26 replies to this topic

[benredstar]

Hello all

I note on the homepage there is to be a new flagship Technic set. Does anyone know if 8043 the Motorized Excavator will be be discontinued soon?!

thanks!

/ben

[Badger]

benredstar, on 02 July 2012 - 09:01 PM, said:

Hello all

I note on the homepage there is to be a new flagship Technic set. Does anyone know if 8043 the Motorized Excavator will be be discontinued soon?!

thanks!

/ben

Nevermind .

Edited by Badger, 02 July 2012 - 09:14 PM.

[Alasdair Ryan]

The new 'flagship set' you will be seeing will be the 9298 off roader.

Edited by Alasdair Ryan, 02 July 2012 - 09:26 PM.

[Matt The Tuba Guy]

Yes, it will be discontinued eventually.
It has been out for 2 years now, and I got an 8258 around August/September last year, so I would expect it to be available until at least that time of this year. I did buy from NZ though, where sets come out late, and go out of availability late too. The US LEGO shop@home site did NOT have 8258 at that time.
It probably depends on the popularity of the set. a really popular and well selling set would probably stay out for longer.
If you do not have 8043, and if it is still available wherever you are, I would recommend getting it really soon, because as soon as it is no longer available, I would imagine the price will shoot up since this can probably be considered a 'classic' Technic set on par with the likes of 8421, 8448, and 8880.
Just my thoughts.

[skylinedan]

I,d agree on it becoming a classic like the others, I got my first one from LEGO, and the second came from E bay for a bit less money. I,ve been seeing them on there for close to 300 dollars, once there gone I think the price will likely go to 500 or higher in the next couple years or sooner. I was on LEGO,s site over the weekend and see there on BO due to being out of stock, wonder if this is a sign that their on there way out.  
      

      Dan

[juzo]

Still readily available on bricklink for $140 odd bucks, quite a few on there as well.
Thinking about getting another one myself.

[benredstar]

Thanks to everyone who replied to this thread; especially Matt the Tuba Guy who's answer was very useful. You have high praise for this set indeed and I think I'll take your advice and snap one up before they discontinue it.

/ben

[TechnicFreak]

Look at the super short run of the 8275 Bulldozer from 2007?  It was released in the US in Sept and gone from S@H by December of that same year.  If I recall the 8258 didn't have a long run here in the US either, I believe it came out and a few months later, gone, then if I recall it made a short comeback then was gone again.  I'm really surprised they haven't appreciated in value all that much like many other retired sets, that thing was a monster, crane was a bit disappointing, it never seemed to fold just right, but I added the led light kit to it in one of the lower front fairings, set it on my toilet tank cover(call me twisted if you want), and I'd turn it on, those lights lit up the room pretty well, was kind of eerie.  As far as the 8043 it is had a LONG run, usually I have seen things start to disappear after about 1.5 years, but in past few years they seem to be around a rather long time, and we get very nice spring offerings too, and more and more great 1H sets too.  The 9395 was something for 1H2012, then the eagerly awaited 9397, which, whoops, TRU had on their website in late January when it was supposed to be a March 1 release.  I picked 2 of them up on January 27, am betting a lot of others did as well, they were sold out in a day or two, but then gee, they came back in February for, whoops, another 'pre-release'.  Picked up more then on another BOGO 50% sale.  

Cripes, I talk too much, but its like a family here, but I'm betting the 8043 won't be around too very much longer, maybe until the 2H sets come out soon, then they will probably stop producing or stocking any more, and they will just sell out.  I'm kind of at odds with the set because of some issues, but it is a great model to not only look at on a shelf, but play with too.  Now only if I could get my superstructure to rotate as it should...

Oh, just an add-on, wish I had snapped up more 8275's when they were out for that brief time, that was one cool set and a very fun build...planned on it, then was in disbelief when I went on the website in December and it said SOLD OUT, not BACKORDERED...wonder what happened?  It was an extremely popular set at the time, and guess it still is, it is garnering big bucks...

Edited by TechnicFreak, 04 July 2012 - 05:23 AM.

[skylinedan]

I really like to get a 8275, therees one on Ebay now biding started at 325. I went through the parts list on Bricklink and ordered all the stuff I didnt have to build it. Just need to take the time to do it. I got another 8421 too last week, so now I,m gonna build a super size 8421, LOL.


  

   Dan

[revieworr]

I have the 8043
4x motor
4x la
2 ir r
2 irc
thats ALOT of stuff, just to but that would be alot.

Having be a lego technic vetran since 1978, the 8043 was the set we were waiting for, it finally came with enough motors and lots of gears.

I Like LA.Pneumatics, I have circa 30 plus pnuematic cylinders and now 11 LA, I like LA becuase it brings back the gears system cog engines I realy beleive is at the heart of technic, also allows for finer control, Pneumatics suffer from jerky movent, stiction, and no real motor switch function that is compact. I have the airtech claw rig, and admit the pipping was awsome to do but I still prefer gears and L.A further the 8043 invites, an aditional 2 - 3 motors (double up on main lift) so can be even more awsome.

