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Reader Question Submission

Received the following question: Please feel free to add your comments to my own.

Jim

What are the recommended (or even required) add-ons for the NXT set? I just bought the set, but also felt the need to buy a couple of Technic sets so that I can big builder bots/etc.

Jim's Answer: As of right now, there are no "REQUIRED" add-ons... there aren't even any NXT expansion sets yet. The NXT is still considered quite new. There are a variety of 3rd party sensors now available from Mindsensors.com and HiTechnic has partnered with LEGO to sell their sensors (see an earlier post on the Compass sensor I tested). I'll let readers make suggestions for other sets that you might like...

Comments

Brian Davis said…
Agreed, there are no "required" add-ons. If what you want is a larger collection to build robots with, look for discounted Technic sets. Remember that the NXT is LEGO, so older sets (like the RIS, to name one) contain a wealth of usable parts.

My personal favorite? The large Technic Mars rover set that came out a few years ago was a boatload of studless parts, and still turns up here and their (Toys 'R Us recently) onn clearance.

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Brian Davis
Oct 2, 2006, 12:34:00 AM
Peter Hoh said…
The Mars Exploration Rover (set 7471) offers a nice variety of Technic parts, but it may be hard to find. The Education Resource Set for the NXT (set 9648) is also worth looking at if you want lots of spare parts. It's has 671 parts (186 fewer than the 7471) but it has a wider assortment of gears and wheels.

The 9648 Education Resource Set is sold through LEGO's educational partners, which vary by country. In the US, that's Pitsco. Pitsco was sold out of the 9648 set for a while. I'm having trouble loading their site this morning, so I can't confirm its availability now.
Oct 2, 2006, 3:02:00 AM
Anonymous said…
I bought two copies of the Crawler Crane (8288). The set has a lot of beams, cables and pulleys. It also provides caterpillar tracks which can be useful in a number of scenarios and it's a pretty cool set in its own right. But I have to go to my parents soon, because I've got a lot of Lego Technic at their place.
Oct 2, 2006, 6:19:00 AM
Anonymous said…
There is actually a NXT expansion set.

It is called the 9648 Education Resource Set {supplemental parts for NXT base set} and is sold by Pitsco or LEGO Education.
Oct 2, 2006, 9:30:00 AM
Anonymous said…
On the non-LEGO front, I'd say a bluetooth dongle might not be a bad idea. I should know, I don't have bluetooth and it's pesky to have to go fetch the model and hook up via USB each time I want to download something.

As for LEGO, as other people said, about any technic set will add value but I'd agree with Bram: the crawler crane indeed has a lot of interesting parts (don't forget the weights - they're bound to be useful and it's not such an easy to find part) and the color scheme should fit nicely with the NXT.

I'd tend to avoid buying any "NXT spare parts" kits, especially the standalone NXT brick - try to grab a second complete set instead, or probably the education one if you've got a standard one already.
Oct 3, 2006, 12:26:00 AM
Anonymous said…
On non-LEGO items, a camera to strap on the NXT. Wireless, too!
Oct 3, 2006, 1:44:00 AM
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