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Siegfried

[REVIEW] 42066 Air Race Jet

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Review: 42066 Air Race Jet

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Name: Air Race Jet
Number: 42066
Theme: Technic
Year: 2017
Pieces: 1327
Price: USD $159.99€, Euro 119.99€, AUD $219.99
Brickset: Extra Info

 

Technic Early 2017 Review Series

Welcome to the tenth and final (yes, final!) in my batch of 2017 Technic reviews! I was offered all the small early 2017 sets for review late last year... but I ended up getting the bigger ones too! Thus I have a lot to review. I've been doing them in parallel and changing my process as I go so hopefully the latter ones will end up being the best. On that angle I'll probably retcon some of the earlier reviews if I improve my process. Due to this remember that I'm happy to take extra photos or provide extra info on request, and anything especially good will be added to the main body of the review. Do note though that sometimes the model may no longer exist if I have have made an alternate. On the subject of alternates, I will be making the alt model, if I have the instructions, think the model is worth making, and I have the time. Also I'll show mid stage construction only if I think it's relevant. Thus don't ask for construction photos or alt models if they aren't part of the review.... I am prepared to extract parts for detail photos though. Photos will all be hosted on Flickr so larger versions are available, and relevant videos will be on YouTube and linked to from here. I don't edit photos much; very rarely I'll crop one and almost never will "correct" them so the photos should be as natural as possible. I will try to not be repetitive; thus it's worth reading my other reviews. For example I'm not going to complain too much about the digital instructions; I'll try to complain about new things, or maybe not complain at all!

Other reviews of 2017 Technic so far...

42057 Ultralight Helicopter 
42058 Stunt Bike 
42059 Stunt Truck (and 45058/42059 Combiner) 
42060 Roadwork Crew 
42061 Telehandler 
42062 Container Yard 
42063 BMW R 1200 GS Adventure 
42064 Ocean Explorer 
42065 Tracked Racer 

Mucho multi thanks to the EB LUG Ambassador CopMike and the LEGO CEE Team and Designers for allowing me to review these sets for Eurobricks. So onto the review!

 

Packaging

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Post-damaged front (pylon racing?)....

 

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...back. I don't plan to do the alternate. I was very tempted, but looking at the instructions it seems to be a poor-mans Air Race Jet, offering nothing really special. And I don't have the time. I will say though that the alt mode at least has a semi-believe-able wing size!

 

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Here's the top.

 

Unboxing

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Hurrah! Not a punch box! Instructions were bagged, and the set is not segmented. No unique new parts; the double cross connector and the anniversary part is here, but the rest is "just" recolours. There's only the main instruction included, with the cover being better stock than the main. By the end of the assembly mine was a bit ratty really...

 

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We're into the big boys now! Parts list page 1....

 

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...and page 2. (No instruction pages this time.)

 

Build

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And what a haul of parts! Since this is the first set from this year with substantial hidden mechanics I'll be covering the assembly this time. Starting with...

 

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...this! This is an excellent start; deeply embedded motor, use of thin beams to save room, use of the many different axles that LEGO have to increase density. Excellent.

 

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Here the parts left so far. (I'm moving some of the big bits to the box to the left and the small bits to the box to the right.)

 

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The density continues! I didn't experiment much, but I suspect this set would be very easy to build wrong. There's lots of times that alignment is needed and parts must be in the right spot or things just won't work. Not sure if I'm right though; it could just be impossible to go wrong.

 

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Same, from the top.

 

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Undercarriage! Yeah, it's supposed to be folded in, but I like it better this way. It's stable like this for the most part.

 

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Excellent use of parts to find space for the folded wheel.

 

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Finished! OK, obviously not.

 

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Many of the panels are structural and make full use of the newer corner piece.

 

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A lot of the functions are coming together now. Opening the top directly opens the bottom.

 

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This currently free space will end up being used by the gearbox at the top and the battery box at the bottom.

 

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The pile is somewhat diminished.

 

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Gearbox time. This is another of the reversing style ones that have become common.

 

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Installed. This is the major components. Ultimately in the back with the yellow beams two worm gears are installed.

 

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But you can't see that now.

 

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Spares. Rather low IMHO.

 

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Thankfully the sticker is not as essential as some, and some stickers, such as the ones on the nose, I don't think they are needed at all.

 

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They do help break up the colour slabs though.

 

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The cockpit is nice as well.

Here's a video showing the functions. I've started mumbling in the videos which is useful if you can decipher it. Sorry if you can't. I've changed the camera as well.

