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Topic: Hi, I’m Michael
New AFOL. I’m learning how to make bird MOCs. I live out in Centre County. Is there anyone else out here I can interact with? Also, I only have some LEGO bricks from when I was growing up. I will need to beef up my available brick. I’m thinking a combo of PAB wall and LUGBULK (looks like I just missed the boat on that). Once I have some birds, I’d love to display them.
In reply to: CMF News
@tcsbgdady I’m checking in on this one. Do you still have a Space set for me, and do you still have a D&D set for me? I only need one of each minifig. How much would they cost? I am probably just gonna do cash this time.
I can come pick them up this week. Over on the LUGBulk page, I volunteered to deliver your order and several others to house for pickup when I come get my guys, but Krista apparently is going with having Tim B do it. But it’s still an option, should we decide to go that way.
I have Space Figs and will have D&D on 9/12 (supposedly). I just had a txt with @tbrown00 and he doesn’t care who brings the stuff North, so you can grab the LUG Bulk and bring it all up to my house and pick up the figs. Just confirm that is the plan with everyone.
In reply to: CMF News
@tcsbgdady I’m checking in on this one. Do you still have a Space set for me, and do you still have a D&D set for me? I only need one of each minifig. How much would they cost? I am probably just gonna do cash this time.
I can come pick them up this week. Over on the LUGBulk page, I volunteered to deliver your order and several others to house for pickup when I come get my guys, but Krista apparently is going with having Tim B do it. But it’s still an option, should we decide to go that way.
In reply to: Brickfair VA 2024 AUG 3-4
In reply to: Brickfair VA 2024 AUG 3-4
>> Since we’ve yet to be invoiced for LUGBULK, I’ve decided to pivot a little on what I’m displaying. @bengood921 I should be at about the same size of table space and hopefully it’ll still be just as epic.
@knb112 Do you have anything more precise at this time? I have a preliminary setup – photo attached. I think the angle skews the perspective, cause it looks like I’m using more than half the table width, but I’m not. I measured the far end of the table to my lava perimeter at 49 inches, which means that if I take a one-inch buffer, I’m using exactly half the table. (Ignore the stuff to the left of the lava perimeter, that won’t be there, and neither will my ziploc bags.)I am not interested in expanding. If you need more width, I can shrink down a little bit. I used 1×8 BLO plates to make the perimeter, but I should have other sizes. I’d say 16 studs is the max before it’s not gonna look good. But we need to decide ahead of time. I can’t slide that building at all (and not just cause it’ll mess up the tablecloth), I have to lift it, and it weighs in the neighborhood of 35 pounds. So once I have it positioned on the table in the hall, I’m not going to move it, and for this display I think it’s gonna work best if it’s centered in the lava. If you don’t need more width, I’m just gonna leave it as it is.
In reply to: Brickfair VA 2024 AUG 3-4
>> @bengood921 I got all the minifigures I need, thanks for being ready to help!
Okay, good, because between that Friday night when I got back to my house, and the next day when you made this post, I’d managed to forget all about it. I am the worst.
>> Is anyone interested in going to SEE (not display) Brickfair in Virgnia for a day on Aug 3/4? The discount on ticket presale ends on July 22.
Ooh, this sounds like we’ll once again (meaning it’s now an annual tradition) get to play Spot Greg. Last year it was played during all of Sunday public hours, since Greg was constantly on the move, to the point that Anne lost track of him multiple times.
>> I was planning on bringing a smaller cooler for Alexis and I
Thanks, I will also have my own with me, and I will be taking it to the hall, at the very least, on Saturday and Sunday.
>> Related question. Is everyone on Discord and using it? If so, I can start a group for us. If not, we can do a text thread.
I stopped using Discord a long time ago, and at any rate, I never installed it on my phone, which sounds miserable. I’m guessing this is for communicating during the event, like we did at Exton. If we do a text thread, I’m going to suggest that once it’s established, everybody send out a message saying “This is >my name<” so I can get everybody in my phone. At Exton, all I had was a bunch of numbers, so every time we received a message, we played this little game of Guess Who Sent That Text (a game, I should point out, is way less fun than Spot Greg), unless the person announced themselves, which got equally tiresome on both ends.
