42069 - Extreme Adventure - Rating  

202 members have voted

  1. 1. How do you rate this set?

  2. 2. Do you prefer treads or wheels?

  3. 3. Which of the wheels do you prefer? (multiple answers possible)

    • Power Puller wheels and silver rims
    • Tumbler rires and black rims
    • 4x4 Crawler tires and black rims
    • Claas tires and red rims
    • Claas tires and yellow rims
    • Claas tires and yellow rims and hub caps
    • Unimog tires and silver rims
    • Unimog tires and yellow rims
    • Unimog tires and yellow rims with pulley decoration


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REVIEW - 42069 - EXTREME ADVENTURE

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INTRODUCTION

It's time for yet another review. This review will handle the second most expensive set of the 2H 2017 wave, the 42069 - Extreme Adventure. It represents a Land Rover like vehicle with a modified undercarriage. This vehicle has link treads instead of wheels. I am not the biggest fan of link treads, unless the vehicle is full RC. This is because treads limit the playability, especially on smooth surfaces. This is actually the first Technic set with rubber inserts, so I am eager to find out if they will improve playability. I couldn't help but think how this model would look with wheels on it. At the end of this review I will be attaching several different types of wheels, so you can check out for yourself.

PICTURES
Pictures can be clicked to view hi-res versions. More pictures can be found in my Flickr album.

DISCLAIMER
This set has been provided by the CEE Team of TLG. It's not my goal to promote this set. It's my goal to give you an honest opinion about it. Therefore the opinion in this review is my own and is in no way linked to TLG.

SET INFORMATION

Number: 42069 
Title: Extreme Adventure 
Theme: Technic
Released: 2017
Part Count: 2382
Box Weight: 2,79 kg (approx)
Box Dimensions: 58,0 cm x 37,4 cm x 9,8
Set Price (MSRP): € 139
Price per Part: € 0,058 
Price per kilo: € 49,8
Links: BricksetBricklink

THE BOX

The box is as wide as the box of this year's flagship (42070 - 6x6 All Terrain Tow Truck). Since it is less deep and high it doesn't look a lot smaller. You can't judge a book by its cover and sometimes you can't judge a set by the box! This set contains 520 more parts than the 42070 (2382 versus 1862). The part count obviously isn't the most important factor,  but it doesn't happen often that a non-flaghip set has the most parts. The snow does a good job of making the model stand out.

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BACKSIDE
There is barely enough space to show all the functions of the main model. The B-model looks more like a Research Exploration Vehicle than the one used in the 42070. It is called Mobile Base Vehicle though. The base seems to be detachable and it even packs a crane. It does help when the designer of the main model is one of the best B-model designers :wink:

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CONTENTS OF THE BOX

The box contains:

  • 1 Book and Sticker Sheet (packed together)
  • 20 Bags (unnumbered)

BOOK AND STICKERS

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THE BAGS
No loose parts, just 20 unnumbered bags.

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HIGHLIGHTED PARTS

PURPLE PARTS
A modest collection of new purple parts. We already got some 3x13 Curved Panels in the 42048 - Go Kart in 2016 and now we can work with the parts below as well. Hopefully TLG will release sets with the bigger panels in purple, so we can all start building a purple Porsche :laugh: 

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SILVER RIMS
Eight Wheel 18mm D. x 14mm with Pin Hole, Fake Bolts and Shallow Spokes in metallic silver have been provided in this set. That is quite a few, considering the fact that they only have been released in two sets, where you got one and two of 'em respectively. Sorry for the unsharp picture btw.

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6x3 PANEL IN DBG
For the first time this panel has been released in dark bluish grey.

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40 YEAR ANNIVERSARY BRICK
This set also contains the 3L liftarm, also known as the 40 Year Anniversary brick.

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PERPENDICULAR 3L CONNECTOR WITH CENTER PIN HOLE
It has been a while since we have seen this in yellow. As a matter of fact I only owned two of these from last year's (2016) Volvo EW160E. Always funny that some common parts are actually not so common at all. Glad to see these making another appearance, much like the red #3 connector.

