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I do so know that sickening feeling you get when a large assembly hits the floor. When I was assembling the Saturn V, putting the last panel on the second stage, I guess I used a bit to much force and literally the thing exploded in my hands and parts shot in every direction. I'd say you where a bit lucky that arm pretty much stayed together. Good luck in the future and brick on. 

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8 hours ago, Johnny1360 said:

I do so know that sickening feeling you get when a large assembly hits the floor. When I was assembling the Saturn V, putting the last panel on the second stage, I guess I used a bit to much force and literally the thing exploded in my hands and parts shot in every direction. I'd say you where a bit lucky that arm pretty much stayed together. Good luck in the future and brick on. 

Sounds like you just might be a contender for the LEGO part speed & distance record :classic: Hope you got the Saturn V finished with no more mishaps.

Thank you for your kind wishes.

Edited by grum64

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Build Day 31/32 - Days build time 5hrs 10mins / Total build time 79hrs 5mins

With the damage from the digging arm's surprise collision with terra firma repaired and its functions tested it was time to move on to the next stage of the build which should be mounting the arm but as you can see from the pictures, I've changed the build order from that in the instructions to ease building.

The walkways, ladders, cab and numerous lights were all to be fitted after the arm was mounted when the build would be much bigger & more unweildy leaving the risk of another thud on floor greater than ever.

Building the cab was time consuming & particularly fiddly in places but it was fitting the windscreen that proved to be the hardest part of this stage. The SNOT bricks & plate that make up the lower front of the cab kept falling apart as I tried to press the 'screen down. It was try, break, rebuild, try, break, rebuild, try, bre... (you get the picture) but in the end it got done. Done that is until I knocked it off. Twice! After over half an hour of repeating the above and more by luck than anything else, it clicked into place. It was handle with extreme care from then on.

The railings were fitted to the cab/walkway assembley before fitting it to the superstructure. It made what would have been a tricky job much easier. 

The railings etc., for the counterweight were going to be fitted before attaching it to the digging arm but it was as I was about to do this that my alter ego Mr Goldfish Brain arrived and before I knew it the counterweight and arm were one with no sign of any railings. So now I have a dilemma. Do I detatch the counterweight and fit the parts or risk leaving things as they are and fit them? Decisions. Decisions.

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Edited by grum64
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Build Day 33/34 - Days build time 4hrs 50mins / Total build time 83hrs 55mins

With no feasable ideas on how to fit the digging arm the only to do was wing it.

Starting with the superstructure and arm side by side on my laptray I pulled the counterweight end of the arm up onto my chest, tucked it under my chin and reached out as far as I could to get my fingers underneath the other end. Lifting the arm up, I swung it over the top of the superstructure & lowered it down toward the locating axles/pin but time & again one side would drop down perfectly but not the other. After dozens of attempts the axles/pins found their marks and it was done. I looked at the clock, it had taken an hour and 40 minutes.

After fitting the top/arch (sorry no pic, I clean forgot to take one) or as I prefer to call it, the carry handle as that's what I can see Jake & George using it for, there was just the last 4 liftarms that bridge the joint between it and the superstrucure to fit and all would be tied together and the digging arm secure.

With 3 of the liftarms fitted my changing of the build order came back to bite me on the proverbial as the end of the walkway I'd spent so long fitting to the side of the arm obstructed the 4th. There was no way it could be fitted with the walkway in place so the offending end was eased out just enough get the liftarm through and fitted into place. The end of the walkway was then pushed back in. Note to Self: Pay more attention to the consequences of changing the build order in future builds.

All that remained was to fit the last few lights etc., and that was it, the build was complete. And what a build it is.

Before I started building I'd looked at many reviews, pictures & build video's and thought I had an idea of the size of the finished model would be but it's only now it's built & sitting on the table in front of me I realise just how big this thing really is. It's immense, dare I say almost intimidating. It certainly has presence.

I've built many sets over the last 7 years or so but only 3 do I list as special. The 8258 which was my very first Technic build, the Ultimate 42009 was the most complex and finally the 8880 which was by far the hardest.

I can now add the BWE to that list but not for the reasons you might think. It's undoubtedly big, has a headline grabbing part count, has a high degree of complexity and has been hard to build. It could go on my list for any or all of the above but no, the reason it finds itself there is because quite simply it's been an absolute delight to build. It has almost no repetition, has always been interesting and a lot of fun.

If you've not built this set I really recommend you do. Yes, it has a few flaws, what set doesn't, but these pale into insignificance compared to what you'll get from the building experience.

Now all I've got to do is find somewhere to put it. I think I'm going to need a bigger shelf.

