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[Jeremy McCreary]

Finally -- a working LEGO top that actually looks like a typical peg top! (It's the one with red trim.)









This 55 g top has a diameter of 80 mm and a height of 120 mm excluding the stem. It doesn't really work as a finger top but spins smoothly for 25 sec or so with a spin-up tool like the 2-stage planetary spinner in the background. (The inverted one with black trim also needs a spinner but stays up 58 sec.)

You can see the red-trimmed top in action at 1:32 below...



Just one thing: Don't try to throw it.

[Jack]

noooooooooow your speaking my language jeremy 
thats pretty cool

[the Earl of Whirl]

Hmmmm!  Very interesting!!!

[ta0]

Wonderful! I had no idea these LEGO balloon panels existed. Now you can build some "grown up" tops!   

Just one thing: Don't try to throw it.

You know I want to! 
You just need to work on the tip to make it suitable for tricking and I want one!

[jim in paris]

oh that's neat , jeremy !

get one to Jorge and you'll see it spin


jim

[Jeremy McCreary]

Now you can build some "grown up" tops!   

Hey, don't give me that "grown-up" stuff! I'm not the one who posted a fire wire walker video featuring his wife's beautifully painted chair as a landing platform! 

Wonderful! I had no idea these LEGO balloon panels existed.

The panels were introduced about a year ago (in sets of no interest to me) and were too pricey individually on BrickLink until recently: Panel 4 x 4 x 13 Curved Tapered with Clip at Each End (Part 18969)

Just one thing: Don't try to throw it.

You know I want to! 
You just need to work on the tip to make it suitable for tricking and I want one!

Yes, I know you want to, ta0. The key word here is "shrapnel".   

If I find a LEGO-legal way to add enough mass just above the tip, I'll be able to reduce the (strong) tendency toward steady precession, prolong spin time, and expose more tip for tricking purposes -- provided you're willing to do tricks with a spinner rather than a string. Hmmm, I've got a wind-up spinner that might work if can make it one-handed...

[the Earl of Whirl]

Good job, Jeremy, standing up to ta0's put down about grown up tops.....as if what you make can be thought up by kids and spun for long periods of time by children.  You are doing truly "grown up" stuff!

[Iacopo]

Jeremy, maybe you could use these new concave pieces also for your experiments with Howe's works...
Your new tops are very nice !

[ta0]

Good job, Jeremy, standing up to ta0's put down about grown up tops.....

[Jeremy McCreary]

Good job, Jeremy, standing up to ta0's put down about grown up tops.....as if what you make can be thought up by kids and spun for long periods of time by children.  You are doing truly "grown up" stuff!

Thank you for your support, Mike. But to be perfectly honest, growing up is still a half-hearted work in progress for me.

[Jeremy McCreary]

Jeremy, maybe you could use these new concave pieces also for your experiments with Howe's works...
Your new tops are very nice !

Absolutely brilliant, Iacopo! As soon as the next batch of 8 comes in, I'm on it.

[Jeremy McCreary]

Since there's no rule saying that the narrow ends of the panels in an 8-panel balloon top all have to point in the same direction, I decided to have it both ways 2 different ways...



These new "intersecting balloon tops" and the red-trimmed top from before all stay up ~25 sec with the spinner shown. Hence, the potential spin time gains afforded by reduced CM height and TMI in the new tops are almost exactly offset by their added drag. All have the same AMI.

[Jack]

Since there's no rule saying that the narrow ends of the panels in an 8-panel balloon top all have to point in the same direction, I decided to have it both ways 2 different ways...

These new "intersecting balloon tops" and the red-trimmed top from before all stay up ~25 sec with the spinner shown. Hence, the potential spin time gains afforded by reduced CM height and TMI in the new tops are almost exactly offset by their added drag. All have the same AMI.

that video was very calming 
nice work, your slowly steering me towards buying some lego 

[Jeremy McCreary]

that video was very calming 
nice work, your slowly steering me towards buying some lego 

Thanks, Jack! At last, my devilish scheme is working!

[Jeremy McCreary]

....your slowly steering me towards buying some lego 

If you take the plunge and would like a leg-up on LEGO top building, check out the illustrated plate top starter kit blog I made for Mike. For starters, it will explain how to get individual top parts. That's key, because buying sets is a very inefficient way to gather up top parts, both time-wise and money-wise.