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Showing results for tags '8448'.
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Super Size Me - Building Instructions
arvo posted a topic in LEGO Technic, Mindstorms, Model Team and Scale Modeling
Hi there! :) Seven years ago, my brother and I decided to build the miniature of the classic 8865 Test Car, as this particular set was always one of our favorites. As many of you, we have a very special connection with this set. When we were kids, we tried to replicate the front/middle section of the car -with the only reference of the LEGO® catalog from 1989- dozens of times...unsuccessfully! Our collection was small at that time, and our only dream was to have enough red technic bricks to build the red beast... ...we only have to look at this picture to remember why we're into LEGO®. The people behind these images -designers, photographers- were truly artists. Probably, some of you remember our "Super Size Me #8865" from 2007: ...the thing is we had a lot of fun with this little model so we couldn't stop building more and more...! Recently we decided to make building instructions of these old models, working in chronological order. We have just released the first set of instructions on MOCplans, the replica of the legendary 853 Super Car Chassis, released in 1977. This is how the cover looks: We hope to release the other four "Super Size Me" instructions in the next weeks, we'll keep you updated on this. If you're interested, you can find them following the link: http://mocplans.com/...ize-me-853.html ...next one: #8860! See ya soon! :) Regards, Amador & Ramón (arvo) -
I recently decided to build a supercar of some sort, and after some input from Blakbird I decided to buy the famous 8448. This was my first “old” Technic set and while deciding to buy it, I found a surprising lack of reviews for it. The only comprehensive review I found was here on Eurobricks(which is here and is quite good) so I decided to do another review for it as this set definitely deserves more. In this review I’ll be reviewing the gull wing model.(I apologize for pic quality if I ever do another review they'll be much better I promise) Here’s the pile of parts at first glance. It’s pretty big coming in at about 1400 pieces, and was the biggest Technic set at that time (correct me if I’m wrong). It has a large number of 1x16 technic bricks and 7x3 liftarms. The set had a couple unique pieces being the wheels and the steering hubs. Here are the wheels compared to the common supercar tires made by Lego.They're quite large and IMO they seem to be the most realistic tires as they are thin and are able to make the most realistic steering designs (see here).They're shiny, but don't look that great in terms of design, so they aren't used much. The steering hubs are also quite interesting although they are not widely used except in Jorgeopesi’s Ferrari F40. Any way let’s go build this thing. The books are absolutley awesome and are divided between chassis and body(ies). They are both thick heavy books and the quality is great even 16 years later. The build is divided between the chassis and the body. The entire build maintains modularity which is interesting and adds a nice customization aspect. The chassis is divided into numerous modules and starts off with a frame. The frame is quite sturdy and has the beginnings of the drivetrain in it. Next up we have the suspension modules. The rear suspension is too stiff and the front suspension is too soft. I feel like this set could have really used the yellow hard springs as these are only the medium stiffness. After the suspension we have the gearbox. The 8448 probably has the best gearbox produced in a Lego Technic set. It has a total of 5 speeds and one reverse gear. It was reproduced in the 8466 Off Roader. The gearbox and engine are added, and at this point the car is fully functional. All of the gears can be selected and the engine moves nicely. I also like the effort put into the engine details, its not something you see in modern sets. The interesting thing about this car is that the engine can easily be placed in the back even when the model is fully built, but it makes the front look very sparse. Once the chassis is built you can continue onto the bodywork, but if you aren't a fan of the original design, you can always build one of the other 4 designs(hot rod, racecar, concept car, and buggy) The instructions used to be hard to find, but now they should be here. After this point the build loses a technical aspect and focuses more on aesthetics. The dashboard is added and the bodywork starts to take shape Eventually you reach this point where you make a choice whether to build the convertible version of the car or the gull wing version. I chose to build the latter. Some nice seats are added and the bodywork is finished up Anddd we're done. I gotta say even though this model is 16 years old, it still looks really good. The minimalist design with flex axles and panels with large holes leaves a bit to the imagination, but makes an awesome shape. There are a couple clever techniques to get these shapes. The functions all work well and the gullwing doors have an extremely smooth operation. One thing I don't like about this model is that it lacks Hand of God steering which makes it a bit more difficult to play with. I would go far enough to say that this car was the original "supercar". Although there were others before it, I feel like this is the first one in which looks seemed to be a