There are a few more rules of reinforcing worth keeping
in mind:
- Minimal reinforcement is the best reinforcement. Extra
pieces add weight and take up space.
- If a seam or joint can separate, it eventually will—and
usually when you least expect it. (And Murphy’s law says
that it will be deep inside your MOC where you can’t fix it!)
- Real reinforcement doesn’t yield until pieces physically
break.
- When building, think about disassembly, too. A reinforcement
that has to be cut to be taken apart will cost you
pieces.
The last rule is no less important than the ones preceding
it. It’s fairly easy to connect LEGO pieces in such a
way that the resulting structure is impossible to disassemble
without cutting some of the pieces. Figure 11-23 shows some
examples. As you’ll see, you should take precautions when
inserting axles—always make sure it’s possible to pull or
push them out