Technic Bucket list - which sets should you definetely build at least once

[Kostq]

Topic name is weird but I'll explain down below. I want to ask you actually two things.

There are the "legendary" sets which we all know like 42009, 9398, 42082/Big Red/, Mack 42078, Car Transporter /42098/ and so on. /Choose a better word if "legendary" is a clumsy one, English is not my first language./
I've started in 2016 and since I've checked out: 9398, 42000, 42009, 42039, 42054, 42069, 42070, 42078, 42082, 42098, 42099, 42110.
As you know - with the growth of LEGO piece count in sets - the "midrange" also gets "legendary" at least in scale - 42009 and 42078 had almost the same amount of pieces.

But also - every year we get some "slots" for sets - like the 42039, 42111, 42077 1:10 cars, the bikes and so on and so on.

First question:
Do you get tired of the same "slots/vehicle types" and only build one of each?
example: 42077 and 42096 being an glorious upgrade on the same chassis

Second question:
Which are your top 5 /or 10/ sets that everybody should build through their journey with LEGO Technic? And share why is that so.

First question - my answer:
I've built enough 1:10 cars to not be amused by them anymore. After 42037 as my first set - most feel like a good shell over the same front / rear axle combo. I'll still MOC one out, but not buy to build a new one soon.
I'm a bit overcooked on bikes too. Did the old BMW, it was nice and that's it. I do acknowledge that for somebody a new 1:10 car will be their first Technic set - like 42037 was for me.
Small cars for the transporter scale are somewhat still unique enough to be interesting to build as it's a 2-3hr build.
Big trucks too are getting a bit boring, but I'm looking at MOCs all day, so it's not TLG's fault for this. Still waiting to build my 42128 tho.

Second question - my answer /common theme is BIG/:
1. 42009 - a must-build experience - the multi-axle steering, the outriggers design, the sheer heft of the model and the two-stage boom are something to be experienced.
2. 42082 - while a bit annoying - it was a blast to build. Also great fun to display in my home. I've used it as a camera boom once too. It felt a bit like the Xerion crossed with the 42009 in a very nice way.
3. 42000 - it's a big build and the suspension work was great there. Prone to breaking, but very, very interesting to build. And the car is like 60cm long.
4. 9398 - The way each axle is built and the way the instructions make you build tools to center and align the build was awesome. And I miss the little building books. Now we get part phases /great!/ instead and a big book /meh/ - I just use the PDFs now. Less space.
5. 42065 - Very skeletal build, yet the tank threads and the lightweight nature of it make you happy without reason. It's fast and it's a tank propulsion, while being cheap. /looking at you CAT 111/.
6. 42069 and 42110 - these share the space as being a big a** builds by grohl. Both have some very unconventional techniques inside, Nowdays I'd only build one of them, not both. 42110 for the gearbox, 42069 looks cooler., also has better axles.
7. 42099 - as an early adopter of the C+ family - this one is a good intro to the system. And the Rocky alt-build makes it a beast.
8. 42078 and 42098 - these too share a place. Big trucks, that go "modular" on a bigger scale. You can re-build the trailers and get a fresh thing out of them every day if you want. Good MOC packs, good MOD packs, good to daisy-chain and make road-trains. Sets assembling larger sets. INCEPTION <BWAAAAAAAARGH siren>
9. 42050 and 42103 - they just look cool however you pose them. I've even imported 42050. My other sets I buy from Bulgaria new or used.
10. 42106 - as my first big and original MOC was made from it. Also - for such a small set you get quite good parts /again - for MOC-ing/.
bonus round:
11. 42037 and 42039B model - both using the same chassis. Both are a great off-road build.

Your turn.

 

 

Edited January 30, 2023 by GTS

[Focus]

1. Yes I'm getting tired of the same vehicle types, but since I have most of last 10 years sets (90%) I buy them anyway... until last year. Due to the Ferrari 42125 (form over function) I won't buy similar cars like the Ford Raptor 42126 or the batman car 42127 anymore. They are too simple, it isn't technic as I like it before. I mean 42039 had at least a small gearbox.

2. Well of course there are very important studded sets like the 8880 Supercar or the 8868 Air Tech Claw Rig and the 8480 Space Shuttle and I recommend them to buy. But the technic line has nowadays only sets without studs and there are also some very good models.

