HydroWorld Outlook

Welcome back, @Blakbird! It's so great to hear from you again! Yes, Technicopedia is extremely relevant nowadays. I strongly recommend and would appreciate some updates to the Technicopedia website. Believe it or not, it's actually the main website I currently reference when looking up old Technic sets because, while retro-reviews exist, I appreciate having a quick-reference site that I can just read and print if needed to keep for my records. Since Technicopedia was last updated back in 2016, Technic has evolved a great deal. Power Functions has been succeeded by Powered Up and now Powered Up is starting to be retired too, in a way. On top of that, we've had hundreds more sets, including the 42145 Airbus H175 Rescue Helicopter--my favorite--that are packed with functions and are most certainly worthy of a Technicopedia review. Furthermore, many of the listed sets after 2011 do not currently have entries on Technicopedia, so giving those sets another chance to get their own pages would be awesome. Plus Technic is about to have it's 50th anniversary next year, in 2027. Why celebrate that landmark semicentennial milestone without Technicopedia? As of present, the most up-to-date documentation we have of old and new LEGO Technic sets is @2GodBDGlory's LEGO Technic Unofficial History Book, which was started back in 2021 and ceased being updated in 2024. This could be an excellent reference to use for updating the Technicopedia site, at least for sets up through 2024. For newer sets released in 2025 and later, detailed reviews on Rebrickable, New Elementary, and The Brick Architect may suffice. So yes please, if possible, updating Technicopedia would be immensely appreciated! We would love to see it expanded to cover modern-day and upcoming sets.