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RUBBER TREAD LINK ATTACHMENT
These attachments already appeared in two Nexo Knights sets and now they make their first appearance in a Technic set. You get 52 attachments. 

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In the Factory Store in Legoland Germany you can buy bags with these attachments, where each bag contains 28 of 'em. This is how such a bag looks like.

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SUSPENSION
Not a very special part, but I still wanted to highlight the fact that you get six shock absorbers, four soft ones and two hard ones. Two of the soft ones will be used to dampen the door opening mechanism.

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ROPE
This set contains a new rope. It has kind of a metallic touch to it. It is slightly thicker than the regular rope. Thumbs up for this new version. It looks and feels a lot better.
(ctrl+c, ctrl+v from the 42070, which contains the same rope)

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11L AXLE LBG
Seemingly ordinary, so I almost forgot to shoot a picture of it, but this set introduces the 11L Axles in light bluish grey. Also found in this year's 10257 Carousel and 75172 Y-Wing Starfighter. Strange enough TLG introduced the 11L Axle in yellow first.

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DARK GREEN JUMPER PLATE
Also a quite common part, but released in a new color, a dark green 1x2 Jumper Plate.

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PART LIST

This set contains 2382 parts, spread out over two pages.

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THE BUILD

Time to get building! This set contains 10 u-joints and in case you are wondering where they are going?! You already need four of 'em early on, in the middle of the chassis.

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After some additional building steps, you will be attaching the V8 engine to the chassis. It's very cool that this model has V8 engine, instead of a V6. Or even worse...a 4 cylinder engine. Thumbs up. You can also see the first few purple parts invading the model.

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As opposed to All Terrain Tow Trucks, we actually do find a winch at the front of this vehicle. How on earth would you go on an Extreme Adventure without a winch?! It has a cool lock which is made, using a simple Rubber Double Axle Connector. It has enough leeway to unlock the winch and it bounces back into place upon release. A very simple, yet very effective mechanism.

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The front of the vehicle shows the initials MR, which stands for Milan Reindl. Milan is one of the members who made the switch from Eurobricks to TLG, so it feels extra special to be reviewing one of his sets. I sure hope that Milan isn't in charge of designing the stickers though, because there are quite a few MR stickers on this model :wink:

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Here you can see the start of the door opening mechanism. The rotating axles will be connected to springs, to provide some cool damping when opening the doors.

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The axles are connected to the soft springs. This results in the need to apply some pressure when opening the doors, but when you have passed a certain point, the doors will ease out. Yet another thumbs up for this mechanism. Have we lost count of the thumbs up already?!

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Another cool feature is the roof that can be tilted up and down. It is operated by the mini Linear Actuator, connected to the liftarms. I will show the entire mechanism in a bit.

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Several steps further the doors have been attached and you have created the rear side compartments. This model has a ton of cool little details...

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...which you see in the image below. Both side compartments contain a fire extinguisher and one the compartments even contains a medkit with a syringe. Adding these kind of "LEGO Sytem details" really add appeal and playability to the model. I will elaborate on that in the Features and Functions chapter. 

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Here's is view from the other side, where you can also see the fire extinguisher.

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The following two pictures show the two states of the folding tent. I especially like the white color of the panel to emphasize that this is a different material. Another thing I really like about the tent is that it actually looks like a tent, even though it's just a simple panel. I am not really sure you would want to sleep in the vehicle with arctic temperatures though, but that's a totally different discussion :laugh:

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The compartment under the tent holds a shovel, so you can dig in the snow or maybe even dig a hole in the ice to catch yourself some fish. You can also see the door lock which prevents the door from opening while you are driving.

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At this point we are almost done with the bodywork, except for the roof rack and the bonnet. Now it's time to build the undercarriage. The rear axle doesn't have a rack for steering, but it does have a differential. 

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The front axle does have rack-and-pinion steering. Both axles are live axles, so they don't have independent suspension.

