[CADA] CADA General Discussion Topic

[Lego Tom]

The build on the CaDA Military Crane Truck is moving along. Some items I've noticed: The bags are labeled like LEGO, 1, 2, 3 etc., but the instructions disregard the numbers in favor of letters, A, B, C, etc. Must have been two different people working on the instructions and the packaging.   So far, the build is OK, but due to space, assembling the stabilizing legs, or more accurately, putting them on the truck, involves some effort if you are working with old fat fingers that have lost some of their dexterity.

When the CaDA instructions shows a part in the part preview window and then the part mounted to the model, they "highlight" the added part with a red outline. Unfortunately, with nearly all the parts being dark grey or black, and the red outline being very thin, it can be difficult to pick out sometimes. Also like LEGO, there's often not a lot of rhyme or reason to how the parts are packaged. For example, the wheels and their accessories are packaged with #3 but are not added during that build process. I do however like that CaDA packaged all the 2x black pins in one package rather than spread them out over all 5 groups. That they stuck that package in the box labeled #5 caused me some concern however.

The battery pack is very compact, especially compared to LEGO's 6 AA unit. This will probably mean less playtime, but being rechargeable and easier to hide are huge pluses in my opinion. It is also interesting that you do not add any of the motors or battery until the end of the build. CaDA designed the model to work with or without power and it's interesting and logical that they designed it in this manner. You can build the model without power and later if you decide you want to add it, it's not a big deal. You may even be able use the power supply and motors with different models simply by swapping them in and out - IF CaDA keeps designing models in this manner. 

The only other thing that concerns me at this point is there is no testing of the model functions until it is completed. If I hook up the motors and battery and things don't work or gears come flying off in random directions, you will undoubtedly hear me scream no matter what continent you live on. The build is very complex which means tearing stuff apart to trouble shoot or repair will not be an easy task.

Edited January 28 by Lego Tom

[CleverPig]

On 1/27/2024 at 8:47 AM, brunojj1 said:

Me too, expected something way bigger to be honest. This side mirror under the foreshadow mask looked quite deceptive ..

Anyway, the model looks pretty accurate and authentic in this scale !

I feel like there will be a bigger one yet to come. I noticed two 787B silhouettes on the catalog (pages 43 and 49, respectively). This would make sense to be the page 49 entry alongside the 1:24 scale models whereas the page 43 entry is alongside 1:10 scale models putting it in the same area as the Peugeot 9X8 which is a great size for a Le Mans car l, in my opinion.

 

I feel the Renown livery is unlikely, though. It would be difficult to get the coloring right - also would add another layer of licensing for CaDA. But who knows!

[efferman]

1 hour ago, Lego Tom said:

IF CaDA keeps designing models in this manner. 

It is prefered by CaDA, so they told me i have to do the motorisation as option.

[SNIPE]

Yeah I can't wait for the 787B, thats my fav racing car of all time and theres only ever been small lego MOCs of it.

I would imagine getting the decals/libery would be very hard to do in LEGO since there is a lot of diagonal lines on the real car where it goes between green and orange. But also the shape of the body work will make that extra challenging to relicate in LEGO so I'm geussing this CADA set will have a lot of prints/stickers.

[TeamThrifty]

On 1/28/2024 at 3:01 AM, amorti said:

@brunojj1 welcome back and happy new year!

Indeed, which reminds me....

I have recently finished @brunojj1 Mercedes set and its worthy of a brief review.

Firstly my overall experience of my first time with CADA is very positive. I've had technic since 851 in 1979 and in my opinion the quality of the cada parts is comparable with TLG. Sure there are minor differences, but in reality, they're the same.

The instructions are more difficult to follow, BUT, this is a good thing as the current Lego ones are tediously simple. I like to have to think and look closely at what i'm building. With lego instructions you can watch a tv program and still build the flagships without an issue. I really enjoyed not being treated like a 7yr old

The quality of the packaging is excellent. A real quality feel about it. The bag numbers to box number catches you out at first, until you see the diagram that explains they're not meant to be like for like, but again, i'm >7 and don't need it spoon feeding to me!

I paid £210... Enough said.

The design itself I find excellent. I think @brunojj1 deserves credit for this set, if you were given it blind and told it was official TLG, you wouldn't argue - except it has realistic suspension which TLG never provide!

Overall i have no complaints at all. Its a great set at sensible money and hope we see many more from @brunojj1  @efferman @eric trax ... This is the kick up the a*** that technic needed. Well done to all involved, and to CADA themselves for taking on TLG. Competition in the market place is a good thing, if one company has a monopoly they can do stupid things like charge £599 for a set, which shows utter contempt for their customers. TLG pee'd up our backs and told us it was raining.. I hope there are very serious meetings taking place in denmark and that we see a change of strategy driven by the competition from cada. 

