1
Name: Mini Container Truck
Set Number: 8065
Pieces: 119
Price: $10.99 / £8.99 / 9.99 Euro
Ages: 7-14
Minifigs: 0
Theme: Technic
Year of Release: 2011
Links: Bricklink Peeron Brickset
The Box Front
It has a very standard Technic box front. The truck is shown with an inset revealing the functions of the set.
The Box Back
The back of the box is also very standard. It has the thumb punch to open the box along with images of the B-model. I'm not sure about calling this a Pick-Up Truck though - at least in the U.S. a "pickup" is not this. This is closer to a tow truck with its ability to pick up the wheels of a car. Google seems to agree with me, since doing image searches on the French and Spanish names don't show any vehicles like this at all.
The Manuals
Lego kindly includes printed manuals for both models in the box. Unfortunately, they're all folded. And strangely, the B-model is a single large booklet while the main model takes up two small booklets.
The Parts
Here are all of the parts in the set. There's nothing new or particularly unusual. If anything, this set is notable for the LACK of standard liftarms. There's only 5 total - two longer ones, a 5, and two of the 3x5 L shaped ones. It is nice to see quite a few thin liftarms and 5 of the 4 axle with stops though.
Building the Truck - Part 1
This is half-way through the first booket. You can see the frame being built as well as the worm gear in place for the mechanism. At this stage, the front wheels seem very weakly mounted, but that improves as we keep building.
Building the Truck - Part 2
At the end of the first book, we find the only difficult step in the build. You have to slide the long 7-axle all the way through, spearing the small gear in the process. Perhaps this would actually be easier for children, but with my large hands, it was hard to hold the gear in place in that slot.
Building the Truck - Part 3
Now we've added the arms to lift the container as well as the lower front of the truck. Just the cab to go.
Building the Truck - Part 4
The cab is built as a separate module. I like how they used the thin blue liftarms for seats, matching the standard Technic blue seats. It's hard to cram much detail into this small of a set.
Building the Truck - Finished
Here's the finished truck. The cab is mounted on the body, and a small rail is added to the container so the arms can grab it. The HOG knob controls the arms.
Lowering the Container
The container moves smoothly on and off of the truck. I did discover one trick though. If you push the crankshaft pieces into the end of the arms all the way, it snags on the axle and doesn't lift the container smoothly. Pulling them out a bit makes it much nicer.
The Cab
The instructions say to use a blue axlepin to connect the two light grey perpendicular axle connectors here. That locks the cab down nicely - but why not leave that out and have a tilting cab? I suspect the reason Lego used the pin is to ensure that the gears mesh, preventing frustrated kids from having the cab tilted just enough for the mechanism not to work.
The Truck
Although this is a small set, it really looks great.
The B-Model
The alternate model is this tow truck. It again has a single mechanism with a HOG turning a worm gear to move the arm.
The Tow Lift
The lifter can rest flat on the ground to get a vehicle on it.
The Tow Lift
At the other extreme, the arm goes unrealistically high. For a small set though, it's forgiveable since a realistic range of motion would be so small.
The Hood
The hood of the truck tilts, although there's no engine to see underneath. That half-bushing is there to tilt the hood slightly when it's closed, making it look much nicer.
The Leftovers
The B-model for this set uses most of the parts. There's only a few leftovers, besides the container itself.
The Conclusion
This is a great little set. It's very Technic - only a few studs in the whole set - but nicely designed and fantastically functional.
The Ratings
Value: 9/10 - It's just under 10 cents a part and at just $11 it's a decent deal. There's nothing new or unusual, but it's a great intro set for someone new to Technic.
Design: 10/10 - The mechanism is fantastic in its simplicity, and Lego gave a small set a nice design.
Playability: 8/10 - You can't actually put anything IN the container or it'll fall out, and it's too small to have much functionality. On the other hand, both designs are nice for the size.
Parts: 6/10 - It's a typical Technic assortment with nothing unusual or interesting.
Overall: 9/10 - For the target audience of kids, it's a decent set and inexpensive. It's especially well suited as a "transition" set for someone new to Technic.
My Flickr set for this set (to see the images larger)