I believe after the stop making it the 8043 will be one of the most expensive sets ever >>> 8258, I am seriously think of buy 3+ more , I mean that solves motor, gears and ir problems forever....only thing that holds it back is the knew v2 ir, but I can buy these seperately...so no bigee.

[Theo van Vroenhoven]

A while ago I read on a Dutch LEGO forum that the production of the following sets will stop end of this year:

8043 Motorized Excavator 31-12-12 Technic
8066 Off-roader 31-12-12 Technic
8067 Mini Mobile Crane 31-12-12 Technic
8068 Rescue Helicopter 31-12-12 Technic
8069 Backhoe Loader 31-12-12 Technic
8070 Super Car 31-12-12 Technic
8071 Service truck 31-12-12 Technic
8109 Flatbed truck 31-12-12 Technic

Edited by Theo van Vroenhoven, 14 November 2012 - 09:57 AM.

[rm8]

revieworr, on 14 November 2012 - 07:15 AM, said:

I believe after the stop making it the 8043 will be one of the most expensive sets ever >>> 8258, I am seriously think of buy 3+ more , I mean that solves motor, gears and ir problems forever....only thing that holds it back is the knew v2 ir, but I can buy these seperately...so no bigee.

What do you mean? Problem is v1 or v2?

As I know v1 was substitited at last 8043 parties by v2 receiver.

[Lauris]

I got my 8043 in august and it had V2 receivers.
Also, in July I wrote to LEGO about lifespan of 8070 and 8043 and they answered me that they will probably be in production till the end of this year, so yes... not long left.

About the value of the set - if I remember correctly, 8043 is like top3 set in rebrickable, so I think many people already has it, so the price jump might not be so huge, but still, if I had funds and good offer of ~180 EUR, here in Latvia, I would grab one and put it somwhere deep and safe to avoid wanting to unpack it :)

[Foggy]

At amazon.it it's price is rised till 189euro right now, I bought it back in Feb '12 and was 121euro! I even bought a 2nd one complete but "used" looks new on ebay.de for 112euro. I don't think it's gonna be discounted...it's a milestone.. if you can buy a 2nd hand one... ebay.de has a lot of them but don't know where you from and what should be postage to your country..
cheers

[TheShortOfIt]

Anyone has trusted informations that the 8043 will be retired soon? In Germany its on back order on many sites. Prices went up from ~120,- to ~150,- EUR for the cheapest one.

At the german S@H LEGO website the 8043 will be available again in december. Amazon.de has it listed again after ~3 weeks with a delivery at end of november.

So maybe its just a supply shortage? At the american website its marked as "retired soon" - But as some other say, this doesnt mean anything to europe. right?

What do you think, is it worth buying some for 139€ and keep it safe? Or waiting till the most vendors have them back in stock and wait for a nice discount?

Edited by TheShortOfIt, 14 November 2012 - 07:14 PM.

[Paul202]

If you are to buy it, don't buy from Bricklink from a foreign store. I did that with the Crawler set, thinking I was saving $50 off the orignal price of $200. However shipping tipped the total cost over what it would've been if I ordered from the US.

[DLuders]

Well, the 8043 Motorized Excavator is now "Sold Out" on the USA Shop.Lego.com website.  It had a ~27 month run (August 2010-Nov 2012), which is longer than most "flagship" models.

[therealjustin]

I just ordered mine last week and I'm so very glad I did. Everything from the build process to the excellent assortment of parts make this set an instant classic.

[FuzzyBallz]

8043 was one of the first set of LEGO I bought after getting back into the LEGO game. It took me a while to build it, but everything about it, especially the arm, was amazing!

[skylinedan]

This was the first set I bought getting back in the LEGO game, I picked up a 8265 at the same time. It was $79.99 , now we see them going for close to 300 bucks. When the 8043 gets retired the price is gonna jump through the roof, For the part content, this set is awesome. At 200 dollars its a great buy, and will by far be a classic right up there with the 8421 I think.


   Dan

[Gekke Ted]

This is easily my favorite Technic set. It packs a lot of gears, actuators and a nifty drive train in a very compact design. It's completely remote controlled and, in contrast to some other models, the functions actually work great! Get it for a decent price while you can!

[paulrobinson]

It definitely looks like its being retired to me. All the cheapest deals have disapeared and some retailers have started to reduce the discount on it. It's also been out for quite a while too.

I also bought this (out of fear of it being discontinued) as my first set, returning as an adult. I have to say the drive train is absolutley amazing, it seems way more complex than any 80's or 90's technic set. It seems to me that the gears had more friction in those days. I remember trying to create complex systems, but the friction just got too high.

[wildboar]

I have bought this few weeks ago since there were great discount in maxitoys.ch so I payed around 120eur. But now there is no more left in any shop near me, so I would definitely say that that it will be quite hard to find it in the near future.

[LegoGBC]

You can still pick it up on bricklink for about 120 euros.
But note that if the seller is not in your country,the shipping will be probably very high because of the dimentions of the box and its weigh.

[Doctor Whom]

The Lego Shop-at-Home site now has a few sets tagged as "Retiring soon".  Motorized Excavator, Medieval Market Village, Red Cargo Train, and a few others.