Wiseman_2

27. Front Loader Entry Name: Mini Front Loader Part Count: 103 Functions: Articulated steering via exhaust stack Bucket raising via knob at the back Bucket tilting via click hinge Promo Image: Parts Image: Entry Topic

Well, I got around to building the real thing, and here it is: Final part count is 103, and it features articulated steering (controlled by the exhaust stack), raising bucket (with raised control at the rear, easily accessible), and dumping bucket via click hinge A comparison with actual Technic mini sets (the observant amongst you will notice I had to scavenge some parts... ): And of course, the obligatory parts photo:

I just received Lego's summer catalogue and it has the summer 2014 sets in, though not available till August 1st. It also has the first image of 42029's b-model... it appears to have articulated steering and a simple claw arm crane on the rear, and some sort of plow blade on the front, using one of those 11x3 panels. Looking at it, it's fairly close to what rm8 posted above.

The control knob shouldn't be too difficult to reach; I'll probably find a way to modify that in the next iteration. The cab was something I'd already noted, that sounds like a good solution EDIT: Here we go, version 2.0 Part count now stands at 103. The cab has been fixed more sturdily, and the control knob has been elevated 2 studs. The latter required a bit more structural change at the back than I anticipated, there was not enough room for 16t gears so instead it uses 8t gears. This will probably be the version I build, I just need to source the parts out of my collection (most of it is built up).

My WIP design of what I think I'll be entering into the contest. I figured that it would be better to make a more compact model than make a bigger one which might feel a bit empty. So what I've got so far is a mini Front Loader: Functions are: Articulated steering, via the exhaust Bucket raising, via worm gear control at the vehicle's rear Bucket tipping via click hinge Current part count is exactly 100. Now to build it with actual bricks... unless I decide to build something else

This sounds like a great contest, will hopefully be able to enter something... I've already started designing something in LDD, but I have no doubt somebody else will probably enter something similar. All things considered, it would be slightly surprising if nobody did

Great review, but just a point, the box is not the same as 42009 - that is a large square whereas this is a rectangular one I do like this model, but its functionality is too similar to 9396, which I have enough trouble finding a space to display as it is - so obviously the Cargo Plane is rather far down the list sets I still need to acquire.

Hmm. Are you using extended mode or the normal LDD mode? It doesn't appear to be there in the normal build mode but it shows up in extended mode. You can use the search box to find the part by its number, 99781.

Here's my entry, a Gothic mansion called Bat Wing Hall (because why not). Located on the shores of a vast, windswept lake, this ancient house has more than a few hidden secrets that its owner, Ally, prefers to keep to herself... Here we can see the front of the house; the left side of the mansion is perched upon a rocky outcrop. Hidden beneath the house is a cave, with a concealed jet ski, should a sneaky exit be needed... At the back of the house, a cutting in the rock leads from the garden down to the small beach. From this angle, you can also just about see another part of the hidden cellar beneath Bat Wing Hall on the right, with bars preventing entry. The top floor spans only part of the lower floor, leaving space for the main dining hall, which spans two floors. On the top floor, the front bedroom features a double bed and the usual furniture you'd expect; the rear bedroom features an immense four-poster bed, and a hidden sliding wall compartment... On the opposite side is the bathroom, with a large tub and a walk-in shower unit. Here, you can see the ground floor; on the left is the front living room, while behind it is Ally's study. On the right is Bat Wing Hall's rather infamous dining hall, which legend claims to have seen many mysterious disappearances over the centuries... the reason for this, of course, is the hidden passage behind the fireplace. This is an actual working feature - by turning the wheel to the left of the fireplace, the wall behind it raises, revealing a passage and ladder down to the hidden basement area. At the front of the dining hall is a set of steps leading to the rec room below, while at the other side is a door leading down to the kitchen. Here, you can see how the cellar is split into two separate areas... on the right is the rec room, and behind it, the kitchen, with a stairway leading up to the dining room. On the other side, however, is the hidden area only accessible through the secret passage behind the fireplace in the dining hall. The previously mentioned jet ski is here, along with Bat Wing Hall's most unnerving room - a hidden dungeon, with an adjacent cell (another working feature is built in here - in the floor above, behind the front door, is a lever, which when pulled back, opens the trapdoor beneath the entrance, dropping the unfortunate victim into the cell below - rather useful for getting rid of unwanted visitors). In the final main screenshot is a better view of the hidden area of the cellar. The cave exit is easier to see here. You can also see the pathway in the back garden which leads down to the lake. More screenshots (of which there are many) can be found here: Bat Wing Hall on Flickr. The .lxf file can be downloaded here via Brickshelf: Bat Wing Hall .LXF

7 years old this year actually. Time sure flies. Also, the Unimog would be fine for a 14 year old I should think, the recommended age range is 11-16 after all

I believe it has been this way since 2012. I seem to recall the black tow truck was the first set that seemed to have instructions printed like this... I think the consensus was that it was easier to print/see what was going on.

They'll probably show up in NA at some point in the next couple of months I would have thought; I wouldn't be surprised if The Lego Movie had some impact on what sets they distributed and where, because in the UK we still haven't got any of the Creator sets yet (though I did spot one in my local TRU yesterday). Point being, they might just be staggering the release of some waves in certain themes to try and increase sales of Movie sets, there are a lot of sets in that theme so it could well be possible they've squeezed out metaphorical shelf space for other themes. Of course all of this is baseless conjecture and I could be barking completely up the wrong tree.

