Bublehead

Since we want to talk markets... the reason the knock offs are so prolific is not that the market for their product is that large outside China, but that the Chinese market for Lego-like sets is larger than most the rest of the world combined, excepting maybe Germany, where Technic flourishes. The lack of IP protection in China made it a no-brainer to continue to sell in China, so it became a game of whack-a-mole... every time they shut down one knock off, anther would pop up in its place. It’s also the reason Lego built factories in China, the market demand required it, but their high cost was what led to all the cheaper knock offs rising up in their shadow in the first place. Especially since development costs were nonexistent since they just ripped off official TLG sets. But I think the biggest thing TLG could do to take some wind out of the sails and sales of the knock offs is re-releasing retired sets. Who is going to pay collector prices for old sets (or a cheaper knockoff) if TLG is re-release them? They are sort of doing it by releasing updated versions of older sets (think Star Wars UCS) but that is only a handful of the cherries that the knockoffs have to choose from.

Did you miss the part about “maximizing profits”? Reducing manufacturing cost without lowering MSRP is the exact literal definition of that phrase. It goes hand in hand with meeting the expectations of consumers without changing the price, especially since Lego is flying off the shelves during the pandemic, it is proven fact that we the customers are willing to shell out $430 for a Lamborghini Sian (that’s what I paid at the Lego store including tax) and not blink an eye. So if they can do that without a B model, then why pay for a B model development? If people are mad about no B models, then they should not buy a Lego set that doesn’t include one. And how long is that going to last? Parents (undoubtedly the largest buying block of Lego consumers) do not care about B models, multiple one function/one motor builds, intelligent hubs, dumb battery boxes, or canceled V-22 sets. They only care about getting something for their child that does one of the following: Stop the kid from whining/begging Keep the kid occupied/quiet for 8 hours Teach the kid some mechanical/engineering concepts maybe? Have something cool to give them for Christmas or birthdays One thing I did see when I was buying my Sian at the Lego store, a clerk, when asked by a customer who was buying the Liebherr for his kid/himself how many batteries does it take? said “12 double A’s” and did he do a double take to that... not every parent is willing to buy a toy that takes 12 batteries all at once... you could see the dollar signs flash in his eyes and his immediate hesitation. I dIdn’t blame him one bit.

Ok, historically, Lego Technic was introduced to appeal to the teen/pre-teen Lego customer, so things had to be more intricate and functional, and mimic real world items. It was a toy that required no glue, no mess, no tools, made no real noise when it’s being assembled, could be done solitary or with multiple people, provided a broad time munching activity that satisfies both parents and child. Only recent history has Technic moved into Adult level Technic sets, but let’s face it, Lego Technic is not for dummies. You need some underlying mechanical aptitude to understand what is required to assemble a complex mechanical device. How many kids actually put together a Technic Star Wars Destroyer Droid and got it to roll and unfold like it was designed? I don’t waste time arguing about where Lego is going, what they are offering, or my displeasure with any of their recent market trends. No amount of fan talk is going to make TLG do anything that is not seen as a way to increase sales and maximize profit. To that end, I take everything TLG does with that in mind and give them a pass on some of their choices, and when they make mistakes, as I see them, I let them know about it by doing what most do, I don’t buy it. I bought the Liebherr to get a taste of the next control+ motors and hubs, and let’s just say it left a bad taste in my mouth. The lack of being able to program your own control app for MOCs is the biggest mistake TLG has ever made since they stopped B model integration for every model. And on the subject of B models, they double the effort needed to create and sell a set in that the development cost of the second model must meet the playability, ease of construction, and quality of the original model, so I see the lack of B models as a major cost reduction for Technic. Do you see many B models of regular Creator sets?

You have a novel way of handling dust on your models... lol

Ok, I read just a couple of posts about the tranny issues, and I was wondering what the hubbub was all about... I now understand that the problem a lot of new builders have had is not the model,,but the lack of Technic modeling experience. This set is not a beginner set by any means, and, after assembling it has become one of my most enjoyable builds of 2020. I was not expecting that when I bought it, figured it would be just another super car build wrapped in 4x4 off road clothing. This set has some of the more advanced building techniques that I employ in my own builds. The complete unibody construction ending in a solid and robust chassis and body was a fun surprise, and he shoehorned in a transmission that, although not conventional for the actual type of vehicle it’s in, was brilliant and also was a lot of fun putting it together. Simply put, this one went up on the shelf for display, something I have recently stopped doing, simply because showing off a MOC is better use of my limited display space. This set, how ever, gives me hope that maybe they will continue in this vein and plow some of that massive covid19 lockdown profits back into creating more sets at this piece count/price point and keep the $$$ Mega sets to a dull roar... when my Technic Lego yearly expenditures start rolling into the thousands just to buy the entire Technic lineup, you got to question your sanity, that or TLG’s.

Take a look at mine for some inspiration?

The thread title was the only original question... not sure why religion, war, and “Lego guilt” (someone’s else’s term, not mine) entered into the conversation ?

Also adding to the problem as mentioned by others, Lego has slowed to a crawl (or worse) on parts orders... Ordered 6 hubs on July 27, Just recieved them September 3rd... reminds me of the old late nite infomercials - "please allow 4 to 6 weeks for delivery"

A self deprecatingly asked question was a bit rhetorical, and also a bit tongue in cheek, but to say “look, he has Lego guilt!” was not the point, or the question asked. I was finding I am building more, posting way less, mostly because I have no interest to display my creations, and its not due to guilt, not by a long shot. But if you say people don’t post their MOCs on here to stroke their egos, who’s fooling who thinking that?

