nerdsforprez

Oh dear.... when I watched the video.. at the first when the camera is spiraling, I felt much like your crawler.... like I was about to fall over. : ) Nice build and a nice video. Fun to watch. I never have the patience to do awesome videos or the amount of photo shooting Sariel does. Nice to see building and sharing merging perfectly together in sweet harmony. Many great builders our there..... but I think Sariel is one of the best at building AND sharing it with the world in a fun and entertaining way.....

Good post.

I am not sure if this was done on purpose or not....or if others notice how detail-oriented this build is...but notice the two white ducks crossing the river. They both have different elements that make up the wings at their side. One (the one that just crossed the brook) whose wings look right close to its side and the others (one that is crossing the brook, in the water) whose wings are fanned out. This is just like it would be in real life. A duck in the water often flaps its wings to speed up the process or avoid getting wet. Again, not sure if this was done on purpose or not but if it was.........genious.

Why would you exclude the pins? They may seem mundane and over-used... but think about it, Technic models would not be possible without the pins. To me, to forget the pins or to criticize their use or frequent use (like many did with the 42009) is like excluding LEGO sets with lots of a certain type of brick. You can't exclude frequently used elements just because you think they are overused.... think about what the Statue of Liberty (3450) set would be like without the 2x2 corner bricks, or the London Bridge without the cheese wedges. Pins, just like bricks, are elements too... and they are definitely Technic! :)

I am ready for Christmas with my UCS Tumbler set. I looked at the piece chart and notice there are quite a few Technic elements. This made me think... if there are more Technic parts than regular LEGO parts, can we appropriately call this a Technic set? Much to my dismay... not even close. Using bricklink as a guide (yes, I know there are flaws with this categorization, but it is a start), I counted 443 Technic elements, not even a quarter of the Tumbly's overall piece count. But... more "Technic" that I thought... and it got me thinking. Are there any sets out there, that are not technically Technic (see what I did there?) but in reality perhaps should be according to piece count? I know a lot of the SW UCS sets have tons of Technic elements, but b/c of the overall piece count of plates etc do not qualify (i.e. have more Technic elements than regular LEGO). The old "model team" sets have lots of Technic - any one know if any of those sets apply?

Small, compact, and functional. Wonderfully done!

Perhaps a little more complex of a response than some are looking for... but.... element availability is an obvious response. Simply put; there are alot of black Technic elements out there. Now, one can spend copius amounts of time trying to buy and gather lots of other colors... but, this is (1) expensive, and (2) time consuming. I will venture and say that ... although there certainly are many who love a good, aesthetically pleasing model...... functionality is really important too. And to create something with good functions.... it takes a lot of time. Many probably prefer spending the time that they do have to build, to actually building, as opposed to looking and buying LEGO elements.

When you say "last still available" -- what exactly do you mean? 8110 has been EOL for a while now. Plenty are available through the secondary market, but if you meant through the primary market I would be interested where you got it from....

So, I hate divulging this, because it opens me up to sooooo many jokes :) but here it goes. I am a licensed psychologist. I don't practice social psychology much, I am more neuro and medically oriented, but know a little about this stuff..... Market research shows a BIG lull in toy sales after christmas.... right? Big deal -- common sense. However, several years ago some big toy manufacturors got together (LEGO being one of them) and hired some psychologists to solve the problem. Here is what the psychologists came up with: Kids expectations are astronomical of what they want right before the holidays.... right? If they don't get what they want then they are really disappointed.... on christmas morning or what ever the family is celebrating... Well..psychologists have discovered that parent's expectations of PLEASING their kids are just as high. Parents don't care as much about getting, they care more about giving.... at least as far as their children are concerned. Sooooo... the psychs (I'm going to call them....er....'us' that) came up with the ingenious plan to limit some of the best toys during the holidays, as well as releasing sets just after the holidays... for this simple reason. Kids get really upset when they don't get everything they want..... parents get REALLY upset when they cannot provide everything for their kids. So parents are REALLY vulnerable just after the holidays, because sometimes their kids don't get everything they want. Well... if the kids don't get the latest and greatest for christmas, and the stores are saying they are all sold out, what is the best way for companies to heal the kids' wounds? COme out with the next latest and greatest thing...AFTER the holidays and replace that hope or dream in the kids heads with that next greatest thing. Now, it may seem that parent's are least likely to buy some expensive new thing right after the holidays b/c they just spent a bazillion dollars.. right? Wrong... remember, parents, if they have not filled their kids every whim, market research shows they are actually really vulnerable. They will buy anything for their kids ---- because their defenses are down. This is why some companies.... LEGO being one of them, will release new sets AFTER the holidays.... especially if there is a good chance of things before the holidays getting sold out. Which, as we all know, TLG is very prone to ...... Well.. research shows that this works. you may or may not agree with it.... but it works....It has helped many many toy companies survive after-christmas' lull in sales.... btw.... just realized I am now a "citizen" -- hope the comment was worth it :)

I wouldn't base my decision simply on the fact that there is only one motor.... and then state that you cannot justify the cost. Simply put, if you and your son are into Technics and PF motors, etc., then break out the check book or credit card etc. They are expensive. The last set with lots of motors, the Volvo loader, has many fewer pieces, more motors, but the cost well-exceeds the crane. The set before that with lots of motors, but not even half the piece count, was 9398, the rock crawler. MRSP = 200. Not the price of 42009, but close, with again, like I said, not even half the pieces. Also, you have to consider other pieces as well. Actuators can take up a third of the cost of a M PF motor, and 42009 has four of them. L linear actuators can cost as much as M motors, again, adding to the value of the set. For what it is worth, I love the set. But more for the oppertunity of modding and creating something bigger, not just for building the set.

