Lego Technic tips and tricks

Here's some tips and tricks that I use when building Lego Technic creations:

• Skeletalize and join. I try to make frames not have a lot of complexity. A simple box is often where I'll start, and then I'll join stuff to it. If I have a motor, axle, and wheel module, I simply attach it to my box frame. Simplify your construct as well, this reduces weight. But don't make it janky or it will fall apart.

• A related concept is skin panels. Make your bare frame first and produce a functional whatever-it-is from it, then add some regular System panels as needed (with Technic panels in areas with more complex shaping). Making a model and then trying to jam all this functionality in afterwards is much harder than functionality first building.

• Use those gears. You'd be surprised what you can do with a Lego gear. And don't be afraid to use bevel gears and universal joints either, they really help out. Especially if you're building something and the interior space has all these intrusions from, say, wheel wells.

• Plan your build. Make a mental picture of what features you want to have and where you want them to be before you start building. That way, you aren't floundering about in the dark, you have some sense of direction as to what to build next, what parts you'll need, and where it will be.

• Order. I usually start with a frame and some wheels/drivetrain, then build vertically from there. Oftentimes I'll work front-to-back or back-to-front as well, depending on which end is easiest to build.

• If you get stuck, put away your WIP build. Come back to it later, or even tomorrow. You may suddenly see a solution. And don't rush. In my experience, rushing a build leads to shoddy, ramshackle, and ultimately janky construction that leaves you irritated at having to constantly fix it.

• If something's not right, dig for it. Search your mechanism for anything that's not working right, then try to figure out why. Analyze what's happening in you construction, where the forces are going, and what is doing what. Don't just say, "Oops, it doesn't work just right, guess it doesn't work at all, I'll have to build something else to replace it."

• Think about what you want it to do. If you're building an RC rock-crawling car, do you really think it will work with smooth wheels with no tires? If you're building an airplane with movable controls, how accessible will that control stick be?