A new LEGO electronics system is indeed on topic in the sense that it's directly related to Technic's 50th Anniversary, which is simultaneously also the 20th anniversary of the original LEGO Power Functions system that debuted in 2007. But yes, you are correct that I opened quite a can-full of worms by talking about that, so perhaps that's enough about that particular aspect of the subject for now. Pushing that specific part of this conversation aside, before I mentioned the electronics system, I had posted about flagship sets and the possibility of an unconventional nonlicensed vehicle being released as the flagship for 2027. Unfortunately, this is unlikely due to the fact that essentially all past flagship sets since the 2018 Rough Terrain Crane (set 42082) have been realistic and licensed with very minimal exceptions, and not once have we ever received non-land vehicles as a flagship set ever since the 21st century began back in 2000. The only known exception to this pattern, as I previously pointed out, is the 42145 Airbus H175 Rescue Helicopter set released back in 2022, which was only a flagship set by accident since the 42146 Liebherr Crawler Crane LR 13000—originally destined to become the 2022 flagship model—was postponed into the 2023 Summer Wave set release cycle. Throughout the 1980s and much of the 1990s, nonlicensed "oddball" futuristic vehicles—partially resembling real-world vehicles but not trying to look exactly like them—were the baseline standard throughout the LEGO Technic theme. There was an entire futuristic world LEGO built around these sets, as chronicled in the CD-ROM games that LEGO released back then in various Technic sets. And don't get me wrong about the Technic figures—those were amazing, and it's incredibly sad how LEGO's financial troubles in the early 2000s forced them to cut those loose. Keep in mind that I'm in Gen Z and wasn't born until the late mid-2000s (I'm 20 years old), so most of this stuff was already long gone well before I was born into this world, and yet when I compare those older sets against what we get today, I honestly start to wish I could travel back in time and experience them myself. Although I understand that bringing back the Technic figure is probably impossible for LEGO at this time—even though that would be another fantastic way to celebrate the theme's semicentennial anniversary—I know it is well within reach of the company to develop and release some more imaginative, nonlicensed Technic sets like the ones we got back then. 2024's Technic Space sets (set numbers 42178, 42179, 42180, and 42181), along with the 42211 Lunar Outpost Space Rover set that succeeded them shortly afterwards in 2025 (even though that last set was technically licensed), all very successfully proved that this is possible, but it would be nice to see such unusual and unique concepts get more of a proper spotlight to celebrate the theme's 50th anniversary in 2027, even if the continued coexistence and dominance of repetitive licensed car and construction vehicle sets is realistically nonnegotiable and necessary as a consequence of LEGO's fiduciary prioritization obligations. At the very least, a large, major nonlicensed flagship set—even if it ends up being secondary to an even larger licensed flagship—is what I am ultimately hoping for in 2027, and most importantly, that flagship model should not be a conventional ground vehicle, or at least not a traditional car, truck, or construction vehicle. I would like to see LEGO get creative with Technic elements and develop something we've truly never seen before, whether that's an aircraft, a watercraft, a hovercraft, a spacecraft, an amphibious vehicle, a wing-in-ground-effect vehicle, or some interesting combination of some, many, or all of these that is packed with interesting functions and complex building techniques. I'm trying my own hand at this right now with a very large Technic vehicle I am currently building, which I am hoping to post to this forum sometime in the Spring of 2027 (provided that I can secure the remaining funds and parts that I need to finish it). However, while MOCs tend to do very well with filling in the gaps that the official LEGO design team doesn't address (or can't address, as is the case for military vehicles), one of LEGO's core objectives is to inspire the general public with original ideas and concepts, not just replicate existing ones. Unfortunately, it is true that the toy market has evolved significantly since the end of the 20th century to strongly favor preexisting, consolidated megafranchises and intellectual property (IP) licensing over original concepts, but I respectfully wish LEGO would apply as much creative energy as they do for their in-house, original system-based themes into at least a reasonably-fair number of Technic sets per year, hopefully starting next year with the theme's semicentennial anniversary. I understand that we shouldn't get our hopes up for 2027, and low expectations usually tend to come out on top in the end, but I know LEGO can do a lot better than what they've been giving us over the last few years, with the obvious exception of those four Technic Space sets released back in 2024, which collectively and perfectly demonstrated exactly that. We need to see more of the creative, nonlicensed original sets like the four we saw in 2024 and then the additional one in 2025—unique, fascinating, and fresh concepts that aren't always trying to replicate or imitate any particular real-world thing. Standard Diecast-model toymakers and other such manufacturers can make licensed replicas far better and more efficiently at a far lower price point than LEGO can—and The LEGO Group absolutely must know that, by focusing primarily on the visual looks of Technic sets and their accuracy to real-world counterparts, they are actively fighting a losing battle. The only real advantage of Technic scale models over diecast ones is functionality—gearboxes, transmissions, action features, and engineering—that diecast models can't or don't incorporate. While I admire and respect the effort LEGO has made to include more functions in licensed scale model sets like those in their 1:8-scale supercar lineup, as they did recently with the 42232 Koenigsegg Sadair's Spear Megacar, I wish they would transfer some of that same level of effort to original, nonlicensed sets as well. Like system bricks, Technic elements are a creative medium, not just a collector's material. Nonlicensed Technic sets may not necessarily attract ultra-high-value collectors or businesses and therefore must take a back seat to licensed models, but their creative value to the wider community is just as important and thus should be recognized. 2027 is LEGO's golden opportunity—and probably the best they will ever have in a while—to achieve this. And so I am cautiously crossing my fingers that they don't blow it this time.

Okay, then I retract my previous statement in regards to the Education products specifically as physical testing always overrides theoretical predictions. However, this does not preclude future consumer-facing LEGO electronic components from possessing this capability. Precisely correct. That's exactly what I explained before. See the European Common Charger Directive here for more information. That I can sympathize with, but based on the new information received from @msk6003, who owns the physical product, that is unfortunately not possible using the current hardware. Again, however, that does not preclude future LEGO electronics from having this capability. This I can resonate and agree with. It is extremely unfortunate that LEGO has not yet created a solution that embraces all of this potential.

