[REVIEW] 42023 - Construction Crew

[Jim]

REVIEW - 42023 - CONSTRUCTION CREW

FINALLY, THE TECHNIC FIGURES ARE RETURNING?!

The title of this set made a lot of people wonder about the Return of the Figures. Unfortunately this was not the case. Nonetheless, this still is a special set, because recently we've started a Technic Triple Build contest and one of the competitors came from an unexpected quarter. It seems TLG was way ahead of us and already anticipated our contest. Let's see whether they have a chance of winning with their 42023 Construction Crew entry

Before I start, I want to thank TLG and Bonaparte for giving me the opportunity to do a review on this set. It's my first official review and I appreciate it very much! Since I didn't have a DSLR at the time, I borrowed a Canon EOS 600D and started experimenting with it. So special thanks to my friend as well, for letting me use his camera

Note: Every image can be clicked to show a high resolution version.

SET INFORMATION

Number: 42023

Title: Construction Crew

Theme: Technic

Released: 1H 2014

Part Count: 833

Set Price (MSRP): DE 59.99 EUR / UK 49.99 GBP / USA 69.99 USD

Price per Part: DE 0.072 EUR / UK 0.060 GBP / USA 0.084 USD

THE BOX

The box measures 48cm x 28cm x 7cm. The size of the box seems about right for a set with around 800 parts.

FRONT SIDE

The front of the box shows a Dump Truck, an Excavator and a Front Loader collaborating in their construction activity. Looking at the image I wasn't filled with joy or excitement. Just three small vehicles, right?

Noticeable are the new tires on the Front Loader. At this point I was anxious to see which other new parts are in this set.

BACK SIDE

The back side shows the build being divided in three models, each using two bags. It also shows some of the functionality per model.

B-Model

The lower left corner shows a laptop with what appears to be the B-model for the Front Loader, a Road Grader, no it isn't, it's a Scraper. Makes you wonder whether there are alternatives for both other models as well. The box says Find inspiration model on Lego.com/technic but doesn't mention building instructions. There's also no 2-in-1 logo, so it's not entirely clear whether this is an official B-model. Although it would be confusing to have a 6-in-3 or 4-in-3 or something

CONTENTS OF THE BOX

Opening the box reveals the six bags, numbered in pairs. Since every model has it's own color, it's immediately clear which bags will be used for which model.

Every model has it's own instruction booklet and there's a single sticker sheet combining the stickers for each model. O my, what's happened to the Excavator booklet?! The downside of not having a card board back, like the bigger sets have, is pretty clear. The booklets and instructions are loose in the box and, therefor not protected and susceptible to damage. Luckily the sticker sheet was in mint condition.

HIGHLIGHTED PARTS

One of the most exciting things about new sets is new parts, or existing parts in new colors. Turns our that this set contains a ton of cool parts!

3x5 I-FRAME (BEAM I -FRAME 3X5 90 DEGR. HOLE Ø4.85)

First of all there's the 3x5 I-Frame previously dubbed the Dog Bone Frame. Some people where pretty accurate in predicting the looks of this part.

3L LONG AXLE PIN (CON. BUSH 2M FR. + CROSS AXLE)

You might have never missed it, but now it's available, it can be very useful in certain situations.

3L WORM GEAR (3M WORM GEAR)

The new Worm Gear is an alternate solution for the Worm Gear Screw. The main difference is that it needs two axles, instead of one going through the gear. So the new gear doesn't slide freely over axles.

49.5 x 20 TIRE

2014 would be a year in which new tires would be released. Well, here they are. These tires are perfectly suited for smaller scale vehicles. They use the same rims as the Tire 43.2 x 22 ZR, but as you can see the diameter is 49.5mm instead of 43.2mm. This provides a more realistic proportion, especially suitable for trucks and construction vehicles. Basically they are small Unimog like tires. Big thumbs up for TLG!

SMOOTH AXLE AND PIN CONNECTOR IN BLUE

Since Blue is the new Black these, it's great to see TLG made this parts available in blue.

THIN 3x5 L-SHAPE LIFTARM WITH QUARTER ELLIPSE IN WHITE

Although not very rare and not in very high demand, this part has not been released since the Cool Movers (2004)

PART LIST

Here's the complete list for all 833 parts.

THE BUILD

The build consists of three vehicles. Each vehicles uses two bags.

• Excavator
  
• Dump Truck
  
• Front Loader
  

EXCAVATOR

Let's start with the first bags, the excavator. The base uses the new Long Axle Pins in collaboration with a Long Pin with Stop Bush. This is a combination we will probably see more often, since we end up with an uneven symmetrical construction, which is commonly used in studless models.