[MarkyMark42]

On 1/28/2024 at 4:42 PM, 1gor said:

Something like this with new sluck tires.

Yessir :)

Like others have said, I think the green/orange livery would be difficult but I would definitely consider purchasing a 1/10 or 1/8 scale version even in the factory white scheme

[Lego Tom]

@TeamThrifty I doubt that CaDA will have any immediate effects on LEGO. Not a slam at CaDA, but I don't think they are big enough yet to cause LEGO indigestion, unless LEGO is more nimble than most corporations in assessing threats and taking proactive measures. Competition is good, at least for us consumers but it might be a while before LEGO looks at CaDA  as a viable competitor. I think this is good, in that the more established CaDA becomes, the less likely LEGO will be able to squash them out of existence. In the mean time, due to my recent experience with their product, I shall continue to look at CaDA for subjects I am interested in and purchase accordingly.

[1gor]

59 minutes ago, MarkyMark42 said:

Yessir :)

Like others have said, I think the green/orange livery would be difficult but I would definitely consider purchasing a 1/10 or 1/8 scale version even in the factory white scheme

Yes it is a legendary model from best endurance era IMHO (with Jaguar XJR-12, Mercedes Benz C-11 or 291...)

[nintiendo]

On 10/15/2023 at 4:00 PM, T Lego said:

@BrickMonkeyMOCs Thank you! Production of the V3 is scheduled to start in December. The V3 will include all my proposed fixes and I recommend buying directly from the official CaDa store to guarentee ordering the newest version. No need for Lego wave selectors - CaDa's solution works equally well. My original dashboard design requires very specific bionicle pieces which were not versatile enough for them to add two new molds, that is why the CaDa set uses a different gauge cluster. Feel free to swap using your own inventory. 

How can I know if a set is V2 or V3? Product information on their website is often not as good as it needs to be, I often see incorrect information.

[Lego Tom]

The CaDA Military Crane Truck is done. The initial trial didn't go well. The truck ran about 6 feet and stopped, making a ratcheting noise. Trouble shooting revealed a flexible ball joint had come apart. This part will most likely have to be replaced as I put it back together but it came apart again. Nor will replacing it be a simple matter, but it is what it is. There are many surface parts that tend to pop off with handling or minor crashes but are generally easy to snap back in place. Everything works as advertised, both in manual mode and later when the electric motors were added. Adding the battery pack and motors after the kit has been fully assembled seems counter productive and indeed, some of the parts used to build the model will be permanently removed, but the process is quite simple and straight forward.  The battery pack is small compared to the LEGO 6 - AA battery container and therefore, battery life is shorter but it is a rechargeable unit, charged by plugging into a USB charger or port. So while play time is reduced, easy recharging is the trade off. I'm not sure what charging time will be but it most likely will be determined by what you plug into. Also, it's smaller size makes it much easier to place. In total, the kit has only four stickers which are used to provide operating instructions. They are however quite small and may be difficult for some to see clearly.

Total price of the kit with the motorized option was $262.98 USD, delivered. To me, it seems like a very fair price when compared to LEGO products, especially given LEGO's recent pricing trends.

In summation:

Plus Side:
Attractive and well made packaging.
Parts not found in LEGO kits.
Well priced and good delivery time.
Many operating features.
No missing parts.
Completed model is accurately portrayed on the box.

Minus Side:
Instructions are not clear in many places, sometimes failing to show clear view of mating of parts.
Use of red to show parts location in the instructions can be difficult to see against the black background of some parts.
While the model is well designed, some assembly requires extra dexterity on the part of the assembler. 
Some external parts can easily come off and may be lost if used outside.
Parts bags are numbered while assembly groups are lettered. Parts #1 are used in group A, #2 in B, etc.

Neutral:
Some parts have be assembled whereas their LEGO counterparts are one piece.
Boxes containing parts are numbered but the parts bags inside do not necessarily correspond with the number on box.
Tires are very soft. This will aid traction but may effect life/durability.
Unlike LEGO, all the 2x pins are packaged separately. This package is not with the #1 bags and was found in the #5 box.
The kit contained the extra parts needed for motorization and the motorization box also contained the same parts, so you get some duplicates.
The motorization is controlled via a separate controller, included with the motorization kit.
Utilizing the various functions requires placing 3 selectors (two switch type plus rotating the spare tire) on the model whether operating manually or via controller.

Overall, I would give the kit a solid 4 out of 5 stars. The biggest negative, IMHO are the instructions. If you have good mechanical reasoning abilities, you may still be stumped at times. If your skills are lacking, you will suffer.

[brunojj1]

@Lego Tom Thanks for your insightful honest feedback about this great crane coming from our goodfella @efferman! Most important is the play fun respectively all functions working as intended. You mentioned another plus point earlier: the pins coming sorted in separate bags - a solution I'm advocating for my next set as well . Tire rubber is too soft on recent models - I agree here too.

