kbalage

Or the embargo is way closer this time to the street date and the sets aren't even at the reviewers yet.

For fairness, Speed Champions is a dedicated car theme, while Technic is not (or should not be) exclusively a car theme :)

Careful, we've already seen licensed F1 City sets. Someone will notice this missed opportunity soon...

@Auroralampinen please remove the screenshots from your last post, as they do not provide any additional information. Additionally, these set names do not match previous rumors and were created by a new Bricklink user with no other activity. I am not very familiar with the workflow for submitting new items on Bricklink, but based on a quick check, it appears that anyone can do so and the items will appear as pending approval. I am not sure any of these sets are actually real.

This seems to be a service by Ford to offer factory customization packages. The Mustang section is marked as "coming soon". Google is still your best friend :)

I respect all the design work you have done in the 3D printing space and look forward to seeing what comes next here!

That is an interesting insight, thanks for sharing! I think this is the fundamental difference between having dedicated set and element designer staff and working with freelancers. I hope to see CaDA hire full-time employees for these roles in the future, as that would certainly make the designs more consistent and bring a system-level perspective to the table. If we were talking about sets built strictly from basic System bricks, I would agree with you. However, these designs take advantage of the large Technic part family that LEGO has developed over decades. I know that legally, they can be reproduced or substituted with similar pieces and there's no problem with that, but in my view, real innovation and creativity begin when companies like CaDA strategically expand this part family with pieces that are useful for the community and can be used in ways similar to Technic elements.

First of all, this is a fantastic looking design with interesting features, well done @T Lego! That said, I can’t shake the feeling that it still looks like a LEGO Technic MOC with a few custom parts added here and there. CaDA has made huge improvements over the years in both quality and design, but this feels like the point where they need to take the next step. To really stand out, they need to develop their own distinct part families and technical solutions that go beyond what already exists in the LEGO system, and not just the ones they are forced to make to avoid legal issues. That fence piece for example, has been around since the late ‘60s, there really should be more refined ways by now to recreate those grille details. Of course, this kind of design process requires more effort, investment and closer collaboration with designers, but that’s exactly what could define CaDA as a truly innovative and independent manufacturer, rather than a company making boxed version of LEGO MOCs.

I guess a similar number of people are aware of the alternate builds as those who remember 8110 and still care about LEGO Technic :)

The play feature will be a battery-powered unbalanced motor that will quickly shake things off the set :)

To be honest I don't expect Ornithopter-level complexity here, but yes, I will review the set.

Small correction: it cannot run code using the official LEGO firmware and software. The Control+ hubs are fully capable of doing that with Pybricks. The Powered Up hardware ecosystem shows great potential when you unlock its capabilities with Pybricks, everything works together, and this is truly the missed opportunity on TLG's part. We were promised an app that would control everything, but it never happened, after all these years the app can barely provide even minimal functions. I see TLG introducing great hardware from time to time, but failing to build a coherent system, which is kind of ironic considering the company's history with the original brick and its "universal compatibility". They divide effort between teams focused on their own themes, develop different software solutions that use the same hardware, and invest far less in software and documentation in general than they should. The mentioned Smart Brick would also have huge potential, but I am afraid we will never see it properly used.

In short: TLG is aiming for maximum profit and to attract as many new customers as possible, and based on their statistics for Technic that means licensed cars. Robots are a niche market, and considering that they just cancelled their entire robotics education line, it is unlikely to happen.

You really don't think designers are the ones deciding which Technic sets are released, do you? :)

We cannot deny that branded cars probably sell the best. However, TLG could afford to maintain a healthier balance and offer more Technic-like Technic sets, rather than just a flood of cars, a few smaller sets in the "other" category, and the yearly large, expensive construction set that they also market as a display piece. This is similar to the decline of Powered Up. Once they changed Power Functions and made it less intuitive to use, with a companion app that felt like a guessing game, fewer people bought standalone parts, and sales of motorized sets likely declined as well. This probably became proof for them that overall interest in motorization had dropped, so they scaled down the lineup. As you said, cause and effect...

Don't worry, I'm sure everyone is busy designing 50 cars for the 50th anniversary :)

The P1 was released in August, moved from the May schedule of the previous sets. Initial details did not appear until June back then, so there is still plenty of time.

It will make my job easier, I pre-record a segment with the internals, and only have to comment on the shell :)

Not today, sorry. January reviews will continue this weekend.

You had the first January Technic set review 2 days ago ;)

No, it is not just you.

The Powered Up "article" smells like AI-boosted speculation without any particular details.

I don't think Technic sells because of the Technic tag on the box, they sell because of the content, which is almost always a licensed vehicle :)The solution I proposed in the video was definitely ironic, I do not think LEGO would actually bring back Racers. However, splitting the "licensed display models made mostly out of Technic elements" into a separate theme would help keep the Technic spirit alive. We could get half or even fewer sets per year labeled as Technic, but these sets could really prioritize function over appearance.

Not all Technic sets have 3D instructions in the app, 42177 is one of them. I'm not sure why, but some larger builds only have PDF instructions, while others also get the 3D version. This is valid since 2023, before that only a few smaller sets got the 3D treatment.

Thank you folks, really appreciated! :)