Thank you It was almost entirely random really, it was my first attempt at creating something natural looking and so I just went with what I thought would work, though I did find myself reusing the same types of slope pieces a lot.

So I don't tend to do much MOCing on account of the fact I have no space and maybe 80% of my collection is Technic, but lately I decided to give it a shot on LDD. This is a mountain hut retreat inspired by one of the models in 31025 (which isn't out in the UK yet for some bizarre reason). It has 3174 parts, and was built in extended mode so the minifigs are a bit blank (note: I have only just discovered the decoration tool and now feel like a bit of an idiot, but not enough that I can be bothered to retake all the screenshots ). Also, this was my first attempt at anything like this, I don't normally have time for MOCing anyway so it was all a bit trial-and-error. There's also a cave below the hut with some details, including a ladder which leads to a trapdoor in the floor of the hut. More screenshots on Flickr: https://www.flickr.c...57641265099004/

On the pickup, there appears to be a yellow lever behind the right side door. I guess it has the usual two point gearbox to switch between functions. It also has one of the new 3L worm gears for the winch, though I still don't see the specific advantage it offers over the 2L version... The more I look at the loader, the more it grows on me. It looks brutish and rather ugly, but it certainly has a charm... still, from a mechanical standpoint I daresay it will be rather simplistic. Still a bit on the fence until I see more of it, especially considering my ever-shrinking budget for sets

I have never really been able to get my head around people complaining about repetition in Technic... fact is, it's a toy at the end of the day, and AFOLs are not the target audience. The core demographic TLG is aiming to hit will eventually 'age out' - so it's only to be expected that some models and vehicles will be seen again. 42009 is a good example. When the first images and such were released, I do remember a fair few posts on here complaining that we already had a flagship mobile crane. And we did. Back in 2005. Lego aren't targeting the same 13-year-old who bought 8421 back in 2005; he's 21 now and probably not interested in it anymore. Instead, they're targeting the kid who was only 5 when 8421 came out, who probably only just moved on from Duplo, but who's now 13 and wants the latest, biggest Technic sets. And as others have said, if it's not to your taste, mod it. If it's beyond that, the design one yourself; Lego is endlessly diverse, and while you might not like the sets Lego releases (it's a business at the end of the day, they put out what sells), there are plenty of custom instructions out there for far more advanced models by other AFOLs.

I feel like I've been neglecting Lego a little this year, my list feels rather short The only sets I bought myself this year are 9396 (back at the start of the year) and 42009 in August; I also got 42006 as a gift in May. I am but a humble student with a low budget for sets however and so I do have my reasons All are pretty good models, but 42009 definitely stands out for me; it's huge and was very satisfying to build.

Sets that I've missed: 8275 (Bulldozer) 8292 (Cherry Picker) 8263 (Snow Groomer) 8248 (Forklift) 8248 is mostly a nostalgia thing I think, it's one of the first Technic sets I remember owning Of sets that are out now or coming up, the only ones I really want are 42008 and the new Snowmobile... it's not that any of the other upcoming sets are particularly bad, just that they're all eclipsed by sets in other themes I want (like the Maersk Triple E and the Parisian Restaurant) which are gonna cost rather a lot. The Cargo Plane is pretty good but I simply have no room to display it at all... Of course there's a whole load of other sets from all themes across the years that I want but if I had to narrow it down

2: 2 10: 2 11: 2 13: 1 14: 2 18: 1

Are the gears in the mini LAs the right way round? If some of them are on the wrong side they will try going against the gears on the other mini LAs (i.e. the opposite direction), and the gears will stop turning because these LAs will be trying to retract rather than extend.

If you look closely you can see the black knob gears on the wings, which appear to control the adjustable wings; they connect to the axles with the 3x11 panels attached to them. You can see them pretty clear above the "E" in the Technic logo across the top. The plane definitely looks awesome but quite honestly I have absolutely nowhere to put it, given its dimensions. Also: the blue dump truck in the Construction Crew set actually looks really good.

Umm, not sure about everybody else, but I don't think all copies of 8285 had the metallic silver wheels, especially later releases of the set. I got mine boxed new and unopened from a toy store in 2008, and though there were other metallic silver coloured parts in the set (like the grille parts on the front and the round dishes), the wheels were not. For what it's worth, it still looks pretty good when built, even if there's not much complexity to it.

I hope the Container Truck is the largest set, with the larger size it should have more potential to be something really interesting, like a side-loading container truck, instead of just a rejig of 8052 (which is a good model, but I want to see something a bit different). I'm also quite curious about Construction Crew. I have the horrible feeling it will end up being a collection of small vehicles, with none having anything more complicated than a worm-screw lift type mechanism going for it. But, TLG has surprised us in the past and I guess they can do that again (Slightly bummed not to see a forklift/telehandler type vehicle, but there's always the 2H).

The Unimog was £154.99, so £5 more than the crane, while the Crawler is £139.99, so the Unimog is still the most expensive Technic set of recent times in the UK. I'm guessing the licenses, pneumatics and new parts are what made the Unimog more expensive. The crane, certainly, is not bad value for money at all

Picked up 42009 from the Lego store at Leeds Trinity (UK) today at £149.99, pleasantly surprised that it's cheaper than the Unimog was. And they threw this in free too. And the box is heavy. Really, really heavy. To me at least