Cumulonimbus

If available space is an issue, you might need to use one shock absorber, lay horizontal and us it to link the left and right halves of you suspension. I don't have the tools here to visualise my idea, but I think you can figure it out. It's probably not accurate to the real deal, but does the trick.

Thank you very much, that is a very interesting article. It seems that even the Americans themselves struggle with the various rules across states. I found this website with a calculation tool to check compliance for a combination, it's rather fun to play around with: The question remains which type of trailers are used on a Mack Anthem, maybe this is the ultimate load for the 42078:

A question for the Americans here: If I understood correctly, in the USA, the type of truck chosen for a given trailer depends on the weight and load distribution of that combination. A truck like the Anthem is an example of an "axle back" configuration, where the front axle is not right at the front of the truck. I don't understand the US regulations which leads to weird creations such as this, this or this, but it seems that heavy loads like a trailer carrying containers would be hauled by a truck with an "axle forward" configuration like this Mack Pinnacle: . Now the question is what type of trailer would be typical for a Mack Anthem to haul in real life?

As mentioned on the previous page, in my opinion, the CV joints help to make the assembly process easier. My guess is that the two crane modules are subassemblies which at some point during the build, will need to be connected and aligned to at least two axles on the trailer. The extra freedom of movement of the CV joint make this step easier and allow the modules to be rotated in place once the mechanical connection is made. This reduces the frustration of needing to break part of a build down to fix an axle which is not properly connected. The 42055 uses this trick as well.

Probably just there to make assembly easier. The 42055 is a good example of this strategy. EDIT: A question: Could the wheels and tires of the 10258 London bus be an option to achieve double rear tires on the Anthem? They are smaller in width but also in diameter (43 mm versus 49.53 mm according to Brickset), I wonder if this would be too small for the Mack. Can anybody who own both types of tires post a side by side comparison or maybe even a picture of a similar scaled truck (8052 or 42024 for example) with the 10258 tires?

You could be right, but does the curved piece have a hole that is compatible with a 1L axle ?

Couple of things I noticed: 42077: The two side panels at the rear are connected to the rear half of the car. Seems like they will open sideways if you lift the rear half up. 42075: - What is the function of the two black pins in the yellow circle? - I don't recognize the DBG part in the green circle, can anybody identify if this is an existing part? - The red version of the DBG 3L connector thingies are here extensively used in this vehicle (orange circle), looks like they are here to stay.

Absolutely love it: the details, the choice of trailer, the scale, the colors, the absence of PF (lower price!). Even the B-model is original and really well finished. Sign me up for two sets please. Well done TLG!

mic dropped ...

Have you driven the trailers while carrying a load? I built a low loading trailer with steering rear axles once, but the linkages in that trailer didn't move smoothly anymore when it bended slightly under load.

Really nice looking truck, @efferman. I'm curious about two things: - I don't fully understand how the mechanism works for locking and releasing your winches. The 24z gear slides to the right guided by the suspension arm, but does it then disengages from a worm wheel? Is the yellow axle driving the winch drum? Do you disengage manually (I guess by moving the two red levers apart) or is this an automated function? - Secondly, I wonder about your 3D printed differential. Why wasn't the Lego differential used, is it because you need the extra 12z gear to transmit the power of the motors?

Looks like an interesting setup, but there is one point I don't understand: why are you using the ball joints as a hinge for each axle? The shocks are mounted with pins directly to the chassis and the axle, as a result they can only move in one plane. This means that they will be forced to bend when your axles twist. You could either change the hinge points to a simple pin connection, making it less complex but then you will loose the ability of twisting the axle. The alternative is to mount the shocks more flexible so they can move in two directions. Take a look at how the shocks in the Arocs are mounted as an example. Good luck!

I'm back on this side of the big pond and currently "enjoying" the benefits of jetlag (it's about 4AM now), but what an amazing trip it has been. We've seen many magnificent places, drove a big RV (for European standards anyway), ate great food, met some really nice people. The list of possible places to visit was way too long as expected, but we checked enough boxes to get a good impression of California, Nevada, Arizona and Utah: I loved the sights of big American trucks on the highways, the endless and always changing landscapes, the National parks, the service focused attitude of (most) people we met. We drove a classic '65 Ford Mustang on the Pacific coast, shot a gun for the first time in our lives (those things are LOUD), tried to wrap our heads around the size and scale of the Grand Canyon and the giant sequoia trees, swam in the Pacific and got properly rinsed by some massive waves, saw exciting wildlife and many many more. USofA, you have been great!

I only have a close to standard 8258, but can you do some more troubleshooting to locate the problem: - Disconnect the LA from that section and move the section by hand. Is there a lot of friction or is the movement blocked by something? - Does the LA function while disconnected from the crane? - You could remove the LA completely and check if it works by manually rotating the input with an axle. - Did something change since the last time jou had it functioning? For example some modifications to the structure or the mechanics. Maybe the truck fell down once. All this could mean something in the drivetrain is stuck or displaced. Good luck.

