I’ve been experimenting with frames for Mobile Frame Zero. Details of the results (including LDraw files) have been posed to two threads on the Mobile Frame Hangar.
Tag Archives: Mechaton
Looking for instructions for building Mobile Frame Zero frames?
In honor of the successful completion of the MFØ kickstarter, I’m volunteering to produce (and publicly post) seven LDraw files of mobile frames, with companion PDFs of assembly instructions. If you have a frame you’d like to see get this treatment, post it to the thread built for the purpose on the Mobile Frame Hangar forum. First come, first served and some restrictions apply.
Mobile Frame Zero: Rapid Attack kickstarted
For its tenth anniversary, Mechaton, a game of giant fighty robots made of LEGO, is getting a revision and a new title. Today the Kickstarter for the new version started. Please help fund it.
Also, if you have a lot of cash, seriously consider one of the high level awards. Soren Roberts is an extremely talented LEGO designer and the rewards for his original work are rare offers.
Thanks in large part to prior posts here about Mechaton and LDraw, I’ve been asked to render the assembly instructions for the mechs in this product. Hopefully I can post some LDraw models when the product is published.
LDraw files for Mechaton inspired by hardsuits
Similar to my last LDraw/Mechaton post, here are some more files. These all come from the “hardsuit community”, a group of Lego enthusiasts who build minifig-in-powered-armor-looking figures. Since these “hardsuits” are built to minifig scale (to the right is a minifig shown at the same scale as the images below), they work pretty well for Mechaton, with a few alterations.
The hardsuit community (apparently) has evolved a number of “standard” body types, where the core of the model uses a particular idea, which is then embellished. I selected a number of these standard cores, but only present one example of each. I believe that I give credit below to the originator of any given standard core, but it can be hard to track this down, so I may have got it wrong. Let me know if you know better.
As before, I had to guess at some of these models, going by pictures posted to the net. In most cases, I changed the head entirely, as hardsuits typically use minifig heads, which Mechaton models usually avoid. I also sometimes added extra stuff or changed a bit here and there. I’m sure I also guessed wrong in a few places. So, if these drift from the standard, that is why.
The LDraw files use the latest part collection, but may contain unofficial parts. (Also, you may need to right-click on the .ldr files and “Save Link As…”.)
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Blacktron by pasukaru76 Source: Flickr LDraw file: pasukaru76-blacktron.ldr |
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Double Edge by xezav Source: Flickr LDraw file: xezav-doubleedge.ldr |
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Hardersuit by Alvaro Gunawan Source: Flickr LDraw file: alvarogunawan-hardersuit.ldr |
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Reclean (based on “Cleanbot”) by PolarBear!! Source: Flickr LDraw file: polarbear-reclean.ldr |
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Retriever by xezav Source: Flickr LDraw file: xezav-retriever.ldr |
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Übermann by Geoff Herndon Source: Flickr LDraw file: geoffherndon-ubermann.ldr |
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W. Mk1 by W. Mark Source: MocPages LDraw file: wmark-wmk1.ldr |
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ZSF-AHTP by Mr. Villa Source: Flickr LDraw file: mrvilla-ZSF-AHTP-4.ldr |
To view these files, you’ll need some kind of .ldr viewer, such as Bricksmith or others.
Lastly, a repeat of my earlier plea: when you come up with the next great frame, please give the world an LDraw file for it, so we can marvel at your genius from any angle we like.
LDraw files for popular Mechaton models
As you might have noticed from my other Mechaton posts, I’m still pretty new to building giant fighty robots out of Lego. Part of learning more about this includes looking at some of the popular Mechaton frames others have made and figuring out how they work.
I haven’t found this easy, as often all you have to go on are some low resolution photos that never seem to include the angle you need. To spare would-be frame builders some of the irritation I went through, I created some LDraw files detailing step-by-step instructions on how to make some of these frames. (You may need to right-click on the .ldr files and “Save Link As…”.)
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The “Classic” by D. Vincent Baker Source: Mechaton rules LDraw file: vincentbaker-classic.ldr |
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Chucker by D. Vincent Baker Source: ptimanya designs LDraw file: vincentbaker-chucker.ldr |
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5gen by D. Vincent Baker Source: ptimanya designs LDraw file: vincentbaker-5gen.ldr |
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AIn-11 by Joshua A. C. Newman Source: the glyphpress LDraw file: joshuanewman-AIn-11.ldr |
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Radial by David Laurence Source: Brickshelf LDraw file: davidlaurence-radial.ldr |
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Conscript by Soren Source: Flickr LDraw file: soren-conscript.ldr |
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MgN-302 by Malcolm Craig Source: Mechatonic LDraw file: malcolmcraig-MgN-302.ldr |
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Mini-frame by Squieu Source: Brickshelf LDraw file: squieu-mini-frame.ldr |
To view these files, you’ll need some kind of .ldr viewer. I use Bricksmith, but there are others. Note that a number of viewers can also generate part lists from a model automatically.
