42043 Mercedes-Benz Arocs 3245

[H3NRIK]

Just ordered 5 new 6L pumps on BL... :D

Waauw that chassis is insane @ SHEEPO !!!!

[Cumulonimbus]

This is what I got so far.

Here is the new sliding beam and gear-rack.

Very nice work! But I wonder about one thing though: As the new rail is meant to be used with the new gear rack, what are the options to mount a gear that will interact with the rack? I mean, there are no holes or mounting points on the top of the end of the rail to brace the gear. (I hope you understand what I mean).

[davidmull]

Hello everyone,

It been a while since I've posted something on EB.

To crawler crane and Mercedes Acros are wonderful sets. For me blue is a interesting color so I got very excited when I saw the crawler crane.

The 42043 is a beast. The biggest Technic set every (in parts) and very interesting new parts. Like Efferman I design me own parts, so it was a nice think to try and work out the new parts bases on what I could see in the video's and fill in the gapes with me parts designer experience.

Great write up barman :)

Edited February 5, 2015 by Blakbird
: Removed giant quoted images.

[nicjasno]

Oh, I see. So both axles are essentially just floating there, other than two bars on each axle connecting to the frame, and ofcourse the springs/leaf springs? It also looks like that means it isn't independent suspension then. But nonetheless, it is very technical, and a nice challenge for Lego to put this much complexity in a smaller scale set.

As stated before, trucks do not have independent suspension. It makes no sense in a truck.

Tatra's do!

Yeah, but only Tatras do. :)

Edited February 5, 2015 by nicjasno

[barman]

Very nice work! But I wonder about one thing though: As the new rail is meant to be used with the new gear rack, what are the options to mount a gear that will interact with the rack? I mean, there are no holes or mounting points on the top of the end of the rail to brace the gear. (I hope you understand what I mean).

It can be done using the 2 pinholes in the front, but it will look a bit bulky. I will make a drawing on how you could do this with a 12t double bevel gear. This will be somewhere in the weekend.

Great write up barman :)

Thanks

[Kelkschiz]

~Drool~ I wish i could convince myself to buy this set. I would so love to build it. We will see...

Thank for the info Barman!

[davidmull]

~Drool~ I wish i could convince myself to buy this set. I would so love to build it. We will see...

Thank for the info Barman!

No convincing needed I'll buy 2.

[DrJB]

So that's all? I was about to get my pitchfork and join the mob

Your timing is off mate. What? You were expecting to see some blood?

Care someone to explain what are the negative effects besides vibrations of incorrectly setting he UJoints if any? I guess it is not relevant at Lego scale, but to be honest never cared of UJoints alignment so at least this argument was useful to me.

I promise this'll be my last post about this, and then we all should get back to the main topic (as some already have). Vibrations (torsional or else) are typically a nuisance (except in musical instruments), for both operator comfort and parts durability. All multi-component designs have natural (eigen) frequencies. There is a resonance condition when any excitation frequency matches a natural frequency (Campbell Diagram). Since there is little we can do to avoid natural frequencies, it is best to eliminate the excitation forces/torques. Since a drive-line has many flexible components, it is bound to have its own natural frequencies. Thus, and to avoid resonances, we go on a witch-hunt (without pitchforks) and eliminate/minimize/mitigate as many excitations as we can. A single Cardan generates an excitation at 2x/4x the rpm. A second cardan (if installed properly) eliminates the 2x/4x of the first one. Hope this makes sense. I know it makes no much difference in Lego, but I always install my double cardans to follow this rule. Just a 'bad' habit of mine.

Me ;)

Two years ago a Mercedes Trucks Dealership asked me about built a Arocs for them in big scale. When I had the chassis finished they decide don't buy me the truck, so I stopped the development, but I kept the chassis assembled.

This is what I built (the chassis has tons of dust... but after two years on a shelf is normal ;) )

I am publishing this because probably I will never finish this truck, and now with so many people talking about the MB Arocs I think it is a good moment to show it. ;)

Thank you for sharing. Beautifully made. I'm always amazed as to what some very talented AFOLs come up with, given the 'limited' selection of Lego parts.

Very nice. For a while I thought (observed) that all new (non-studded) lego parts had odd-lengths. This new rack seems to break the rule. I wonder what the thinking behind the decision was.

On a different note, it'll be interesting to map/graph the introduction of new technic parts over the past few years. There were many parts introduced with the Unimog, few with 42009, and many again with this truck. Are we on a 2-year 4-year cycle?

Edited February 5, 2015 by DrJB

[allanp]

Unimog was 4 years ago. I think it's a Mercedes cycle. Bring on more Mercedes sets! I like Mercedes now

Edited February 5, 2015 by allanp

[DrJB]

Unimog was 4 years ago. I think it's a Mercedes cycle. Bring on more Mercedes sets! I like Mercedes now

You're right ... I've totally forgotten about the Rock Crawler and the Volvo. Four years it is then.

I've read somewhere they're bringing back a Ferrari, but I think it'll be under Creator, not Technic :(

Might be irrelevant but, does national pride play a factor in the sales?