>> Its weird, Alexis and I got into the same exact games and parts drafts.
My only guess is that you got into the games for which significantly fewer people signed up, thus greatly increasing your chances of being accepted.
>> Do they still do walkups if there’s no shows?
I think it’s safe to assume that it’s yes; it’s always been that way. I’ve missed games I was signed up for in the past, as recently as last year, and they never had trouble filling my spot. At Fredericksburg, I was less than five minutes late, but they’d already given away my seat, and they didn’t let me play.
I didn’t sign up for any games this time. All the ones I like I’ve played plenty of times, and I’m fine with letting other people play them.
>> I’m starting to think about what else we need to pack, @bengood921 should we bring table cloths?
When I submitted the table request to Todd, back in June, I included a line that said “we are hoping that BrickFair can supply us with table cloths.” In his reply, Todd did not comment on that, and I have been assuming that we are getting some, although after last year, I am worried that somebody will overlook that and there won’t be any for us when we arrive, and tracking some down will be difficult. I suppose I could send a message to Todd and ask him. I still haven’t asked him for clarification on our section on the map either. If somebody else wants to go ahead and do it, feel free.
I did buy my orange table cloth, although I still plan to put it on top of a BrickFair black one. It’s a close match for bright light orange, although it’s slightly yellower (they did not have orange in the size I need, and at any rate I’m pretty sure the bright light orange is gonna look better with the lava anyway). I haven’t removed it from its packaging yet, but I plan to wash it and test it out on my banquet table before packing up next Monday, so I’ll take a photo.
>> @bengood921 I should be at about the same size of table space and hopefully it’ll still be just as epic.
Sounds good. Unlike with my usual builds, I will have a small amount of flexibility with the overall size. I’d also been holding out for LUGBulk to arrive, and now that it’s clear that it won’t arrive in time, I have put off assembling plan B until I have the table cleared off so that I can set them up for a test run. I’ll include that in my photo.
In reply to: Brickfair VA 2024 AUG 3-4
Since we’ve yet to be invoiced for LUGBULK, I’ve decided to pivot a little on what I’m displaying. @bengood921 I should be at about the same size of table space and hopefully it’ll still be just as epic.
In reply to: Brickfair VA 2024 AUG 3-4
@knb112 why don’t you two take those?
I’m flexible. If LUGBULK comes in on time, I need 3 feet for a lenticular. If not, I can go bigger or smaller.
although I would recommend having somebody else be in charge of the LUG display, since I won’t be in the area when we actually arrive and set up.
@bengood921 if that works for you moving into space, then I suggest whomever gets there first for us would need to confirm our tables are correct, we have table cloths and chairs, etc. I don’t mind being that person but I’m not sure we’ll be in before everyone else.I’m regretting not being more proactive with Todd and the group about establishing our space, and I apologize for that
No worries Ben! We’re already ahead of where we were last year and 10 tables is way more than the 4 we had last year.
If we return in future years, I think the plan of action has to be to try and get a large number of people for a large display that requires its own island, and do it early.
I think we just have to be ready to go reach out to Todd as soon as Fredericksburg is done. Something to start planning as soon as VA is over.
I’m really wondering how much is truly “new” builds this year. Bionicle really has a large footprint, and I feel like I’ve seen some of it before. That’s on Todd though to enforce with the limited space.
In reply to: Q2 Meeting – Penn Hills Library
I updated the shifts for virtual and in person. Please make sure to check in when you go so we can track attendance for things like lugbulk!
2024 Q2 Business Metting
Jun 8
also installing summer reading display at noon. meeting should start at 1. 1037 Stotler Rd, Pittsburgh, PA 15235
Shifts Layouts Cups View Shifts (2)
Empty Shifts - 0
Participants - 22In reply to: Threadjacking
I was looking for the LUGBulk 2024 thread. This is the time of year when we usually get the parts list, it occurred to me recently that I haven’t heard anything since we signed up in the fall.
No updates yet.
In reply to: Threadjacking
It got a little broken with a recent update.
Theres the main site search and a forum search. Harder to find the forum search.
https://www.steelcitylug.com/forum/search/Lugbulk/
It’ll get fixed eventually.