I'm surprised, that you haven't mentioned the Arocs 42043, in my opinion one of the best studless sets. Every technicfan should build this beauty in form and funtion. Some of my Allstarfavorites are 8455 (Backhoe where every funcion but steering is pneumatic), 8285 Tow Truck (it's hollow and skinny but it has many functions and it's big), 42066 Air Race Jet (because of some very interesting linkages), 42055 Bucketwheelexcavator (what a beast and only one motor!), 42054 Xerion (very cool steering modes) and of course the modern 42128 (really nice features and also many functions.

Perhaps the sets with control + are good, but I don't know, since I won't buy them. I don't want to use my phone for handling it.

[agrof]

All time favorite, every beauty of Technic included: motorization, gearbox, suspension, pneumatic, modularity. THE set.

 

 

Edited January 20, 2022 by agrof

[Maaboo the Witch]

Nothing beats 42004 for me. A basket of functions in a brilliantly compact package and a cool B-model as the cherry on top!

[JunkstyleGio]

I was in 1977 in total awe with the 852 Helicopter.  (I was 15 then..)

It was a completely new LEGO experience! (there were only 13 technic parts the first year..)

I still got it and when i look at it I get the same feeling as it did then..

 

From the last few years it all looks the same. Maybe this years 42130 BMW M1000 RR makes me as happy now as the helicopter did then.  

(Build without stickers of course.)

 

Edited January 20, 2022 by JunkstyleGio

[Jay Psi]

This thread cannot go on without mention of the single greatest pneumatic set ever to be released.

Two cylinders, seven switches, ten pumps, thirteen t-pieces, over 4.5m of pneumatic hose, all in just over 700 pieces.

And it fits almost perfectly. Not a single function is out of place or awkward to operate.

Quality over quantity. 8455 Back-Hoe Loader.

[Ngoc Nguyen]

2 hours ago, agrof said:

All time favorite, every beauty of Technic included: motorization, gearbox, suspension, pneumatic, modularity. THE set.

Fact!

[Axadder]

The most awesome experience of my life happened while building the 8880, the best supercar of all times (yes, even with studs you could be happy).

The only drawback was the use of big white parts, which have become white as the years passed by.

 

[TinkerBrick]

The suggestions for this bucket list would be:

- 8880 Super Car

- 8480 Space Shuttle

- 8868 Air Tech Claw Rig

- 8110 Unimog

- 42043 Arocs

- 8043 Remote Controlled Excavator

The top three a like the pinnacle of the "old" world. The bottom three do the same for the new world.

[GerritvdG]

On your first question, I'm more interested in trucks and construction equipment compared to cars.

My bucket list is very long and the possibilities are endless. I really enjoyed the 42043 and 8043 B-models and also some fantastic B-models on RB, and you can do endless MOCing... So my bucketlist is endless... 

[anyUser]

Question one:

I'm no big fan of "super cars". The old ones (8860, 8865, 8880, 8448) were OK because you could easily see the interior. But I don't get the point of the newer (42056, 42083, 42110, 42115) ones: All technic (what the series is about) function are covered by panels...

 

Question two:

(in no order of preference)

8459 / 8439 / 8464 - best pneumatic set because of its smooth functions and agility of steering

8443 - simply brilliant what can be achieved at this piece count

8462 - first set that I modded

42042 - big, solid, and a gearbox that doesn't rely on the polarity switch of the battery box

856 - very resposive function + precise control of the bucket. Haven't seen anything similar in a technic set since then.

 

[allanp]

Question 1: Yes I do get tired but it's NOT because they are the same type of vehicle but because there is usually very little innovation from one to the next. The 1:10 scale supercars are basically all the same mechanically, and also the past 3 flagships are beginning to feel like it's the control+/LAs slot!

Question 2: Well of course there's the legendary sets that need no explanation like 42043, 8880, 8868, 8455, 8480 and the modern day legend 42128. There are other legends like 8858 dakota wrecker, 8459 front end loader and so on, but I'd like to dedicate the rest of my list to the probably not so obvious sets I think every Technic fan should probably own and build.

8064 universal building set. A small set with not many parts, it comes with an ungeared motor and lots of gears and belt drives and packs a lot of mechanical fun into a relatively small set. You can build 100 b-models of this kit! It's small but there's no filler, just concentrated good stuff.

8485 control centre 2. This was also kind of a universal set. I'm not entirely sure if the helicopter is the A model or the Dinosaur (I think it's the helicopter), but there was also a hovercraft. Over the 3 models there's lots of fun gear trains with high gear ratios (like 648:1), those lovely very fast spinning yet quiet and smooth belt drives and the flex system in the T-rex to build with this one.