Excellent question and very solid points. Unfortunately, we currently do not yet know, though based on what we are currently seeing, this is very highly probable for the Education hardware and most likely to become the standard for future consumer-facing Technic hardware. Given that the existing LEGO Education Computer Science & AI hardware already uses USB-C ports, it really wouldn't be all that surprising if LEGO ceased using proprietary ports and plugs entirely and fully transitioned to USB-C connections all across the board. Lucky for us, the European Union has already enacted blanket common charging directives requiring that anyway, and USB-C is becoming increasingly common on consumer devices worldwide. If LEGO does choose to scrap all proprietary plugs and ports in favor of USB-C, allowing any compatible cords or charging devices to work with future electronics components they release, whether for charging, power, data, or all three, that would be a massive step forward for everyone, both in terms of affordability and convenience. While slightly less likely than a fully-cordless system, another possibility that should be entertained (which I wish I had mentioned in my previous comment) is that, in addition to using USB-C cables for charging components, it may also be possible to connect said cables between the central power/Bluetooth receiver unit and the motors, or even between components. This framework would effectively create a balanced hybrid corded-cordless LEGO electronics system, where motors can both accept a physical wire from a central power supply AND run wirelessly via its internal or removable rechargeable battery, or even by a separate, clip-on receiver module. Although technical compromises would still be necessary regardless, and the physical hardwire-connection concept would be similar to that employed by Powered UP (thus limiting its usefulness), the option for wireless connections between components would naturally bypass these limitations. Therefore, a new hybrid LEGO electronics system like this may be the absolute best-possible case scenario for a Powered UP successor as it would successfully bridge the gap between heavy-duty vehicles, compact builds, and permanent GBCs or other such installations like yours. Let's keep our fingers crossed that this is the case, but like I said before, we won't know for certain until we're close enough to the official reveal window for the 2027 sets.

Or better yet, a hub with no ports at all. The latest LEGO Technic-based electronics hardware components introduced in the LEGO Education Science & AI kits are completely cordless, meaning that all communication between them relies on wireless connections rather than conventional hard cables. Although I can understand from other users' comments that the exact hardware presented in LEGO Education Computer Science & AI may not necessarily appeal to Technic builders at this time, please hear me out when I say that the introduction of wireless electronics may actually be one of the best-case scenarios, if not the best possible case scenario, for a Powered UP replacement or Power Functions 3.0 system. Just think about it for a minute—with past electronics systems, we were first limited by the maximum number of connected components a power supply could handle from a single port (Power Functions 1.0), and later limited by the physical number of ports on a central hub (Powered Up / Power Functions 2.0). Now, with this new electronics system, provided that it is modeled off of the new LEGO Education hardware, the physical/hard connections between the motor and power supply are effectively eliminated because there is no central power supply—only a central host device (and sometimes a master hub unit element) that receives commands from the remote control and distributes them across slave components, similar to how past Bluetooth and Bluetooth-Low-Energy Daisy Chaining systems worked for large EV3 and Spike Prime models prior to the discontinuation of LEGO Mindstorms. Each component in Computer Science & AI has its own separate, independent power supply and wirelessly connects with a host device. In theory, depending on how well this new electronics system is designed, a much higher—if not indefinite—number of components can all wirelessly connect to the same host device or hub and still run at full power, since they aren't sharing the same physical power supply and battery life. Wouldn't it be nice to build a model as large as the Liebherr Excavator or Crawler Crane with many motors that only needs one power hub versus two or several, and no cable management, as was previously required by Powered UP? That would simplify constructions dramatically, even if it meant that it was initially more expensive to build than it would be with a standard corded system. Yes, charging so many components separately can become a pain fairly quickly, but we always have to pick and choose our tradeoffs. I don't know about the rest of you, but I would think that particular tradeoff is worth it provided that the rechargeable battery packs are affordable and replaceable (or at least reasonably priced), and provided that we're getting higher quality and better performance for the money we're spending on motorized LEGO sets (and if that balance is successfully achieved, we can thank the absence of a central, expensive physical power supply like we had for Powered UP). That's a high bar of an expectation, I know, but it can be done if LEGO was smart about development from an early stage. Although other users here are correct in pointing out that designing a new LEGO electronics system in this manner can be a major liability if not executed well by The LEGO Group, it can also be a significant advantage that gives this successor system a massive edge over the preceding Powered UP and Power Functions systems in the sense that it provides more flexibility for builders, eliminates frustrating/annoying cable management, and thus reduces overall long-term costs to the user (relative to inflation) by avoiding dependence on smart devices and fast-deprecating software. For LEGO Technic sets in particular, I agree that the current electronics introduced for the Education Computer Science & AI lineup of kits would not be sufficient by themselves in their current state, and we would definitely need to see components with greater Technic-based connections (whereas the Education hardware has studded surfaces) and significantly greater power output and utility on the motors' part. We would also need to see the introduction of wireless LEGO LED lights and an upgraded remote unit, or at least a module that can be appended to the existing remote, to provide sufficient proportional control and hopefully tactile feedback for operating RC models. The arrival of new, similarly-cordless or hybrid corded-and-cordless LEGO Technic-tailored hardware components designed to fulfill the above-said criteria is what I strongly believe we are likely to witness in 2027, but again, this is only a predictive theory for now based on the concrete evidence accessible to us at the present time, and we won't know anything for certain until the official sets are revealed.

