Review: 8065 Technic Mini Container Truck

[mostlytechnic]

Now that the 2011 Technic sets are finally available in local stores, I just had to get several of them. First on the reviewing table is the smallest.

Name: Mini Container Truck

Set Number: 8065

Pieces: 119

Price: $10.99 / £8.99 / 9.99 Euro

Ages: 7-14

Minifigs: 0

Theme: Technic

Year of Release: 2011

Links: Bricklink Peeron Brickset

The Box Front

It has a very standard Technic box front. The truck is shown with an inset revealing the functions of the set.

The Box Back

The back of the box is also very standard. It has the thumb punch to open the box along with images of the B-model. I'm not sure about calling this a Pick-Up Truck though - at least in the U.S. a "pickup" is not this. This is closer to a tow truck with its ability to pick up the wheels of a car. Google seems to agree with me, since doing image searches on the French and Spanish names don't show any vehicles like this at all.

The Manuals

Lego kindly includes printed manuals for both models in the box. Unfortunately, they're all folded. And strangely, the B-model is a single large booklet while the main model takes up two small booklets.

The Parts

Here are all of the parts in the set. There's nothing new or particularly unusual. If anything, this set is notable for the LACK of standard liftarms. There's only 5 total - two longer ones, a 5, and two of the 3x5 L shaped ones. It is nice to see quite a few thin liftarms and 5 of the 4 axle with stops though.

Building the Truck - Part 1

This is half-way through the first booket. You can see the frame being built as well as the worm gear in place for the mechanism. At this stage, the front wheels seem very weakly mounted, but that improves as we keep building.

Building the Truck - Part 2

At the end of the first book, we find the only difficult step in the build. You have to slide the long 7-axle all the way through, spearing the small gear in the process. Perhaps this would actually be easier for children, but with my large hands, it was hard to hold the gear in place in that slot.

Building the Truck - Part 3

Now we've added the arms to lift the container as well as the lower front of the truck. Just the cab to go.

Building the Truck - Part 4

The cab is built as a separate module. I like how they used the thin blue liftarms for seats, matching the standard Technic blue seats. It's hard to cram much detail into this small of a set.

Building the Truck - Finished

Here's the finished truck. The cab is mounted on the body, and a small rail is added to the container so the arms can grab it. The HOG knob controls the arms.

Lowering the Container

The container moves smoothly on and off of the truck. I did discover one trick though. If you push the crankshaft pieces into the end of the arms all the way, it snags on the axle and doesn't lift the container smoothly. Pulling them out a bit makes it much nicer.

The Cab

The instructions say to use a blue axlepin to connect the two light grey perpendicular axle connectors here. That locks the cab down nicely - but why not leave that out and have a tilting cab? I suspect the reason Lego used the pin is to ensure that the gears mesh, preventing frustrated kids from having the cab tilted just enough for the mechanism not to work.

The Truck

Although this is a small set, it really looks great.

The B-Model

The alternate model is this tow truck. It again has a single mechanism with a HOG turning a worm gear to move the arm.

The Tow Lift

The lifter can rest flat on the ground to get a vehicle on it.

The Tow Lift

At the other extreme, the arm goes unrealistically high. For a small set though, it's forgiveable since a realistic range of motion would be so small.

The Hood

The hood of the truck tilts, although there's no engine to see underneath. That half-bushing is there to tilt the hood slightly when it's closed, making it look much nicer.

The Leftovers

The B-model for this set uses most of the parts. There's only a few leftovers, besides the container itself.

The Conclusion

This is a great little set. It's very Technic - only a few studs in the whole set - but nicely designed and fantastically functional.

The Ratings

Value: 9/10 - It's just under 10 cents a part and at just $11 it's a decent deal. There's nothing new or unusual, but it's a great intro set for someone new to Technic.

Design: 10/10 - The mechanism is fantastic in its simplicity, and Lego gave a small set a nice design.

Playability: 8/10 - You can't actually put anything IN the container or it'll fall out, and it's too small to have much functionality. On the other hand, both designs are nice for the size.

Parts: 6/10 - It's a typical Technic assortment with nothing unusual or interesting.

