chaosof99

Do we have any dates for them?

Sweet mother of Zeus, this is amazing. I would love it if you were to put this on Cuusoo and this were to be made into a set. Sorry for dragging this thread back up, but I came here from the pic in the signature and just couldn't not post. This is some amazing work right there and some great motives you've chosen.

This is one of my favorite Technic sets. It just has so many functions and playability in such a compact frame that it is a pure joy to play with and build. I also really like the bucket-tilting mechanism, how it's hidden as the exhaust pipe of the engine, and the little pedal in the drivers cabin it moves.

Thanks for the tips. And yes, I already knew about Blakbird's Technicopedia. Love that site. Is there any good way to determine how to spread out the lines on the body of the model, or is this more a trial-and-error sort of thing for an amateur like me?

Not sure if this is the best forum to talk about this, but since the more technically inclined people dwell here it should be good enough. I rather like Airplane models by TLC, and they've granted me a wish so to speak by releasing another Technic Airplane model after quite a while. Now I've got a decent number of Technic and Creator airplane models: 8425 Black Hawk, 6745 Propeller Power, 8222 VTOL, 8836 Sky Ranger, 5892 Sonic Boom, and of course the new 9394 Jet Plane. I also plan on obtaining an 8855 Prop Plane some time in the future. As you can tell, I quite like my Airplane Models. The only problem is that due to wing span and such, these models take up a rather large amount of space somewhat inefficiently. I would like to store/display them more efficiently. One thought that came to mind was hanging them from the ceiling. Kind of a classic in air plane displays. I got a wood panel ceiling and I think I can display a couple of the planes by putting some hook screws in them and using fishing line to suspend the planes from them. However, I'm not quite sure how to go about that. Some tips would be appreciated. I've also heard that dental floss could be used as a substitute for fishing line as it is also rather hard to tear, but I'm not quite sure whether or not there is some truth to that.

Something I noticed earlier but forgot to include in my previous post: For the very first time there are Technic sets which are numbered with a number larger than 8880. I think they used to attempt and preserve that number as the limit for a while, but I guess the limited space in the set numbers made that impossible now. That is actually a pretty good observation. I wonder if they gunned for this.

Damn, this is a nice line-up for early next year. I actually want to buy every set except the quad bike. My wallet's already weeping. I'm particularly surprised about the log loader. On a first look the front is almost identical to the 8285 Tow Truck, which happens to be my favorite Technic set of all time. It is however actually a bit smaller. Should still be good though.

TechnicBRICKS posted the Snowplough parts list created by one of their readers called Ryan. Ask and ye shall receive, I guess, but I'm sure I'm not the only one who asked :)

Does anybody have a parts list for the snowplow only?

I got this model today and though I was already anticipating it from seeing it first, having it in my hands is even better than I thought. The main model has a lot of functions that are intricately built together in a great design. It reminds me a lot of the 8069 as a great beginners set with much functionality in a small space. Plus the white panels and white liftarms which are quite rare as far as I can tell. Th only other Technic set in recent history I can think of that has white as a primary color is the 8262 Quad Bike.

Sorry that this is late for the OP personally, but I guess this is the best spot to put it. I was at my local Toys R Us and saw that they are having a sale with 20% off all Lego products (excluding Star Wars and books) on a purchase of 30 € or more. Probably in anticipation of the new models coming in in order to clear shelf space. I dunno how many stores are actually in on that, because two days before I was in another TRU in a different town, and there was no such sale announced (though they already had the new models in store, which is where my bought my Unimog). So perhaps, if you're lucky, you can get an 8043 for about 135 € at the moment. The set is already worth every penny at full price, but not even casual Technic builders should be able to resist such a deal.

Somewhat related, maybe you could take the design of the snowblower and perhaps turn it into the head of a combine harvester? Would also make good use of the length. In fact, that's what I thought it was before reading the thread. "Why does a Unimog got a combine harvester head on it?" :)

That looks great, but I agree that it should be a bit bigger. Also, shouldn't the "smooth" surface of the panel be on the inside looking at the spiral?

Corrected in the body of my post. Unfortunately can't do it in the title.

I recently got my 8258 Crane Truck and after building it, I'm more impressed than I thought I would be. My usual pattern of selecting sets is reading the instruction manual off of the Lego home page. The 8258 was one of the first I read when I came out of the dark ages and while I recognized it being a complex and huge set, I wasn't terribly excited or eager to get it. Partially that was also because it was out of my price range at the time. I got my 8285 a couple of months earlier off e-bay, though unfortunately incomplete. I restored it to near completion since, but I was excited about the set from the moment I came to know it even existed and still very much am, because I really like such big tow trucks. Now that I have both, and the comparison between the two is rather easy to make. Both have the same number of pieces (1877) and rather similar features, though for different purposes. Both have a limited extensible crane arm with a winch and a metal hook. Both have differentials leading into fake motors that are under pieces which can be lifted and angled outward. Both have outriggers. They are of almost identical length (the car lift of the 8285 not withstanding). And simply, both are trucks. Now, the key difference between the two beside the purposes of the model, one being a tow truck for vehicles and the other being a lift truck for heavy equipment or cargo, is that the 8258 is motorized while the 8285 is not and uses manual input for all functions instead. Though the 8285 also has a small air piston to deploy the car lift, and a pneumatic function for raising and lowering the car lift. In my personal opinion, I like the 8285 more, due to the design and diversity of functions, though the 8258 has very thoroughly and well implemented functions as well, in particular the folding crane arm. My question however is, which do you guys prefer, are they equal in your opinion, or are you entirely indifferent about both?

