chaosof99

8042 Universal Pneumatic Set Perhaps my favorite subtheme of Lego Technic is pneumatics. My favorite set from my childhood is the 8460 Pneumatic Crane Truck, but set that perhaps got me started on that path was the 8042 Universal Pneumatic set. Back in the day, TLC used to release a number of Technic products called "Universal Sets". These sets would usually come with a number of pieces and an instruction booklet to construct a number, usually four or more, of different models. These sets were rather economic, but also somewhat dissatisfying looking back, as every model had at least some parts left over. The Universal product line was also often, but not always, used to showcase a certain construction element. Usually it was motors (8035, 8050, 8054, 8055, 8064), but pneumatic also got a couple of sets with 8040, 8042 and 8044. Even the humble flex system got one with 8074. The one I'm talking about was unfortunately one of the last of this line. The 8042 set is a pneumatic set from 1993 and featured about 226 pieces for $38.50 . The set came with an instruction booklet that described on 68 pages how to construct each of the four vehicles that could be built from it: A car, a forklift, a cherry picker and a claw rig. Additionally, it gave instructions how to enhance the claw rig with the 8720 9V Motor pack in order to motorize the claw rig. As such, the instructions are much faster than today's standard in my opinion, as nowadays almost every minute step gets its own page. The Parts Click the image for a larger version. The set comes with a decent number of diverse parts, though only a few gears. Two 8-tooth, two 16-tooth gears which are only used in a single model, two flat 14-tooth gears used for switching the axle on the steering, and a rack gear is all you get. Of course, the focus of this set isn't gears, but the pneumatic components. This set comes with a pump, a big piston, a small piston, two switches, a T-connector as well as a lot of tubing. There is enough tubing (which I had already cut previously), so you won't have to cut down a log tube used in one of the models to create shorter tubes for a different model. Unfortunately, I lost my 15 cm gray tube, and I forgot to include a 7 cm black tube in the picture. The first page of the instruction booklet has a ruler and 1:1 scale examples of how many tubes you need of each length in order to build all four models. However, the most striking thing about the parts is the prevalence of the color blue. Blue is rather seldom used Technic, where black, gray and yellow dominate the landscape. Seeing that most of the models are also some sort of construction vehicle, they could have easily used the common yellow as the primary color, but it is nice that blue was chosen instead. Though in recent years blue has been used widely as an accent color for liftarms mimicking the seats in various vehicles, it is almost never used as the primary for a model, this being a nice exception. Grey is of course the primary accent color. This set is also a studded construction set, so naturally the set only uses parts that are an even number of studs in length. Of course, this set was released before odd-length gray axles were even in production. What I also forgot to include in the picture above are the wheels, though you will see enough of them later on. Unfortunately, they're a little bit dirty. Car The car is perhaps the most basic of the models. It only features a single piston of pneumatic function to open and close the hatch on the single-seat cockpit. This model is the only one in the set that has a seat at all. While this model is the weakest in terms of functionality, in terms of design it is quite nice by hiding away the pneumatic switch and pump, though I think having the switch on the other side and pointing down would have been even better. The pump also doubles as a form of shock absorber for the rear axle of the car. The rotary light is a bit misplaced though. Forklift The forklift is the second model in the manual and has the pneumatic functions of raising and lowering the fork, as well as tilting it. It's quite a steep tilt actually, and it's good that they used some 8L axles as the fork rather than any studded bricks which I've seen used for the fork in some older sets. Like all four models (and many, many other Technic sets), this one features steering by turning the rotary light on top of the cabin, though this is the only one where the back axis is used for steering. The forklift comes with one big design flaw though: When the big air piston is retracted completely, the fork actually lifts the front axle off the ground. Cherry Picker The cherry picker is the model in this set that uses the most parts. It uses up all of the bushes that the set comes with. The pneumatic functions included in the set is of course raising the basket, but also lowering some small outriggers at the back of it to give it more stability. I personally like how the pneumatic switches have been hidden quite nicely on the back of the vehicle. Claw Rig The claw rig is my personal favorite of the models, perhaps indicative of me missing out on the 8868 Air Tech Claw Rig, which is definitely something I have to get some time. This one is definitely a successor to it, also featuring a small pneumatic piston to open and close a claw at the end of a crane arm. The big piston is of course used to lower and raise said arm. I would have liked it more had they found a way to hide the pneumatic switches a bit better, but they're doing their job nicely. Final Thoughts This set has a ton of playability with four different models to build, and perhaps some innovation to be used for it as well. The rare, blue color on the Technic pieces also makes it a nice set to look for. Though it is nothing really extraordinary, it is a very good product, particularly to start someone out on pneumatics.