Ditto to what everyone else has already said. My question is.... what took longer... the build or making the video and taking pics :)

Wonderful.... and....in line with a recent post that lamented the lack of Technic MOCs with no wheels.. this submission is great!

Personally, I don't like juggling multiple books. Perhaps that reflects some organizational limitations of mine or something :) anyways, if I can limit the things that I have to juggle.... then I am all for it. I like the single book instructions......

This is one reason why I am not a LEGO purist. I try to always use genuine LEGO parts. However, sometimes it is fun to modify sets or parts to create something better. It is the exact epiphany of creating! I am not just a LEGO builder.... but a builder period! LEGO seems to be the best avenue right now to express this desire... but when something better comes along, I do not restrict myself from using it. With that I say.... Go Efferman!

With the release of the new SW Movie trailer this past week, I am wondering if anyone thinks, for better or worse, that the new release of the seventh episode will have on LEGO SW models. I think that it will positively affect old UCS sets. Especially the Falcon, as long as new verions or remakes do not come out. BTW..... earlier this year there was rumored a new remake of the UCS Falcon- has anyone heard anything about this? I seriously would not doubt it if TLG had something up their sleeve that they release a new UCS Falcon near the date the movie is released in 2015. Thoughts? Anyone have the inside scoop?

The more I look at this car, I think my main problem is the lack of curves the car is supposed to have. I know that Technic is difficult to build curves with, but I think the new panels used for the wheel wells could have easily been replaced with flex cables (which we are all dying to have more of anyways). everyone thinks the new panels are assets, but at least how they are used in this model, I don't think they work well at all. In addition, although Sariel's recent video seems to portray the size of the car as an asset, I think, once again the size is distracting. It is not supposed to be a huge car. For how long it is, with as few of parts that were used, there are actually lost of gaps in it. I would have appreciateda more compact, shorter car; like in the photo above.

Wonderful reviews. Thank yo so much. However, man... is it just me or is there a lack of aesthetic quality to the 2015 sets? I don't like the look to 42039 at all, and the color scheme to 42036 is distasteful. Needless to say, not real excited for the 2015 line.

Lubricating is necessary for pneumatic engine running at high RPMs. other than that not really necessary.

I am interested in what people think about the change. Personally, I like it.

Watching videos is one thing my friend. Physics and data are quite another :) More horsepower, wider tires and a lower center of gravity. Whomever has those..... is going to win. And the 'mog could not pull that landrover out of the snow like is done in some of the videos for this machine. I love the 'mog too friend, but I think this machine adds something new.

This is where MOCers come in handy. TLG is bound by the pressure to generate revenue. Which is fine, because it generates all the pieces that are needed to create this whole community that we have. We often pooh-pooh TLG for not being more creative, and although I second that I also reconize that without market forces, the business-side of Lego, we would not have the billions and billions of pieces that we now have to support Lego-addics like ourselves.

hmmm.... I am no pro but kinda disagree. The balloon tires give it more surface area. 'Mogs have relatively narrow tires and are known to sink b/c of them. Also, the center of gravity of this beast is lower. Although 'mogs are torque beasts, they can also flip at extremely high inclines, especially if on an angle.

8288 was before my Technic rebirth, but based on Bricklink prices, and from what I have heard from public opinion, it was a smashing hit. It is the only crawler crane that Lego has released and brickshelf, MOCpages and other file sharing sites are riddled with larger renditions of crawler cranes. Therefore, I am thinking that a new, larger crawler crane might be a hit, and a possible idea for Lego Ideas. A larger version of 8288 would be easy enough, and perhaps if it served as a flagship could be 1500-2500 pieces. If it even excluded PF, which may be a large drawback for some (but appealing to others b/c they could then add their own) for a flagship price (200-250 USD) I could even see a crane at around 3000 pieces. It would not need really any new parts, and would supply builders TONS of valuable 15L liftarms. Even if no PF are added, cranes are valuable resources for physics and engineering education. I think given the ease at which the model could be created, TLG might be interested in the idea if there were sufficient interest. What do people think? Is there interest in a larger 8288 (larger and different as well)? Do you think this idea would fly if submitted to Lego Ideas? p.s. I have not the time to build such a model right now.... if anyone wants to run with this idea they are more than welcome to.

Yes but isn't TLG learning anything with CUUSOO models? I think people are willing to think outside the box more than TLG is aware of. Contrary to their brand, they seem to pigeonhole people's interests. The latest Lego Ideas models were vastly underproduced. For Technic fans, they have to know that there is a whole legion of adult builders willing to buy new, novel, exciting sets. Not the same old thing. They have made many street bikes but no choppers (as an A model)

Buggy MOtors! This all occurred before my re-introduction to LEGO and so i missed out on owning them. I know I can still buy them but they are crazy expensive.