42115 Lamborghini Sian. Has Allanp gone mad? What about the unrealistic gearbox, poor steering and all that? Well I think the Sian was a disappointment to me mostly because the drivetrain and steering (arguably the main functions of a car) weren't an improvement over the Chiron which I already owned. It was still an unrealistically laid out 16 speed 8 speed gear box with only 2 different clutch gears! Not like a real gearbox at all. However, at least it has a gearbox, and if you are one of the few that doesn't own any of the 3 UCS 1:8 scale supercars, then you probably should get at least one, and if you don't have any then the Sian is the most recent, most refined (the suspension works for example) and best looking out of the 3. I just hope they sort the colour issues, because that really does spoil it's good looks. Put more bloody pigment in! They never used to have this issue in the 90s!

42080 forest harvester. Only a mid sized set but there's good stuff everywhere. The nifty steering mechanism, the motorised pneumatics, the 8 wheels, the pendular suspension. Many modern sets can feel like tedious beam stacking but this set feels like you're always building some interesting mechanism. Often overlooked I think because it looks so weird and the colour choices.....well....choices were made! If you can get past the strange look it is a great mid sized modern era set.

Edited January 20, 2022 by allanp

[howitzer]

Is this topic about building experience or set as a whole?

42055 was definitely the best building experience I've had. Tons of interesting sub-assemblies which go beautifully together and you get to admire the marvelous functional design too, as the functions are mostly quite easy to view, unlike many sets where they are well hidden inside.

I always wanted to build 8880 and 8480, but I missed those as a kid and they are hard to come by now that I'm an adult. But I'm keeping my hopes up, I've heard so much good about them as a building experience that I'd really like to see it myself some day. 8485 is also highly interesting, but I don't ever expect to get my hands on that one...

[Toastie]

1 hour ago, allanp said:

8485 control centre 2. This was also kind of a universal set. I'm not entirely sure if the helicopter is the A model or the Dinosaur (I think it's the helicopter), but there was also a hovercraft. Over the 3 models there's lots of fun gear trains with high gear ratios (like 648:1), those lovely very fast spinning yet quiet and smooth belt drives and the flex system in the T-rex to build with this one.

This set is 3 A models . I built them all, back in 1998. Simply amazing. And then selected the T-Rex as never-being-touched-anymore shrine-type thing. SoCal sun did bad things to the flex system, so took it apart and used the bricks to live forever in some other structures.

Best,
Thorsten 

[Kostq]

11 hours ago, howitzer said:

Is this topic about building experience or set as a whole?

I believe I've mixed them both and it is about the whole experience of owning it too after building.

I've bought the Claas Xerion assembled and never built it myself, yet it brought me joy as a finished set too. As I didn't build it myself - I'm not putting it in top spots.
There are some sets that are simply meh once you're done building, but are entertaining while you build them. - some of the old pullbacks are an example of this. And the bigger shelf queens too.

I've not built any supercar of the 3, and I'm still justifying why should I bother - I've done the gearbox of 42082, 42070 and 42009 - it was good.
The Porsche is the only one of the 3 cars that interests me - I'd like to see the shifting mechanism without the Chiron wave selector. But I don't have the space to display it afterwards. So skip.

Also - nobody gives a crap about 42070's gearbox which in my opinion is quite clever too. Price aside and some ugly gaps aside too - it was quite a model. But 42110 dwarfs it mechanically.

[allanp]

10 hours ago, howitzer said:

Is this topic about building experience or set as a whole?

42055 was definitely the best building experience I've had. Tons of interesting sub-assemblies which go beautifully together and you get to admire the marvelous functional design too, as the functions are mostly quite easy to view, unlike many sets where they are well hidden inside.

I always wanted to build 8880 and 8480, but I missed those as a kid and they are hard to come by now that I'm an adult. But I'm keeping my hopes up, I've heard so much good about them as a building experience that I'd really like to see it myself some day. 8485 is also highly interesting, but I don't ever expect to get my hands on that one...

I was also very temped to put 42055 on the list as it does feel like a modern day legend. 8480 and 8880 are great building experiences, and their historic importance can't be understated when it comes to Technic. But if you do ever get your hands on them I wonder if you'll find them as great as we sometimes make out. 