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At this point the bottom of the chassis looks like this. Two axles going to the front of the vehicle, one for steering and one for driving. One axle going to the rear of the vehicle, which is obviously for driving. There's no center differential in this vehicle, but it is 4x4...or 4WD...or AWD. There are subtle differences, and there will be discussion by the purists, but most of the time it boils down to marketing mumbo jumbo. For the average Technic enthusiast this is considered a 4x4.

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Voila, undecarriage complete. Live axles attached and we can hit the snow!! Let's not be hasty and get ourselves a proper bonnet and a roof rack first. Maybe we can throw in some jerrycans while we're at it.

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That's more like it. The roof rack has three different type of jerrycans, so be careful mixing them up. You don't want to be drinking fuel and driving on water (unless it's hydrogen powered). Luckily the cans have been color coded for our convenience. The roof rack even holds a couple of spare link treads, in case we ruin some of them. If you do actually need them, you must have had a pretty rough (and enjoyable) ride.

The first time I laid eyes on this vehicle, my intial response was "yuck, what is that supposed to be. And what's with the color scheme?!". This was obviously after seeing some preliminary images. When the images from the toy fair popped-up things had changed for the better. And when looking at the following image, you can only say...WOW! I know some people aren't too fond of the black and purple color scheme. They think it's too dark, and while they might be right about it being dark, I personally think TLG nailed the color scheme. There's that typical Ken Block Monster vibe going on.

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FINISHED MODEL

Unlike the All Terrain Tow Truck this model actually is a finished vehicle! The level of detail is extraordinary. There's so much to look at and to play with. Of course there will always be debate about purple and/or the color scheme, but I really love this purple color. Hopefully we will get more panels, liftarms and connectors, so the AFOLs can make better use of this color when building their own creations.

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The 3L printed liftarm is prominently placed in the front bumper, near the winch.

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Here you can see that Milan takes pride in his work...MR stickers all over the place. Narcissistic personality disorder maybe?! Just kidding of course. Milan is a great guy. Recently I had the pleasure of talking to him for a couple of hours and I am sure he will stay as friendly as he is now, even though his LEGO star seems to be rising!

Enough with the praise, because this picture also shows a minor concern. The weight of the vehicle results in the treads slightly bending. It's not a very big problem, but it is noticeable.

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The rear of the vehicle, with the quadruple metallic silver exhausts, has been designed as beautiful as the rest of the vehicle. I do like the use of the yellow connectors and half bushes to add some yellow details. Yellow and purple make a nice color combination. Orange and purple works nicely on the Go Kart, but yellow and purple works even better.

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The tread wheel on the rear door provides a lock to prevent it from being opened. You have to turn the wheel before you can open the door. 

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The side view shows the fake dampers in the suspension. All these cool details add value to this outstanding model.

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For the chassis lovers :wink:

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Milan didn't take the easy way out when creating the chairs. These aren't simple panels, but actual chairs. 

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And last but not least....the icing on the cake....the jerrycans! 

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360 DEGREES VIEWER

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Back by popular demand, the 360 degree viewer! Okay...nobody actually asked, but I will throw it in anyway :wink:

42069

Swipe the picture to rotate the model.

NOTE!
In some browsers or in some cases the 360 degree viewer doesn't seem to work. I have yet to figure out why. Sorry for the inconvenience.

FEATURES AND FUNCTIONS

This set contains so many cool features that I don't even know where to start.

ACKERMAN STEERING GEOMETRY
This vehicle has HoG (Hand of God) steering. It works okay, but the vehicle is a bit too heavy to operate the steering when you are not driving. Other than that; the gear easily comes off. On the bright side; this model uses Ackermann steering geometry, which is something we hardly see in Technic sets anymore.

4x4
Four wheel drive has been realised with a differential in both axles, without a center differential.

SUSPENSION
The suspension is comprised of two live axles, which is done nicely. There's no independent suspension.

WINCH
Missing on the 42070, but present on this vehicle is the winch. Works like a charm and has a cool locking mechanism. The winch is operating by turning the 12T gear on the shotgun side of the vehicle.

FOLDABLE ROOF/TENT
By turning the gear on the driver's side of the vehicle, the roof can be lifted and the tent will pop-out.

