I spend a lot of time building in Micro scale (I maintain the Micropolis collaboration standard) and my partner is trying to figure out how to build the most compact, or smallest, six pointed star possible to fit into one of her builds. We've played around with friction set cheese wedges similar to this example but were curious if anyone has any other ideas. We're open to using parts in System, Technic, Clickits, or even Znap or of course any combinations thereof.
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1There's the Hair Decoration, Star with Pin, currently available in two Freinds sets in bright pink and orange. It's only a five point star. Sadly, all the other star pieces that I know seem to have five points.– Ambo100 ♦Mar 10, 2012 at 12:25
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1@Ambo100 Yep, we've noticed the same thing. Plenty of five pointed stars but this particular build (a Synagogue to go with the Cathedral and Mosque) really needs a six pointed star instead of a five.– Nathan StohlmannMar 10, 2012 at 13:57
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2 Answers
Hexagonal symmetry and angles in 15, 30 and 60-degree proportions are scarce among LEGO elements.
I think the smallest single piece that approximates a six-pointed star is the basic flower:
I myself don't practice freelance brick modification, but someone with fewer scruples might easily trim one of these into a 6-pointed star shape.
Another piece that has hexagonal symmetry is the old pulley wheel:
The holes are arranged at 60-degree intervals around the center. Putting two of these pulleys together and inserting half pins into the holes will give you 6 studs arranged at what could be the points of a 6-pointed star:
I added a 1x1 round plate to three of the studs to offset the gear shift handles. This construction is a little shaky, as the half pins will rotate. Not sure if it's compact enough for micro-scale - the star ends up about 2.5x2.5
You could get a 6-pointed star of about the same size using two triangular roadsigns:
These have clips on the back. Putting them face-to-face would give you a clip on the front of the star, and you'd have to find a way to hold it in place, but it would have the advantage of being fairly thin. The color options on these pieces are limited, though.
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Not a huge fan of dremels, but it's a fair point about the flowers. We had also noticed the triangular plates with clips but the clip on front was a problem for the application. We're planning on giving the pulley a try but it might not work in this setting. Still, it's a great idea. Mar 13, 2012 at 4:00
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1A possible variation on the pulley would be to use some small element like a screwdriver or light saber blade inside the pins and then use two elastic bands to form triangles by stretching them around the pins. The gearshift solution looks OK head-on, but it is kind of messy from the sides.– 62BricksMar 13, 2012 at 5:28
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Would you have trouble keeping the elastic bands on the ends of the blades or screwdrivers? I wouldn't think there would be quite enough friction on their surfaces to keep them in place. Probably worth giving it a try though. It's certainly a refinement that's worth playing around with. Mar 13, 2012 at 12:41
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The screwdriver handles are textured, so that might help. I don't have enough of them to try it out, though. They do not fit snugly inside the pin hole, so you would need to use the tension from the band to hold them in place. Kind of a tricky operation in such a small area, but if you're a micro builder, probably nothing new!– 62BricksMar 13, 2012 at 13:46
A smaller six-pointed star which only uses cheese slopes has been achieved in the MOC below:
