suffocation

This above all else I tried a similar setup, where the friction was further exacerbated by the subtractor unit and the worm gears. So while in theory there should have been a 3:1 difference between high and low gear, the actual difference was barely noticeable and became non-existent with the added weight of the superstructure.

Simply awesome, both technically and aesthetically.

First off, thanks for starting the thread and doing all the maths Compared to 42099, 42100 is almost sure to be chea... uh, less extortionate in terms of price per gram: less than twice the price more than twice as many motors more than four times as many parts Not sure how much the weight of 42099's four Xerion tyres is going to shift things one way or the other.

Still not working

Probably part of a ratchet for the winch.

Definitely. Five motorised functions and one manual function - doesn't take much space to cram that in. Obviously 42082 needed to be that size to be a flagship, so no turd-tossing at TLG here. Anyway, the idea of scaling it down sounds like a fun challenge.

Really looking forward to secreting a Bilious Maximus moc.

The colour reminds me of a piss-poor broccoli soup from Kitchen Nightmares.

From farcebook:

Most Afols are wankers. Most Afols think they're so clever because they collect hundreds of sets & minifigs and share hundreds of pics that reek of "omg look at how rich I am, I just spent my children's college fund and inheritance on Lego but at least I've enlarged my e-penis" but couldn't piece two bricks together without detailed instructions.

Yep, it's more complex (not complicated) than what was done with 42054, and it can be done as proven in the video. A four-axle crane with this kind of motorised dual steering, even scaled to Unimog tyres, is definitely feasible within TLG standards: the carrier would be, size-wise, pretty much the same as 42082 (four axles versus two but completely different spacing) whereas the superstructure would be a dozen or so studs longer. Depending on the model's level of motorisation you'd land anywhere between 4 and 5 kg, which with the proper design can be steered by an M motor geared down 1:9, as I discovered with test runs on this setup (up to around half a kg of ballast was added during tests):

Another change of livery. Gotta love small builds - so easy to tear down and mod back up.

A full-RC tow truck would have at least a dozen motorised functions. Make it off-road with locking diffs and you're up to at least 14.

I wasn't suggesting a set that size, I was suggesting a set with that kind of dual steering

Let me rephrase that - 8880 made the best of what was available, including the parts tailor-made for the set. 42056 and 42083 don't: all the parts designed for the cars' respective gearboxes are used in ways that cause a) a shitload of friction b) a double shitload of backlash c) occasional double shifting. So it's complexity for complexity's sake, which isn't complexity but complication and sloppiness. None of that codswallop is found in 8880. As for the aesthetics, that's subjective. The points I've made above are objective, i.e. not subject to personal bias.

I think you're missing a major point here: 8880 pushed the limits with what was available back then. 42056/42083 don't. That, to me, is what makes 8880 inspiring, aside from the fact that yes, the features do indeed work and not in some half-arsed way like 42056/42083.

How about a crane that implements this type of dual steering mechanism (standard/crab)? I still can't quite figure out how it works, by the way, so any explanations are welcome.

The superstructure on a 6x6 crane with Unimog tyres would be something like this in terms of scale, I think. No issues whatsoever.

Lucio's latest tow truck kinda goes in that direction and it seems to work pretty well, so why not?

Ha, good point I'd say 8880 is the best of the studded era and 42043 of the studless era because they pushed the limits with the available parts while staying within TLG's sad but inescapable marketing parameters. And they're the only two sets I keep built, along with 42042 which got me back into Lego.

On a less clownish note, wouldn't it be nice if, instead of churning out morbidly faecal B models, they recycled that brilliant idea from, I believe, the Eighties, when they released booklets combining different models? I'm pretty sure the peeps at TLG could conjure up some pretty swell stuff mixing the parts from, e.g., 42097, 42098 & 42099. From TLG's point of view, it'd be more work but it would likely also drive up the sales of the models from each wave, kinda like they did a few years back with the 40th anniversary replica of 8860.

Well, they turned ABS into taurus guano, so you have to admire their chemistry skills.

Blackbird's axiom always holds true, were it only for what the designers accomplished with the limited parts available back then. And let's not forget that in terms of technical features, the latest supercars are still lagging behind 8880.

I think he's referring to official Technic cars, which - given also the amount of hype, especially for 42056 and 42083 - are as disappointing as a turd in a Snickers wrapper.