This is the first time we see the new 3x5 I-Frame (a.k.a. Dog Bone Frame) in action. It is used to connect to the Small Turntable (Small Turntable Base and Small Turntable Top). A 6L axle is connected to a 8T Gear Type 2, which is used to turn the body of the excavator.

An I-Frame on each side of the Small Turntable. At the rear you can see the axle used to operate the mini Linear Actuator, which is used to raise and lower the boom.

The body of the excavator is starting to take shape. The mini LA is connected to the boom and one of the 11L Liftarms is connected to the I-Frame.

FINISHED MODEL

The excavator has three functions, rotating the body, raising/lowering the boom and operating the bucket, which can be done by using the Pole Reverser Handle on the boom.

TLG hasn't made many small excavators. Besides the 8047 Compact Excavator, which actually is a different vehicle, there's the 8419 Excavator. This excavator looks way better and much more realistic than it's predecessor, if you can call it that. I think it's safe to say that this is the first proper small scale Excavator.

EXCAVATOR MISCELLANEOUS BUILDING STEPS

DUMP TRUCK

The second model is a blue dump truck. Like lots of other vehicles, we start building the steering mechanism.

In the image below you can see the new Long Axle Pin used to pivot the 7L Liftarm.

At the same time it is used to connect a 3L Perpendicular Axle and Pin Connector.

At this point the front of the truck is finished. A 12T Double Bevel Gear is used for HoG steering. I was surprised by the looks of the cab. It looks so realistic, even in this scale. This set is growing on me!

After the cab it's time for the dumping bed. The bottom of the bed is attached to a mini Linear Actuator and the sides are made up of two grey panels. There's a hatch at the back, which will open automatically if you raise the bed, using the beforementioned mini LA. The stickers give the dumping bed a more realistic look. Especially the sides look way cooler with the stickers applied.

FINISHED MODEL

After attaching the dumping bed to the chassis, the build of the truck has finished. The 12T gear is used for HoG steering and the black axle connectors are used to operate the dumping bed. The turning cycle is pretty big, but that's expected for a small set like this. Raising and lowering the bed does work pretty good with the mini LA's.

DUMP TRUCK MISCELLANEOUS BUILDIING STEPS

FRONT LOADER

Last but not least is the Front Loader. The new Worm Gear and new Tires are used in this model. The build start with the rear end, where the HoG steering mechanism is located. Two 8T gears are used to drive a 24T gear, which is connected to the front section.

The new Worm Gear is used to drive a 24T gear, much like the current Worm Gear. The main difference is that the axles don't go all the way through the gear, so you'll need two axles or an axle and axle pin. The new gear is more compact than the other version, so it's easy to integrate into your model. This part won't entirely replace the other version, since that one can be used in different ways. But this new version will probably be used much more in future sets.

It does make me wonder whether it would have been possible to lose the Bushings and just have a 1L Worm Gear.

Here you can see the new Worm Gear driving the 24T gear, which is connected to the boom. Like the HoG steering the worm gear is connected to a 12T Double Bevel Gear, which is located on the back.

FINISHED MODEL

The finished model looks stunning. Obviously the new tires are the stars of this model. It would have been hard to make a small scale front loader without them. Like the excavator, the bucked is operated on the boom, without gears.

FRONT LOADER MISCELLANEOUS BUILDING STEPS

PARTS LEFT

At first sight there's a lot of parts left. But having three models, means three small batches left.

SUMMARY

At first I wasn't very excited about this set. The fact that it matched our Triple Build Contest made me a bit more curious. After building the excavator I realized that it looks good, it has the functions you would expect and that it reflects the real deal pretty well. The truck was the least appealing model, but after the build I was also enthusiastic about this model. The front of the trucks just looks very nice and realistic. In my opinion the Front Loader is the best looking model of the set. The new tires are great!

The build was fun, but not very challenging. The fact that you are building multiple models, does make up for this a little bit. Every model does have two or three functions, which makes for great playability. The downside is that the functions are fairly simple.

Great thing about this set is, that it has loads of new exciting parts!

PROS

• Loads of new parts.
  
• Lots of variation in parts (wheels, tracks, mini LA's, small turntable, etc).
  
• 3 models in one set.
  
• Lots of functions (8 main functions, divided over three models).
  
• All three models look very realistic.
  

CONS

• The build is never really challenging.
  
• Functionality remains pretty basic for a set with around 800 parts.
  

SCORE

Design 8: All models in this set look very realistic.

Build 7: Three fun builds, but it never gets very challenging.

Functionality 7: Lots of (simple) functionality divided over three models.

Playability 8: Especially for kids this set offers lots of playability.

Parts 8: Loads of new cool parts.

Value for Money 8: Having all these new parts makes this a set worth buying.