OPENING BONNET
The bonnet can be opened manually, nothing out of the ordinary.

OPENING DOORS
What is out of the ordinary though, is the mechanism for opening the doors. Using a spring for each door, there's damping when you open and close the door. The door opens by moving the upper side up and the lower side down. This is a unique mechanism which we have never seen before and which will be hard to trump. 

OPENING REAR DOOR
The rear door can be opened manually, by pulling the tread wheel.

REAR DOOR LOCK
The rear door has a lock to prevent it from being opened. You need to turn the tread wheel to unlock the door.

OPENING SIDE COMPARTMENTS
Both side compartments can be opening manually.

SLIDING REAR COMPARTMENT
The rear compartment slides out and contains a shovel. There's a mechanism in place to prevent the compartment from falling out of the vehicle.

ADDED EXTRA DETAILS
Something I like to emphasise is the added extra details, like the jerrycans, medkit and fire extinguishers. Not only do they look cool, but they actually add playability to the set. I highly recommend that TLG designers do this more often.

Here is a video demonstrating the functions:

PLAYABILITY

I like to go into more detail about the playability of this set. One of the reasons this review has taken some more time is that I had my nephews visiting for a couple of days. They are aged 4 and 6, so they like to be entertained. And they brought a 7 year old friend LEGO-lover and his 4 year old sister. This is my chance to be the cool uncle. And a cool uncle has cool LEGO! This gave me a perfect opportunity to see how kids enjoy Technic models. They are too young to be building these models, although the 7 year old would probably be up for the job.

Anyway, they all started with "WOWs" when I brought the sets downstairs. They have seen big Nexo Knight sets, but never any big Technic sets. Score one for the cool uncle. They definitely like RC vehicles, but they tend to operate the functions manually....at least they try to. After some time they asked for paper towels to make artificial snow and they were actually playing with the Extreme Adventure vehicle. It is so cool that this set includes new Technic figures, because the kids love to add them to the mix. Ohh, wait a minute....those were my 30-odd year old Technic figures. Come on TLG, bring back these guys. Kids really don't matter that they don't have the proper scale. Just sell them as a separate set if you are concerned about that, but how cool would it have been to include a Technic figure in this set. I can see the guy carrying the jerrycans, using the fire extinguisher, etc. You have done an outstanding job adding details, now go another extra mile and design some cool new Technic figures.

I am not a big fan of models with link tread, except for RC ones (8043 is probably still me favorite model). The reason is that they tend to lack playability, especially on smooth surfaces. The slide over the surface, instead of driving. This bothers me. Luckily, this set contains the new rubber attachments, to make up for that. Obviously the total amount of grip depends on the number of attachments. You can add two to each tread, one on each tread, etc. This set doesn't have one on each tread, so it still slides over smooth surfaces. The weight of the vehicle does help though. I was surprised to see the kids drive the vehicle through the entire living room and kitchen. Apparently there is enough drivability in this vehicle, more than I expected.

Fun fact is that the mother of the 7 year old and his 4 year old sister was picking them both up, so she was also looking at the models. She loved the purple look and figured it must have been used to appeal to girls as well. I am pretty sure this is not the case, but it shows what goes in the mind of potential customers. The 4 year old girl loved the Extreme Adventure, she couldn't stop playing with it. Technic Mini-dolls anyone?! :laugh:

All in all we had great fun and it was interesting to see these kids playing with both models (hadn't built the 42068 yet). The All Terrain Tow Truck required alternating turns, but the Extreme Adventure offered the possibility to play simultaneously. They liked both models, but they all prefered the 42069. And I did get the impression that having the jerrycans and the other playable extra's did the trick. I highly recommend TLG to motivate the designers to do this more often.

B-MODEL

The Mobile Base Vehicle looks interesting enough to give it a go. I am tempted to buy an extra set so I keep the main model built as well. The vehicle has a base which can be deployed. The base can open and close, and it even packs a crane.