 

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From the front you can see where the anniversary part is used.

 

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The other F-35

 

Ratings:

Function:

A VTOL change like this hasn't been done before to my knowledge (swiveling engines have been) and it all fits in a relatively narrow fuselage. I would have preferred more however, such as ailerons. 7/10

Parts:

Excellent if you want the blue. It's mostly structural and panel, but there's still enough mechanical parts too.  10/10

Price:

LEGO seem to use motor sets as an excuse to up prices IMHO. 8/10

Accuracy:

The lift fan in particular is very close to reality. The wing size is stupidly small, but it could be argued that this is an air race jet and the body provides most of the lift... Yeah, it's a stretch. 7/10

Fudge:

I'm not really sure why a VTOL plane is racing, but I'll try to accept it. This is a very nice looking plane model, even for those who don't appreciate the mechanicals. 8/10

 

Overall:

Take a VTOL race to the shops now!   8/10

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IMO: functionality and accuracy rating is too high. missing flight controls (apart from super simple rudders). That is like car without steering. Disproportional wings. Missing tail-wings (since these vertical rudders cannot substitute elevators, way too vertical to be elevons).

Otherwise nice review. Thank you.

Edited by J_C

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Nicely done, thank you. I've seen technic sets evolve over the many years and I'm not sure I prefer the 'paneled' look. I'd rather have the lines somehow 'defined' yet an open interior with a lot of functions. Bu, that a whole other discussion. Also, I wonder how this compares when sat next to 8450, sizewise. The pictures below are not to the same scale, obviously. Anyone has both and can take a photo?

Incidentally, the color schemes are 'close': light blue + black vs. Turquoise + black.

42066-1.png vs. 8450-1.png

 

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@Siegfried

Thank you for the review, I was waiting for that one. On the other hand I'm a bit disappointed, because this set has really great mechanics with a lot of levers inside the hull, and that's the advantage of this set. While I was building it, I was really impressed by all the movements inside.

8 hours ago, Richard Dower said:

This set lacks something, price is too high, not enough functions....its just a bunch of panels.

Nope! (IMHO)

I builded this set with my own parts. In yellow and white. Not black and blue, no nice red accents. Looks quite ugly ...

When I first saw this set, I wasn't really impressed. I don't like these light blue parts, somehow I'm unable to build something in this color, and on the first view there weren't any parts, that I really need, so it didn't make it to my wish list.

Building 42066 was pure fun to me, because it has these complex internals, moving levers all over the place, PF, and it has this Kinder Surprise effect: you want to see, what's inside ...

And it's huge! Bigger than the Porsche!

So, my resume is, that it's not "just a bunch of panels", this set contains a pile of panels, even new ones in black, great part collection with some new rare parts, great building experience and an overall impressive model. If I can get it for a good price, I'll have my hand on this set! Even with the light blue parts.

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I thought it was an okay set, especially for modding, but not at $160.  I just expected it at about $120 tops.  I might buy one on sale, if it ever comes to the USA.

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You wrote that the container boat was 42066. It should be 42064.

Great review otherwise

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@Siegfried

Very nice and simple review as always. Despite not being fan of flying machines from LEGO, I'm impressed with functionality and building techniques in this set... and it has a number of parts...:thumbup:

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On 25/03/2017 at 6:00 AM, J_C said:

IMO: functionality and accuracy rating is too high. missing flight controls (apart from super simple rudders). That is like car without steering. Disproportional wings. Missing tail-wings (since these vertical rudders cannot substitute elevators, way too vertical to be elevons).

Otherwise nice review. Thank you.

Well I do agree that flight controls do make things better, but I think the wings would have become too thick.... I'll have to dig around and see if there's a MOC to prove me wrong on that though! My rating of "Functionality" is more based though on what has been done taking into account difficulty and interestingness, and the accuracy is more about how close to reality the existing features are. For example the VTOL mechanism is a good emulation of a F-35. But I think I'll save this rant for another day...

 

On 25/03/2017 at 7:31 AM, DrJB said:

Nicely done, thank you. I've seen technic sets evolve over the many years and I'm not sure I prefer the 'paneled' look. I'd rather have the lines somehow 'defined' yet an open interior with a lot of functions. Bu, that a whole other discussion.

 

Indeed it is! My preference is consistently achieving one or the other! For example the 9396 helicopter is too in the middle for my liking.