8880 vs Sian. 8880 has better, much more solid feeling steering and the best feeling gear shifter ever. But the suspension is very high and stiff, and while some love it's appearance, others might say it's lines are too straight and it sits way too high for a supercar. The Sian on the other hand is low, sleek and curvy, but it lacks HOG and the steering feels horrible. But when you consider that 8880 is 28 years old and contains little over one third of the pieces of the Sian and yet still achieves the same functions with the addition of pop up headlights, HOG and 4 wheel steering, 8880 is still looking like the winner. 

8480 vs 42055. 8480 was the first to introduce the drive ring based function switching gearbox, and 42055 is probably the best modern era example of such a set. This is much closer, and I'd say 8480 again does vey well, achieving almost similar levels of complexity in a much smaller package, and a more challenging build experience. It also has a greater variety of mechanisms using gears, belt drives and interesting linkages in it's functions, and it even has spinning fibre optic lights and an additional micro motor and a battery box coloured white to blend in with the model! I also find the studded build experience to generally offer more variety than the endless beam stacking of studless. 42055 however is a more imposing and impressive looking thing, it's large size is justified by what it does and it has even more complexity than 8480. 42055 was the first set I felt was a real modern day equivalent to the monstrous Meccano set 10s of old. It's tough so it depends what you prefer. 42055 is more forgiving and gives you lots more pieces, but 8480 offers more challenge and almost as much complexity in a smaller, denser package, with greater mechanical variety. 

[Maaboo the Witch]

25 minutes ago, GTS said:

Also - nobody gives a crap about 42070's gearbox which in my opinion is quite clever too.

This really doesn't get said enough. While 42070 isn't quite a classic, it's a great build and there's loads to do with it when it's built. And of course the gearbox is huge and complex.

[TeamThrifty]

23 hours ago, JunkstyleGio said:

I was in 1977 in total awe with the 852 Helicopter.  (I was 15 then..)

I was 7 in 1979 but i still remember those sets... awesome! 

[karmadrome]

My list of most enjoyable builds (official models:)

 

1. The Arocs (42043) is definitely the best Technic set to date and is my number one must-build. So. Much. Fun.

2. 42055 was also lots of fun.

3. The Test Car 8865 has been a personal favourite ever since I got it as a kid in 1989. The building step 18 which requires 144 parts(!) is probably the most epic Lego Technic building step in history!

4. 9396 Helicopter is also a pretty nice build.

4. I must admit that while the 42126 Raptor is technically questionable, I did enjoy the build. The massive axles and suspension system were fun to build and how it all comes together was a good experience.

 

Otherwise, I mostly prefer MOCs over official models, so I'll list some of my favourites here:

1. The 42082 C-Model Wheel Loader by "D E I Z E R" from youtube was one of my favourite MOCs to build so far. Even though there is only an instruction video on youtube which is essentially a disassembly played backwards, it works out great if you reduce the speed to 0.25 and pause and play with the space bar of your keyboard. Of course, some experience in Technic building is required, but he did a great job here. You start with the most complex part - the core of the build, which combines the 4-cylinder engine, the gearbox for the functions and the rear axle and go from there, adding bodywork, Cabin, then front axle and the rest of the front part. I never thought building from a video could work so well.

2. Marco Pirola's (@technicprojects) 42098 alternate MAN TGX truck and 42078 Mercedes Actros were also so much fun to build. With alternate models of this high quality, I am amazed over so many clever solution with a limited set of parts.

3. Artemy Zotov's Audi R8 was pure building pleasure. However, I never built any of the official Lego supercars, so I have no real comparison here.

4. PV-Production's 42082 alternate GBC "Crazy Carnival" was something completely different and incredibly enjoyable. So many complex and interesting mechanical solutions in there.

 

 

Edited January 21, 2022 by karmadrome

[howitzer]

1 hour ago, allanp said:

I was also very temped to put 42055 on the list as it does feel like a modern day legend. 8480 and 8880 are great building experiences, and their historic importance can't be understated when it comes to Technic. But if you do ever get your hands on them I wonder if you'll find them as great as we sometimes make out. 

8880 vs Sian. 8880 has better, much more solid feeling steering and the best feeling gear shifter ever. But the suspension is very high and stiff, and while some love it's appearance, others might say it's lines are too straight and it sits way too high for a supercar. The Sian on the other hand is low, sleek and curvy, but it lacks HOG and the steering feels horrible. But when you consider that 8880 is 28 years old and contains little over one third of the pieces of the Sian and yet still achieves the same functions with the addition of pop up headlights, HOG and 4 wheel steering, 8880 is still looking like the winner. 