SUMMARY

This set absolutely takes the cake. I was a bit hesitant about the playability with the treads, but my test team has proven me wrong. When you hear kids asking if they can play with the set again, you know you did a good job as a designer...and me as the cool uncle :wink:

An impressive list of functions and features:

  • Ackermann steering geometry
  • 4x4
  • Suspension using live axles
  • Winch
  • Foldable roof/tent
  • Opening bonnet
  • Coolest door opening mechanism ever
  • Opening rear door
  • Rear door lock
  • Opening side compartments
  • Sliding rear compartment
  • Added LEGO System details (jerrycans, medkit, fire extinguisher)

I am starting to like the vibrant colors more and more after each build. Black and purple work really well together. Besides the color scheme, the design of the model is outstanding. From the well formed chairs to the jerrycans, the details are amazing. Even @Kitty (my partner) is very enthusiastic about this set and she is not into Technic at all. I am not allowed to put the wheels back on after switching back to the treads.

Even though this model doesn't contain as much gears as the flagship, this still was a very enjoyable build. The cool mechanisms definitely make up for the lack of gears. Technically it's a very sound build as well.

This set offers outstanding playability and at a total price of € 139 (5,8 cent per part ) you just can't go wrong with this set.

We've lost a lot of good men out there! Milan Reindl a.k.a. grohl was one them. I feel sorry we lost him from our community, but I am very happy that he started working for TLG. As a wise man once said: "the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few". I really liked his Heavy Lift Helicopter and the Extreme Adventure is definitely a winner too.

Please, do bring back the Technic figures :wink:

SCORE

How do I rate this set?

9 DESIGN
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Absolute eye-catcher. 

9 BUILDING EXPERIENCE
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Lots of cool techniques used. 

9 FEATURES
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Long list of cool features. 

9 PLAYABILITY
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Playability proved to be endless. Treads do somewhat limit drivability.

8 PARTS
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Nice collection of parts, albeit mostly common parts. Does have a unique purple selection.

10 VALUE FOR MONEY
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Can't go wrong for 5,8 cent per part.

9,0 ANOTHER HIT BY MILAN

EXTREME ADVENTURE ON WHEELS

As promised I have added a bonus section to this review, showing you different wheeled setups. This is how the front and rear axle look like. It took some time to come up with a proper solution. I am pretty sure there will be better solutions, but this one does use four Technic 5.5L Axle with Stop, in order to prevent the wheel from falling off. I started with a different setup just to shoot the wheels, but since I had me nephews around, I needed a more "kid-proof" setup. I haven't had any problems with the setup below. As you can see I have also changed the antenna setup. They kept falling off, so I ran them through the connectors.

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The front and rear axle setup.

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The next pictures still use the old setup where I used yellow axles.

POWER PULLER TIRES AND RIMS
Technically these are the 8466 - 4x4 Off-Roader wheels, but people like to call them Power Puller wheels. These wheels do touch the chassis when steering.

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TUMBLER TIRES AND BLACK RIMS
Batman just isn't up for this job.

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4x4 CRAWLER TIRES AND BLACK RIMS
These look okay, although we might need to try yellow rims.

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CLAAS TIRES AND RED RIMS
Somehow red does look okay, but we would need some more red details in the car itself. These wheels do touch the chassis when steering.

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CLAAS TIRES AND YELLOW RIMS
A little bit too much, don't you think. These wheels do touch the chassis when steering.

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With hub caps. I cheated a bit here :wink:

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UNIMOG TIRES AND SILVER RIMS
I do like the Unimog tires for this vehicle.

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UNIMOG TIRES AND YELLOW RIMS
Now this is what I'm talking about. I really do like this setup. Big wheels and yellow rims, but not exaggerated.

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With minor details (pulleys) in the rims.

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BACK TO TREADS

Although I absolutely love some of the setups, I have come to the conclusion that this model is better with treads. Maybe not for playability, but they make this a unique set, instead of yet another 4x4.

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Thanks you for reading this review. All pictures can be found here.

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Sorry that I kept you waiting, but I sure hope you will enjoy the review.

Please use PM if you find more than the occasional spelling mistake, so we can focus on the set in this topic. Thanks.

