TomOOO

That is amazing - wow.

I look forward to having the space to build and display mine, as you see from above they are mostly in boxes. I like building as a distraction from work but those photos of all the models made up and on display is really great. I did once build them all but my wife was not that impressed ;) oh well. Great pictures. I nearly bought the fish too when they were around.

Here is my technic collection - mostly in boxes at the moment. I also have a large collection of lego trains and some other stuff. https://goo.gl/photos/4diR5Wr1ouKEXD4L6

I picked up my set from UK tesco-direct from a store - that was the best packed lego box I ever had. The box was wrapped in bubble wrap, and was in a delivery box full of bubble wrap with care taken to put it all round the lego; it was a huge delivery box too.

This year Lego went overboard for big sets (for AFOLS ?), not just Technic where we got 4 sets more that 2000 pieces, and the helicopter (I am so broke), but then there is the Disney castle in September > 4000 , big ben, 70751, 21128, 75095 and several others more than 150 £$E . Looking at the 25 top selling sets, 7 are large sets this month, so maybe they see that the super-size sell well so hopefully they will do the same next year. For me they are over-due a expensive train (ok - wrong thread), but I think they will so some more super-size technic too but I am looking through the flag-ship sets since 1995 (yep - I have those too), to make a guess, at least one super car and one construction. I hope something completely new like the BWE.

I would recommend a "soft start" with a lego train controller. That way you might find out before it fails that it is going to fails. Great option though.

Tesco-direct (UK) are selling this for £90.00 - 25% off. Note that is is miss-classified and not in technical lego and you need to search for lego 42054

It is sad for me to say that I always check the years releases and with some extra pennies (pounds) added to my pocket money by some serious DIY building, my wife allowed me to buy 42056, 42055, 42054, and 42053. (and the beetle and big ben). But now my "pocket money" account is empty.

One thing that has "surprised" me on this model (coming from a farming background) there are so many great technical options for farm machinery; from simple reversible ploughs, hay balers , cultivators, harrows, hedge cutters, rotary and reciprocating hay/silage cutters, etc ..... why a crane (even a good one)! eh, not seen a crane on a farm, usually you just pick up the logs on the front end loader. I also will be additionally MOCing the 3-point linkage - it is just not right; but the model itself is just beautiful.

I have a wife and therefore a strict budget, simple, and I plan carefully a year in advance. I also understand the time and effort not only to design the models but then create the instructions, which is not trivial.

I am waiting for 1st Aug as there is supposed to be a micro london bus as a freebe... Of course I might miss out as it goes sold out in the first day....

I had a problem with the 42009 and the yellow - the different beams are quite different. I do have some 50 Technic Lego sets and there have been a few minor issues over the last 5 years - only 42009 is really noticeable.

Agree with the H2 - great sets buy now. But the 3 for 2 offer at Argos was a good one. I only saved £45, but tried to get a £120 saving on the blue crawler crane - but it was sold out, and could not justify 3 BWE. Now if only they had the Claas that would have been very nice (1 BWE + 2 Claas) - never mind.

Got mine from argos just now - 3 for 2 offer - though what is left is fairly poor so I only got 42040 free with my BWE and 42043. Mind you their web site is really crap and you cannot do the 3/2 offer on things out of stock.

also.... The transmission for very high torque machinery (ie tractors) goes through a fixed axle + pendulum and is therefore more simple and robust.

Just adding a little to this correct comment - sorry for the boring engineering : All machinery that is required to maximise the traction and have wheels use pendulum suspension on the non-loaded end of the machine. In tractors that will be the front wheels (though in this claas that is ambiguous) but also includes front end loaders, back-hoe etc. Suspension results in some wheels having less axle weight going over bumps - which means they will slip first. Pendulum suspension guarantees : All wheels have the same traction all the time regardless of terrain - unless they reach their limits - hence diff locks That heavily loading (ie tractors with heavy attachments) are solid to the ground via the fixed axle and do not swing on the suspension as they drive. That as a driver you can predict when there will be dangerous swing movement when using heavy attachments as it will be when the fixed axle goes over rough terrain (ie a ditch) Heavy loads that swing out (like ditch cutters and excavators) do not effect the tractor/excavator angle sideways as they are solid to the ground with the fixed axle - except for tire compression. Heavy loading of the floating axle (ie front) is bad practice and should be driven with care.

It is odd that UK lego at home store has 42053 (coming in Aug), but not 42054 and 42055. Not on the US site though. Hope this is not indicative of a 42056 fiasco

Anyone else see this... Full size copy of 42056... https://www.yuppiega...tted-in-sweden/

I do think there PR team is a bit amateur though...

Just to add my 2p worth on the modular design... From an engineering point of view, although the Unimog was a great set with a lot of function, from an engineering design of construction, gears and steering it was a real "dogs breakfast" (is that too UK English to translate - guess). For me (AFOL with very many technic sets back to year dot), the engineering design of the function is key to the concept of technic. I am with Jangbricks with the review of the set - you know that there are some real nice features there even if you can't see them. A little pricey but I am lucky that that is OK for me. Other sets where they had a good engineering design was the skip lorry 42024 - that was very nice bit of engineering, and so was 42008 - maybe not flagship but simple and elegant Technic. Maybe I will be put down for liking this set with its flaws, but we are technic people - I build it as the instructions say, but I immediately rebuild with MOC to "improve" and design new features. I will of course add power functions (thanks to all the MOC suggestions already out there), change pins, etc. The lego team think have tried to widen the Technic idea to more pretty cars (form) and less stress on the function - this is the concept of UCS Technic - for me that works, I will want to improve this as time goes on - that is what technic is all about. I think they have made a good branch in Technic with this model to a wider audience - I think good for lego and good for Technic which is quite niche in the US. Only time will tell.