Precisely. LEGO Powered UP had many flaws that its predecessor system did not, and the original LEGO Power Functions system was presumably too limited and outdated in capability for LEGO to expand it into what it's successor system became. Now LEGO needs to strike a balance and bridge the advantages of both electronics systems to create a new one that uses modern technology without being a burden to those without devices. The new Computer Science & AI Kit hardware seems to be the closest match we have to what they may be planning for Technic sets going forward, so we can use it as a guide to predict what Technic sets might employ starting next year. Unfortunately, Pybricks is third-party to LEGO. Therefore, LEGO cannot and will not use Pybricks unless they buy or license hardware from the company, which is extremely unlikely. That I can understand, but why would LEGO take so many steps to wipe the slate clean again if they knew Powered UP still had potential and could expand it to address these issues? Clearly there is something bigger that led to their decision to wipe the slate clean and start fresh with a new system, or they wouldn't be rocking the boat by deliberately ridding themselves of their Spike Prime Education program and other PU hardware. Unfortunately, we must remember that at the end of the day LEGO is still a business with overhead costs and fiduciary responsibilities. As a for-profit entity, you can only continue to sell something your customers don't want for so long before it becomes a corporate liability, and by now the Powered UP electronics system has likely reached that breaking point after nearly over 7 years of overwhelmingly negative feedback LEGO received regarding its app dependency. That feedback led to the introduction of LEGO Smart Play for system-based sets, most likely to test the concept of non-screen-dependent hardware in lower-risk model applications (licensed sets) before translating similar technology into higher-risk original, nonlicensed products and more expensive-to-develop models like those in their Technic line. You are correct that Smart Play may not be directly used as branding for the new Technic electronics system that will succeed Powered Up, but it is extremely unlikely that LEGO will continue building upon that electronics system when they have clearly already hit a brick wall (no pun intended) and arrived at the executive decision to call it quits on Powered Up. Otherwise, they wouldn't deliberately sunset the hardware and everything that goes along with it. It's not just you. I very deeply sympathize with this perspective, though LEGO would have made this change and maintained Power Functions back in 2019 if they thought that original system still had potential. Unfortunately, they took a different route and introduced Powered Up instead, so based on the fact that they are now retiring PU hardware left and right and wiping their software from app stores, I can't imagine they intend to keep it around that much longer. Based on the evidence we are clearly seeing and are continuing to see at this point and time is much more probable than not that a new electronics system is on the way to replace it. Again, though, this is only a theory and we won't know anything for certain until the 2027 sets start to be revealed in a few months.

