Pictorial review: 8419 Excavator

[Lost_In_Noise]

8419 Excavator was released in 2005 and contains 289 pieces. Features are slewing superstructure, raising and grabbing arm and moving threads.

It cost 20$ upon release, and the average BL price is about the same in used condition.

Interesting pieces include a large turntable, 4 Technic thread hubs , a mini Technic digger bucket, 2 Treads.

The build starts off with the wheelbase, one wheel in each corner supports the threads.

The other side mirrors the first.

The two sides are then joined, and some liftarms tie the together.

The turntable is placed on top.

And then the threads.

This rack is mounted at the rear of the turntable, to support the gears.

It meshes with another 20T bevel gear at the end of a 3 axle with an UJ.

The boom lifting mechanism is driven by a worm gear. And 8T gear is placed underneath it. It is then locked by thin liftarms.

Placed on the base.

The digging arm is then attached to the grey liftarms.

A 24T gear is attached to the axle driving the boom lifting.

An 16T gear is connected to the axle which powers the bucket tilting.

A worm screw is combined with the 24T gear to slow down the boom movement.

Lastly, a 20T DB gear is added to further reduce the bucket movement.

The back end of the superstructure is comprised of axle connectors.

Locked in place by some liftarms.

Double-bent liftarms finishes the right side of the compartment.

Next is the cabin.

In place.

Further extension of the arm.

Lastly attaching bucket.

Finished:

Features: Raising and lowering arm and digger bucket, slewing of base.

It's excactly the same as the 8047, but it does it in a different way. It is the only excavator that uses actual rubber threads rather than plastic ones that doesn't work.

The low gearing for the boom and bucket makes this excavator able to lift something. The only con is that the 8T and worm screw combination has a lot of play.

Comparison with 8043 and 8047.

This has to be my favourite excavator. I really like the smooth bucket and arm movement, and the rubber threads are a nice bonus.

Questions? Comments? Feel free to ask. Big pics @ Brickshelf.

[Alasdair Ryan]

I never did get that set,It never appealed to me very much. I have two of the 8294 excavator's wich I thought were quite good.

If you want a good excavator you should try to build jurgen's Zorex220 excavator.

Edited September 1, 2012 by Alasdair Ryan

[Wiseman_2]

I remember this one, it's the last Technic set I got before my mini dark-age... in fact, I recently found this model intact gathering dust in one of my many unsorted boxes of old Lego. As it turns out several parts were of different colours as I remembered rebuilding it from the B-model without all the spares left over from the A

I have all four of these excavators and though I prefer 8043 due to the rather brilliant gearbox 8419 is still a very good model too, doing the same things at a smaller scale. Not a bad one to have in your collection by any means.