I mean: Did they sell More Ferraris in Italy, more Unimogs in Germany, and many Volvos in Sweden?

As for the US, I'm willing to bet it's mostly StarWars and The Simpsons.

But, ... I'm digressing.

Edited February 5, 2015 by DrJB

[Splat]

I know that this is getting a bit off topic, and has been covered in the posts above, but I first noticed the alignment of the U-Joints when putting together the Motorized Excavator 8043 from 2010 () where the alignment of the U-Joints would make the bucket shake as it moved up and down, but changing the U-Joint alignment would stop the shaking.

I created two videos as an (extreme) example of what happens when the U-Joints are aligned differently. I just thought that it would be good to demonstrate with some videos. Enjoy.

[XAxles]

That 1W pneumatic cylinders... yeah, those can be effective in micro-scale stuff.

[DrJB]

I know that this is getting a bit off topic, and has been covered in the posts above, but I first noticed the alignment of the U-Joints when putting together the Motorized Excavator 8043 from 2010 () where the alignment of the U-Joints would make the bucket shake as it moved up and down, but changing the U-Joint alignment would stop the shaking.

I created two videos as an (extreme) example of what happens when the U-Joints are aligned differently. I just thought that it would be good to demonstrate with some videos. Enjoy.

Nicely done. I think the reason the effect is so pronounced in your contraptions is because of all the gaps/clearances in the gears, as those tend to 'amplify' the torsional oscillation. Again, very nice demo.

[XAxles]

I mean those skinny pneumatic cylinders would really work well with this set's B-model:

[MrPaulo23]

You're right ... I've totally forgotten about the Rock Crawler and the Volvo. Four years it is then.

I've read somewhere they're bringing back a Ferrari, but I think it'll be under Creator, not Technic :(

Might be irrelevant but, does national pride play a factor in the sales?

I mean: Did they sell More Ferraris in Italy, more Unimogs in Germany, and many Volvos in Sweden?

As for the US, I'm willing to bet it's mostly StarWars and The Simpsons.

But, ... I'm digressing.

I agree to disagree with the American part, before I proceed any further, Lego still has a lot of HOMEWORK to do, I'll give them an A+ for the 8110 Unimog for it's sheer size and outstanding suspension system given that it's about a 12th of a scale over then real beast, a pending A for the Arocs until I get my hands on 1 or 2 of it. TLG still has Zetros, Unimog 5023, Unimog U423/523, and Actros left to recreate in Lego scale.

As for the Americans, TLG should make representations of classic American machines like Peterbilt 379, Deuce 1 1/2.

Back to the Arocs, with the image presented by Cumulonimbus, I'm hoping the crane arm for the Arocs will be taller which I think is a 100% possibility given that it has gen 2 pneumatic pumps on it. This is the 1st set to feature this right?

Edited February 6, 2015 by MrPaulo23

[DrJB]

I agree to disagree with the American part, ...

... As for the Americans, TLG should make representations of classic American machines like Peterbilt 379, Deuce 1 1/2.

It sounds like you AGREE then, unless I missed your point.

My comment was that many European nations have iconic vehicles they associate with (Ferrari with Italy, Land Rover for the UK, Mercedes/BMW for Germany, and Volvo for Sweden). Whereas in the US, there is no unique vehicle that stands out. Let's face it, I bet we will never see a Ford/GM/Chrysler license. Maybe Lego is still not that big in the US (except for BalkBird and his collection). The only Lego vehicle that looked 'american' was the Boss (41999) and it was not branded/licensed. Of course, Lego can get a GM license and do a Corvette, but most likely the success for that is questionable at best. The other examples are the 8285 black 'long-nose' truck, but again, that was not branded/licensed.

Edited February 6, 2015 by DrJB

[Blakbird]

I created two videos as an (extreme) example of what happens when the U-Joints are aligned differently. I just thought that it would be good to demonstrate with some videos. Enjoy.

Those videos are a very good illustration of u-joint non-linearity. Thanks for doing them!

My comment was that many European nations have iconic vehicles they associate with (Ferrari with Italy, Land Rover for the UK, Mercedes/BMW for Germany, and Volvo for Sweden). Whereas in the US, there is no unique vehicle that stands out. Let's face it, I bet we will never see a Ford/GM/Chrysler license. Maybe Lego is still not that big in the US (except for BalkBird and his collection). The only Lego vehicle that looked 'american' was the Boss (41999) and it was not branded/licensed. Of course, Lego can get a GM license and do a Corvette, but most likely the success for that is questionable at best. The other examples are the 8285 black 'long-nose' truck, but again, that was not branded/licensed.

The Corvette or the Mustang could be considered iconic American vehicles, or if you go back a lot further the Duesenberg. The pickup truck is a uniquely American concept (they don't exist in Europe) and we have 42029. But there are more kinds of vehicles than just cars. Certainly the American style longnose truck has been done in official Lego trucks (8285) as you mentioned. For construction vehicles or tractors, Caterpillar and John Deere are ubiquitous. Most of the unbranded construction equipment could be CAT, we just can't tell. Not sure if they've done anything in John Deere green. I could imagine a Kenworth or John Deere license, but Technic is probably not popular enough in the USA to justify it. So I guess I'm agreeing that an American Technic license is very unlikely.