Here are my thoughts; I have a lot of real lego, and I do buy some clones to supplement my trains - but nothing else. First, there is no current patent or license for the ABS plastic brick of a particular size and if check out youtube there is an excellent video about the history of the plastic brick, and the rubber brick before this, and lego ... is a clone. This means that it comes down to rule of "you get what you pay for with a BUT...". The BUT is the design issue. What you get with lego is a large design element and license to create Maersk/Volvo (etc) product based design. The design element is expensive - but it means the set will look good and work, and when there are mistakes (ie WALL-e) the will fix it and send you the new parts for free. You also get free missing parts, and great service. OK, now down to what I have found with Lego clones (trains). I buy these to add carriages and trucks to my collection and I never mix the bricks - even going so far as buying lego spares parts from bricklink even if I have a (insert clone brand) part that would fix in its place. I have Enlighten, Ausini and Gao-Bo-Le, and in comparison Lego is 10/10 (except colour which 8/10) Ausini : Brick quality 8/10 (technic bits (4/10), Colour (9/10) Clutch (8/10 - bit tight), Consistency (9/10), design (3/10), Bio-hazard (8/10). The problem with this set is that that it would not go round corner track (! honest - fixed bogies), and not a strong design - so significant MOC changes are needed and it is OK and I use it . The technic bits are used for the engine bogies - and they just too far off in tolerance to be used without significant adjustment. Enlighten : Brick quality 8/10 (wheels 6/10), Colour (9/10), clutch (7/10 - quite tight), Consistency (8/10), design (7/10), Bio-hazard (5/10). As noted by someone else - the wheels are a bit off so you need to sand them down - not difficult, and a dry silicone works wonders. Bio-hazard is the main problem with some some occasional unknown bit on it - so I washed the sets - but then I wash second hand lego too. The design is good, and a excellent start for MOC - and a made some real nice green coaches to go with the Emerald knight with snot design (OK - that was lego bits). Goa Bo Le : Brick quality 9.5/10, Colour (8/10), clutch (8.5/10 - little tight), consistency (9.5/10), design (8/10 - some 0/10), Bio-hazard (9/10). This one is very close to Lego and you can see I found it difficult to give 10. I gave 0/10 for 1 of the models as it is a design rip-off exactly. Gao Bo Le has started using snot design on their models, so the look is often good without MOC. So this is probably the best so far. In all cases the track is identical, except colour and a minor design difference for Ausini. These clones are not very cheep, but probably 1/3 to 1/2 of the price, but specifically for me they allow me to by extra bits to add to trains to extend them. So my final comment : they are not Lego ! and this is the gold standard (and I can forgive the falling standard on colour), Lego is always the best. But if you want to extend you collection (train rolling stock, pirate stuff I think is good - and as noted, if you are into military then they are the only option). Never mix clones with Lego (look at the logo on every lego stud, and never, never sell clones as lego - not even one piece - I have had 1 brick in a second hand set).

Most tractors have pendulum suspension on the axis with the least working load - ie the front. Tractors are built for function - adding suspension would reduce the contact force on the lower wheel (uncompressed side), so would result in loss of traction for that wheel. A pendulum suspension means the same load/contact force is on all wheels all the time unless the pendulum reaches its limit.

Just my 2p worth The planetary gears are used in real life because they represent a more robust way of getting torque to the final drive. The amount of torque is a function of the overall gear reduction from the motor and frictional losses. So if you use the same motor and use the same final gear reduction at the wheels - ignoring friction (which will not be much different unless you use a worm) then the torque will be identical. The planetary gears provide a way actually doing the final gear reduction at the wheel hub which means the torque in the drive shaft and final gearing in the diff/gearbox is less. (Ignoring friction - torque will be inversely proportional to the speed of the axle). If we assume that the final drive in the the lego model can support the entire XL motor torque through a single gear (one wheel - if we could lock the diffs) without ripping apart, then this mod - although elegant and true to life, is not required and does not increase torque for a given speed. (only a torque multiplier can do that - and then we into the realm of hydraulic systems). Nice moc though.

Hi, (just joined - but an AFOL for some time) I just thought I would comment on the user of the servo motor for the steering. In this model it is controlled by the 3 position controller (forwards/stop/backwards) so give you full left, full right lock and center; this makes it jerky. I have used the servo motor with the 15 position controller (usually found with lego trains) which gives you 15 steering positions. Attaching a wheel on the controller means the steering shadows the turning of the controller quite well. The problem is that it has some different charteristics with the 15 position controller which I can add if interested. Anyway, using with the 15 position controller would make the model better to control - I have used it on the mark-II crane OK so I am surprised they did not go for this option in the box.