Out of Sight

Many possibilities. Weak defective switching motor, a binding somewhere. I haven't had any problem with mine though. A simple way is to look at step 35 p. 79 in booklet instruction 1. Swap the blue axle pin with friction ridges to a tan colored one (with no friction ridges). This should ease up the load a little.

The only gripe I have for the Unimog is that hideous tire/wheel combo.. That 'street pattern' tread of the 62.4 or 68.8 tires and that ugly star shaped patterned grey wheels must definitely go. The Mog would look better with large knobby off-road tires and black wheels..preferably large diameter but narrow width wheels for that'utility look' associated with these trucks.

On the contrary...I'd heard so many good things about the 8265. It's an evolution to the 8459/8439 front end loader. Does not come with PF, but can be equipped so, the installation is very subtle, that it's almost invisible and very well integrated in its design. Unlike some newer sets which instantly looks ugly once PF-ed..like the 8053 crane. That PF battery box just kills the beautiful lines of the 8053!

Technicfreak, take it easy man.... Anyway back 2 the topic. I understand you don't have enough space to store your Lego set, which lead to storing them in a garage, cold garage. Here's a simple trick which might work! Buy a big airtight storage box, like those giant tupperware just big enough to store your model into. Condition your Lego so it's at room temperature before putting it inside the box. Now you can put it in the garage. It would be good to line the inside of the box with aluminum foil wraps (the cooking type). Aluminum will help isolate outside temperature. Hopefully this will work...I haven't tried it yet..Duh, I live in Indonesia, temps don't get anywhere below 85*F. But I was inspired by the thermo flask concept.

Honestly David, I'm having trouble to pinpoint your issues. And no, a properly built boom assembly and U-joints shouldn't make a 'clicking' sound at all, despite what you'd seen in Youtube. Here's a short vid I made just to show you my 8043's u-joints in action. Both the dipper and bucket were operated simultaneously. I set the sound at max..turn up your volume, see if you can hear a single 'click'. They're very closely spaced but never touch. Ow and that U-joint alignment really works, by hearing the consistant sound of the gear whine, you'll notice I have zero vibrations too..

@richthelegodude The motor itself for driving the LA is very slow..I certainly would love to see a much faster M motor but with equal torque to prevent the clutch from triggering. That being said, I certainly enjoy my stock 8043 and don't really care much about modifying it to extend its playability. It's more of a display model to me. @allanp We all have our preferences, but I've never seen LAs as ugly. Anyway, for my next set, I will accept whatever it comes with (LAs or pneumatics)..as long as they do the job well for that particular set. @milan Yes, I'd thought about that one, but i prefer stick type controller instead of rotating dials.

Around 190gr according to my kitchen scale.

What kind of real car does the A model try to replicate in your opinion, any thought? To me it looks European, a slight hint of Aston Martin V8 Vantage, or Jag XKR especially with that horizontal grill placed lower below the headlight. It would be even better with dark silver color.

Tomorrow I'll be getting the 8265 before it's completely gone. The local Lego store here still have 2 sets left If you decide to remote operate them, the 8043 is cheaper because it comes with the PF as a set instead of buying individual upgrades for the 8265. But I love the fact that the 8265 is physically bigger and more imposing than the 8043 B model..and a wheeled loader would look good with my tracked 8043 to further extend my yellow fleet of earthmovers.

This is a GREAT thread!! I love it. Gives a differing perspective of LAs and pneumatics. I had only recently come back into Technic after a long time, and bought the 8043 as a 'come back', and never regreted it. There are advantages and disadvantages of both systems as many had already explained, but I somehow lean more towards LAs. Just a thought of what the future lies for LAs: The current weakness of LA seem to be its relatively slow speed and power, because the driving power is also slow. I'm hoping that in the future Lego will come up with a new Ultimate Power Functions unit specifically for driving LAs as an optional to the current one which includes: 1.New Upgraded M motors = 3 times the torque but 5 times the speed 2.New IR transmitter and IR receiver with digital proporsional speed control. This way you can control how fast the LA extends/rectracts in relation to how much 'throttle' is applied. So you can either move at a crawl precisions or at ball wrecker speeds With all these combined, LAs should retain their precision but can also operate as fast as pneumatics, which might make them the ultimate actuators.

I prefer silicone oil as well. I used 10w RC shocks silicone oil in my 8043. You can see my demo vid, combined with the new LAs, I lightly lubricate the gear mechanisms too..huge lifting power from just a single M motor. http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=50573 For lubricating the LAs, I put them in an upright position with the shafts fully extended. A drop of light silicone oil will seep through inside the shafts by capillary action, no need to soak them. This will be a lot easier on the updated LAs since they have more side to side play compared with the old ones. For cold weather, I recommend getting the lightest silicone oil, just visit your local RC hobby shops, they have varying shock oil thicknesses to choose from. For the gears i prefer thicker weight such as 60w, it stays better on the gears, but not messy as silicone grease.