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As always, a very big thank you for all your kind comments & messages of encouragement and support.

Edited by grum64

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Well done, Grum.

It's hard to fandom just what kind of techniques you had to come up and use to build such a massive model all on your own.

Any idea for future model build?

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Congratulations! It was again a pleasure to follow your build. I hope to see more of your ramblings in the time to come.

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Wow, you made it.  You are definitely going to have to extend your shed if you keep building these big models.

On to the next challenge then, I know that you have a shelf load of models to build....

 

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Very well done :classic:

Watching and reading your builds always makes me want to build the model in question. I built 8880 after reading your review now I want to build the BWE!

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I was extremely interested in how you got this set together and your story of getting the two main sections mated up.  Congratulations on finishing it, because there are a lot of people out there who could not finish this set if you gave them 1000 hours to do it.  As a point of reference, it took me over 12 hours over three days and even that was way too long a time to anticipate getting it finished so I could play with it. You must have been going nuts by the end of 83 hours and 34 days.  I worry as I grow older and my challenges day to day become harder that I will lose my ability to enjoy Technic building. You inspire me, though, because you show me (and us all) that it is not impossible to continue to enjoy the hobby as I get older, it just might take me a lot longer than what I have been used to in the past to finish a model. Again, great job, and keep having fun. Any idea on your next build?

 

p.s.

An hour and 40 minutes to get a couple of pins in... I have thrown MOCs across the room for less when a part refuses to go together.  What patience  :wink:

Edited by Bublehead

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Congrats on finishing such a monstrous build! It was a pleasure to see your progress. Can't wait for more, what do you plan on building next?

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Great work mate - you always manage to raise the bar.

Like others have said, seeing your work really makes me want to rebuild the set (perhaps with a few mods).

Cheers, looking forward to the next one!

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That's quite the accomplishment, Grum!  Your great persistence (stubbornness :laugh:) pays off in spades yet again.  :thumbup:

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On 4/22/2018 at 3:08 PM, grum64 said:

My whole life's a work-around :classic:

I only occasionally scan your posts, but yesterday I took the time to read the last few pages about building the bucketwheel excavator. And it was a joy to read. I don't know what your exact situation is - I don't have to - but between the lines I test a strong relativating attitude in your building efforts and I can not escape the impression that you have the same attitude towards life. Certainly not after reading the winged statement above. I think it should be your pay-off instead of 'Old Fart'.

And hats off for finishing this great project :thumbup:!

Edited by Didumos69

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@grum64 I am building this set too and have completed till bag 7. I am traveling for the next 2 weeks and as soon as I get back home, I plan to start building the superstructure (bag 8). I do agree with you that building this set is really fun. Not a very playable set but still I love it so far due to the way the functions have been accomplished.

Do you plan to add the RC mods to this set.

I also like the model-B of this set as that too is very unique. I do plan to build the model B a few weeks after completing the BWE.

 

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Congratulations on completing such a mammoth build Clive, you certainly have the patience of a saint. :classic: Any idea what's next on the build list or are you taking a (short) break?

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Wow! That is quite an accomplishment. I am afraid I am going to have to put off assembling mine until January as I just don't have room for it now. That thing is huge!

Anyway, congratulations and as always I really enjoyed your journey with this set. Thanks for that.

Andy D

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I usually don't reply to your topic, @grum64 but I also really enjoy reading through your building journeys. Like Didumos69 I don't know the particular circumstances you're in, but I'm fine with that. It's precisely the fact that the build takes you longer than us mere mortals, that gives you the time to contemplate and think about the build itself, and I notice that I really like all these considerations. For me, it's kind of a new style of review, that covers the building process to an extent that you don't see in other set reviews - those normally focus on the finished model. Also, I like your style of writing and humor, but I can't really say why.

I can remember though, that your topic had the subtitle "Where no project is too hard" in its title. Did it? Was there a reason it's gone? Was the 42055 maybe a tad too ambitious? :wink:

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^^ What they said. Your builds are always very interesting to follow. Curious to see what's next!

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On 14/05/2018 at 6:20 PM, Zerobricks said:

Well done, Grum.

It's hard to fandom just what kind of techniques you had to come up and use to build such a massive model all on your own.

Any idea for future model build?

Thank you Zerobricks. Building this behemoth was always going to be a little different from the norm for me. I’d like to say I used some special technique to build it but in all honesty it was just bloody mindedness :classic:.

As for my next build, I’m still thinking about that. In the mean time I’m going to start sorting out my parts boxes :wacko:.