11 minutes ago, Lego Tom said:

Total price of the kit with the motorized option was $262.98 USD, delivered. To me, it seems like a very fair price when compared to LEGO products, especially given LEGO's recent pricing trends.

Should we deduct 100$ from your number ? I guess it's a typo?

And just for fun: did they include 1 single blue pin somewhere in the spare parts (like they did in the Alfa F1) ?

[efferman]

17 minutes ago, Lego Tom said:

Trouble shooting revealed a flexible ball joint had come apart.

please make a picture

[Lego Tom]

1 hour ago, efferman said:

please make a picture

1 hour ago, brunojj1 said:

@Lego Tom Thanks for your insightful honest feedback about this great crane coming from our goodfella @efferman! Most important is the play fun respectively all functions working as intended. You mentioned another plus point earlier: the pins coming sorted in separate bags - a solution I'm advocating for my next set as well . Tire rubber is too soft on recent models - I agree here too.

Should we deduct 100$ from your number ? I guess it's a typo?

And just for fun: did they include 1 single blue pin somewhere in the spare parts (like they did in the Alfa F1) ?

No typo, it was $263 with shipping and tax for for the kit with the motorized option.
EDIT: Yes, a blue pin was included!

Edited January 31 by Lego Tom

[efferman]

Ok, i have a to take a Look at this.

Edit: your steering System is not properly aligned.

Edited January 31 by efferman

[Lego Tom]

59 minutes ago, efferman said:

Ok, i have a to take a Look at this.

Edit: your steering System is not properly aligned.

How can you tell?

[efferman]

the second steering axle has a larger angle than the first one, so there are two options:

The steering levers of the first axle are on the second axle or the gear racks arent properly aligned. The second one is more plausible.

[SNIPE]

1 hour ago, Lego Tom said:

How can you tell?

He can tell because he designed the set

[Lego Tom]

3 hours ago, efferman said:

the second steering axle has a larger angle than the first one, so there are two options:

The steering levers of the first axle are on the second axle or the gear racks arent properly aligned. The second one is more plausible.

Thanks - I will check both! I have pretty extensive mechanical experience but I never did a front end alignment!

On EDIT, I should also add that the picture I posted originally looked like the one below - but I noticed one of the tires had come partly off the rim and I put it back on and re-shot the photo, which may be why the wheel/tire appears out of alignment with the front one. If you look at the wheel rim of the second wheel, it appears to be aligned with the front wheel even though the tire itself is partially off - but I will check both of your suggestions!

Edited January 31 by Lego Tom

[head1004]

On 2024. 1. 22. at 오후 5시 10분, T Lego said:

@head1004 이 모델은 설계 단계에서 새로운 충격 장치가 아직 생산되지 않았기 때문에 이전 충격 장치로 설계되었습니다. 게다가 크기 때문에 적절하게 통합하기가 훨씬 더 어렵습니다. 특히 복잡한 서스펜션 기능을 갖춘 이와 같은 모델의 경우 더욱 그렇습니다. 저는 아직 충격 흡수 장치가 업데이트된 모드를 본 적이 없으며 완성된 프로젝트에 개인적으로 더 이상 시간을 투자하지 않을 것입니다.  

@amorti 보내주신 링크의 자동차가 제 것과 완전히 다른, 훨씬 작은 규모의 차량이라는 사실을 알고 계셨나요? 

Thank you for your answer

 

 

 

[amorti]

On 1/31/2024 at 7:16 PM, Lego Tom said:

 

The whole bush from CaDA has more or less one half stud as an axle hole, one half a plain hole. I think with the orientation you have the bush nearest the 5.5 axle, the plain hole part would reduce the spacer length and maybe allow the joint to come apart?

@efferman does that make sense?

[Lego Tom]

I've looked at the instructions and can't see anything amiss:

[amorti]

See what I mean about the bush? The two ends aren't identical. One side would click on a stud, or slide over the smooth section of a 5.5 axle.

Edited February 2 by amorti

[Ryokeen]

@Lego Tom on the 2nd front axle, on the part 92907 the left one(in the pic the bottom one) is that black liftarm supposed to be offset by 1 stud ? The other side looks like the black liftarm is in line with the mounting point on the axle, the left one not. Is that part 92907 facing the wrong way ?

[blondasek]

@Lego Tom:

I am not even sure how you were able to bent that liftarm so much :P @efferman should see it :D

Edited February 2 by blondasek

[efferman]

11 hours ago, blondasek said:

I am not even sure how you were able to bent that liftarm so much :P @efferman should see it :D

holy, this is probably the reason for the misalignment.

 

17 hours ago, Lego Tom said:

I've looked at the instructions and can't see anything amiss:

beside the wrong oriented connector, the front tires are not mounted like in the instruction.