What would it take to thwack a wiffle golf ball across the room? Well, of course the simple answer is "more power".

I decided the project needed a new motor. So I replaced the little LEGO box motor with an 18V hammer drill. I turned off the hammer function, but since this drill can force a screw through two 2x8 planks in about five seconds, I figured it'd be able to thwack a wiffle golf ball. Which brings us to Figure C.

FIGURE C


Let's add a power drill! Roll over picture for a larger image.

As you can see in the figure, I connected the motor shaft straight into the drill. I also flipped the wheels upside down and used blue tape to provide a structural integrity system. Figure D gets you in closer, so you can see the wonder of my redesign.

FIGURE D


Take a closer look at my masterpiece. Roll over picture for a larger image.

So, here's the thing. The main shaft is geared to a secondary shaft. That goes through a reduction assembly that translates rotating motion to angular motion. Unfortunately, the gearing assembly also reduces the speed of the system, so even though the drill was rotating very rapidly, the thwacker moved very slowly.

I didn't have enough gears in enough variety to re-gear the mechanism, so rather than getting a very satisfying (and hopefully dangerous ball thwack), I got a sad little thump instead, as the balls just dropped off the launch pad.

There is no doubt that with what LEGO offers, I could have re-geared and made something far more effective. Unfortunately, with publishing deadlines looming, I had to end the project here.

Conclusion
I sometimes live a rather surreal life. Tomorrow, I'll be on Boston drive-time radio, talking about risks to national security and promoting my book, Where Have All The Emails Gone?. I've got another two radio interviews on Homeland Security, the White House, and our nation's technology policy scheduled for next week. And yet, right now, I'm writing about and playing with LEGO. I told you. Surreal.

Coming back to our original subject, which was really supposed to be a simple book review, I have two questions I need to answer. The first is whether you should buy the book and the second is our overall rating.

Forbidden LEGO is a flawed book. You can't just take it home and use it. Unless you're hooked into the LEGO community (who knew there was a LEGO community?), you'll have no idea where to find parts or even what parts to look for. And if you set out to build a project, the bill-of-materials won't be accurate to begin with.

If this were a physical product, ZATZ editorial policy would require me to say it didn't work and award it two stars. But this is a book. What's a book supposed to do? Sure, it's supposed to help you build things. But aren't books also supposed to inspire, to introduce you to new things and to new possibilities? Of course they are. More than anything else, books should help you dream, help you explore new worlds, and open your mind.

Forbidden LEGO does that. It showcases five mildly violent projects and dares you to build them. It dares you to take these silly little plastic toys and turn them into something new and unforseen.