Indeed. Another set that comes to mind here is the 10178 Motorised Walking AT-AT.

I am the proud owner of an 8425 Black Hawk, one of my favorite sets before I went into my dark ages. I originally intended to do a review for it, but due to my lack of photography skills, this will unfortunately not happen, though I think the model is a worthy subject for it. When I do a review, I try to construct and review both the A- and B-Model for the set, and the 8425 is somewhat peculiar in that regard. The A-Model is a plane and the B-Model is a boat. It doesn't require a scientific degree to notice that automobiles and other land-based vehicles, usually with construction implements, absolutely and completely dominate the landscape in Lego Technic. There is the occasional helicopter to mix it up, but there hasn't been a Lego Technic plane since 2004's 8434 Aircraft. The last planes before that were the 8222 VTOL in 1997, and the 8425 in 1996. Boats are even rarer. The last boat is the 8246 Hydro Racer in 1999 after the submarine 8250 Search Sub in 1997. While perhaps planes and boats are a bit of a difficult subject matter and don't necessarily provide as much playability as the n-th version of a front-end loader, I don't think there should be such an exclusion of the two vehicle types. There can be very nice functionality in these, as the 8425 quite well demonstrates with retractable landing gear with aligned flaps, a rudder, and of course two synced propeller motors. Though of course, most modern planes have jet engines, which are rather hard to model or mimic their function in Technic in any meaningful way. Another reason I can think of for why there are so few plane models is TLC's aversion to military models, with a lot of interesting aircraft being for combat purposes. TLG of course has the official policy to abstain from producing realistic militaristic toys (which is somewhat in question though). The same reason could probably apply for why there hasn't been another submarine. The problem with boats I can see is primarily the lack of functionality, since they are rarely more than a mode of transportation on the seas. Why that is such a problem though, considering that a lot of models such as the 8066 Off-Roader, 8081 Extreme Cruiser, or 8048 Buggy are also little more than a mode of transportation either. Well, to make it short, I would like for TLC to produce at least a boat or a plane once in a while. How about you?

Very excited for the set. Can't wait to have it in my hands. Well, at least I'll get my 8258 Crane Truck on Tuesday to bridge the time :) You are surprised about that? It is a very complex set that can be broken up into very distinct parts (chassis, driver's cab, crane-arm and bucket). 8043 didn't have numbered bags, but I know that for example Modular Houses do, and modular houses are also very large sets (over 2000 parts) and can be broken in very distinct sections. 8053 Mobile Crane is also a Technic set with numbered bags, because you build the crane part and the car part separately. Also, in this picture you can clearly see the red pins which attach the driver's cab to the chassis, next to the yellow pinwheels for the steering. You can also see how the crane and bucket on the back are not on it, but with a few pins (far left edge of the photo, and right to the left of the pinwheels) where the bucket can be placed:

As coincidence has it, I actually got the same model in the mail the same day. It was one of the first I wanted when I started to get back into Lego, but it was too expensive for my taste at the time. Now that I have it, I'm very happy with it. A great model, with an interesting steering mechanism and some great parts including three linear actuators and two differentials. It's a good choice for someone starting out.

Right. I guess I was confused because I bought them in an 8-pack at the time.

I'd recommend the 8069 Backhoe loader for a returnee to the hobby. It is an excellent set for a good price and has a ton of functionality and a good introduction to the studless construction which you are probably not used to with your absence. It is definitely a good idea to start on a smaller set than big one because you will get a taste for it without a big investment in either time or money. If you really do have the money and want to go all out, I'd take the Excavator, though don't forget you'll also have to buy batteries for it (6 AA and 8 AAA).

I'll definitely get the Unimog, and probably the Cherry Picker since it is really interesting to me and the white pieces are kinda rare. I may get the Flatbed Truck some time later if I'm kind of bored, though I have much bigger sets to save up for both Technic and non-technic (Modular Houses, and I want to get the Imperial Flagship and the Black Pearl in the fall). The Extreme Cruiser is already out here, but I'm not interested in it at all.

I bought it for 73€ off of eBay, but didn't quite correctly look at its condition. Already sunk another 25€ in additional parts into it, but that includes shipping from Quebec to austria (the only seller on Bricklink that had a majority of the parts was from Quebec), and the most expensive part I had to order was the metal hook. I still love the set though, and the only pieces I'm still missing are four round metallic silver round pin joiners for the exhaust pipes, and two light bluish grey 3x2 blocks with curved top for the tanks on the front. Unfortunately, the pin joiners are quite rare, appearing only in two sets (this one, and the Enzo Ferrari) and currently offered by only 3 sellers on Bricklink.

Can't you mailorder it from an online retailer outside your country? Is the lego online shop having the same expensive prices for you as the Norwegian stores? How come? I mean it's the first time a set comes with a compressor in 18 years, only the second time this has ever happened, and the modular building capabilities of multiple function take-offs on either end of the main vehicle should make for some fun MOCs for simply creating "add-ons" to it, if you are so inclined.

So it is officially the biggest Lego Technic set produced so far. Color me excited. Can't wait to carry this baby home.