kbalage

The book is English only. The manual of the set has text in English and German.

So why would customer service "play dumb" by sharing the correct information? I'm sure they won't give you an exact explanation about the reasons, but they wouldn't know that anyway.

I don't get it, so will it be available in your region or not?

Yes I can confirm, there are no blue halfpins in the set. The part list can be seen at the beginning of my second video btw. As for the color inconsistency, I've seen some slight variations in the blue items, but not in the red ones. I did not really observe pieces from this perspective, so you need to give me some examples of visible / distracting molding lines to look for :) One thing I noticed is the blue beam on the seat with the Ferrari print that acts as a headrest, the injection point is on the back on one of them, but it's on the front right next to the logo on the other, and it is quite annoying.

It does, unreleased items are always at the end of the list, you have to go to page 3. It's the same in all shops, both the set and the book can be found after the currently available sets on page 2/3 of the Technic listings. This is not an official statement from LEGO, but I got this comment on one of my Facebook posts (you might want to validate this with Customer Service again):

Are you sure? :) https://www.lego.com/en-fi/product/ferrari-daytona-sp3-42143

Well, I could write "1" or "5001" on it so yeah, it can be made extra rare And to answer your question, no we are not allowed to sell review samples. Btw I would buy the book if I didn't receive it for review, it has tons of interesting background information, dozens of informative images and so on. I love to know more about the development process, I really enjoyed building the Bugatti back those days when they released a podcast series with interviews and lots of interesting stuff, actually missed something similar for the Lamborghini. I really wish this book was part of the package, it's a shame that it is a limited edition.

Zero, as we got unnumbered samples.

LBG and DBG are actually pretty difficult to distinguish for casual builders, I've seen them being mismatched very frequently.

You can use 2 PU remotes, it's LEGO so you even have connection points to attach them to each other ;) If you want to simply control those motors with an Xbox controller then there's Brickcontroller 2. Otherwise I really suggest Pybricks, that might be the most versatile solution. Btw Mindstorms / Spike Prime now also have the ability to use Xbox/PS4 controllers. It will only work with the 6 port hub, but it works. None of these might the the exact solution you wanted to see, but I think there are enough options to choose from :)

Updated the first post with the 2nd part of the video and the summary

I don't think the "designers believe it" only. Having different colors to identify the different parts and sections of the build actually helps, it is not rocket science to understand why. I know some hardcore AFOLs don't want to accept that, but TLG produces sets for the the average consumers. I've built sets from other brands designed by AFOLs with a monochromatic interior, and it wasn't a pleasant experience. I also asked casual builders to test it and they simply hated it.

Here is my detailed building review of the 42143 set. I tried to show all details of the build, and I did not have much time for it so I had to split my review to more videos. Second part is still work in progress, that will show all the features, part list, exterior/interior, dimensions, comparison to other 1:8 sets. I'm still working on it so if you have anything you want me to add then let me know in the topic. Here's the first video: And here is the second part of the review with the part list, exterior and interior details, demonstration of the features (that's a quick one), a recap of the errors and some others listed, comparison to the other 3 1:8 Technic supercars and my verdict about the set: Key findings Gearbox is practically a 1:1 copy of the Sián, but due to an error in the manual the gear sequence is incorrect new rims/tires, slightly larger diameter than on the Sián new #40 wheel arches new #62 and #63 panel fairings new heavy duty gears for the latest differential housing new red heavy duty shocks (similar to the ones in the BMW), I think only the color is different Funny error - 2 small #21 / #22 panel fairings are "forgotten" in the instructions, hence you can see 2 exposed red axles at the rear bottom of the set on all official photos. The panels are supposed to go there as the outer fins of the rear diffuser as they are visible on some of the development photos in the press package door opening mechanism can only be operated from the engine bay engine cover does not stay up when we try to operate the doors limited edition (5000 copies) book will be sold separately about the car and the design process

Yep, that's pretty much what I think. If you aim for more realism at one point, then the whole build should be coherent. I remember someone made a custom hood for the Lamborghini. Was it way more accurate then TLG's solution? Sure! Did it look weird and out of place? Yes, I think it did.

