Technic 8434 - my review

[Richard Dower]

First off, sorry about not having any pics.....i dropped my phone while a bit pissed a couple of weeks back and i need to buy a new one...dont drink and text folks!

I spotted this old set from 2004 on an Irish website, it was brand new/sealed...but the box was badly damaged/squashed.

Thankfully the contents were perfect, i knew it was a rather rare/unusal set which is rather hard to find second hand, let alone BNIB.

I personally didnt like the look of the plane but it had some VERY rare/unique parts in colours only found in this set, so i bought it.

Once i saw all the Pearl Dark Gray parts i became an instant fan of the colour and have since been on a mission to collect more of those parts.

I built the A and B model because with 445 parts there wasnt a whole lot of buidling fun to be had. The B model helicopter while OK to look at had no functionality besides the main rotor blades turning via HOD control.

What was worse is that the B used less then half of the 445 parts!!...i was seriously shocked at how much parts i had left over....very disapionting, clearly the B was just thrown together quickly to try and pad out the build time/experience.

The A model is alsò very disapointing in terms of functions, though the actual build process was a bit tricky as there was some weird angles employed or some hard to reach spots. The A and B took no more the 3 hours to build....rather poor imo.

I know its only 445 pieces but the overall experince of the build and model was disapointing, i got this set for the parts and the colours...its the only redeming feature and selling point of the set.

I would certainly not recomend you buy one new for big money, if you get it cheap then great...but its not a set i would hunt down to buy.

If you want rare parts in unique colours this set is a MUST HAVE!...if you want this a a model to display or to play with then i would avoid.

2/5

http://brickset.com/...8434-1/Aircraft

Edited January 3, 2015 by Richard Dower

[DrJB]

I got one new as well (damaged box too) from eBay for rather 'cheap' ... While you make some valid points, you're a bit too critical of the set. Need to keep in mind that this was by no means to compete with the big contenders, and also that it was released a while back (I think right after the 8455 back-hoe). Sure, it's not a set to ride home about, but it fills a niche, small part count and thus, enough entertainment for an evening. My impression is rather positive, and I like it a lot, not as much as other sets I have, but it's rather unique in its right way and does deserve a place in any Technic collection.

[Richard Dower]

Well i think it was placed in the mid teir for 2004, it has the 3rd highest part count, if you exclude the re-issued set for that year. I know at 445 pieces you are limited and T:G didnt have proper ropeller blades at that point....but i still feel it was a set that was not fuly formed or finished, trye there arent too many Technic planes but i feel if they added more pieces the functionality and playability of the set could be greatly enhanced!

Maybe if they spent less on the "bling" parts they could have released a really good plane with a working movement of the propeller blades. a cargo bay, a better mechanism to lower and raise the landing gear.

I still havent been able to find the instructions for the C and D model?

[Blakbird]

I have to agree with your rating and might rate this set even lower. It has very little in the way of function and those ugly Bionicle blades! It is not surprising that this came out during the "dark years" when LEGO was losing money.