The Unofficial LEGO Technic Builder's Guide

Chapter 11. building strong

There was a time when Technic bricks alone could support and hold together almost any motorized mechanism. But eventually LEGO introduced stronger motors with enough torque to push even Technic brick connections apart. Having more torque at our disposal is an advantage in all aspects except one—it requires structural reinforcing, adding extra pieces whose primary purpose is to hold other pieces together (see Figure 11-1). A properly reinforced mechanism stays together regardless of its motor’s strength and how much load is applied to its output, even if the load stalls the motor.

This chapter explores how to find places in a structure where reinforcing is crucial; how to identify strong and weak LEGO pieces; and how ...