8480 vs 42055. 8480 was the first to introduce the drive ring based function switching gearbox, and 42055 is probably the best modern era example of such a set. This is much closer, and I'd say 8480 again does vey well, achieving almost similar levels of complexity in a much smaller package, and a more challenging build experience. It also has a greater variety of mechanisms using gears, belt drives and interesting linkages in it's functions, and it even has spinning fibre optic lights and an additional micro motor and a battery box coloured white to blend in with the model! I also find the studded build experience to generally offer more variety than the endless beam stacking of studless. 42055 however is a more imposing and impressive looking thing, it's large size is justified by what it does and it has even more complexity than 8480. 42055 was the first set I felt was a real modern day equivalent to the monstrous Meccano set 10s of old. It's tough so it depends what you prefer. 42055 is more forgiving and gives you lots more pieces, but 8480 offers more challenge and almost as much complexity in a smaller, denser package, with greater mechanical variety. 

Thanks for the interesting analysis! It's true that technology has marched on and some of the things which were astounding in the 90's seem no longer a big deal. Still I'd be curious for the historical perspective.

I don't think proper comparison on the part count between Sian and 8880 can't really be made, as 8880 uses studful construction which needs a lot less parts and the Sian also has a fully finished bodywork, which requires a lot more parts. The gearbox is much bigger and more complex too. Generally, I think the part count of a set is given far too much attention. I think it's important to see how those parts are used and if there's either stuff that's unnecessarily part-intensive or on the other hand, if something could've been made better with the addition of some parts. I believe examples can be found for both categories.

46 minutes ago, karmadrome said:

3. The Test Car 8865 has been a personal favourite ever since I got it as a kid in 1989. The building step 18 which requires 144 parts(!) is probably the most epic Lego Technic building step in history!

Yes, the Test Car really stands out among early Technic sets, both as a set of very nice features and an interesting building experience. And it's not just that there are a lot of features, but they work very well too, steering and suspension especially. Of course gear shifting is cluncky, but probably the best that's possible without clutch gears and driving rings...

[Kostq]

After looking up 8880 in Technicopaedia - it's got a lot more specialized parts than the current sets - the cv joint-axle-ring-wheel assembly seems way too realistic compared to the 42037's small CV joints and hubs.
Structurally they do the same work, but 8880's ball end looks way more impressive and "real" than the two tiny rods sticking out of the "new" CV joint. Let's see what other people will list, I'm still very curious.

[DrJimbo]

Top sets to build - having come out of dark ages with 42030:

42043 - The Arocs is great. The modularity has never been equalled, and there is a bit of almost everything in there.

42053 - The Volvo is an almost pure pneumatic set - I remember thinking 'where are the gears and axles?' - that is really rewarding

42054 - Claas Xerion - there is so much going on in this set, linkages going to and fro, crammed in to a fine-looking model.

42055 - BWE is so different from anything else, the scale is nuts and it is also lots of fun when built.

42056 - Porsche. Sure we have wave selectors now, and lots on here build sophisticated gearboxes, but building the flappy-paddle shifter and gearbox for the first time was a real eye-opener for the capability of Technic. 

Will we ever see 4 consecutive sets like this run (42053-42056) again? - really amazingly consistent quality. 

Anything after this I have not built more than once, that may say something about the enjoyment of the build process. I can see myself revisiting 42069, 42078, 42107 as particularly enjoyable build processes.

And of course, @brunojj1's Italian supercar - now that's a great build experience!

[miccio]

These might not be legendary or pioneering sets, but they're still on my personal bucket list of sets I want to build :

• 42055 Bucket Wheel Excavator: novel concept (especially for those jaded with cars and trucks), plenty of features using only one motor, and lots of parts for MOCs and mods, though I'm not a big fan of the color palette there.
• 42110 Land Rover Defender: it just looks so smooth and detailed, makes for a great showpiece
• 42128 Heavy-Duty Tow Truck: pneumatics!!!

[Ngoc Nguyen]

5 hours ago, DrJimbo said:

this run (42053-42056) again? - really amazingly consistent quality. 

2016 is a truly magical time for Technic.

Edited February 3, 2022 by Ngoc Nguyen

[2GodBDGlory]

Looking at the summer 2016 wave (and the Arocs) in catalogs was part of what inspired me to get into Technic in the first place!