 

On 25/03/2017 at 6:31 PM, MegaRoi said:

@Siegfried

Thank you for the review, I was waiting for that one. On the other hand I'm a bit disappointed, because this set has really great mechanics with a lot of levers inside the hull, and that's the advantage of this set. While I was building it, I was really impressed by all the movements inside.

Yeah, I was too. Obviously the designers really wanted to do a VTOL aircraft and fit in a fair few functions all based off one drive line... and it works really well.

 

On 26/03/2017 at 10:52 AM, teos said:

I thought it was an okay set, especially for modding, but not at $160.  I just expected it at about $120 tops.  I might buy one on sale, if it ever comes to the USA.

I do agree the price is a bit high.

 

12 hours ago, Aventador2004 said:

You wrote that the container boat was 42066. It should be 42064.

Great review otherwise

Ooops! Fixed. Thanks.

 

8 hours ago, I_Igor said:

@Siegfried

Very nice and simple review as always. Despite not being fan of flying machines from LEGO, I'm impressed with functionality and building techniques in this set... and it has a number of parts...:thumbup:

Thanks!

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39 minutes ago, Siegfried said:

Well I do agree that flight controls do make things better, but I think the wings would have become too thick....

I have made a flight control mod, and the wings are not thicker than on the set.

32478205703_651e14cf5f_c.jpg

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8 minutes ago, efferman said:

I have made a flight control mod, and the wings are not thicker than on the set.

 

:laugh: I must admit I didn't think you could do that without having droop on the wings and thus making the axle too stiff to turn. Looks nice. I'm tempted to give it a go myself....

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Just now, efferman said:

an lxf is available to rebuild it

Yeah, I saw that, but it'd be more fun to go for my own take. After all; I don't even like the F-35....!

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17 hours ago, Siegfried said:

Thanks!

You're welcome. I like this kind of review also with pictures, because I can read them on smartphone :laugh:

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18 hours ago, efferman said:

I have made a flight control mod, and the wings are not thicker than on the set.

 

That is super cool! :thumbup:

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I've just finished this set yesterday. The biggest WOW factor in this model is that it's totally swooshable. Other recent large aircrafts like 9396, 42025, 42052, are totally not swooshable because they don't have spaces at the bottom to grab comfortably. This set has two gaps at the sides for the wheels to tuck in, and some more gaps in front of the tucked wheels to grab. 

And it looks really cool. I don't really mind the slightly unrealistic look. Since it's meant to be a generic model, it's supposed to not look like any particular jet at all. If it did TLG would get a cease-and-desist notice immediately.

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On 02/04/2017 at 10:23 PM, nguyengiangoc said:

Since it's meant to be a generic model, it's supposed to not look like any particular jet at all. If it did TLG would get a cease-and-desist notice immediately.

Well... personally I think it's a unique enough system and it really only resembles one aircraft. To my knowledge all other similar aircraft used engines, not fans.

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Even without the fan, the shape is totally the one of the F-35. What I don't like are the wings, they are totally undersized in comparison to any aircraft, even if it's designed to be a generic plance, proportion should be correct, this one has not enough wings surface in my opinion, seems "wrong" by just looking at it.

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Well it's supposed to look wrong because if it looks right then it's not an "Air Race Jet".

But here's a problem I encountered with the VTOL function. When I manually push the linkages to open the hatch, the nozzle only goes down about 45 degrees. In order for the nozzle to go completely perpendicular then some liftarms seem stretched. When I motorize it then the nozzle goes down perpendicular again. I've checked my build several times to ensure that no mistakes were made.

Is it the same for other's models? If so then woul the VTOL function bend some liftarms or axles?

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You mean it's wrong on purpose so nobody can say it's an F-35? Uhm, it makes sense indeed, but still it's ugly to see :)

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Excellent review of the Air Race Jet.

May I ask a question?  I am stuck on the fact that all of my functions seemed to work fine when I completed the model, except that, when switching from VTOL to Flight, the upper and lower fan doors don’t completely close, and I have not yet found the cause.  Any ideas?  Am I right in thinking that the pulleys that actually cause the doors to close (it seems that either the top or bottom one is actually pulled closed, and the other closing is triggered by the connection between the doors) are on the tail side of the transmission (gearbox), and I should look there to find the problem?  Any suggestions on debugging this problem would really be appreciated.  The top fan door stops at about 1.25 cm short of closing.  I’ve included a photo below.

Thank you for a great review!

77DD73CF-0B0A-43EC-8D92-BAD703172CBB.jpeg

Edited by Philosopher7
Added photo showing problem.

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