Overall: 9/10 - For the target audience of kids, it's a decent set and inexpensive. It's especially well suited as a "transition" set for someone new to Technic.

My Flickr set for this set (to see the images larger)

[davidmull]

Is that all the parts that's in it ha,why would u even buy something so small.everyone to there own tho and nice review.

[prateek]

Thanks for the review. I find this set a lot better than other Technic sets at this price. The functions are great, especially for a set this size. I actually thought this was a regular dumptruck until I saw this.

[grepin]

Thanks for the great review

Although I'm not very interested in smaller sets, this one clearly has more than enough merit for a starter Technic set.

[Out of Sight]

This looks like a minifig scale Technic..very nicely done for something so small.

[Nequmodiva]

I bought this set, too. Compared to similar prized sets it's one of the best.

That the function involves a worm gear and a 8 tooth gear is kind of standard for these sets, just like 8045 Mini Telehandler, 8259 Mini Bulldozer or 8260 Tractor. But to have another two gears to convert the rotation from the top to the worm gear adds complexity. Not much, but for a set of this size, it's like a plus of 50%.

I would have never imagined the mechanism to work this smoothly as it does. But like you said when sliding the container everything falls out. That's very frustrating. I've got this set on my desk for some days now with the spare parts in the container. Again and again I want to offload the container and every time some of them fall out. Really annoying. Maybe I should load it with rubber or something like that.

Nevertheless this set looks great. At first for me this container-piece appeared to be odd inside a technic set, but I got used to it. The whole thing certainly looks much better than last years Mini Telehandler.

The not-tilting cabin is a mystery. It's kind of obvious the set was designed to allow this. Since it's easy to change, this is not really a problem.

Why there are two booklets for the main model (and in a different size than the one for the b-model) I will never understand. But Lego did the same with 8259 Mini Bulldozer and 8260 Tractor.

I see you too got two 6 wide axles with this set, while both the main and b-model only need one. Just one thing more to keep me wondering. It would not make much sense to consider this being a spare part for replacement. There's no reason the other axle 6 would break or get lost.

Anyway this set tops with its look and the complexity of both construction and functionality. And this is what counts.

[TheDesuComplex]

I always loved the mini sets, and I now yearn for this set. While the gears are common and the piece count small, this is an amazingly humble set. The gearing is more complex than the other mini sets, and it fits in aesthetically with bigger kits. i give this set a high rating. Now to go out and buy multiples...

[Lumpy03]

I'm really fan of mini tecnics... great review !

[lightningtiger]

Excellent review 'mostlytechnic', I wouldn't mind using the chassis and loading system for a city/minifig version of this set.

I find the design quite realistic , though I'm not a fan of the B-model.

Again thanks for the review and keep on reviewing !

[MetalRufflez]

I really like the Small/Mid-Range sets (it's the only ones I can afford around here =P). I think they really do a great job with just a few pieces, and this model proves this point. It looks great and functional. Will get it asap

Great review, as always =)

[Masked Builder]

Very nice! I've always like Technic sets this is one of the ones that has a great looking function. Thanks for the review!

[Andrew Lowe]

I bought this set last night at Toys R Us and built it, cant go wrong for 10 bux, great little set to add to the collection!

[hga09]

I do like this set. It had great looks and functionality for the price point, and it will hopefully introduce many new young builders LEGO Technic.

[Plastic Nurak]

This set is the first Technic set (maybe together the SUV) that I'm going to buy. I'm wondering, please, if it is on minifig scale .

[mostlytechnic]

This set is the first Technic set (maybe together the SUV) that I'm going to buy. I'm wondering, please, if it is on minifig scale .

It's roughly minifig - the dumper has been used on older minifig-scale trucks:

[TheDesuComplex]

It's roughly minifig - the dumper has been used on older minifig-scale trucks:

I just built this out of my own pieces, and you can fit a minfig in the cockpit.....that is, if they are a bald child. I also tried the function on my version and it is very fluid- I love it!

[Plastic Nurak]

That's a good news .

[Plastic Nurak]

I've bought the #8065 (and the #8067 too). My own impressions soon.