> of goofy. What would really be slick would be some way
> of putting the drawbridge (just the plank part) upside down
> so I could put tiles on *it*, but then I need a plate with
> a male stud on both sides so that I can attach the piece
> mentioned above.
>
> I suppose I could put the gear rack on an 'L' and have it
> on the side, but I'm not sure I like that.
>
> Am I making any sense? Anyone have a good, working solution
> that doesn't involve glue? :)
>
> Chris
> --
> Remove the nospam machine name in my email address to send a personal
> reply.
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