@DLuders Yes sir, I'm aware of that poll. It took me 3 months of research before I had the 'guts' to buy the 8043, since it's very expensive, and certainly I didn't want to have a non functional model. But as I'd said in my first post, I want to focus this video on the newer updated sets that people are going to buy. The new updated LAs do wonderful job of alleviating the load on the M motors, and make the set work like it's intended to @all Guys, this video is just to show when the M motors combined with the new LAs are working close to their limits. Under NO circumstances would I recommend 'playing' with your stock 8043 with this kind of strain/weight. The life of the motors and LAs will be severely reduced. My 8043 is never used with any kind of weight or to do any digging. Just a tip that I learned from my experience running R/C cars, when you first buy this set, it's a good idea to 'break in' the motors before actually installing them in the set. RC hobbyists usually refer break-in as running the motors with no load for a few minutes so the brushes will conform better on the armature. This will lessen 'arching', increase the power and prolong the life of the motors. To do break-in, just stack all 4 motors connectors on the PF battery box, turn on the switch and run at least 10 minutes on both directions. This will also smooth out the gear reduction units inside the motors.

with your XL motored 8043 and lipo, you should be able to lift around 4 times the weight. Hmmm I haven't actually weigh that 'little boy' hahaha, I say almost 200gr..but this proves that a stock 8043 has NO trouble lifting this kind of weight at full extension (maximum leverage) let alone lifting just the boom. Cant wait to see your powerlifting vid!

I've heard many bad things about the 8043..some of which is a complete non-sense. While the older kit with the previous LAs seemed troublesome, I find it hilarious when some people (especially on Brickset) mentioned that even with the new updated LAs, they're still having trouble lifting the boom, and seem underpowered. As a proud owner of a 100% stock 8043 (I decided not to alter a single thing in respect of its designer, Mr. 'Goose' ) , I made this very short vid demonstrating the lifting capability of the so-called 'weak' M-motor and giving them a GOOD workout . I bought the newer edition set with updated LAs, powered by Energizer Ni-MH rechargeables. Please see for yourself. The M-motor is clearly strained but never stalled. I doubt if you would need any more lifting capability than this (anything heavier will tilt the excavator or trigger the clutch mechanism inside the LAs). Under normal usage the M motor is fast enough and adequate in my opinion. Thanks for watching!

@davidmull You might have defective joints..try swapping the u-joints. (eg from the base of the LA to the middle and so on). The only thing that the u-joints on my 8043 touch is a slight rub on the grey square beam, but not enough to cause any noise or interference. Operation remains smooth. Check all the pins around the boom assembly..if one or few are not fully inserted or had been slightly pulled apart due to playing etc, they might cause the beams to misalign and cause altered geometry hence the issues. The boom and dipper assembly is rather flimsy when lateral force (side to side) is applied, excessive force can twist the beams and causing the pins to be slightly pulled apart. Better yet, just disassemble the whole boom and arm, and reassemble. I mean this problem occurs just recently right?

WOW mate, you must have a lot of cash to fork out Why not get the 8878 Lipo then? I'm still currently running high discharge rechargeable Ni-MHs, left regular alkalines for dead in terms of performance. I did think about buying the 8878 Lipo...but something's holding me back. I love the way the standard 6 cell PF Battery box look on top of the 8043. It looks like an engine bonnet. In the 8878 you get that ugly square shapes, so you need to cover it up. I'm seriously thinking of hacking the 6 cell battery box and inserting a softcase lipo there, so on the outside it'll look 'stock'. btw David, is there a vid somewhere? I'd love to see how well these AA lithium perform.

@DLuders Thanks for the comparison graphs! But since I spend a lot of time cycling through the functions of my 8043, when I get bored at work (the 8043 is placed intentionally on top of my work desk ), I find 10 full days of constant power delivery from rechargeable batts to my liking, each time I 'fired up' the diesel engine and hydraulics..errr, I mean, PF and LAs . One other advantage I notice from rechargeable batts is, I can get constant speed when lifting the boom while operating other functions. No decrease in speed. Also indicated by the LED lights on the PF battery box which don't dim as each motor is activated. Yes I agree, alkalines are cheaper if your 8043 is parked on the shelf, but for parents with kids havin' a blast with their 8043, rechargeable is wiser in the long run and ensure the their excavator remains 'fun'

Both the 8258 and 8043 are display masterpieces. They both look good on the shelf. Turn on the PF switch and things turn in favor of the 8043. The 100% fully remote operated features on the 8043 in a stock set is just amazing, if you're agile with the remote toggles, the 8043 has that 'high tech robotic movement feel' to it..much like those automated robots at manufacturing plants. all those body panels with the carefully thought PF battery box placement which mimics engine hoods on these diesel monsters make for one of the best lifelike looking Technic to date. I bought the revised set of 8043 in early December, it has updated LA's and other revisions, performs admirably. As one member stated, he bought two because the 8043 is that good. I couldn't agree more. I will buy another 8043 just so I can have both the A and B model at the same time. And yes, I'll be getting 8258 too later.