On 14/05/2018 at 6:42 PM, Jeroen Ottens said:

Congratulations! It was again a pleasure to follow your build. I hope to see more of your ramblings in the time to come.

Thank you my friend. As for my ramblings. Be careful what you wish for :wink:.

On 14/05/2018 at 8:29 PM, Pvdb said:

Wow, you made it.  You are definitely going to have to extend your shed if you keep building these big models.

On to the next challenge then, I know that you have a shelf load of models to build....

 

Thank you Paul. I can assure you, there’s no one more surprised than I that this is finished. I do have a good selection of sets to choose from for my next build. I'll have a think while I’m sorting out of my shed. 

On 14/05/2018 at 8:38 PM, allanp said:

Very well done :classic:

Watching and reading your builds always makes me want to build the model in question. I built 8880 after reading your review now I want to build the BWE!

Thank you. I can say with no hesitation that you’ll enjoy building the BWE. It’s such a fun & interesting build.

On 14/05/2018 at 9:41 PM, Bublehead said:

I was extremely interested in how you got this set together and your story of getting the two main sections mated up.  Congratulations on finishing it, because there are a lot of people out there who could not finish this set if you gave them 1000 hours to do it.  As a point of reference, it took me over 12 hours over three days and even that was way too long a time to anticipate getting it finished so I could play with it. You must have been going nuts by the end of 83 hours and 34 days.  I worry as I grow older and my challenges day to day become harder that I will lose my ability to enjoy Technic building. You inspire me, though, because you show me (and us all) that it is not impossible to continue to enjoy the hobby as I get older, it just might take me a lot longer than what I have been used to in the past to finish a model. Again, great job, and keep having fun. Any idea on your next build?

 

p.s.

An hour and 40 minutes to get a couple of pins in... I have thrown MOCs across the room for less when a part refuses to go together.  What patience  :wink:

The anticipation towards the end of this build was something I’ve not experienced before. I don’t know that it was to get to play with it as much as it was to see it in it’s completed state to appreciate it’s size and the work that went into designing it.

As for how long I keep at things. Never underestimate the determination of a stubborn man :classic:.

On 14/05/2018 at 10:05 PM, BrickbyBrickTechnic said:

Congrats on finishing such a monstrous build! It was a pleasure to see your progress. Can't wait for more, what do you plan on building next?

Thank you for your kind comments. I’ll decide my next build while sorting boxes of parts out. I may be sometime.

On 14/05/2018 at 10:30 PM, suffocation said:

Great work mate - you always manage to raise the bar.

Like others have said, seeing your work really makes me want to rebuild the set (perhaps with a few mods).

Cheers, looking forward to the next one!

You’re very kind, thank you. I may buy another set, maybe to try modding, maybe to build the B model. It looks interesting.

On 14/05/2018 at 11:26 PM, JGW3000 said:

Well done, Grum; but, where is the little white truck :look:

Thank you. Jake wants to build the little white truck but at the moment it’s sitting in it’s bag waiting for him to finish his SATs.

On 15/05/2018 at 1:45 AM, BusterHaus said:

That's quite the accomplishment, Grum!  Your great persistence (stubbornness :laugh:) pays off in spades yet again.  :thumbup:

Thank you Bart. 

On 15/05/2018 at 8:19 AM, Didumos69 said:

I only occasionally scan your posts, but yesterday I took the time to read the last few pages about building the bucketwheel excavator. And it was a joy to read. I don't know what your exact situation is - I don't have to - but between the lines I test a strong relativating attitude in your building efforts and I can not escape the impression that you have the same attitude towards life. Certainly not after reading the winged statement above. I think it should be your pay-off instead of 'Old Fart'.

And hats off for finishing this great project :thumbup:!

Thank you. I must say I share your preference for only occasionally scanning my posts. Reading them in their entirety is not recommended as it can cause drowsiness and in some cases unconsciousness and so shouldn't be attempted if operating machinery of any kind :classic:.

On 15/05/2018 at 1:03 PM, arijitdas said:

@grum64 I am building this set too and have completed till bag 7. I am traveling for the next 2 weeks and as soon as I get back home, I plan to start building the superstructure (bag 8). I do agree with you that building this set is really fun. Not a very playable set but still I love it so far due to the way the functions have been accomplished.

Do you plan to add the RC mods to this set.

I also like the model-B of this set as that too is very unique. I do plan to build the model B a few weeks after completing the BWE.

 

I may buy a second set to either mod or to build the B model which I agree does look particularly interesting. Time will tell.