Not everything. The Powered UP system naturally requires a screen with the exception of only two components (the Powered UP Simple / Dumb Technic Hub and LEGO Powered UP Train Remote (from post-2019 City Train sets)) which are both extremely expensive and limited in usefulness relative to legacy Power Functions 1.0 components. We all know this as a community because we were complaining left and right when LEGO first announced their intentions to replace versatile, stackable-plug Power Functions with Powered UP, and the monetary values of past LEGO Power Functions hardware spiked upwards all throughout the aftermarket because so many people preferred the original system over the new system. Consequently, LEGO received all kinds of negative customer feedback from people like us about Powered UP due its dependency on digital devices, which was a major issue among parents in particular. Given all that backlash surrounding the Powered UP system for its dependency on smart devices, I wouldn't be surprised if discontinuing the consumer-facing Mindstorms line to focus on educational Spike Prime was part of LEGO's response to that feedback, and now their pivot away from mandating screen use entirely. Even if feedback wasn't yet as widely internalized across The LEGO Group when Mindstorms retired, customer dissatisfaction towards screen-dependent toys was certainly a factor that led to the introduction of LEGO Smart Play. So like I said in my previous post, the writing is undeniably on the wall. It really wouldn't be that surprising since there are too many coincidences: Powered Up components are retiring quickly, the Spike Prime system that succeeded Mindstorms is being discontinued, and LEGO literally just revealed Smart Play earlier this year. Smart Play is scheduled to deploy in several autumn sets releasing in August as well. Smart Play branding is currently geared toward system themes, but the overall direction and business strategy is becoming increasingly clearer: LEGO is moving away from screen-based systems. Given that the new Technic electronics in the Computer Science & AI LEGO Education kits do not depend on a smart device (though can be used with one) to function and operate using a decentralized framework, it is only logical that LEGO would apply this same philosophy, or a similar one, to consumer-facing sets going forward for consistency and production efficiency, for it is cheaper to maintain and expand a single electronics system, hardware framework, and branding across their entire portfolio of powered sets than it is to command many smaller separate, segregated systems that are incompatible with one another. In summary, all this evidence supports my original prediction that, especially given that 2027 will mark exactly two decades since the initial introduction of the original LEGO Power Functions system in 2007, along with five decades (or a half century) since the initial introduction of the LEGO Technic line, it would be the most reasonable time to wipe out any remaining parental uncertainty regarding LEGO Smart Play by introducing a whole new related electronics system for Technic that does not require a smart device. Hopefully this makes sense.

Good idea. The greater the fuselage width, the stronger the structural integrity of the whole aircraft. There are some special propeller aircraft that do have leading slats and flaps, but not the type that you're trying to construct. My apologies for not noticing the wing shape and failing to realize that you weren't planning driveshafts for the engines. Given that you only have 10 axles driving the functions you listed, please feel free to disregard my previous comment. I assumed you would want the engines to be powered as do most other builders who construct aircraft models, but if you're not planning on doing this then don't feel pressured to, as doing so would add extra weight and complexity to the model. That being said, if you wanted to you could focus on the core functions you listed now and then add them in later. @lordkarsa took a relatively similar approach when building their model, which appears to be relatively similar in design to yours but far more complex. They started with static engines that were then upgraded to motorization. Here's the hyperlink to the forum thread for that model in case you would like to take a look:

You could, but I actually think the fuselage is perfectly fine at its current size. The wider the fuselage, the better the structural integrity. Plus, like you said, this model is fictitious and not intended to replicate any one specific aircraft, so I would think this should be fine given how far in you already are on the aircraft's assembly. Furthermore, I know you may not necessarily be thinking about the aircraft's propulsion yet, but when you get to engines, do you think you'll want to build turbofans, turboprops, or just standard piston propellers? Whichever engine form you choose, high-speed buggy motors or BuWizz motors will likely get them spinning more realistically than most other LEGO electric motors.

I would happily sign up if only I had the right parts and equipment, but unfortunately I still live with parents and do not yet have access to the tools required to complete all these tasks. I'm so sorry!