priority. It also had realistic functions unlike the 8880(which is still an awesome car with its complexity) which had 4 wheel steering which isn't really seen on most cars. So how does this car compare to our modern supercars? I owned the 8070 for a while, but then parted it out to build the Vampire GT. Both the 8070 and 8448 have their strengths. The 8070 obviously has a more modern look due to the newer parts and it is much more filled it. It also has the function gear box which opens everything nicely; however, for me, the 8448's realistic gearbox is far more interesting. Something about the different speeds of the engine just interests me a lot. Also the 8448 has the modularity concept which makes everything much more interesting. Here's a final pic with Crowkillers's Vampire GT. The 2 cars almost look like father and son with their gullwing doors. Overall I got to say this is one of the best sets I've built. It has great looks combined with excellent functions such as the gearbox, modules, and gullwing doors. It only has a few flaws that detract from the main model, but they are barely noticeable.If you guys are still with me after this long review I'll give a rating now Building Experience-10/10 Building this model never gets boring. The modularity is nice and its always fun to see all the modules come together Design-9/10 The 8448 was a massive step forward in design compared to the blocky supercars of the past. It looks good, but has a bit too many holes in some places and the wheels don't look too good. Functionality-8/10 The gear box in this model is amazing and has to be Lego's best. Its gullwing doors open very smoothly. I can't attest to the other models, but I'm guessing their functionality is just as smooth. The only flaws I see here is the lack of HOG and the problems with the suspension. Value-10/10 In the States you can get this model for little over a 100 on Ebay while in Europe its probably a little cheaper. I payed a little more for my copy, but I don't regret it. The model is one of the best Technic models I've seen. Parts-10/10 This model is full of excellent parts. There are many normal Technic parts which are always good to have, and an abundance of bricks and studded parts which are good for Model Team/studded Technic. The set also has 10(!) of those rare #3 red connectors which sell for ridiculous prices on Bricklink. It also has many rare red soft axles and some interesting parts such as 12L axles in red. It also has the rare metallic wheels, dampers, and steering pieces. Overall-47/50 Highly Recommended. Go buy this model and you definitely won't regret it, and in the rare event that you don't like it feel free to send it to me Thanks for reading and feedback on the review is welcome
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Which stock set for MOC supercar?
Ploki posted a topic in LEGO Technic, Mindstorms, Model Team and Scale Modeling
Hi, I finally (thanks to my girlfriend) got the 8880 supercar. I now have 8880, 8448, 8070. Not too interested in 865, will pick it up if i find it cheap. bottom line, I'll leave these alone. At the moment, there's a 8070 for sale for 150€ and 8880 for which I can't get the price. Do you recommend any set for a baseline set? The transmission i like best from 8448, but overall its my least favourite of the three. also pretty rare and expensive. There's a big difference between 8070 and 8880. (Studs vs studless, wheel hubs, etc). -
8448 is a great supercar but it has two drawback: a) suspension is too soft b) no HOG which is really bad for the gullwing version because it is really hard to steer even for children well, drawback a) is very simple to fix: just replace the original shock absorbers with the hard spings (e.g. from 8458 silver champion, Part 731c04 at bricklink - quite cheap) - works very well and the suspension is now exactly right, not too stiff, not too soft Here comes a simple MOD for the lack of a HOG: it does not violate the modularity of the model, i.e. you can build this new HOG-drivetrain just into the chassis and then add all the other stuff as rear and front suspension, gearbox, engine etc as described in the official building instructions...also adding the mini 9V motor as described in the BI is still possible. And after applying all the red panels the additional gray gears are well covered so the beautiful look is not disturbed... and i'm sure everyone of you has the skills to apply the HOG an base of this modification ;-) For the convertible version there is nothing to add: in this case no HOG is needed because you can steer with the steering wheel and the new HOG-preparation is just driven without using it - works like a charm... In this brickshelf folder http://www.brickshel...ry.cgi?f=540020 you can find some zoom pictures.... BTW: IMHO there is no other good way to apply a HOG because a HOG-drivetrain below the gearbox would reduce the ground clearance too much and beside the gearbox (as with 8880 e.g.) there is really no place cause of the design of the 8448-gearbox... anyway... maybe you find this useful if you are a fan of this old beauty or if you have kids who wants to play with the gullwing...
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IMHO the suspension of 8448 is too soft. so my idea is to replace the original shock absorbers with the hard springs of 8458 silver champion (the yellow ones). before i dismantle the affected components ow my question: has anybody tried this? Does it improve the suspension of 8448? Thanks a lot in advance!