Alkaline batteries are the worst batteries you can have on high power consumption model such as the 8043 imo. Alkaline batts are 'intially' 1.5 volt, apply big load (high amp draw) and the voltage falls FAST. Ni-MH batts have much better high current handling. I've tried good brands of alkalines, the Ni-MH is way superior in performance, torque, and operating multiple LAs simultaneously. I run Sanyo 2800mah 1.2v rechargeable Ni-mh batts for digital cams which have high C rating on my 8043. You should check this website and see the comparison of alkaline and rechargeable Ni-mh. Check the comparison test result's graph..the Duracell is 'obliterated' under just 0.5A of current draw and see how the voltage plummets way below Ni-MH batteries..I suspect the 8043 M motors can pull 1-3A. For those who think that alkalines have higher voltage and better performance for high current draw applications such as the 8043, might want to reconsider their statement. http://www.greenbatteries.com/batterymyths.html This is why Nimh, Lipo (such as Lego 8878), despite their lower voltage, are SUPERIOR to alkalines because of their higher discharge rate.

That's weird. You mean those near the square grey beams? Those u joints shouldn't contact each other..even though there's only less than 2mm of spacing. Make sure you've inserted each u joints on each axle at maximum depth, this will ensure proper length of the axles assembly.

Thanks Jurgen! Yeah I think I got the idea. I have the newer edition set of 8043,with updated LAs, and I lightly lubricated the gears with silicone oil. I have rechargeable Nimh inside the battery box (7.2V), I can lift the boom (without any aid of rubber band) and operate the dipper just as quick as yours. Is it because you still have the 'old' LA installed on that vid? Do you think I'll be able to operate the boom faster with 7.4 Lipo and updated LAs? Sorry for asking so many questions..I see that this Lego Lipo is VERY expensive, I need to be sure that it has substantial performance worthiness compared to lesser batteries. Oh one more thing since Lipo is not allowed to be fully exhausted, does the 8878 Rechargeable Box have built in low voltage cutoff circuitry? Btw I love how you installed the PF lights..you should make a night operation vid. I'll do so once I installed my PF lights I mean noone has made a nightime vid of their 8043 in action right?

Great! It's nice to see everyone doing their part in making their 8043 a 'smooth operator' I mean this is one of the best and most playable "look, I can do this with no hands" type Technic set, every bit is worth the effort! Combined with the new LAs, everything works like it's supposed to.

Very NICE! These US "Mini-Truckin'" customizations usually have a "bagged suspension", basically an air suspension systems to raise and "slammed" the trucks low, sometimes the frame literally lays on the asphalt with the intentions of driving them and creating sparks on the road!!. Would be even better if Bricksonwheels incorporate a pneumatic system to raise, tilt or dip the truck suspension, and also a PF-ed liftjack mechanism beneath the bed to raise, spin and tilt the bed. These are mostly seen on US custom truck events, refered as "Bed dance" For you guys in Europe not familiar with this custom culture check this vid! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2194F0Agnc&playnext=1&list=PL79BE8057B7A72E82&index=18 The bed dance

I've been thinking of swapping to the 8878 Rechargeable pack. I've also downloaded Jurgen's PDF intructions, but it's still unclear, how do you fix this battery box on the 8043? I want it to be placed firmly in place like the original PF battery box that came with the 8043. Any ideas anyone? A pic would be helpful. I have a stock unmodified 8043.

Hopefully this is allowed. I'm posting the so called confidential pic of the Unimog here... Picture removed by Bonaparte: It's not allowed to post confidential pictures at Eurobricks! I would suggest swapping the beams for the front windshield pillars with yellow flexible axles. They should give the slightly curved shape of this newer Unimog U400. But the rest looks sweet. Looks like a new panel for the hood as well. Would be even better with black wheels (if available) and using the pulley wheels to cover the center so it looks like the actual Unimog's steel wheels. The model itself looks like a pneumatized version of the 8258 looking at the lifting boom, but it comes with a bed, so it serves a more logical purpose (to lift something onto the bed). So will this set come out on the first half of 2011..my wife will be visiting Europe in March...hopefully it's already on the store shelves