7,7 Surprisingly Cool

Thanks for reading and please rate this set at the top of this topic!

All review images can be found on my Flickr page

[bord4kop]

excellent review Jim! :thumbup:

I wasn 't particularly interested in this set, but it contains a load of very interesting and very useful parts. I might be tempted to get it now

[Jim]

excellent review Jim! :thumbup:

I wasn 't particularly interested in this set, but it contains a load of very interesting and very useful parts. I might be tempted to get it now

Thanks!

At first I had the same feeling, but this set is better than you'd expect.

My 42024 Container Truck will follow later today btw.

[rener]

Nice review, especially for a first one! Great pics too!

Your view corresponds pretty much with my thoughts about the set. As a more "advanced builder" I would skip it, but this looks like a perfect introduction for younger builders!

[dr_spock]

Excellent review and photography. Would you know the Canadian price?

[Darth Dino]

Hi Jim,

be proud being the reviewer of this set. In my eyes even "outstanding" did not value it correctly. This set is how Lego Technic started and what Lego Technic should be about. A very basic set ouf different usefull parts plus many ideas (ar least three different vehicles with the manuals). There are tracks, gears, different wheels, beams in every color and lengths... WOW.

And the functions are obviously and simple to understand. Thats a reals Lego Technic started kit. Not one of those flagship monsters (i like them too) that needs to build 10+ hours. This is a very entertaining set!! And it is CHEAP. I really think this will be one of those all time clasics. Every Technic fan should have one - at least as parts pack.

I am very courios what Blakbird will say about this set and how it compares to very old '80 sets.

Jim, you did a gread reviewwith good images. So why appologise for the images right at the top of the review? People do not need to know how you did your images. If nobody worries about them - be proud, the more you have been unexperoenced in that before! Do not point people on things that are not important to the review. I like your images, there are many in a homogenius quality!

Dino

[LegoGBC]

It's raining reviews! Too many videos in my sub box, have to see them all!

By the way, excellent photos! Can you show us your setup?

[Korngaroo]

Thanks for review. This set very interesting to play with my minifigure.

[JunkstyleGio]

This is a very nice review!

I really like the new(er) parts!

[Manx]

Perfect review! And set itself is also very fresh and interesting.

[lightningtiger]

Thanks for the great review 'Jim'.......you know this might be my first Technic set I'll buy.......just so I can learn to transfer some of the mechanicals over to minifig scale vehicles/machines.

A fair size DSS......but I guess it adds the effects required especially on the dump truck.

[allanp]

Great first review Jed .

[Milan]

Superb review!

[jantjeuh]

Nice review Ted! Won't be buying this set, might pick up some of the new parts on Bricklink though.

[Superkalle]

Fantastic review Jim.

[Jim]

Excellent review and photography. Would you know the Canadian price?

No, I am afraid not, I just have these prices.

Thanks for the kind words guys!! I really appreciate it.

By the way, excellent photos! Can you show us your setup?

I'm using a kind of Three-point lighting setup. I have also bought a photo cube, but it's pretty big and this does work very well.

[Lakop]

Good reviews. I agree with my fellow forum members, this is a good starter set.

PS: note to lego, return of technic minifigs and the story themed sets.

H

[Junpei]

Amazing review Jim! Toggle joints in blue.. Wow, that worm gear is weird. I wonder why they didn't just make it 1L though, you could just brace it with bushings anyway and it would be pretty much the same part.

[peter_m]

Good reviews. I agree with my fellow forum members, this is a good starter set.

PS: note to lego, return of technic minifigs and the story themed sets.

H

I agree - cool one for a starter. Also - it will be extremely appealing for kids (3 machines, good size to take everywhere, nice functions).

[Zerobricks]

I agree - cool one for a starter. Also - it will be extremely appealing for kids (3 machines, good size to take everywhere, nice functions).

Amazing review Jim! Toggle joints in blue.. Wow, that worm gear is weird. I wonder why they didn't just make it 1L though, you could just brace it with bushings anyway and it would be pretty much the same part.

They proboably made it 3L long because if you woul use a 1L long on a 40 tooth gear the bushings needed would get stuck in the gears of the 40 tooth gear.

[Alasdair Ryan]

Nice review Jim,the new worm gear and the new dog bone piece looks very useful.

[quilkin]

Great new parts, the 3L pin with axle has been on my wish-list for ages! The I-beam looks very useful too. Thanks Jim.

[Rishab N]

Nice review!

[Philo]

I chime in to praise the quality of your review, and especially of photography. Wow!

[Milan]

They proboably made it 3L long because if you woul use a 1L long on a 40 tooth gear the bushings needed would get stuck in the gears of the 40 tooth gear.

Or on the turntable teeth.