Subject:
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Znap is cool!
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.general
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Date:
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Mon, 11 Jan 1999 17:57:35 GMT
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Viewed:
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884 times
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With the recent rather disappointing 1999 Train range and total lack of decent
Town sets and I would like to point out that I don't have completely negative
thoughts about Lego these days.
I think Znap is one of the most refreshing product directions to come out of
Lego in along time [1]. Yes, it might be Lego's answer to K-Nex but to me
that's a bit irrelevant since I thought along time before K-Nex was invented
that Lego ought to make a construction system with beams and pegs along the
lines of Fischer-Technic, something that makes it much easier to build
framework type structures. Lego Technic is a very cool extension to basic Lego
but just how are you supposed to connect two Technic beams at right angles
without overlapping them? [2] Sure, you can overlap them, but then how do
connect another one? and another one? It soon gets very messy and inelegant.
Znap solves this problem in much the same way that Fischer-Technic does
allowing you to connect up to six beams to a single point in a very
geometrically pure way. This makes it much simpler to build what you're
thinking with Znap, whereas Technic takes about 10 times longer because every
joint in a 3D model is a new challenge. And I don't mean challenge in a good
way because often the results are unsatisfactory or impossible. I think the
fact that each set builds so many different models (mine has >30) is enough
evidence that this stuff is very flexible.
Even though Znap doesn't interface directly with traditional Lego (because it
totally drops the stud and tube system [3]) I think it complements it very
well and is quite easy to combine using simple Technic elements. All the beams
have Technic holes at twice the Technic pitch. Getting back to trains for a
second, I've made a very nice girder bridge for my trains that looks great and
easily attaches to the track.
So all in all, well done Lego! A very elegant building system and here's what
I want to see next...
A) Some type of 45 degree connector peg. Znap has adjustable pegs but you
can't adjust them below 90 degrees, only 90 to 270. This omission makes it
virtually impossible to make triangles and triangles are what make large
structures rigid. At the moment you can only obtain rigidity by using the
preformed frames that are inherently rigid because they have built-in
triangulation but these are a bit limiting. This one area where K-Nex has a
definite advantage because it has the _\|/_ connector piece.
B) Some larger models. The current sets are OK but tend towards the medium
size vehicles that are typical of Technic sets. Why can't we have a $100 set
that builds a giant tower crane, and dare I say it, a rollercoaster!
C) A deconstructor tool, you can soon make the skin on your fingers raw with
this stuff.
Matt
[1] Actually, so is Mindstorms but that's a whole 'nuther topic.
[2] I mean one beam flat and the other one sticking up vertically.
[3] Not quite true because my set came with 2 2x2 bricks with side Technic
pegs that allow you to connect a standard 9V battery box using the stud&tube
method.
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