As the job description mentions leading embedded sw/fw engineers, this Play OS should be the running on the hardware, so it is not the "user facing" application. It would definitely make sense to run a single scalable firmware on the different hubs, today the need to flash different firmware versions for Mindstorms and Spike Prime that use identical hardware makes things very complicated. But this should also allow the front end to be flexible, allowing to build a real coders' interface like Mindstorms / Spike Prime, but meanwhile also having an easy to use and intuitive configuration interface that does require zero programming. Powered Up is still very much coding-focused, average customers would only need something like the old BuWizz interface was, mimicking a simple Power Functions assembly. Something like: Motor A -> Hub 1 port A, property "drive". Motor B -> Hub 1 port B, property "steering". And after that the ability to configure it on a deeper level, if required. And physical controllers like, buttons, levers, remotes that can be configured and the configuration saved on the hub to run without the need of app connection. Oh well, one can dream....

Great, another LEGO software solution, there was clearly one more missing! Honestly if they are looking for a leader for "setting strategic direction for play OS platform" then they don't have much at the moment. For me this means this might be the next unified platform after Powered Up, but I wouldn't expect anything production ready within ~5 years, which might be the EOL of Powered Up anyway based on the lifespan of Power Functions. I really hope the development will not be solely controlled by coders, it'd be great to ask average LEGO customers this time about their play concept as well that might not rely 100% on smart devices. Powered Up unfortunately seems to be in hibernation since 2020. With the release of the new trains we can expect at least a control profile update in June, but I'm not sure when any of the promised feature updates will arrive. Actually it'd be great to see a more or less finished solution with proper documentation before adding anything to it.

There's no official communication about any of the 2HY sets at this point so I don't find it strange at all. Last year the Zetros and the Tow truck were officially revealed on July 2nd, and the CAT was only revealed at the end of August.

So what will be the fate of that precious accessory of yours if the set itself is not limited but that mysterious "slipcase" is limited?

I don't think any shops have the updated version at this point, TLG does not even have the new stickers in the warehouse.

I don't think Technic as a theme has a specific direction, it evolves according to the sales figures and what is TLG's perception about the customers' needs. Since they see the figures and want to maximize profit, apparently what we see today sells the best. That explains the high amount of cars and licenses and the whole 18+ category with the "big and dumb" sets. TLG also tries to expand its customer base towards adults by using old themes and categories, and meanwhile they don't want to increase the number of sets released per year in the theme significantly. This means we get less traditional Technic sets and more of the things that might look impressive for casual/adult builders but have less functions. There are other tendencies that are probably not related directly to sales, like the shift of B models to the smaller sets. But that should also be based on stats, since TLG moved the B model instructions to their digital platform, it gives them a perfect a simple "B model instructions downloaded per sets sold" ratio that shows the interest. Apparently there was not enough interest. But this can also be affected by the huge amount of alternate models available nowadays on different other platforms. Btw I don't think that MOCs in general should be treated as a homogeneous category, there are some very high quality and impressive creations, but also tons of flashy and highly promoted builds that don't meet the average quality standards of a LEGO set from a build or instructions perspective. And then there are trends that TLG would like to follow, like smart toys and AR. I think this is where they are the weakest, and not only in Technic. TLG still does not seem to understand the effort and investment required for a properly delivered software solution, that's the reason why Powered Up is still hanging in the air 3 years after its debut. But meanwhile customers don't seem to complain enough to get a proper solution, most should be fine with the limited walled garden of Control+ offerings, that's also a trend that AFOLs might not like. AR could be fun as a creative addition to building and enhancing physical elements or being used as an informative addition, but it makes no sense as stupid virtual games in a virtual environment where your physical build is simply an avatar and nothing more. So I don't think the fun has gone, there are less sets that please AFOLs that's all. And/or we are getting older and grumpier

I think it's a great idea. Although the topics are more TECHNICal there (sorry), a little more exposure really wouldn't hurt for them. As I see placing the whole Mindstorms / Powered Up ecosystem on the big LEGO hobby map is also challenging for the fans, not only for TLG There are fragments in Technic, then we have the coders coming from the old Mindstorms era, then the train guys with some folks from City/Town... it's all around the place

42140 offers a better play experience I think, I would go with that.

I don't think I'm a professional, maybe I did more reviews than others. But I also do make mistakes and I don't recognize them all before posting, we are human after all. I simply found your condescending tone unnecessary, and tried to point out that the whole exercise might be more complex than you think for the first sight and errors might slip through easily.

We need a "done" button :)

Besides the obvious fact that none of us is infallible, I suggest to try building a set while you are recording it and trying to make it look good on camera, and possibly taking notes about the build the same time, and so on.