There may be part mistakes, as I pretty much just guessed on a lot of things. If you find an error, please drop a comment about it below. It would help if you used the LDraw part numbers to identify both what part is wrong and with what it should be replaced.
Lastly, a plea to all you frame builders out there: when you come up with the next great frame, please give the world an LDraw file for it, so we can marvel at your genius from any angle we like. Heck, post a link to it in a comment below. I’d love to see it.
Mechaton: Shorty chassis
My two previous mechs for Mechaton stood a little too tall. The Shorty chassis aimed for a smaller and more solid design. The result works fairly well. The basic body works like so:
One key connection in the torso (where the 4733 stud fits into the center hole of the 4032 plate above it) holds much more strongly than you might guess. Stressing the model (dropping it five feet onto a hard surface, for example) usually knocks an arm off, but very rarely comes apart at that torso join.
Fitting attachments requires a little variation in some key places, replacing a piece with one more conducive to holding the attachment. There are only a few places where this can be done, but you can get a lot of flexibility out of those areas. In this exploded drawing of the Shorty, any of the pink pieces can replace the red one. Likewise, the yellow piece can be replaced by the light yellow and blue bits.
Here are some samples showing some of these replacements (as well as some other part swapping). Each is pictured with a plate containing an indication of how many of each type of dice the mech would use in a Mechaton game. If you’ve seen the game, this should be relatively straightforward. For the red dice, shorter ranges are closer to you, and the optional rules are used in some cases. Transparent pips are d6′s, solid pips are d8′s.
The LDraw file is here. To build the basic shorty, you’ll need these parts:
| Part | Color | Quantity | Description | ||||||
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2429 | 72: |
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2 | Hinge Plate 1 x 4 Base | ||||
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2430 | 72: |
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2 | Hinge Plate 1 x 4 Top | ||||
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2540 | 71: |
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2 | Plate 1 x 2 with Handle | ||||
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2555 | 72: |
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2 | Tile 1 x 1 with Clip | ||||
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3022 | 72: |
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1 | Plate 2 x 2 | ||||
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3023 | 72: |
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2 | Plate 1 x 2 | ||||
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3024 | 72: |
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1 | Plate 1 x 1 | ||||
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4032 | 72: |
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1 | Plate 2 x 2 Round | ||||
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4070 | 71: |
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1 | Brick 1 x 1 with Headlight | ||||
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4081b | 72: |
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2 | Plate 1 x 1 with Clip Light Type 2 | ||||
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4590 | 72: |
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2 | Plate 1 x 4 Offset | ||||
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4697b | 71: |
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1 | Technic Pneumatic T-Piece – Type 2 | ||||
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4733 | 71: |
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1 | Brick 1 x 1 with Studs on Four Sides | ||||
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6019 | 71: |
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2 | Plate 1 x 1 with Clip Horizontal | ||||
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6141 | 43: |
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1 | Plate 1 x 1 Round | ||||
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6141 | 71: |
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1 | Plate 1 x 1 Round | ||||
Mechaton: Flex chassis
Here’s another chassis for Mechaton. The idea behind this one was an experiment to get as many points of articulation as was manageable in a small size. The result is extremely posable, but a bit fragile, particularly in the waist.