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Good job. This review was well worth the wait. I was initially thinking this set was lacking, due to not having a gearbox, or any real big functions, but I was wrong. This set is amazing, even without a gearbox. I will be buying it for sure.

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I totally forgot to mention Ackermann steering. It's clearly visible and well implemented. I will add that tomorrow :thumbup:

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Great review Jim, this is a must buy for me.

One question though, what is the purpose of the 9L links?

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Great review. Wheels, for me, wont work unless you remake the axles with independent suspension. Maybe some old school wheels (from 8868) would do the job. As for colours, I can see the orange wheel arches and panels from the 42056 working well. I love the spare tracks and cog wheel. 42070 is missing a spare wheel to name but a few.

H

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This is a great review Jim. Many thanks. I think I'm now fully convinced to get this set. I like the versions with wheels, but I think you're right about tracks making the vehicle just that bit more original and interesting. The track units do add a lot of parts though.

As usual, your photo quality is brilliant and a big reason to check out these reviews. I also think your super high ratings at the end make a lot of sense. I'm curious how much I myself will like the set (because I'm very much a geartrain-loving person, and this set seems a bit light on that. I'm curious to what extent all the other moving parts make up for that.)

The black with purple and ylloe looks amazing. The red wheels are not my taste. I think the best wheel setup is Unimog tires with yellow rims, with the same black covers 42070 uses. Although I like the power puller version as well :)

By the way, what is "the shotgun side of the vehicle"? Is that the passenger's side and if so why is it called that?

I think the play report by the children that visited you, is somehow the most enjoyable part of the review to read. I wonder, how much and what did they do with 42070, also compared with 42069?

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Thanks for an outstanding (as always) review Jim! Together with the review of Sariel, I'm totally convinced! Question now is whether to get 1 or 2 sets... IMO, the Unimog tires with yellow rims and black pulleys have the right balance between design and bad-***-factor. Thanks for these pictures!

BTW, is there an auto correct function on EB, that translates "alpha-sierra-sierra" into "megablocks"?

Edited by kolbjha

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Like I wasn't already convinced! Count another 10 thumbs up from me! 

I don't care to look for mistakes, it would ruin reading it.

Your 360 is making the page to ten miles across, and it doesn't seem to work.

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A pleasure to read and watch, thanks Jim!

While reading about the rubber parts I thought that RC Tracked Racer also had them, but I was wrong obiously.

It will be fun to see RC/trial mods by fans for this one.

Unfortunately my purchase will have to wait for a while, but will defitely happen.

THX again for your great review and for the time invested in it.

Cheers! 

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Like I already said in the 2017 thread:

First I didn't care much about yet another 4x4 (with threads), but this model grows on me. Sariel already made a good review which got me tickled; but Jim's fantastic review got me for good. This is a must-have set!

 

Thanks Jim....:wink:

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Im pretty sure that bricklink list is missing the Saturn V, I just checked mine and it has metallic silver wheels included

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Excellent review as always @Jim! This is a remarkable set, I was already sold on it after first toyfare pictures, but after seeing this I really can't wait to get my hands on it:wub:

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Great review for a great set :classic:

4 hours ago, Jim said:

The door opens by moving the upper side up and the lower side down. This is a unique mechanism which we have never seen before

Here i'd like to chime in and say that those doors are comparable to those of 8466. While this mechanism is definitely more complex, the doors of 8466 hat the gracefulness of dampened shocks.
I said it before: 42069 is this decade's 8466 with all the upgrades and improvements the technic line made to this day. I simply love it. :wub:

 

If i've seen it correctly, there's no length compensation in the steering shaft, but there is some the lower suspension arms. I'm really interested how this influences the suspension. (I'm a bit pedantic about transferring suspension forces via moving shafts :grin:)

 

Do i remember correctly that there was some discussion about ride height adjustment in the 2017 speculation thread? (Not that any more features really are needed)

 

Edited by schraubedrin

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Funny that the most oddball of the 2H 2017 sets has now become my favorite of the trio. I still think this set should have been the Remote Control one, it's a natural fit. Either way, great job on the review Jim, it was a pleasure to read. Anyone else think this set screams Motorstorm Arctic Edge!!?

