[REVIEW] 42043 - Mercedes-Benz Arocs 3245

[Sakel]

This is an awsomw review! But i am still not sure about getting this one or the motorized excavator first! What are you opinions? This is a true mind storm dilema!!!

Do you mean 42030?

[pgplay]

Do you mean 42030?

Think he ment 8043

[jus1973]

After building technic for nearly 30 years, this is the first set I have ever purchased 2 of. The basic construction allows for plenty of mods, and tweaks to both A and B models, including the use of the IR RC stuff, which is getting rarer these days. Most models have limited reconstruction possibilities these days, compared with the older studded technic ranges. It's good to see it come back.

[jeffy1021]

42043 owners - how functional is the bucket? Can you actually pick up light stuff with it?

[Freekysch]

If by light stuff you mean bricks,then yes you can. The crane works fine with light loads.

[Hartley25]

Building this set now enjoying it so far I bought it for the build and the parts it contains because I'm getting parts together to build macodas wing body truck

[Robert Cailliau]

Congratulations on highly professional photos!

I was even fooled by some of the outdoor pictures!

Just a small thing: you write "Using different links results in different steering angles for both axles."

Yes, and you might add that that is desired.

In fact when I decided to buy it I was wondering how they would deal with the problem of making all wheels point to the same centre of rotation. Unfortunately the rear wheels do not turn, and at the front wheels in each pair are always kept parallel whereas they should not be. The latter problem is easy to solve in Meccano and almost impossible in Lego.

I'd upload a picture, but I'm out of attachment space. For those who are interested: draw a top view of the truck, with rectangles for the wheels. Then draw a line extending one of the two rear axles, say to the left. Choose a point on that line, the point of rotation. From that point, draw lines to the centres of all other wheels. Then rotate the rectangles that represent the wheels so that each is perpendicular to the line that goes through it. Those are the only positions of the wheels that will make the truck steer a circle around the point of rotation without making the tyres slip and therefore wear out.

You will notice that the first pair of wheels must turn a little more than the second pair and that at least some of the rear wheels should also turn. I have seen real platforms with four rear axles, all of which turn correctly as well as the double front axle.

You will also notice that in each pair the wheel closer to the point of rotation needs to swivel a little more than the wheel on the other side. I know of no Lego set in which steering wheels do that (but there may be some).

[syclone]

Use an image hosting website like bricksafe.com.( I really want to understand steering setup you're talking about)

[Robert Cailliau]

Hi LXF:

How about this: http://www.cailliau.org/Alphabetical/L/Lego/Models/42043-Arocs/Steering/

(there is nothing else yet about this model though)

(And to make some of you jealous: I got my box for 85CHF = 77€ in an after-Christmas sale where I spotted it at 170CHF but was told at the checkout it was 50% off…)

[wildboar]

Hi LXF:

How about this: http://www.cailliau....Arocs/Steering/

(there is nothing else yet about this model though)

(And to make some of you jealous: I got my box for 85CHF = 77€ in an after-Christmas sale where I spotted it at 170CHF but was told at the checkout it was 50% off…)

Let me guess, it was purchased in migros, coop or manor :)

[750ACE]

@Robert : what you are describing is called Ackerman steering however the dually wheels on the rear end of a dump truck wouldn't steer. Now a setup similar to a 10x4 would have an addition axle for support and steering.

[Robert Cailliau]

To wildboar: coop :-)

To 750ACE: thanks, actually I did not know the name! I only remembered the text and diagrams from the Meccano instructions (back in 1955…) Yes, I should have looked for it on Wikipedia & sent the link. I found this:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ackermann_steering_geometry (quite incomprehensible article in fact)

There is a lot more, not to mention suspension methods.

To LXF:

Hope you found my page & were able to read it.

In the intervening hours, I have attempted that steering with Lego, with moderate success. I may publish it. Or not.

[syclone]

To LXF:

Hope you found my page & were able to read it.

In the intervening hours, I have attempted that steering with Lego, with moderate success. I may publish it. Or not.

Yes, I was able to read your page and found it very useful and very well explained. Many thanks!

[Starmort]

I have just bought this set and Im already thinking about a second one to MOC the first... This is a real problem for my wallet. Amazing set.

Any of you know where you can find this set for less than 200€? (197€ does not count )

[Ngoc Nguyen]

I have just bought this set and Im already thinking about a second one to MOC the first... This is a real problem for my wallet. Amazing set.