Do we have any dates for them?

Sweet mother of Zeus, this is amazing. I would love it if you were to put this on Cuusoo and this were to be made into a set. Sorry for dragging this thread back up, but I came here from the pic in the signature and just couldn't not post. This is some amazing work right there and some great motives you've chosen.

This is one of my favorite Technic sets. It just has so many functions and playability in such a compact frame that it is a pure joy to play with and build. I also really like the bucket-tilting mechanism, how it's hidden as the exhaust pipe of the engine, and the little pedal in the drivers cabin it moves.

Not sure if this is the best forum to talk about this, but since the more technically inclined people dwell here it should be good enough. I rather like Airplane models by TLC, and they've granted me a wish so to speak by releasing another Technic Airplane model after quite a while. Now I've got a decent number of Technic and Creator airplane models: 8425 Black Hawk, 6745 Propeller Power, 8222 VTOL, 8836 Sky Ranger, 5892 Sonic Boom, and of course the new 9394 Jet Plane. I also plan on obtaining an 8855 Prop Plane some time in the future. As you can tell, I quite like my Airplane Models. The only problem is that due to wing span and such, these models take up a rather large amount of space somewhat inefficiently. I would like to store/display them more efficiently. One thought that came to mind was hanging them from the ceiling. Kind of a classic in air plane displays. I got a wood panel ceiling and I think I can display a couple of the planes by putting some hook screws in them and using fishing line to suspend the planes from them. However, I'm not quite sure how to go about that. Some tips would be appreciated. I've also heard that dental floss could be used as a substitute for fishing line as it is also rather hard to tear, but I'm not quite sure whether or not there is some truth to that.

Thanks for the tips. And yes, I already knew about Blakbird's Technicopedia. Love that site. Is there any good way to determine how to spread out the lines on the body of the model, or is this more a trial-and-error sort of thing for an amateur like me?

Something I noticed earlier but forgot to include in my previous post: For the very first time there are Technic sets which are numbered with a number larger than 8880. I think they used to attempt and preserve that number as the limit for a while, but I guess the limited space in the set numbers made that impossible now. That is actually a pretty good observation. I wonder if they gunned for this.

Damn, this is a nice line-up for early next year. I actually want to buy every set except the quad bike. My wallet's already weeping. I'm particularly surprised about the log loader. On a first look the front is almost identical to the 8285 Tow Truck, which happens to be my favorite Technic set of all time. It is however actually a bit smaller. Should still be good though.

TechnicBRICKS posted the Snowplough parts list created by one of their readers called Ryan. Ask and ye shall receive, I guess, but I'm sure I'm not the only one who asked :)

Does anybody have a parts list for the snowplow only?

I got this model today and though I was already anticipating it from seeing it first, having it in my hands is even better than I thought. The main model has a lot of functions that are intricately built together in a great design. It reminds me a lot of the 8069 as a great beginners set with much functionality in a small space. Plus the white panels and white liftarms which are quite rare as far as I can tell. Th only other Technic set in recent history I can think of that has white as a primary color is the 8262 Quad Bike.