It's probably the latter. LEGO's primary audience may still be children, but at the end of the day, they're still a company with budgets and priorities. As a private company, they have to weigh everything against their balance sheets. Since licensed sets naturally appeal to both the LEGO audience and non-LEGO audiences, they naturally carry less risk by relying on familiar and established brands, and thus usually generate more revenue. As such they are prioritized over original concepts and designs that have not yet been proven in the consumer market and thus, carry a higher risk and, in most cases, lower overall potential for returns on investment. In scenarios where low-risk, high-return licensed sets must compete with higher-risk, low-return nonlicensed sets for production slots and greenlighting, LEGO nearly always has a fiduciary duty to prioritize the former first. That being said, LEGO has historically proven that they can balance their output of licensed sets with non-licensed ones, as they surprisingly demonstrated very well with those four Technic Space sets back in 2024, along with one more in 2025. Outside of Technic, some of their non-licensed concepts, particularly original action and adventure themes like Ninjago and Monkie Kid, have proved mega-successful, so that's not to say there isn't some potential for a non-licensed Technic flagship set in 2027, though that probability is unfortunately quite low based on recent history over the eight years that have passed since the last nonlicensed flagship (42082) was released back in 2018. Although LEGO is naturally likely to at least sell a small handful of unlicensed sets in acknowledgement of Technic's 50th Anniversary—perhaps replicas or homages to the early waves of Technic sets released in the late 20th century, like a bare-bones car chassis with working piston engine, or a modernized studless recreation of a classic brick-style Technic model—it is only realistic to expect that these sets will be relatively small in size and secondary to licensed models, the latter of which are likely to remain a higher-priority focus for LEGO. In other words, most if not all major sets in 2027, including any potential flagship set, are far more likely to be licensed as well. While I would vastly prefer a large, nonlicensed flagship set in 2027 (even though we should all understand by now that this is statistically unlikely), I personally wouldn't mind a licensed one as long as it isn't yet another car, truck, or construction vehicle. In that case, if 2027's flagship must be licensed, I would ideally like to see an eVTOL aircraft done as a major Technic set, since LEGO has not yet released many other sets featuring electric aircraft in that capacity. Archer Aviation and Joby Aviation are both excellent candidates for a licensing partnership, though EVE Air Mobility could potentially also qualify if they're far enough along in development. Since both Joby's S4 and Archer's Midnight eVTOL aircraft both use five-bladed proprotors, that creates an undeniably massive opportunity to finally reuse the specialized swashplate assembly and "starfish" beam rotor head elements featured in 2022's 42145 Airbus H175 Rescue Helicopter set, if the model is large enough to use them. Even though those specialized swashplates were designed primarily with conventional helicopter models in mind, they can still be utilized on a large eVTOL model due to the complex tilting features and variable blade-pitch functions used by the aircraft's proprotors when transitioning between vertical (rotary-wing) hover and horizontal (fixed-wing) flight. Unfortunately, however, it should be understood that such a large, official LEGO Technic aircraft set of this size and stature is highly unlikely to appear anytime soon, given that both aircraft and watercraft typically get a back seat in Technic and tend to take a lower priority for LEGO than ground vehicles when designing large Technic sets. Furthermore, neither the Joby S4 nor Archer Midnight are realistically likely to finish Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) civil-commercial passenger certification here in the United States until late 2027 and possibly early 2028. In my opinion, a large original, unlicensed eVTOL aircraft model invented by LEGO's own creativity would always supersede any pre-existing licensed version, but again I know better than to get my hopes too high for any major nonlicensed set these days. Alternatively, a large model of the Airbus Flightlab RACER hybrid helicopter, perhaps similar in scale to the 42145 set or larger, would also be nice to see in 2027. It uses the same 5-blade count for the main rotor as the H175 and as such, the specialized rotor-related elements created for the 42145 model could be employed again here, in the way they were actually intended to be used. The only major difference would likely be the split-tail empennage at the rear, along with the addition of the twin box-wings ending in pusher-propeller pods on either side, which could in theory spin manually or be driven by the same motor that drives the main rotor, similar to how one motor was responsible for both the main and tail rotors on the 42145 model. Again, though, no LEGO Technic aircraft—licensed or nonlicensed—is likely to appear as a flagship set for any year in the foreseeable future, given that most large Technic flagship models have historically all been ground vehicles. 42145 was the flagship set for 2022 only by accident because the 42146 set that was actually intended as the flagship set for that year was delayed to the next summer's release cycle (2023) due to structural integrity issues. Therefore, it is more realistic to expect that another massive ground vehicle which fits neatly into a similar category (construction, racing, etc.) as its predecessors is more likely to become a flagship set than any aircraft model or even watercraft model, at least until LEGO's design and budgeting teams feel determined and confident enough to break that cycle. And even if we did get this, how is that gearbox going to be powered? Because from my understanding, LEGO is clearly axing the Powered UP (Power Functions 2.0) system, which means something must be coming to replace it, because people will expect electronics in major sets if LEGO is to continue charging the prices they are and still bring in high-value customers. Control+ is likely continuing to exist as its own closed-loop electronics system for small- and medium-sized, licensed ground vehicles under the Powered Up framework for the time being, provided that the 42239 Tumbler wasn't intended as last set to feature it. However, as for the rest of the Powered Up system, the writing is clearly and indisputably on the wall: - LEGO Education Spike Prime is being discontinued on Tuesday, June 30th, 2026, - Many of the remaining LEGO Technic Powered Up sets introduced in the 2023 and 2024 Summer Release Cycles, including Technic sets 42146 and 42160, will be leaving production on Friday, July 31st, 2026, - The LEGO MINDSTORMS Robot Inventor App will be discontinued on Thursday, October 1st, 2026, - LEGO Powered UP Hardware is expected to be removed from LEGO's Pick-A-Brick shop by Thursday, December 31st, 2026, and unfortunately, - After the 2026–2027 season officially concludes in late April of 2027, FIRST LEGO League will officially disband. Summatively, all these signs point to the fact that we are rapidly approaching a major fork in the road. The LEGO Group has not yet publicly made certain what their next move will be, but given that the 50th Anniversary, or semicentennial anniversary, of LEGO Technic will simultaneously mark the 20-year anniversary of the original LEGO Power Functions (PF 1.0) system's debut back in 2007, and LEGO just introduced the Smart Play system at CES in Las Vegas, NV, USA earlier this year, the dates and timings of all these announcements and changes are awfully suspicious, and it is becoming increasingly obvious that there is a pattern indicating how a major corporate pivot towards a new electronics and robotics hardware framework may be on the horizon. Therefore, I am starting to become quite confident that we may see a new electronics system launch alongside next year's Technic sets, and this new system may be based on, or at least similar in functionality to, the hardware currently being introduced in LEGO Education Science & AI classroom kits. We won't know for certain until we are close enough to the official confirmation and release of the 2027 sets towards the tail end of this year, but it's a strong possibility that should be kept in mind.