Any of you know where you can find this set for less than 200€? (197€ does not count )

ebay.de

[Bering]

I have just bought this set and Im already thinking about a second one to MOC the first... This is a real problem for my wallet. Amazing set.

Any of you know where you can find this set for less than 200€? (197€ does not count )

I don't know where you live, but in the Netherlands it's available for 179 euro's in almost every toyshop.

[Jim]

Spain probably

[Starmort]

Spain probably

Yeah

I put it right after his answer.

I finally found it in Amazon.de better than amazon.es shipment included, could someone explain this to me? (There are many products for Amazon Spain that come anyway from Germany)

[Robert Cailliau]

Well, I did have a go at Ackerman steering in Lego. Competion: anyone can do it nicer, more robust, more compact?

See this page:

http://www.cailliau.org/Alphabetical/L/Lego/Models/42043-Arocs/AckermanSteering/'>http://www.cailliau.org/Alphabetical/L/Lego/Models/42043-Arocs/AckermanSteering/

There is a link to an .lfx file so those who want to try it may use buiding guide mode in LDD to see how I did it.

I'll put some real photos up too, and will make it into a remote-controlled car.

(you can also watch

http://www.cailliau.org/Alphabetical/L/Lego/Models/42043-Arocs/

and

http://www.cailliau.org/Alphabetical/L/Lego/Models/42043-Arocs/Steering/

)

to Starmort: it's all a matter of local taxes, people getting money off you just for postage, and other weird things, nothing to do with an open market. That needs a lot more hammering from the European Commission.

[750ACE]

@Robert : this topic Jim created is a review topic. There are tons of Ackerman steering examples on this forum. You should probably start your own thread discussing your questions and ideas or review the search results here on EB. Let's leave the review topic on topic.

[Jim]

@Robert : this topic Jim created is a review topic. There are tons of Ackerman steering examples on this forum. You should probably start your own thread discussing your questions and ideas or review the search results here on EB. Let's leave the review topic on topic.

Yup, that's the best thing to do

[Robert Cailliau]

OK.

Sorry, I did not know there was more about this specific thing elsewhere.

The only reason I wrote anything at all was to point out that the different angles Jim mentioned in his review are indeed desired and not a design mishap in the Arocs.

Off for now,

R.

[Starmort]

to Starmort: it's all a matter of local taxes, people getting money off you just for postage, and other weird things, nothing to do with an open market. That needs a lot more hammering from the European Commission.

Also out of the topic but... inside de EU? both countries are in EU, I thought that kind of things involves imported goods outside EU.

[flyboy01]

WOW! your pictures had such a uniform look that I thought they were rendered! great review!

[Robert Cailliau]

Jim, you wrote:

Stage 3: Chassis rear end

Four Flexible Rubber Axles are used in the base of the chassis. I am not entirely sure why TLG used these parts, since you will lock the assembly using liftarms. Possibly, it's a construction used in the real Mercedes, or these parts will be used in the B-model. I would love to hear your thoughts.

In the thoughts below I used the part numbers as they appear on pages 481 and following of the construction manual.

(1) In the construction manual on page 163, on the frame, the rubber liftarms (4198367 rubber liftarm length 2) lie horizontally. They connect to vertical black beams (4142822 beam length 3) that can rotate around fixed blue pins that go through their centre hole.

(2) On page 200 the bottom holes of these black vertical beams each get a suspension arm (6055628 steering arm with ball socket) connected to them (the picture on page 200 shows the assembly downside-up, so the bottom holes are at the top in that image). Note that these arms are shown at an angle in all illustrations. Geometrically the sockets for the ball heads are therefore closer together than they would be if the arms were horizontal. They need to be pulled apart slightly if they are to adjust to the Lego grid.

(3) On page 218 these arms get the ball heads of the four pegs (4184169 pin with ball head) of the double differential.

(4) On page 219 the "shock absorbers" (they are only suspension springs really) are attached and they push the differential away from the frame.

That distance puts the steering arms at the angle they were already depicted at, which pulls outwards on the vertical beams. The necessary flexibility can only be achieved by the stretching of the rubber liftarms.

If you replace the rubber ones with normal, stiff ones (4211741 for example) then it all feels very different.

There is an image at http://www.cailliau.org/Alphabetical/L/Lego/Models/42043-Arocs/RubberLiftarms.jpeg

The distance between the black ball heads indicated by the red line with arrows is a fixed distance (on the differential assembly)

Edited February 3, 2016 by Robert Cailliau