Edited by Max The Ace

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Thanks Jim, great photo's and discussion / details as usual.  I especially like the kid-tested validation.  Looks like a buy for me, but will probably let the tracks stay.

One question - are the spare tread links on the roof supposed to be sleeping bags?

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Just now, JGW3000 said:

spare tread links on the roof supposed to be sleeping bags?

I don't think so, comparing them to the scale of the jerrycans. Spare tread links fits with the spare sprocket wheel in the back.

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Milan did an excellent job with this...

Jim, I do have one question, the LBG shocks that spring the doors open, I assume they are compressed when the door is shut, correct..? I was always under the impression that this was something kind of taboo from Lego.. Of course when a model is sitting on the ground the shocks are compressed a little anyways... I don't know why, but I could have swore I heard somewhere(may have been in a thread long ago) that this was something that Lego wouldn't do with one of their official models... But now seeing this is in fact ok by Lego standards(at least with the weak spring LBG ones), it gives me some ideas that I normally would have dismissed... Have there been any other sets that used regular shocks like this..?

I can see yellow ones cracking from being under constant compression as I already have some cracked just from normal use...

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2 minutes ago, Paul Boratko said:

Milan did an excellent job with this...

Jim, I do have one question, the LBG shocks that spring the doors open, I assume they are compressed when the door is shut, correct..? I was always under the impression that this was something kind of taboo from Lego.. Of course when a model is sitting on the ground the shocks are compressed a little anyways... I don't know why, but I could have swore I heard somewhere(may have been in a thread long ago) that this was something that Lego wouldn't do with one of their official models... But now seeing this is in fact ok by Lego standards(at least with the weak spring LBG ones), it gives me some ideas that I normally would have dismissed... Have there been any other sets that used regular shocks like this..?

I can see yellow ones cracking from being under constant compression as I already have some cracked just from normal use...

 

Compressed weaker shock absorbers have been used a couple times as explosive features in system sets. The latest one being 60076 Demolition side (see instruction 4) from 2015, then there is 8038 from 2009 and some of the old Western Sets (6765 and 6764). I would guess this would mean that this use is a completely legal technique then...

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Thanks Again @Jim  Outstanding review, pictures... I really enjoyed it :classic:

Amazing set. Really like every detail (Jerrycams, extra threads, .......... even the seats are "SEATS", not those curved panels in blue :hmpf_bad:). Also the doors mechanism is very clever using shock absorbers (I may use that technique on a current project). The live axles are very interesting as well.

On the "Highlighted parts" I would include (27940) - Axle and Pin Connector Hub with 2 Axles. It is the first set to have more than 3 in the inventory (11). Even the "flapship" does not have any one.

To be veryvery nitpickng with this set, I would have liked a gearbox for functions. I mean, It is quiet strange to see the 42068 having one while the 42069 is a superior set, does not. But anyway it will not affect my opinion on the set and definetly, I will try to buy one on the future, maybe after Class , but just because it is older.. ...well who knows what I will get first :tongue:

Just I can say is ... Thank you @grohl for thinking in us: AFOLs. The way in how is built, the techniques, the possibility of MOD, and pieces - as Jim pointed in the review - show you clearly thinks in us as you were doing lately (I guess many of us still do not forget the resurrection of the 19L Black Soft axle :wink:)

-------

I have one question about the axles. Why small turntables instead wheel hubs (11950c01) for each track? To avoid backlash and improve stability - I mean, Is there a real diference - ? 

PD. I am missing a picture with Porsche Rims and Wheels :laugh: - Even If it requires replacing the turntables with wheel hubs -

Edited by Jonfensu

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Thanks for the review Jim, as indepth as ever.

from thinking 2017 was going to be a bad Technic year I've now changed to I'm definitely buying this.

i still prefer the wheels to tracks, but that's personal preference.

looks like a great set to MOD, looking forward to what people come up with

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What a lovely set, might by the first Technics set since my Dark Ages and Set 8868. Thank you @Jim for your lovely and very well crafted review!

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