I absolutely must agree with this. What we desperately need to see is another set that combines motorized functions with pneumatics, which we haven't seen since the 42080 Forest Machine way back in 2018, more than eight years ago now. Agreed again. In fact, when you count out the 2024 VTOL Heavy Dropship set (which technically didn't count as a flagship set anyway), we haven't recieved a single non-licensed Technic flagship since the Rough Terrain Crane ("Big Red"), again way back in 2018. When you really think about it, every single flagship set since then (excluding scale-model replica cars, per our community's flagship evaluation criteria) has been licensed: 2019: Control+ Liebherr R 9800 Excavator (42100) 2020: Lamborghini Sián FKP 37 (42115) 2021: Control+ Cat D11 Bulldozer (42131) 2022: Airbus H175 Rescue Helicopter (42145) 2023: Liebherr Crawler Crane LR 13000 (42146) 2024: NASA Apollo Lunar Roving Vehicle (42182) 2025: Volvo EC500 Hybrid Excavator (42215) 2026: Mercedes-Benz Unimog U 5023 with Crane (42242) 2027: ? (TBA) Hopefully that question mark will be a nonlicensed set, though we all of course know better than to get our hopes up. That being said, plenty of new parts were introduced this year, so LEGO doesn't really have an excuse not to put at least some creative effort into next year's releases, especially allocating so much of their budget towards developing so many successful licensed sets over the last few years.

Yeah, I know. It's a lot of math. But hey, that's engineering!