In reply to: Threadjacking
Is the search engine here turned off? I get zero results no matter what term I put in.
I was looking for the LUGBulk 2024 thread. This is the time of year when we usually get the parts list, it occurred to me recently that I haven’t heard anything since we signed up in the fall.
In reply to: CSC Locomotion Weekend – 1/13/24 – 1/14/24
Hello all,
I am still active, though I dont post as much as I should. But I will look tonight and post the bluebrick file from last year. I will say that we ended up deviating from the digital design. I think that is to be expected though because you need to have the parts in one place to really know how they will fit together.I also have a couple trains, and most of my LugBULK was to convert my track to MILS plates. I will also volunteer and come set up as well.
josh
In reply to: Inventory Mgmt system
So I have a few questions and suggestions here.
Questions:
1.) I think I am reading this right, but I want to ensure I understand. Is the basis of this saying we are revamping all of our LUG spreadsheets into one location?
–If so then I completely support this. A one stop shop to deal with everything LUG related.2.) Will those who already have access to most of these LUG spreadsheets already have access to the new stuff?
— Only asking for the sake of being thorough.3.) “Check out/in inventory”, does this mean a log of who has what, and the date in which it was returned?
3a.) Would this inventory list link to and/or include any MILS items by individual members, or just LUG stuff?
— I know we have a spreadsheet for member owned MILS items, was not sure of that was going to remain separate since it is not LUG owned or not.4.) When is the estimated roll out date for all this, and will there be a period of trials and input by other LUG members and/or inventory management?
Suggestions:
1.) I have had this thought for a while but was not sure on how to bring it up, or if it was even feasible. When it comes to Redemption is it possible to come up with a digital system that will allow the member to input everything they redeem and it automatically deduct the cups on the spot? Basically a Redemption Check Out counter of sorts. I see it as either on a lap top or I-Pad. We would go up, type our name in a box, and then a data entry window would pop up with slots to input how many were redeemed (could likely make separate entry points for the BDay, First meeting, and Build challenge cup areas that do not deduct from Members overall total, but still creates a log for total cups redeemed), as well as one for sets (ideally we would make it like LUGbulk where we link the Inventory spreadsheet to this. So the member would input the set number(s) and it would auto populate the correct credits to be deducted).
2.) For set redemption, I think the current storage of said sets is still valid, but what about creating a QR code that members can scan to view the inventory spreadsheet on the spot instead of having to deal with any sort of on the spot verification of people. This would also come in handy if sets get mixed up.
3.) Is it time that we do one last large scale re-sort on our Redemption parts? I know bags are getting slim and our parts inventory is not what it used to be. Is it worth the time to go through and formally consolidate more to create more shelf space for LUG items?
4.) Do we want to take this time to formally add to the Inventory management committee and/or hold an election to create a formal board and committee heads for the LUG?
All good questions and exactly what I was hoping to bring out.
The finance Google sheet isn’t going away anytime soon. Not sure what other sheets are there, but anything that is a list of things are game for transition.
Access will be through this sites login, so everyone will have at least view access by default.
Checking in/ out is probably exactly what you’re thinking. Not sure how to enforce people use the functionality, but empowerment is one step.
I don’t think anyone has the desire to set up and maintain a QR code system, but anyone is able to reset my thoughts. The iPad idea crossed my mind as a possibility. The requirement though is that a person is logged in as themselves to do the redemption. I need that responsibility to stay with the requestor to avoid risks like writing/reading the wrong set number or cup credits.
I think inventory mgmt roles are a reasonable thing to cover at Q4. I personally think things are organized well enough, but we usually do spend some time ahead of meeting at my house maintaining that.
In reply to: Inventory Mgmt system
So I have a few questions and suggestions here.
Questions:
1.) I think I am reading this right, but I want to ensure I understand. Is the basis of this saying we are revamping all of our LUG spreadsheets into one location?
–If so then I completely support this. A one stop shop to deal with everything LUG related.2.) Will those who already have access to most of these LUG spreadsheets already have access to the new stuff?
— Only asking for the sake of being thorough.3.) “Check out/in inventory”, does this mean a log of who has what, and the date in which it was returned?
3a.) Would this inventory list link to and/or include any MILS items by individual members, or just LUG stuff?