Sorry that this is late for the OP personally, but I guess this is the best spot to put it. I was at my local Toys R Us and saw that they are having a sale with 20% off all Lego products (excluding Star Wars and books) on a purchase of 30 € or more. Probably in anticipation of the new models coming in in order to clear shelf space. I dunno how many stores are actually in on that, because two days before I was in another TRU in a different town, and there was no such sale announced (though they already had the new models in store, which is where my bought my Unimog). So perhaps, if you're lucky, you can get an 8043 for about 135 € at the moment. The set is already worth every penny at full price, but not even casual Technic builders should be able to resist such a deal.

Somewhat related, maybe you could take the design of the snowblower and perhaps turn it into the head of a combine harvester? Would also make good use of the length. In fact, that's what I thought it was before reading the thread. "Why does a Unimog got a combine harvester head on it?" :)

That looks great, but I agree that it should be a bit bigger. Also, shouldn't the "smooth" surface of the panel be on the inside looking at the spiral?

I recently got my 8258 Crane Truck and after building it, I'm more impressed than I thought I would be. My usual pattern of selecting sets is reading the instruction manual off of the Lego home page. The 8258 was one of the first I read when I came out of the dark ages and while I recognized it being a complex and huge set, I wasn't terribly excited or eager to get it. Partially that was also because it was out of my price range at the time. I got my 8285 a couple of months earlier off e-bay, though unfortunately incomplete. I restored it to near completion since, but I was excited about the set from the moment I came to know it even existed and still very much am, because I really like such big tow trucks. Now that I have both, and the comparison between the two is rather easy to make. Both have the same number of pieces (1877) and rather similar features, though for different purposes. Both have a limited extensible crane arm with a winch and a metal hook. Both have differentials leading into fake motors that are under pieces which can be lifted and angled outward. Both have outriggers. They are of almost identical length (the car lift of the 8285 not withstanding). And simply, both are trucks. Now, the key difference between the two beside the purposes of the model, one being a tow truck for vehicles and the other being a lift truck for heavy equipment or cargo, is that the 8258 is motorized while the 8285 is not and uses manual input for all functions instead. Though the 8285 also has a small air piston to deploy the car lift, and a pneumatic function for raising and lowering the car lift. In my personal opinion, I like the 8285 more, due to the design and diversity of functions, though the 8258 has very thoroughly and well implemented functions as well, in particular the folding crane arm. My question however is, which do you guys prefer, are they equal in your opinion, or are you entirely indifferent about both?

Corrected in the body of my post. Unfortunately can't do it in the title.

I am the proud owner of an 8425 Black Hawk, one of my favorite sets before I went into my dark ages. I originally intended to do a review for it, but due to my lack of photography skills, this will unfortunately not happen, though I think the model is a worthy subject for it. When I do a review, I try to construct and review both the A- and B-Model for the set, and the 8425 is somewhat peculiar in that regard. The A-Model is a plane and the B-Model is a boat. It doesn't require a scientific degree to notice that automobiles and other land-based vehicles, usually with construction implements, absolutely and completely dominate the landscape in Lego Technic. There is the occasional helicopter to mix it up, but there hasn't been a Lego Technic plane since 2004's 8434 Aircraft. The last planes before that were the 8222 VTOL in 1997, and the 8425 in 1996. Boats are even rarer. The last boat is the 8246 Hydro Racer in 1999 after the submarine 8250 Search Sub in 1997. While perhaps planes and boats are a bit of a difficult subject matter and don't necessarily provide as much playability as the n-th version of a front-end loader, I don't think there should be such an exclusion of the two vehicle types. There can be very nice functionality in these, as the 8425 quite well demonstrates with retractable landing gear with aligned flaps, a rudder, and of course two synced propeller motors. Though of course, most modern planes have jet engines, which are rather hard to model or mimic their function in Technic in any meaningful way. Another reason I can think of for why there are so few plane models is TLC's aversion to military models, with a lot of interesting aircraft being for combat purposes. TLG of course has the official policy to abstain from producing realistic militaristic toys (which is somewhat in question though). The same reason could probably apply for why there hasn't been another submarine. The problem with boats I can see is primarily the lack of functionality, since they are rarely more than a mode of transportation on the seas. Why that is such a problem though, considering that a lot of models such as the 8066 Off-Roader, 8081 Extreme Cruiser, or 8048 Buggy are also little more than a mode of transportation either. Well, to make it short, I would like for TLC to produce at least a boat or a plane once in a while. How about you?