| Part | Color | Quantity | Description | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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2429 | 71: |
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4 | Hinge Plate 1 x 4 Base | ||||
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2430 | 71: |
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4 | Hinge Plate 1 x 4 Top | ||||
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2540 | 72: |
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2 | Plate 1 x 2 with Handle | ||||
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2555 | 71: |
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3 | Tile 1 x 1 with Clip | ||||
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3023 | 71: |
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1 | Plate 1 x 2 | ||||
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3024 | 72: |
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1 | Plate 1 x 1 | ||||
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3623 | 71: |
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2 | Plate 1 x 3 | ||||
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3623 | 72: |
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1 | Plate 1 x 3 | ||||
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3794 | 71: |
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1 | Plate 1 x 2 with 1 Stud | ||||
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4070 | 71: |
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1 | Brick 1 x 1 with Headlight | ||||
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4081a | 71: |
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2 | Plate 1 x 1 with Clip Light Type 1 | ||||
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4081a | 72: |
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1 | Plate 1 x 1 with Clip Light Type 1 | ||||
| View on Peeron.com | 4085c | 71: |
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2 | Plate 1 x 1 with Clip Vertical Type 3 | ||||
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4590 | 71: |
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2 | Plate 1 x 4 Offset | ||||
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4697b | 71: |
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2 | Technic Pneumatic T-Piece – Type 2 | ||||
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47905 | 71: |
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4 | Brick 1 x 1 with Studs on Two Opposite Sides | ||||
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47905 | 72: |
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1 | Brick 1 x 1 with Studs on Two Opposite Sides | ||||
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48336 | 72: |
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1 | Plate 1 x 2 with Handle Type 2 | ||||
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6019 | 72: |
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2 | Plate 1 x 1 with Clip Horizontal | ||||
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61409 | 71: |
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2 | Slope Brick 18 2 x 1 x 2/3 Grille | ||||
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6141 | 0: |
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2 | Plate 1 x 1 Round | ||||
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6141 | 43: |
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1 | Plate 1 x 1 Round | ||||
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6141 | 72: |
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3 | Plate 1 x 1 Round | ||||
Mechaton: Swingarm chassis
I’ve been playing around building mechs for Mechaton, Vincent Baker‘s game of giant fighty robots made out of Legos. Compared to some, I’m not that good at it yet. So far, I’m restricting myself to Lego parts that I already have, which is a bit limiting. Still, I managed to put together a basic chassis that is fairly easy to make, doesn’t use too many freaky pieces and seems to be extremely versatile.
In its naked state, it doesn’t look like much, but the attachments fill it out nicely. The arms have two points of articulation with a wide motion range (at the shoulder and elbow), and the lower arm can be flipped around or even swapped out for different parts that use a “locking hinge”. The basic assembly is shown in the image below. In the final stage, there are two different 2×4 pieces that work for the side torso, both of which are shown. The one on the right gives a slimmer look, while the one on the left provides more options for attaching things to the front of the mech.
Here are some samples using both variations. Each is pictured with a plate containing an indication of how many of each type of dice the mech would use in a Mechaton game. If you’ve seen the game, this should be relatively straightforward. For the red dice, shorter ranges are closer to you, and one of the optional rules is used in some cases. Transparent pips are d6’s, solid pips are d8’s.
All of these models were built using Bricksmith, then rendered with LDView. In making these models, I took some liberties with the colors, as I don’t have all the right colors of these bricks. Bricksmith is built on top of LDraw, and uses its file format. Some of these use one or two unofficial parts (which you will need to download if you want to use the files).
Parts for the naked chassis are:
| Part | Color | Quantity | Description | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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3020 | 72: |
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1 | Plate 2 x 4 | ||||
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3021 | 71: |
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1 | Plate 2 x 3 | ||||
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3040b | 72: |
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2 | Slope Brick 45 2 x 1 | ||||
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3298 | 72: |
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1 | Slope Brick 33 3 x 2 | ||||
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3666 | 72: |
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1 | Plate 1 x 6 | ||||
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3794 | 72: |
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1 | Plate 1 x 2 with 1 Stud | ||||
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4070 | 71: |
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2 | Brick 1 x 1 with Headlight | ||||
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4287 | 71: |
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2 | Slope Brick 33 3 x 1 Inverted | ||||
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43720 | 71: |
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1 | Wedge 4 x 2 Sloped Right | ||||
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43721 | 71: |
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1 | Wedge 4 x 2 Sloped Left | ||||
| View on Peeron.com | 43710 | 71: |
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1 | Slope Brick 2 x 4 Triple Left | ||||
| View on Peeron.com | 43711 | 71: |
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1 | Slope Brick 2 x 4 Triple Right | ||||
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44301 | 0: |
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2 | Hinge Plate 1 x 2 Locking with Single Finger on End Vertical | ||||
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44301 | 71: |
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2 | Hinge Plate 1 x 2 Locking with Single Finger on End Vertical | ||||
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44302 | 0: |
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2 | Hinge Plate 1 x 2 Locking with Dual Finger on End Vertical | ||||
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44302 | 71: |
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2 | Hinge Plate 1 x 2 Locking with Dual Finger on End Vertical | ||||
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6141 | 0: |
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4 | Plate 1 x 1 Round | ||||
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6141 | 43: |
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1 | Plate 1 x 1 Round | ||||