The 10177 Boeing 787 is an American license!!

I don't think the 8480 Space Shuttle was licensed, but is certainly an American product. There were licensed NASA products.

[nerdsforprez]

Two years ago a Mercedes Trucks Dealership asked me about built a Arocs for them in big scale. When I had the chassis finished they decide don't buy me the truck, so I stopped the development, but I kept the chassis assembled.

AHHhhhhh!!!! Sheepo.... why do you tease us so! LOL.... I bet there was a dozen people who when seeing this post hoped that you would be buildling and publishing instructions for some MB Arocs truck..... Edited February 6, 2015 by Blakbird
: removed massive unnecessary quote.

[Richard Dower]

I mean those skinny pneumatic cylinders would really work well with this set's B-model:

What model is that?...a Creator set?

[DrJB]

...

The Corvette or the Mustang could be considered iconic American vehicles, or if you go back a lot further the Duesenberg. The pickup truck is a uniquely American concept (they don't exist in Europe) and we have 42029. But there are more kinds of vehicles than just cars. Certainly the American style longnose truck has been done in official Lego trucks (8285) as you mentioned. For construction vehicles or tractors, Caterpillar and John Deere are ubiquitous. Most of the unbranded construction equipment could be CAT, we just can't tell. Not sure if they've done anything in John Deere green. I could imagine a Kenworth or John Deere license, but Technic is probably not popular enough in the USA to justify it. So I guess I'm agreeing that an American Technic license is very unlikely.

The 10177 Boeing 787 is an American license!!

I don't think the 8480 Space Shuttle was licensed, but is certainly an American product. There were licensed NASA products.

You're absolutely right. Just a thought occurred to me. In EU, primarily cars/vehicles are licensed. In the US, Hollywood Productions lead the pack, as there are (now) many movie licenses/themes.

Edited February 6, 2015 by DrJB

[M_longer]

The pickup truck is a uniquely American concept (they don't exist in Europe)

Oh they DO exist :)

Nissan Navara or Mitsubishi L200:

[nicjasno]

The only european pickup, that i can think of at the moment, currently being produced, is the VW Amarok.

[OzShan]

What model is that?...a Creator set?

Yep, a b model of 6753 highway transport. It's a creator 3/1. (One of my fav's)

Edited February 6, 2015 by OzShan

[MrPaulo23]

It sounds like you AGREE then, unless I missed your point.

My comment was that many European nations have iconic vehicles they associate with (Ferrari with Italy, Land Rover for the UK, Mercedes/BMW for Germany, and Volvo for Sweden). Whereas in the US, there is no unique vehicle that stands out. Let's face it, I bet we will never see a Ford/GM/Chrysler license. Maybe Lego is still not that big in the US (except for BalkBird and his collection). The only Lego vehicle that looked 'american' was the Boss (41999) and it was not branded/licensed. Of course, Lego can get a GM license and do a Corvette, but most likely the success for that is questionable at best. The other examples are the 8285 black 'long-nose' truck, but again, that was not branded/licensed.

Oh I meant I disagree to agree that it's just Star Wars and Simpsons but that being said TLG must still have like Classic American Line for the Technic theme and everything are licensed sets of Peterbilt, Ford, GM, Chrysler. But you're correct the Europe has more iconic vehicles, Unimog is one of them, Arocs though relatively new to the game poses to get the same status, I haven't personally seen one in real life but the beast looks tougher than the Actros that's why TLG must have chosen this over the latter, though a nicely done set I didn't bothered getting the 42030 and waited for Lego to release something better. I'll be sure to shell out another $250 on a set like this, because it has the most parts in a technic set so far and its a Mercedes-Benz.

[MrPaulo23]

a new video that probably all of you have already seen and though this may have been pointed out already, when you pause the video at 2:20 and keep inspecting the video frames through 2:25 though it seems vague it is a 99% possibility that a Straight-6 (Inline-6/ I-6) engine is resting under what seems to be a new variant of the turn table, can anyone confirm if those yellow bricks resting before the third pair of wheels are reserve air tanks for the pneumatic system?

I also like to point it out that (again if it has been posted in this discussion forgive me) the HOG steering is through the pair of beacon lights I kept watching how the guy steered it and both moved, it is the cleanest version of Lego's HOG steering system for it's Technic sets.

I can't really confirm it though but if anyone can try to scale the video - if that's even possible - with an actual sized Lego Technic Straight-4 engine to which it's being feared to be a 4-banger just to make an unofficial confirmation that it's not a 4 but a 6. I have no problem if it's a 4 because it's a toy set still but wouldn't it be a more exciting set if the Straight-6 has indeed been replicated well under the set's belly.

Edited February 7, 2015 by MrPaulo23