On 15/05/2018 at 1:46 PM, LucyCol said:

Congratulations on completing such a mammoth build Clive, you certainly have the patience of a saint. :classic: Any idea what's next on the build list or are you taking a (short) break?

Thank you. I don’t know about the patience of a saint. I’m just too stubborn, some say stupid, to let anything beat me. Next is a sort out of my shed while I decide what to build next.

On 15/05/2018 at 4:04 PM, Andy D said:

Wow! That is quite an accomplishment. I am afraid I am going to have to put off assembling mine until January as I just don't have room for it now. That thing is huge!

Anyway, congratulations and as always I really enjoyed your journey with this set. Thanks for that.

Andy D

Thank you very much Andy, you’re always very kind. It’s a shame you have to wait to build this set but as they say, all good things are worth waiting for and the BWE is a very good thing.

 

Edited by grum64
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On 15/05/2018 at 6:26 PM, Erik Leppen said:

I usually don't reply to your topic, @grum64 but I also really enjoy reading through your building journeys. Like Didumos69 I don't know the particular circumstances you're in, but I'm fine with that. It's precisely the fact that the build takes you longer than us mere mortals, that gives you the time to contemplate and think about the build itself, and I notice that I really like all these considerations. For me, it's kind of a new style of review, that covers the building process to an extent that you don't see in other set reviews - those normally focus on the finished model. Also, I like your style of writing and humor, but I can't really say why.

I can remember though, that your topic had the subtitle "Where no project is too hard" in its title. Did it? Was there a reason it's gone? Was the 42055 maybe a tad too ambitious? :wink:

Thank you for your very kind comments Erik. I do often wonder if my posts are interesting enough for posting alongside members reknown for their reviews. I’ve not the writing skills or technical knowledge to write concise, in depth reviews so just try to document the building process as best I can. As long as the kind members of our forum such as yourself continue to ‘enjoy’ reading my ramblings I guess I’ll continue writing them.

Don’t worry, you’re not imagining things, my topic did have ‘Where no project is too hard’ included in the title. This was unknowingly bestowed upon me by our esteemed leader, Jim after seeing the sign (which was bought for me by my Nuisance Daughter in Law) in the first post of this topic. I always thought having it in the title on my topic was a little pretentious and so (after several requests) Jim agreed to remove it.

As for the 42055 being a tad overly ambitious. I have to be honest, there was a time when I thought just that but the enjoyment of the build soon did away with that feeling.

On 15/05/2018 at 9:07 PM, Ludo Visser said:

^^ What they said. Your builds are always very interesting to follow. Curious to see what's next!

Thank you for your kindness Ludo. I too am curious to see what’s next :classic:

Edited by grum64
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You often wonder if your posts are interesting enough? Yes. Yes they definitely are. I've already built the BWE once but your review makes me want to build it again, your reviews always do that :thumbup: . I remember a good model and I remember that it's a good model. But simply remembering it's a good model is not the same as feeling the joy of the same model when you first see it and begin to learn about what makes it good. Your reviews don't make me remember the model, they make me remember the JOY of the model, that's why your reviews are among my favourites and inherently valuable to me as an AFOL. Looking forward to the next one :classic:

Edited by allanp

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5 hours ago, allanp said:

You often wonder if your posts are interesting enough? Yes. Yes they definitely are. I've already built the BWE once but your review makes me want to build it again, your reviews always do that :thumbup: . I remember a good model and I remember that it's a good model. But simply remembering it's a good model is not the same as feeling the joy of the same model when you first see it and begin to learn about what makes it good. Your reviews don't make me remember the model, they make me remember the JOY of the model, that's why your reviews are among my favourites and inherently valuable to me as an AFOL. Looking forward to the next one :classic:

Thank you very much for your kind words. It's reassuring to know that the often nonsensical ramblings of a stubborn old man are useful and appreciated.

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2 hours ago, grum64 said:

Thank you very much for your kind words. It's reassuring to know that the often nonsensical ramblings of a stubborn old man are useful and appreciated.

They certainly are.

Now the big question is what are you going to build next home for me at the moment is a 88 inch Flat top kw where you can hardly swing a cat let alone try and build lego so I certainly enjoy your rambling 

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8 hours ago, brickless_kiwi said:

They certainly are.

Now the big question is what are you going to build next home for me at the moment is a 88 inch Flat top kw where you can hardly swing a cat let alone try and build lego so I certainly enjoy your rambling 

Thank you. As for the lack of building space in your work environment. Does your employer have a suggestion box?

189071-amtrucks-2016-02-16-13-18-47-354.

Afterall, a happy worker is a productive worker :classic:.

Edited by grum64
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