howitzer

Yeah, I think the difference is small enough, that the parts are not stressed enough for permanent deformations (probably) but I'm sure it's still illegal by TLG's standards.

It's not a regular pentagon though, as it bends the axles. The connectors are 112,5° while a regular pentagon's corner is 108°.

Umm, aren't clutches made for that? Either the new linear one or the traditional white 24T gear, depending on how strongly it has to resist before slipping.

Yes, this is what I'm expecting also for the next Liebherr set. --- Joking aside, I wonder if they're going to include a some fancy smart features, taking advantage of the PU hub's internal sensors. Maybe a system that moves the counterweight according the load on the boom (by detecting the tilt of the superstructure and then moving the counterweight to bring it back to level.)

Yeah, and maybe TLG will it make rain lollipops.

Those two are not great for Technic builds though, as they don't have any perpendicular connection points and their dimensions are even rather than odd, which makes them hard to use with other Technic parts. I'd put my money on a new girder piece.

If you consider inflation, 42053 is about 0,12 cents/part, while 42144 would be around 0,15 cents. Yeah, it's more expensive but not hugely so. But as we know, part count isn't a great metric, if there's any "expensive" parts included, like electronics, pneumatics, linear actuators, large/complex moulds etc. so we can't judge the price very well at the moment, so much is unknown.

Yeah, sounds like there's not getting around of the 2 sensors if you want reliable readings...

This seems to be the general pattern here, yes Anyway, he part count indeed seems quite low for the price, but I expect there to be some new parts and probably a lot of C+ electronics (two hubs and 6-8 motors) so without knowing details, it's hard to say it's impossible to say if the price is justified. The machine itself is cool and interesting, and even if I decide against buying it, I'm happy that there's some proper, highly functional construction equipment still being released in the Technic line. Btw., TLG really seems to have a thing for "biggest in it's class" type of machinery now, as there's the 42100 and 42131 and now this...

Yes, the limited sensing ability of the sensor is a significant problem. I'm not sure how it would work, but eliminating the chain would probably help a lot too, maybe some sort of chute with a pusher that moved out of the way for detection and then back to forward the pin to the next belt?

Unless something changes drastically, it looks like there's another sure buy set for the latter half of this year.

I haven't done any coding in the PU app, but for Mindstorms block programming there's an option to select the motor speed so it would be really strange if it was absent from the PU app...

If the information is correct, this looks like a sure buy for me, unless it's is seriously badly executed. That 5-blade rotor with pitch control is especially exciting. Other than that, I'm expecting the usual helicopter stuff, like retractable landing gear, winch and some sort of door and maybe a ramp. If there's motorization, I hope for the dumb hub. Remote control would be pretty pointless anyway.

Such unique and strange machinery might make for a functionally great sets, but a Technic set has to be recognizable enough for enough people to be considered for release. The things you describe would probably fail at this, even though there has been a few oddities over the years, such as the BWE, which most people probably haven't been familiar with before. In that case the name of the machine along with the looks made it obvious what it was supposed to represent, so it'll get a pass even if such machines aren't commonly seen.

There was a lot of topics about the Volvo hauler not working correctly after it was released, and I was curious to see if there really was something that made it really difficult to build and operate. So when I got it for a nice discount, I bought it and built it and it worked absolutely perfectly, no problems at all for me, though it was quite uninteresting after the initial testing, so I soon took it apart. Now I'm similarly curious about this bulldozer too, the building experience seems great by all accounts, and I wonder if I'd experience problems in getting it to work. Hopefully it will be available soon for a nice discount too, the current 350€ offering is far above from what I'm willing to pay for it...

It'll slow the things considerably, but maybe the process could be made more accurate with single sensor by having the pin run by the scanner multiple times? Another thing that popped into my mind, would it help if the background was made of some colour that is not used for the pins (or is rare) like green or orange?