I suspect that this image might have been taped on the TLG idea wall:

A compactor is an real life, very specialized vehicle, most often used in landfill sites to move around trash and to compacti the waste by its weight while driving over it, hence the name. I guess the weird wheels are about the only shape that gives some grip on a strange surface like landfill. And since is doesn't need to lift anything, it has more in common with a dozer than a front loader (although a lot of compactors are actually based on front loaders) Not the most glamorous vehicle, I agree, but it is original for TLG and it will look good while driving over your pile of unsorted bricks.

Disclaimer: the following is not aimed at any Eurobricker in particular and I'm sorry if this leads us further off-topic, but I feel this must be said: Everybody certainly has the right to their opinion, be it positive or negative. If a set is lacklustre, everybody should be able to speak out about it. The thing that bothers me is the speed at which upcoming sets are condemned. It seems that with every wave of new (Technic) sets, we go through the same tiring cycle, where sets are judged to be worthless based on preliminary images we aren't even supposed to see. 6 months later, the well known reviewers produce stunning images and well-funded reviews and suddenly those same people can't wait to buy those same sets the hated in the first place. From my point of view, TLG is making an effort to keep sets interesting for their broad target audience. You can tell they want more diversity than red cars and yellow construction equipment and try new elements like other types of vehicles, other colours and combinations. Additionally, more than once I was pleasantly surprised during the build process by the TLG solutions for the structure and mechanisms inside a set that maybe wasn't that exciting on the exterior. I wouldn't be surprised that even the 2018 sailing boat has a cool function hidden within, maybe it can hoist its sails, maybe the sails rotate (don't remember the proper nautical term) while making a turn, etc. The best way to let TLG know what, according to you, is not a very successful creation, is to simply not buy it. You can be sure that TLG has statistics about sales records in relation to set size, colours used, presence of PF and RC, etc. But don't be surprised that other people will not like or can't afford more complex sets. For example, as I said before, pull-back racers are not my thing but they continue to be made in each new wave, hence they must be selling well and this means they are successful sets, at least at one level. Also remember that this forum is regarded as an authority by other fora and third parties. Burning down a set this early on can really influence less knowledgable potential buyers and kill the sets changes before it's even commercially available. If this happens too often with sets TLG was hoping to generate a lot of revenue, it can even be harmful for the Technic line or even TLG in the long run. Personally, all I would like to see is a bit more nuance in the opinions here. Yes, not every set will be in line with your wishes and/or budget as an AFOL, but try to keep a bit of perspective. The world is not ending because there is no ultimate RC flagship this year. And since this is a AFOL community: If you feel you can do better, please do so, I really like so see different interpretations of the same idea.

The guys and gals on the French Techlug.fr say something very similar. Might be very feasible if you consider the new tires on the Creator London bus. I was trying to figure out the scale based on the antennas on the mirrors, but I can't say how big it will be. Even if it is the same scale as the 42024 truck, it will be an awesome truck.

I'm not that familiar with US trucks, so I did some research to get an idea what other "iconic" MACK truck could be the B-model. Personally, I know the name MACK from the COE (cab over engine) tractor trailer trucks, but they are no longer in production it seems. Maybe an American refuse truck based on the LR chassis? Funny note: there was a real life MACK actually called the B-model. By the way, the outriggers on the trailer look suspiciously similar as those on the 42070.

Yes, but not "remote control", you could argue that even manual control is also covered by this sentence. I got the impression that the text in the screenshot is very ... lets say marketing minded.

I think you are too harsh. TLG does make an effort to make interesting entry level Technic sets. The dozer/compactor looks like a tough unusual vehicle in interesting colours, so I imagine it will be very appealing to newcomers to the world of Technic. The mini hooklift truck looks pretty ok as well, if you look at its predecessor. The pullback racers are not my thing, but they are staple sets in each Technic line-up, so I imagine they sell well. Besides, I expect that there might be mid-level sets yet to be revealed.

To complete the list so far: 42073: Red pull back racer, looks like a cross between a hotrod and a offroad vehicle. There's a new function: When the racer crashes, some parts fly off. 42072: Lime green pull back racer, also with "crash" function 42071: Small blue and orange compactor, hinged in the middle Similar to this: 72084? (number not very legible): Small red an LBG hook loader truck, similar as we have seen before, but proportions are a bit more realistic and the container is made with panels: 42078: Mack truck tractor trailer combination, trailer is a side loading container trailer, as shown in my previous post ( @dokludi has made one a while ago: http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=516414). However, no sign of PF or RC in my opinion. The description says "Alternate model is another iconic MACK vehicle" Note that the truck is only shown as a blacked out silhouette, so no info about colours or parts used.

Mack licenced truck -> cool 8258 scale tractor -trailer combination -> very cool Side loading container trailer -> off the scale cool For those who are not familiar with this type of trailer, on of those:

Cool, and it appears to have a side loading container trailer. Very exciting.

The things that jump out in the quote of @HallBricks are: - LEGO Technic ... super Ultimate project in 2018 - In depth knowledge of car industry ... - ... research of the individual subjects - The project will ... continue until mid-next year Very interesting indeed, I put my money on a modular car project where each functional module (suspension, steering, gearing, engine, etc) is the subject of an educational session explaining how it works and how to build it.