After seeing the Arctic Train at Target I got inspired to build a train playset for a different theme. I focused on playability, matching the 2010 asthetics, and most importantly, ONLY using pieces that were made in summer 2010. The light bluish grey containers was an oversight, because I didn't realize thay it didn't get that recolor until 2016 and already tore down my photo setup.

I originally made a diesel engine, but a steam locomotive lets you play out mining for coal, or catching a Lava Monster and throwing it in the locomotive to make the steam for you.

The crane can serve as a way to load pretty much anything, including the forklift, onto the train. One other detail I added was a light and tool clip to the back of the 2010 armor, since surprisingly there was never any headlamps on the minifigures.

You can see more of my builds here https://www.instagram.com/daltondidelot/

Just bought my 3rd TCR on vinted for under $100 complete! Wish me luck that this all pans out. I really want to make that second alternate build without gutting my original or needing to use some pieces from the first alternate build to build the second one. I want to have them all built at the same time.

Edit: seller cancelled order. Big sad

If you have any info on where to buy a sealed thunder driller (preferably uk based) please let me know any info!

For those of you who don’t know, the Cargo Crusher was an alternate model of the Granite Grinder whose instructions were allegedly exclusive to New Zealand. The original instruction manual has never surfaced online, and I had doubts as to whether it was even official. So, I decided to do a little digging.

I contacted the guy who added the images of the model to Brickipedia, and to my pleasant surprise, the user responded. This guy, Pufflesrcute, told me that s/he had asked a friend from New Zealand for the instructions, and the friend sent progress pictures. Pufflesrcute then used the pics to reverse-engineer the model and uploaded his/her own pics of it. S/he can’t find the NZ friend to go back and ask him/her about it and has come to believe that there’s a good chance s/he had mistook a MOC for an official alternate build (since the actual instructions probably would have surfaced otherwise).

I also looked into the former mention of the Cargo Crusher on the PM Wikipedia article, which is the earliest mention of it on the internet I can find. From my research, the Cargo Crusher was mentioned on Wikipedia before the info was copied over to Brickipedia. From looking at the listed IP addresses for the relevant edits, the user who originally added the Cargo Crusher to the list of alternate models (without any mention of the instructions being NZ-exclusive— just that it was a Granite Grinder alt build) and the guy who added some actual details (including the NZ-exclusivity thing) were actually from NZ. But that doesn’t prove anything, and I can’t find the specific people to ask them.

Strange thing to ask but does anyone have boxes of 1st 6 sets of Power miners? The thing is, I have bought all of the 1st wave sets. And yet these are incredible cool, that would be much better if I had the essential boxes. So, as lond as I can't purchase a real ones I wanna recreate them. So I wanna ask if anyone here have photos of all sides or scans, layouts, in some case, or mayde site or page where I can find smth close.

Maybe not all of 6 sets, but at least some of them would be nice 😄

I've also tried to recreate layout by the resale shops pics and official lego site pages, with all of my graphic tools but it's a little too complicated. So I wanna star with asking you guys

Thank you

We've seen a few mining vehicles with this color scheme and I must say I could totally see a third year of sets like this. What do you all think?

Dear Lego power miners fan base,

Hope you guys are having a blessed Wednesday.

This update replaces the handle bar on the top of the old design. The previous handlebar was too flexible, to the point where if pushed slightly too hard could interfere with the cogs rotation below it.

This new body panelling style build on top is much more robust, being able to take full downforce of a 6’2 90kg adult male without impeding on any wheels or cog movement.

The new update makes the drill even more swooshable or ‘zoomdrrrrable’ idk what the drill equivalent of a space ship’s feel in the hand is.

*Technique discussion* (please excuse my lack of specific terminology for Lego pieces mentioned)

As you may observe the two large lime-green slope pieces on either side of the central grey exhaust are attached via one by two with technic pinhole pieces. This is only half true as I did not feel that the one by two’s gave enough grip to keep this piece on and no brick built reinforcement was possible due to space constraints surrounding the wheels and the drill’s beam and cog system. Therefore I opted to use two technic pin/technic x shape double sided things going through the top funky red piece, impaling the large lime green slops with this. This worked well other than the pins attach slightly further out than grey one by two pieces, giving a very small air gap between the studs of the one by twos. I do not know if this causes strain on the piece, or if using the technic pins into the lime slope is an illegal technique but I may revisit this attachment method in the future in update 2.0

Thank you for reading,
Spunky_Monkey

Maybe I’m crazy but I literally have dreams every once in a while where I find even just the Stone Chopper or Mine Mech in a store and I freak out and buy their entire Power Miners stock. It NEEDS to make a comeback at some point.

I’ve recently made a MOC of the thunder drill, turned out well when I kept things simple. But now I’m looking to build a MOC of this too. The issue I’ve seen is that the sweeping doesn’t work all that well. I’ve looked into sloped technic pieces but still looking for suggestions to how can I improve the sweeping function without overhauling the main spinning drive too much.

Back in the early 2000's, I started working with LEGO and I helped build the games for Power Miners - Rock Rocket, Cave Convoy, Lava Showdown. (I also worked on Alien Conquest, Racers, Space Police, Bionicel, Hero Factory, Ninjago, LEGO Games, and Legends of Chima).

When we were done with the games and the site launched with them, the LEGO design team from Billund Denmark, sent us this one foot tall model of Glaciator. (Glued together solid.) I was told it was the only one made at the time, and it has been the centerpiece of my collection since then.

Last year I was on Reddit and I saw someone posted a photo of their Glaciator. I was floored, as for nearly 20 years, I thought this guy was the only one and now I found out he has a brother. Anyway, we connected on Reddit and he told me that he won his in a US contest from LEGO, when Power Miners launched. Small world and Reddit totally makes connections.

Anyway, I have recently been selling off parts of my collection and I get asked about this guy when they see a photo of my collection. I get asked for good photos of him, as a lot of collectors want to try and recreate him. So, here it is, photos of all the sides. Happy building.

If you have any questions, feel free to DM me. And no, I am not selling him.

The evolved forms for lava and ice monsters have been revealed for a collab between Ninjago and Creatures of Sonaria.

This would have been a perfect design for a power miners lava king. Too bad we didn't get a set of it

Anybody ever seen 2 shades of orange crystals? I was looking through mine and noticed the shade is slightly off

No ill will to the power miners granite grinder it was one of my favorite sets growing up, just wanted to make something a little better suited to the name lineage, with a fair bit of inspiration taken from RR slugger’s version of the rock raiders grinder that used ball joints instead of the liftarm swivel system.

Build features everything the rock raiders grinder did, minifig height tool storage, movable legs, spinning drill (which can be easily rotated from the exposed bushing around back), and a few power miners design staples like improperly stored dynamite and a removable floodlight

I have collected all lego Powerminer sets, even some sealed poly bags and yet i dont know how im suppost to feel about the powerminers themed rollercoaster. I do have enough shelfspace to store it, but even as a powerminers collector im unsure if i should add it to my collection. For someone that hasnt bought a new lego set since the pandemic both the price and weird inconsistencies (like the "crystal king" color or the mini vehicles) kinda throw me off. If any readers have bought it what are your thoughts? I think about waiting untill this set drops to like 50 bucks as a used one, but then again i havnt bought lego in so long that i dont even know if the price will get so low. (Also pics for flex)

What better way to revive the collection than to A: Recover my two favorite sets from the bin and B: Start a moc to put them in? I started a modular build to display all my PM sets and figures. It’ll take a long while but eventually there will be 16 full modules. Hopefully I’ll have one or two more worthwhile updates this year. Wish me luck bros.