— I know we have a spreadsheet for member owned MILS items, was not sure of that was going to remain separate since it is not LUG owned or not.4.) When is the estimated roll out date for all this, and will there be a period of trials and input by other LUG members and/or inventory management?
Suggestions:
1.) I have had this thought for a while but was not sure on how to bring it up, or if it was even feasible. When it comes to Redemption is it possible to come up with a digital system that will allow the member to input everything they redeem and it automatically deduct the cups on the spot? Basically a Redemption Check Out counter of sorts. I see it as either on a lap top or I-Pad. We would go up, type our name in a box, and then a data entry window would pop up with slots to input how many were redeemed (could likely make separate entry points for the BDay, First meeting, and Build challenge cup areas that do not deduct from Members overall total, but still creates a log for total cups redeemed), as well as one for sets (ideally we would make it like LUGbulk where we link the Inventory spreadsheet to this. So the member would input the set number(s) and it would auto populate the correct credits to be deducted).
2.) For set redemption, I think the current storage of said sets is still valid, but what about creating a QR code that members can scan to view the inventory spreadsheet on the spot instead of having to deal with any sort of on the spot verification of people. This would also come in handy if sets get mixed up.
3.) Is it time that we do one last large scale re-sort on our Redemption parts? I know bags are getting slim and our parts inventory is not what it used to be. Is it worth the time to go through and formally consolidate more to create more shelf space for LUG items?
4.) Do we want to take this time to formally add to the Inventory management committee and/or hold an election to create a formal board and committee heads for the LUG?
Topic: Inventory Mgmt system
I’ve been working on a new inventory management system that I want to have live before the Q4 meeting. I plan on opening it up as a sandbox for everyone to get familiar with and test/break/report by the end of October.Day 1 functionality:
- Repository for all Inventory
- Sets – This will replace the Google Sheet
- Track
- MILS
- MISC
- Systemic way to handle redemption
- Includes straight PAB and sets
- Includes bonus cups (bday, first meeting, build challenge)
- User request and admin approval step
- Mobile-friendly interface
- General features
- Import and export inventory via Excel sheet template
- Holistic logging and viewing of all activity
- Admin ability to redeem on behalf of the user
- Inventory dashboard summary for each ‘stack’ (sets – most of, total PAB worth, etc.) (track – sum of curves, 9v, ballasted, etc.)
Version 2 functionality (release TBD):
- Events as a stack and revamped interface
- Check out/in inventory
- Archive viewing/reporting for sets, events, users
Version 3 functionality (maybe?):
- LUGBulk system
For now, what I want from you is to:
- Be aware of the changes to the redemption process.
- Ask any questions.
- Make any requests for functionality.
In reply to: Threadjacking
I believe I have Dan Efrans @erunaamo baseplate from the Lugbulk this year. Dan, Let me know what you want me to do with it
In reply to: what the heck is Greg doing?
I’m finally using years of accumulated LUGbulk parts to build some winter trees.
These look great!! Will definitely be borrowing this!!
In reply to: what the heck is Greg doing?
In reply to: Board Game Night
I have an unfortunate update to make! I have come down with the worst cold of my life for the past six days and will not be able to host this event. We will reschedule for sure! I’ll be able to host at my new place next time so it might be even better.
The good news is, now yall can help with lugbulk! 😉
In reply to: What the heck is Ben doing?
>> (should it be “Appocaclearance”?)
Ha, it’s interesting that you say that. Clarence’s name is an homage to Clarence Oveur, the pilot from the original Airplane! movie. Unfortunately, Oveur is a pedophile, so I really didn’t think that one through, but I chose it because my (2nd) favorite scene in the movie is “We’ve got clearance, Clarence.” “Roger, Roger. What’s our vector, Victor?” “Over, Oveur.”
>> Love the file name!
Thanks, I decided not to post old pile photos or a full history of Apocaclarence. The short version is that in 2008, I got an unprecedented haul for my birthday, and around that time I was also watching Jericho on DVD. So when I took all the sets apart and the pieces were in a giant pile, I looked down and said “Huh, it looks like the aftermath of the bombs dropping”, so I put Clarence on top of the pile, called him Clarence of the Apocalypse, and took a couple pics. He’s in the pic I posted of the 2023 pile, but he’s really hard to see, he’s standing on a tan 2×6 plate in the middle.