Indeed. Another set that comes to mind here is the 10178 Motorised Walking AT-AT.

Very excited for the set. Can't wait to have it in my hands. Well, at least I'll get my 8258 Crane Truck on Tuesday to bridge the time :) You are surprised about that? It is a very complex set that can be broken up into very distinct parts (chassis, driver's cab, crane-arm and bucket). 8043 didn't have numbered bags, but I know that for example Modular Houses do, and modular houses are also very large sets (over 2000 parts) and can be broken in very distinct sections. 8053 Mobile Crane is also a Technic set with numbered bags, because you build the crane part and the car part separately. Also, in this picture you can clearly see the red pins which attach the driver's cab to the chassis, next to the yellow pinwheels for the steering. You can also see how the crane and bucket on the back are not on it, but with a few pins (far left edge of the photo, and right to the left of the pinwheels) where the bucket can be placed:

As coincidence has it, I actually got the same model in the mail the same day. It was one of the first I wanted when I started to get back into Lego, but it was too expensive for my taste at the time. Now that I have it, I'm very happy with it. A great model, with an interesting steering mechanism and some great parts including three linear actuators and two differentials. It's a good choice for someone starting out.

Right. I guess I was confused because I bought them in an 8-pack at the time.

I'd recommend the 8069 Backhoe loader for a returnee to the hobby. It is an excellent set for a good price and has a ton of functionality and a good introduction to the studless construction which you are probably not used to with your absence. It is definitely a good idea to start on a smaller set than big one because you will get a taste for it without a big investment in either time or money. If you really do have the money and want to go all out, I'd take the Excavator, though don't forget you'll also have to buy batteries for it (6 AA and 8 AAA).

Hey, so, I have a decent collection of Legos and it is growing ever stronger. Now, since I keep most of my models built and more or less on display, they are of course collecting some dust since I don't play with them every day. Of course I'd like to keep them clean as much as possible, and I know that it takes at least some effort and regular cleaning to do so. However, I don't really know how to keep them clean efficiently and thoroughly. For Technic models, this seems to be an even bigger problem as they are often quite large and also open, with dust able to collect deep inside the model. Just taking some tissue to them and wiping them doesn't seem to do it well enough, and it takes a lot of time as well. Taking apart the entire model and cleaning them individually or washing them is even more time consuming. So, how do I keep my Lego nice and clean?

I'll definitely get the Unimog, and probably the Cherry Picker since it is really interesting to me and the white pieces are kinda rare. I may get the Flatbed Truck some time later if I'm kind of bored, though I have much bigger sets to save up for both Technic and non-technic (Modular Houses, and I want to get the Imperial Flagship and the Black Pearl in the fall). The Extreme Cruiser is already out here, but I'm not interested in it at all.

Now that I have my new shelves installed to put all my Technic Models on, I thought I should share some pictures. The first shelf. Mostly smaller sets. You can already see what time my dark ages were. Unfortunately the 8816, 8828 and 8205 all have pieces missing, with the first two missing a tire each, and the 8816 also missing the headlights. I also have half of an 8810, but that's not on there. I'll be trying to complete all of them in the near future with pieces off of Bricklink and other sites. Second shelf with the larger sets. Another spare part I need to get is some rope for my 8460, which I have currently replaced with some straw rope, but that's of course not appropriate. Finally, my 8285, which is actually too long to put on the shelves like I have with the other sets. I got it incomplete off of e-Bay and I already made an order on Brinklink to get it into the shape it is now, but it's still missing a couple of pieces to complete the smokestack and the tanks on the front. I think it is definitely worth it though since that set is just incredible. Only question is, where will I put the models I'm going to purchase in the future.