Has the world situation caused you to build less or more? I am finding I am building more things but not caring much now to show them off. Seems like there is more important stuff to be doing than posting ego stroking MOC threads on hobby forums.

Yes, it is big... but I have several mottos I adhere to... "Go big or go home" and "Never say Never" and this build falls in both catagories... Yes, the Mack Anthem container was my inspiration for the scale, I figured, why re-invent the wheel, Lego had already built a decent sized container, albeit a bit short, so I lengthened it and started with that as my scale reference. The pic below was my only real working reference while building... Yes, I am going to get some video up soon, waiting on some Porche style hubs to replace the portal hubs I initially used. The portal hubs work for making a steerable driving wheel, but not as good as I wanted, and they still had a lot of slop and flex in them since the wheel was only supported on one side... new design takes a lot of flex out of the whole steering arangement, due mostly to supporting the wheel on both sides, making the driving wheels stationary (unsteered), and going to tow ball and connectors instead of beams and lift arms for the linkage.

For what its worth, the functions are as follows: Steering: Front Steering (4 forward wheels) driven by PF L Motor Rear Steering (trailing 2 wheels) driven by PF M Motor Drive: Each side has one fixed drive wheel driven by a PF L Motor, but they are on seperate IR towers which are both selected to same channel. This reduced the current load on the IR towers, and is the reason for 5 IR towers in the model Winch/Container Lift: There are 4 winches driven in two pairs by 2 PF M Motors, this gives individual control on the lift between left and right sides allowing you to keep the container level as it asscends or decends. There is one M Motor that controls Container capture and release and also adjusts for different length containers Articulated Cab: The Cab can be extended and rotated to allow the operator a better view of his surroundings and more closely monitor the lift. These functions are driven by two PF M Motors, one for extend/retract the other for rotation.

@JGW3000, It's kinda hard to take video and operate it at the same time... I have to wait for my videographer (the wife) to get off work

What has 8 wheels, 5 PF IR towers, 9 PF motors, and is taller than almost everything in your Technic collection? Why a Technic Straddle Carrier of course... Check out more pics here... https://flic.kr/s/aHsmPKk6H4

The whole "Non-military" based toy argument from TLG went out the door when they licensed Star Wars (IMHO) a title that has "WARS" in the name, yet TLG doesn't want to promote military or any "killing" based imagery?!?! This is about how much bad press you are going to recieve from some insignificant "Peace" organization balanced against the amount of lost revenue they expect for not releasing the set. Lego won't embrace "guns" or weapons of violence unless there a part of greedy mass potential market that is poised and ripe for the plucking. Nobody is standing in lines waiting to purchase TLG's next Techinic models, and we have to realize that the majority of TLG business is themed/licenced sets tied into major franchises. Star Wars (AKA Disney) is a big juicy franchise and so "blasters" and "Laser rifles" and fictional killing machines of the future are fair game, but God help them (and us) if they release a set based on a real vehicle/machine used to protect and serve the great nation that designed and built it. If there ever was any clearer representation of a company that "folded" on their belief systems for the love the almighty dollar/euro/pound, this is got to be the one that takes the cake. Peace loving Lego, please... That boat sailed years ago.

@brickless_kiwi, yes, I do my own refurbishment to my machines for the same reason, one is I know how, and two, it is way cheaper, and three, there is the tinker factor. But not a lot of people have the room for an arcade machine in the home. I’m lucky I have room for 5 pinball machines. But more than that and I would be sleeping on one.

Not sure if there are any pinheads in here or not, but I just got back from Chicago Pinball Expo 2018. Put my money down on a Monster Bash remake Limited Edition pinball machine from Chicago Gaming Inc. Now the waiting begins.

A masterpiece of a service truck. Well done. We don’t get to see that many COE vehicles here in the states, especially not twin front axle rigs like this one. The Black Cat Service Truck is pretty much the standard large configuration service trucks we see on the roads. I love Cab Over Engine big rigs, but sadly, they are getting very rare over here. Once they changed total vehicle length limit laws, COE’s all but disappeared.

Loved it. Funny.

@jim, This is a fascinating project, it reminds me of the Lego Factory Robots a little, the ones that follow the magnets in the floor, but following magnets is not a hard thing to program... I need to read through a lot of the content here on the new forum, I have recently acquired a used EV3 set and have not got around to doing anything with it yet (seems I have been building amusement rides for some reason ) Is the programming specific to the omnidirectional control, like converting inputs like forward/back/right/left into relative wheel motion based on platform orientation?

Just finished this one. Seems this set was an attempt of giving us the same set as Volvo 42053 without giving us another 42053. Somewhat interesting build, but pretty simple and just only big enough to hide the compressor and battery box inside. I liked the steering mech., and the motion as it goes over rough terrain looks surprising realistic. Would have liked a bigger scale for this machine, and more cutter head functionality.

@Didumos69, the “two boxes, one controller” scenario you are describing more than likely will be similar to having two IR receivers on the same channel. It will control both, but not ensure they are synchronized. So the two motors may work together, but they may become out of sync eventually.

@SNIPE, yes, there are 4 sets of controls on the remote, each controlling a separate output. And yes, I believe you can have multiple remotes , each paired with it’s own BB/receiver, so you could theoretically control 4x4 or 16 outputs with 4 remotes and 4 BB. Dont think they sell remotes separately, but they might sell a “replacement” if you report a defective one. I would try that, and if you pay for it, no harm no foul, you are not trying to get them to replace it for free.

Thanks for the mini review @Jim, still waiting on mine to arrive. Is the case bonded together, or does it come open without damage?

+1 on aircraft