>> Looks quite pretty I think.
I agree, I consider it a monument to how good Lego is at making nice bright colors.
>> I don’t know what your final storage looks like but for me each of those bins would be another week on average of sorting into individual parts. See you in another year!
The problem is that currently the rest of my Lego collection is in a state of organization that I would describe as “in progress” (which also applies to the rest of my house). For some of it, the situation is excellent, and for some of it, it’s poor. There’s bags of parts from previous color sorts and MOCs that only got partially subsorted, or not at all. There’s all kinds of unconsolidated bags from BrickLink, LUGBulk, and the PaB wall. There’s parts from MOCs that still need to be rinsed of dust. There’s colors that had fit in the same container for ten years or more and finally outgrew that container, and so they’re randomly spread across multiple containers. Ah, the agony of the AFOL.
>> As someone who likes to sort by part rather than color, that gave me pause to reconsider
Frost and I talked about that a little bit when he n Jonah were here to help, he said he sorts by color because that’s the way he builds, and I said so do I. We’re both big fans of the classic space series from the 70s through the 90s that were done on very specific color schemes. I currently have four space projects and one castle project that are specific color schemes as well, the most obvious being the one I just put on display in March. I also plan to do Febrovery some year.
>> his rationale was that while he usually knew what color he wanted to work with, having unsorted parts all in the same color allowed him to discover elements that he could use which he otherwise might not have thought about using.
I’ve done that too, again, as recently as this past March. I have a pretty good handle on what Lego parts are available, and what’s in my collection, but there’s a lot, especially in colors like gray and black, and so it’s easy to forget about some of the less common ones. After I joined the LUG, I started organizing some of the parts by project, but that can run into complications if their parts needs start to overlap, or the scope of the project changes.
I’ve found that sorting by color speeds up the process, because as far as I can tell (I haven’t looked up any scientific studies), the eye picks out the colors much faster than the shapes. There’s some things that ultimately won’t be organized by color because the color rarely matters – the most obvious example is Technic axles, bushings, gears, and pins, which are all stored together. For Apocaclarence 2012, I pulled them out into their own piles as I did the color sort, but I came to the conclusion that this had just slowed me down. Even though the color won’t matter in the long run, it’s easier to sort them by color first, and then weed them out during the category sub-sort.
In reply to: The Adventures of…
So it occurred to me today, as I was driving back to my house from Fredericksburg, that I need to hand of LUGDoug to somebody else. Unless I go to Davenport or Toledo, both of which are at least six months away, I don’t have any plans to go anywhere in 2023 that LUGDoug hasn’t been to already.
I am leaving town again Thursday evening, and will not be available again until next Monday. If somebody wants to pick him up at my house sometime over the next 2.5 days, they can. If the LUG can wait until next week, I will have more time and can meet people out somewhere, or even deliver him to somebody’s house, if it’s on the north side of Pittsburgh. Anybody I’ve delivered LUGBulk to in the past is somebody I could deliver LUGDoug to next week.
In reply to: Wildlife sets
Ha, you guys are making me laugh, and since I was too slow in posting, making me feel like Adam Sandler in those old sketches where they’re in the classroom and he repeatedly offers the correct answer only after the teacher has already said it*. On the LUGBulk 2023 thread, I was going to wonder aloud if Renee was going to suggest Otter Apocalypse (or Squirrels vs Otters), and when Matt was going to get all excited and say that ‘otters are the new huskies’. I at least get the satisfaction of being proven right 😀
*I tried a couple months ago to find a clip of that on YT, and I couldn’t come up with anything, so if anybody knows where to find it, please let me know. The only match that came up was the one where Niles Crane is the English teacher and they read their poems they claim to have written but are actually well-known classic rock lyrics.
In reply to: Wildlife sets
#OttersForLUGBulk2023
I mean otters definitely rank right up there with penguins and huskies, let’s do this! #SixteenHundredDanishKroneWorthOfOtters
In reply to: Wildlife sets
We’re getting otters!
#OttersForLUGBulk2023
- Repository for all Inventory
