A question about 8485 Control Center II

[Rodinal]

Hello everyone,

my name is Rodinal and I'm new here

Since a couple of months I've stepped out of the closet and ended my dark age, and I'm becoming more and more fond of old and new Technic.

I'm acquiring sets I find interesting mainly in brick and mortar shops, and just recently I happened to find the classic hidden gems in a shop not far from home: side by side on a shelf a 8455 Backhoe Loader and a really, really battered 8485 Control Center II were sitting together!

I immediately bought the Backhoe, mainly because I've never had a pneumatic set, and the reviews about it are raging. Furthermore, the price was absolutely astounding (in a positive way, it is MISB although there's some shelf wear but I paid for it way less than the cheapest used 8455 is sold on Bricklink).

The Control Center, though, I was forced to leave it there: the price tag is way heavier, the box is heavily battered and stitched together with tape, I'm not sure about the condition of the electric system, and furthermore I'm doubtful about the quality of the set.

Now, I come here to listen to the wise advice of expert builders and collectors:

- is it worth the financial effort? the price tag is about € 300,00, maybe I can lower it by a little.

- are there problems with old electric components?

- is it best to spend 300 euros for this set, or to use the money for more recent, more up-to-date sets (8421 comes to mind, but others could qualify)?

- is it a set for completists and collectors, or can it give some satisfaction to everyone, given the fact that it's almost 15 years old?

Thank you

L.

[CP5670]

You may have gotten the 8455 for its original price. It was remarkably cheap at its time ($100), considering how much functionality it had. I'm wishing I had gotten a second one at that price back then.

As for the 8485, it's a pretty nice set but I'm not sure I would spend that much on it. $400-450 is around the going MISB price anyway on BL and ebay. The dinosaur is easily the highlight of that set and is very impressive to watch in action. It was perhaps the only official Technic model to really use the flex system extensively. The other two models are reasonably good, but not spectacular.

I find the control center itself pretty useful too. That set contains the newer kind with an AC adapter port, and like the other wall powered Lego "9V" sources, runs motors at a slightly higher voltage than battery boxes. In fact, I rarely use batteries in any of my Technic models and just run them off that control center.

The age of the set is not important in itself. In general, Technic sets have remained uniformly good since the late 80s or so and haven't really improved beyond a point, although the construction style has changed over time. The mid 90s models are at least as good as recent ones in terms of functionality (and have better quality pieces).

The only old electric component known for problems is the red micromotor. The standard motors should be fine. I have many of those that still work well.

[Blakbird]

The Control Center II is one of my favorite Technic sets of all time, and that means something since I have all of them. The helicopter is basically a simulator which has controls for elevation, rotor spin, pitch, and roll. The dinosaur is totally unique. It bends up/down, waves its arms, wags its tail, moves its head, and opens/closes its jaws. I haven't built the hydro in a long time, but it is very good as well. This is one of only two sets to contain the Control Center box which is capable of controlling 3 motors (9V) and recording programs. Unlike Control Center I (8094), it also has a socket so you can use a 9V transformer instead of batteries. The set comes with 3 9V motors.

If you are getting back into Technic, I would say this set is a must have. Whether or not it is worth 300 euros is another question. Based on the fact that this set must have been sitting on that shelf for 14 years and is in such battered condition, I would think you would have considerable bargaining power with the shop owner. See if you can talk them down. I wouldn't worry about the electrics. If the set is unopened, everything should be in very good shape, especially if it was kept indoors. I have 2 copies of this set both of which have seen years of use and I've had no problems.

If you haven't already, check out BerndDasBrot's excellent review of this set. As you can see, he has made an MLCAD version of this set. He may be willing to give you a copy which you could use to explore the set before buying. If you are looking for information on Technic sets, you may also be interested in Technicopedia.

[Rodinal]

Thanks guys for the information

For now, I'll build the Backhoe Loader and bathe in all its pneumatic glory; no doubt the Control Center will remain on the shelf for some more time, in the meanwhile I'll ponder on the opportunity to buy it.

And about Technicopedia, in the last couple of months I've extensively browsed your pages and found them very useful... to make me fall into the LEGO habit again

L.

[CP5670]

The high price of the copy you found might be a carry over from its original price, if the store never reduced the price. With a $220 MSRP in the US, it was by far the most expensive Technic set TLG has ever released (and some of these sets were quite a bit more in Europe). I remember it looked like a great set in the S@H catalogs at the time, but it just seemed too expensive and other flagship sets from that time period like 8480 or 8880 gave you much more for your money.

The helicopter simulator is quite good but I think it would have been a lot better with an additional degree of freedom that allowed it to change its heading, maybe by mounting the whole thing on a turntable. I've had a MOC project in mind for some time now to make an improved version with that functionality, along with a rotor blade tilting mechanism that is tied into the pitch/bank controls.

The landing mechanism on it is very well designed though. The weight of the control center almost perfectly balances out that of the helicopter.

Edited March 17, 2009 by CP5670

[Rijkvv]

I have paid a lot more than €300, never felt sorry about it, and never had problems.

[Blakbird]

And about Technicopedia, in the last couple of months I've extensively browsed your pages and found them very useful... to make me fall into the LEGO habit again

Are you married? If so, allow me to offer my apologies right now for being involved in getting you hooked.

The landing mechanism on it is very well designed though. The weight of the control center almost perfectly balances out that of the helicopter.

As long as it has batteries in it. If you ever set it up using a transformer, the balance is way off. I have "ballast batteries" in mine.

[CP5670]

I have paid a lot more than €300, never felt sorry about it, and never had problems.

I got mine for $100 MISB in a freak ebay deal in 2001, which is still one of my best purchases there. The auction had a lot of issues and didn't attract many bids. The seller also sent it by seamail for some reason, so shipping was cheap but it took almost four months to arrive.

As long as it has batteries in it. If you ever set it up using a transformer, the balance is way off. I have "ballast batteries" in mine.

That might be. I think I originally used batteries when I built it, since it came with a European 220V transformer that I couldn't use. I have built it into the dinosaur for the last few years.

Edited March 17, 2009 by CP5670