tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-276033407505619194.post3557424245130940989..comments2024-03-19T01:40:14.351+00:00Comments on New Elementary: LEGO® parts, sets and techniques: LEGO® parts review: 10283 NASA Space Shuttle DiscoveryAdminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05188856208086872634noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-276033407505619194.post-76111965884634991762022-04-27T09:52:15.973+01:002022-04-27T09:52:15.973+01:00I'm an US army veteran, so I can add a bit of ...I'm an US army veteran, so I can add a bit of information here. <br /><br />Purple Dave had a lot of great information about flag etiquette, some of which I did not know until now. Thanks, Purple Dave! :)<br /><br />Now, as to why the flag appears inverted at times. This is something that I picked up when I was attached to the Honor Guard in Fort Huachuca, Arizona. <br /> It's more imagery and symbolism, but it has meaning too. The flag showing the blue star field where it is presents the imagery of the flag always advancing and never retreating. It's also why the flag is raised swiftly in the morning on a military base and lowered very slowly in the evening. <br /><br />Hope that helped.<br />Rick Hunternoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-276033407505619194.post-57487754050634734352021-03-27T17:56:07.324+00:002021-03-27T17:56:07.324+00:00I know exactly why the flag is shown that way, bec...I know exactly why the flag is shown that way, because I asked the police officer who was standing guard near the cash box at the inaugural Brickworld Ft. Wayne expo why his uniform had a flag that was shown the same way, with the blue field on the right. I won't spoil that specific explanation, but I will explain a lot of related flag etiquette that's largely unique to the US.<br /><br />If the flag is flown on a pole or ship's rigging, flying it upside-down is a way to signal that the ship is in distress. This obviously doesn't work at all with many European flags that are just vertical or horizontal stripes, often with the inverse being a different nation's flag. It also doesn't work if the person viewing the flag isn't familiar enough with it to know if it's upside-down, so an alternative method is to tie a knot in the center of the flag.<br /><br />The flag should never be flown in the rain or at night unless it is fully illuminated, which is why you often see footlights clustered around flagpoles (it's an easy way to avoid having to send someone out to lower the flag every time it rains).<br /><br />If the flag is against a background, like if you hang it on a wall, or wear it on a uniform, the blue field (almost) always goes in the upper left, whether it's hanging horizontally or vertically. The ironic thing is, the starboard flag would actually look normal when the STS stack is prepped on the launch pad, but that has nothing to do with why it's oriented like that.<br /><br />If the flag is suspended in a window, the blue field goes to the upper left when viewed from the street, but if it's suspended where it's viewable on both sides (like over a street), the blue field goes to the north or the east. If it's suspended behind a speaker, the blue field goes to the observer's left, regardless of whether both sides are visible.<br /><br />There are two standard US flags. The official standard is nearly twice as long as it is tall, and looks really weird because it's so rarely seen. I believe it's mostly used by the military these days. The conventional standard is about 50% longer than it is tall, which is similar in shape to most of the other national flags of the world. The shorter version is probably also going to last longer, as the end will whip around less in strong winds.<br /><br />An interesting note is that the Apollo moon landings actually broke US flag etiquette, as outlined in Chapter 1 of Title 4 of the United States Code (it's written with lots of "should" and "customary" language, with no mention of punishment if you break from protocol). According to that, a flag that's flown on a pole should always be allowed to fly freely (i.e. only connected by the hoist side). However, since there's no atmosphere on the moon, the flag would never unfurl because there'd never be any wind. So they added a horizontal bar that would spring open and the length of the flag would hang suspended from that.Purple Davenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-276033407505619194.post-15614235606073299032021-03-27T17:13:51.354+00:002021-03-27T17:13:51.354+00:00The oldest of the standard brackets (so, excluding...The oldest of the standard brackets (so, excluding the space chair) that I'm aware of is the 1x2-1x4 that came out all the way back in 1987. Being a down bracket, it set the standard. Down is a "bracket", and up is an "inverted bracket".Purple Davenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-276033407505619194.post-50480154934863485112021-03-25T01:30:00.464+00:002021-03-25T01:30:00.464+00:00indeed, the first brackets were plates with a desc...indeed, the first brackets were plates with a descending verticalAdminhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05188856208086872634noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-276033407505619194.post-1584824040921941872021-03-24T21:30:48.416+00:002021-03-24T21:30:48.416+00:00It might just have depended on which part was intr...It might just have depended on which part was introduced first...Håkan S.https://www.blogger.com/profile/00767889630145885090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-276033407505619194.post-31985003876473175762021-03-24T15:21:05.304+00:002021-03-24T15:21:05.304+00:00I'm guessing they mean in the instructions, bu...I'm guessing they mean in the instructions, but you could also just do what I did and Google why it's like that on the real thing.Andrew Barnickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11723179808721244651noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-276033407505619194.post-71729504467451613182021-03-24T14:40:19.133+00:002021-03-24T14:40:19.133+00:00Where can we find the designer notes to see why th...Where can we find the designer notes to see why there's an inverted flag? Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-276033407505619194.post-18625925296779853922021-03-24T04:26:09.057+00:002021-03-24T04:26:09.057+00:00In the designer video they mention that the heart ...In the designer video they mention that the heart piece was used in a certain location because there isn't a 3x3 L-shaped corner plate.<br /><br />I also puzzle over the "Bracket, inverted" nomenclature. Lego is only somewhat consistent in that a bracket that hangs down is just a "bracket" and one that juts upward is "inverted".jimmytheflyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10060952522546330342noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-276033407505619194.post-3515955371072112852021-03-23T18:01:47.444+00:002021-03-23T18:01:47.444+00:00Thinking a little more about what those bay doors ...Thinking a little more about what those bay doors could be used for, I realized that the curve on them ought to also match 24599... I'll have to think about how I could use that.Andrew Barnickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11723179808721244651noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-276033407505619194.post-87919329266761682762021-03-23T15:47:20.331+00:002021-03-23T15:47:20.331+00:00The red weapon barrel part 98585 can also be found...The red weapon barrel part 98585 can also be found in 42120 Rescue Hovercraft, a much more inexpensive and common set than either this or the Mickey & Minnie Mouse figures. I think it was even highlighted in the review of that set on this very website about a month ago.Picnic Basket Samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00535132144047526117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-276033407505619194.post-45528066190828521052021-03-23T14:19:58.383+00:002021-03-23T14:19:58.383+00:00Good review! One minor correction—32803 is indeed ...Good review! One minor correction—32803 is indeed new in Dark Bluish Gray, but the official name for that color is Dark Stone Grey—Medium Stone Grey is the official name for Light Bluish Gray.<br /><br />The new windscreen piece is certainly interesting. I feel like the upper studs might make it less appealing for convertibles than 62360, but for other uses the studs on top and standardized 3 module radius for both the top and bottom curves should be quite useful.<br /><br />Speaking of a 3-module radius, the 3x3x1 quarter dome is also great looking! It used to be quite rare to get a curve of that size, but we're starting to see more and more parts that use it. Now if only we could get 3x3 macaroni bricks, plates, and tiles that matched...<br /><br />I've seen a lot of criticism of the large 6x8x6 bay panel, but I personally am a fan. It seems like an elegant solution for the bay doors on this set that's still basic enough to see use elsewhere. Like its smaller cousin I could see this being usable as a plow, as an architectural shape, or as a similarly hinged opening for other vehicles. Flipped upside-down, it could make an interesting curve for a roof. It might be slightly more limited in use due to its size (you're unlikely to see it appear in smaller sets), but that doesn't mean it's too specialized. If we were really lucky, it might appear as a transparent recolor sometime in the future—imagine how great it'd work as a large skylight!Andrew Barnickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11723179808721244651noreply@blogger.com