I haven't been reading all of the previous discussion, but as for the original question about creativity and MOC making, versus official sets and building them for display among AFOLs... I think the perceived shift has to do with the expansion of the AFOL market for TLG, much more adults are today buying sets for themselves than were in 10-20 years ago. This is also reflected in the selection of sets, with much more display sets available. This means that many more adults are buying one or few sets casually and building them, but with no intention at any point of taking them apart for MOC making - as opposed to other AFOLs, who are first and foremost builders themselves. It's not that the number of builder-AFOLs have decreased (quite the opposite probably) but it's that there are now also a huge number of adults who don't make MOCs and probably won't buy many sets at all. This is especially evident from the introduction of various sets which are made to look really good while having little to none play-features and come with a very targeted audience, like the Old Trafford or the Lamborghini Sian. Some MOC-maker AFOLs will of course buy those also, but I suspect vast majority will end up as dust collectors in the shelves of adults who like the subject matter and want something to reminisce of their childhood, but otherwise have no interest in Lego.

Thanks for the interesting analysis! It's true that technology has marched on and some of the things which were astounding in the 90's seem no longer a big deal. Still I'd be curious for the historical perspective. I don't think proper comparison on the part count between Sian and 8880 can't really be made, as 8880 uses studful construction which needs a lot less parts and the Sian also has a fully finished bodywork, which requires a lot more parts. The gearbox is much bigger and more complex too. Generally, I think the part count of a set is given far too much attention. I think it's important to see how those parts are used and if there's either stuff that's unnecessarily part-intensive or on the other hand, if something could've been made better with the addition of some parts. I believe examples can be found for both categories. Yes, the Test Car really stands out among early Technic sets, both as a set of very nice features and an interesting building experience. And it's not just that there are a lot of features, but they work very well too, steering and suspension especially. Of course gear shifting is cluncky, but probably the best that's possible without clutch gears and driving rings...

Is this topic about building experience or set as a whole? 42055 was definitely the best building experience I've had. Tons of interesting sub-assemblies which go beautifully together and you get to admire the marvelous functional design too, as the functions are mostly quite easy to view, unlike many sets where they are well hidden inside. I always wanted to build 8880 and 8480, but I missed those as a kid and they are hard to come by now that I'm an adult. But I'm keeping my hopes up, I've heard so much good about them as a building experience that I'd really like to see it myself some day. 8485 is also highly interesting, but I don't ever expect to get my hands on that one...

Yeah, the price is significant, but not unreasonable in my opinion. I believe they will be much more expensive in Bricklink, as they will never become commonly used parts and beside B&P the only way to obtain them is to buy the set - most if which will probably go to the shelves of motorbike enthusiasts, and won't get parted out for resale any time soon. That's too bad :( Having the pieces delivered to someone in another country and then forwarding the package to you is great option though, if possible. If not, then your only options will be to buy the set or wait for them to become available in Bricklink...

I believe you can get them from Bricks & Pieces separately.

If you're right, then some Tesla or similar could very make for a great UCS car set. It would require some of the aforementioned functions for novelty and conversation, while the main selling point would be the looks. I see absolutely no point in repeating the Sian with simply another exterior. If TLG were to introduce additional clutch gears like @allanphas commented numerous times, there might just barely be a reason for another model of dino-powered supercar to exist but even then I'd like to see some novel functionality, like all-wheel steering or adjustable suspension.

Indeed, the car sets are really boring and repetitive due to them all having basically the same set of functions, with smaller ones just omitting some. Electric car in 1:8 would at least have to justify the size by some other, novel functions and of course they could still include a fake engine and drivetrain. Some electric cars also have a gearbox (though nothing as complex as dino-burning cars). Also, sets like the 1:10 Porsche and Ferrari really have no reason to exist in Technic lineup, as they have almost no functions beyond the very basic stuff. They'd even look much better in Creator style.

That's exactly what was referred to in few of the previous comments.

This is the sort of thing that TLG should provide as B-models for the large C+ sets. Something completely different from the A-model, but still very cool and interesting on its own right. Well done!