andythenorth

My bet would be that nobody paid anybody for this. I would figure it's a no-fee collaboration between Lego and Volvo. However I have a poor recent track record of betting on these forums Volvo have been doing a lot in social media - viral videos, games, community stuff. This would be just another variation on their marketing program. For Lego it's a chance to put out an authentic model that will get Technic some news coverage. I imagine Maersk is done on the same basis. Obviously just my 2p, I have no more access to the facts than any of the rest of us who are guessing. Lego could just put this info in public on Technic blog of course...?

Do you still need supporters? I have no use for the part, but I think it's an interesting project, I'd kick in £10 for amusement.

Nice spot http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/1167777.htm In-store collection only, no deliveries

Straightforward, nice.

I swapped a 12:20 gear pair in the chassis for a 12:12 pair. With L motors = faster travel speed, and no less torque EDIT. I also swapped the 12:20:12:20 for the twin LAs on the boom for a chain of 16:16. The boom now lifts much faster. Problem: the boom slightly clips the upper 16t gear when at lowest point. I could move the attachment point of the LAs to the boom so that it doesn't lower so far. This is unrealistic, but I'm not actually going digging with it Considering making the stick about 4 studs longer - more reach. And swapping the bucket - it's too big I know there's Ultimate 8043, but I don't want to do a full rebuild, 8043 is really elegant. Just some tweaks...but where will it end?

No, that is not the correct understanding (sorry for any confusion). The set is no longer available in the UK at the original retail price (about £22 / €26). I could only find it in on amazon or ebay stores for about £50 including postage. I posted that as information, as it is a recent set, and I am surprised it was discontinued

This is discontinued everywhere I checked in the UK (or being price gouged). Shame, my kids would have liked it - we bought the green monster truck today. Unusually short lifespan. Not many on Bricklink either.

I would put at least even money on that being a Pneumatic logo. Could be the ripper or the blade that gets pneumatic cylinders, can't see it being both, unless this is some kind of pneumatic cylinder bonanza set.

The box states very clearly A25F, but the model is a spitting image for this A25E http://www.favcars.c...-2008-11-154813 (There's maybe a two axle version of the A25F - all pictures I found were three axle).

As far as I can tell, stock 8043 has a 12:20 reduction on the boom lift? Looks like I can swap those for 16t gears, to get a 1:1?

Hauler Needs some extra panels. TLG dump trucks are too often lame and have open dump bodies. @ed-orange - you have to buy three - the extra one gives you the parts to add a third axle and create an A30F. http://www.volvoce.com/dealers/en-gb/vcegb/products/articulatedhaulers/A25F_A30F/Pages/featuresandbenefits.aspx

High track dozer, looks around D9 or D10 sized. Wonder if it's Cat licensed? (I doubt it, two heavy equipment brands in one year would be a conflict) Looks like a ripper on the back? Wonder if it will have blade tilt as well as lift (LA or mini-LA on each side of the blade frame)? Can't see any evidence of that in the picture, just wondering if they squeezed in more than 2 functions (blade and ripper)...

Thanks Efferman. I've swapped in 2 L motors - for the boom & stick / track travel functions. (I only have 2 L motors right now). There is subjectively more power with the L, but I'd also like faster cycle times on boom and stick. A simple gear swap in the chassis will increase track travel speed, but I can't see an easy place to swap any gears in the house to move the boom & stick faster. Any suggestions? I could also add an L to the bucket curl / slew, but the performance is ok right now with an M. Do you see much benefit from an L motor for those functions?

8043 excavator is a classic, but the M motors strike me as a bit gutless. The L motors are almost a drop-in replacement (need to extend the house by one stud), but I'm wondering if it's actually a benefit. According to Philo (http://www.philohome.com/motors/motorcomp.htm) the L motor is slower than the M motor, and although more powerful, will drain batteries much faster. I've swapped an L motor in, but measuring performance is not easy Opinions from the crowd?

The small snowcat is there because sometimes people like me are looking for a £9 / €12 / $16 / whatever toy to buy our kids. I never bother buying the teeny tiny sets, far too many bikes and quads in our house already, and spending £20-£50 on larger sets isn't something I'll do every time we go to the toy shop. We have enough big sets cluttering the house already.

I'm happy to be shown wrong, but lubrication (or lack of) is likely the most significant factor in gear-train power loss. As an example, 8043 excavator was very non-performant for me, despite fresh batteries and the correct LAs. Applying olive oil to all gears and most axle holes resulted in a much slicker performance and more fun toy.

The loader is 99% definitely on bang-bang remotes in that video, jerky acceleration and steering is inevitable. And no I don't like the jerky performance either, but hold your horses until some reviews of it with a train remote appear. The use of servo with train remote might work well, as it holds the dial position afaik. Try a city train with bang-bang remotes sometime, that's jerky. Massive wheel spin. If RC vehicles are going to keep being a thing, a third controller with proportional control might be nice. Either 2 sticks (maybe on x and y axis), or a y-axis stick and a dial with return to centre. Dreaming.

The bucket is awesome. Is the loader 4WD? There's a front diff, and I think I see one universal joint at the articulation point, which suggests 4WD. Acceleration and steering look jerky and poor. Might just be because it's on a bang-bang remote. Substitute the train remote for travel, it will be smoother. Maybe for steer as well? 2WD on the truck, no front diff as far as I can see. Looks good though imo. I like big bouncy cars, so do my kids (8070 supercar and the F1 racer are favourites here).

Nice video find We'll all have to have our say I guess now Freight train - the blue train base showed up in the City Police Truck, was hopeful they would be a sign of a new train. - cheap (low part count) wagons, hope the price point stays fair. Kids will like them. - the engine is nice, but lacks presence (no sense of speed or strength). I like it, but I prefer the red and the yellow engines. - looks like a 'buy two' kind of set. Passenger train - really like this, super slick

Where are arctic police and fire? Oops, struck through, worried I'd get a warning for that. The arctic stuff looks pretty good. The orange is a bit meh, feels like repeating coastguard, but I guess it's bright and eyecatching. Personally I'm hoping for arctic post office and arctic postman-on-a-bike.

This year's trains look like an easy buy. Even though we have far too many trains, my kids will enjoy these. The passenger train will appeal, the one piece front looks slick. The blue train is a straightforward winner. The station - dunno. Prelim pics don't show enough. I don't know if stations are that big a deal for kids, they need to be relatively low-priced, which means low part count. We have a few stations, but they don't get used too often, they kind of get in the way of the crashes and need constant rebuilding.

When I built the A model for this (without paying much attention), I missed parts from one end of the gearbox in the centre of the chassis. Specifically I missed some spacers towards the rear of the truck, and then located a beam out of place by one stud. Resulted in similar issues to the one you're describing. Hard to describe the location and I don't have any pictures I can post, sorry Also wasn't sure if you're building the A or B model?

Build them. Even better, rip the boxes open in front of a 'collector'. Toys are for playing with.

Oops Agreed. My mistake.

Blue battery box, blue train front windows, blue doors Never wanted to be a parts nerd, but those are nice to have.