Yes indeed we will. I had already noticed before there was a possibility of new gear shifter drum elements as well since we saw some positioned on the table next to the other new elements for 42232 in the YouTube video of the in-person launch event, but I couldn't be certain they were new parts by the angle from which they were photographed, which is why I excluded them from my last post. Same thing for the small shock absorbers, though I couldn't be certain those were going to be new parts since we could only see their 3D-printed form. That being said, now that we have more concrete and finalized information, I can now confidently update this list. Across both the 42232 and 40894 sets, and excluding the car's exclusive wheels of course, we get all of the following genuinely-new parts: 8T Clutch Gear (Technic Gear 8 Tooth with Clutch on One Side (TBA | 7557)) 9T Gear-Shifter Sprocket (Technic Gear Stepper 9 Tooth - (116065 | TBA)) 14T Spur Gear (Technic Gear 14 Tooth - TBA | 7785)) 18T Clutch Gear (Technic Gear 18 Tooth with Clutch on Both Sides - (TBA | 7786)) New Technic 3L-Diameter Changeover Cylinders (Gear Shifter with Groove, 40° Axle Offset in Red (6546505 | 7445) + Gear Shifter with Groove, 60° Axle Offset in Yellow (6546506 | 7446)) CV Joint with 4L Axle (Technic Steering / CV Ball Joint Female 4L (TBA | 7659)) Large Suspension Wishbones (Technic Wishbone 7 x 7 x 4 (TBA | 7558)) Large Technic Quarter-Rounded Panel (Technic Panel Round Corner 5 x 5 x 2 (TBA | 7661)) New Technic Two-Piece Wheel Hub Elements (Technic Steering Wheel Hub Holder with 2 Ball Joints and 2 Axle Holes in Black (6583540 | 7169) + Brake Disc with CV Ball Joint in Dark Bluish Gray (6613815 | 7168)) New Technic Shock Absorbers (Technic Shock Absorber 13L with Black Spring in Light Bluish Gray (6579396 | TBA) + Technic Shock Absorber 6L with Black Spring in Light Bluish Gray (6579418 | TBA) This is quite a lengthy list of new parts for just one set. Like I said before, this is turning out to be a good year for LEGO Technic despite the whole licensed-car fever thing. Hopefully these new parts are setting us up for some good semicentennial anniversary sets come 2027. I will be keeping a watchful eye on LEGO over this next year for sure. Well, from my understanding, and based on New Elementary's review of all the brand-new parts of the 42232 set here, these brand-new Technic Changeover Cylinder, or gear shifter drum elements work relatively similarly to the previous 4158 one introduced in 2023's 42159 Yamaha MT‑10 SP set. However, in addition to their colors being different this time around, they are also completely new molds with different functional characteristics. Here is a summary of all the differences: - Toggle Direction: Whereas the original version of the changeover cylinder toggles driving ring holders both up and down, resulting in a continuously-rotating switch, the new versions only toggle up or down (depending on which direction you orient them) one-way, meaning that they essentially act as clean, binary 0 and 1 gates. This means they keep a specific transmission path completely disengaged (0) for a massive portion of the rotation, and then sharply snap the driving ring into engagement (1) only when their precise matrix combination (like B2 or C1) is mathematically called upon. - Step Count: Unlike the original changeover cylinder, which had exactly 8 steps and two to four short continuous 45° groove waves: The red gear shifter drum piece has three slightly-longer continuous 40° groove waves, and the internal axle hole is offset 60° such that 6 distinct fractional positions collectively yield a full 360° rotation, and The yellow gear shifter drum piece has one much longer continuous 120° groove wave, and the internal axle hole is offset 30° such that 12 distinct fractional positions collectively yield a full 360° rotation. Therefore, mathematically speaking, by forcing the red changeover cylinder to cycle faster (changing gears every 40°) and the yellow changeover cylinder cycle slower (acting as a secondary multiplier, changing gears every 30°), these two pieces theoretically (and only theoretically until or unless proven accurate) split the transmission operation into two stages, working together like the hour and minute hands of a clock. When driven by the new 9-tooth stepper gear part included in this set (which cycles the entire, complete transmission 1 step/gear per every 40° rotation at the master control level), their unique wave shapes collectively overlap in 9 distinct, non-repeating combinations—perfectly mirroring Koenigsegg’s real-world 9-speed Light Speed Transmission, like this: - Yellow Changeover Cylinder Phase A + Red Changeover Cylinder States 1, 2, 3 = Gears 1, 2, 3 - Yellow Changeover Cylinder Phase B + Red Changeover Cylinder States 1, 2, 3 = Gears 4, 5, 6 - Yellow Changeover Cylinder Phase C + Red Changeover Cylinder States 1, 2, 3 = Gears 7, 8, 9 Does that sound like what you were thinking? Please note that this explanation comes just from my own understanding of the math behind how these new parts may work, and I cannot certify that it's accurate because I do not have access to the physical parts nor the Koenigsegg set, so other members should feel free to chime in and correct me if I am mistaken about any of the above.

We'll know for sure when the instruction booklet gets released and reviews are done. RacingBrick has already put out a build review for the 40894 set, though I haven't gotten a chance to take a look at that yet. Now, back to parts: I agree that this setup seems the most probable. Yes. I'm sure at this rate, now that LEGO has finally overcome the roadblocks to creating new Technic gear elements, normal 18T and 22T gears are right around the corner.

Yeppers—this new screenshot fully and completely confirms everything said before. So to review, across both the 42232 and 40894 sets, we get all of the following new parts: 8T Clutch Gear 9T Gear-Shifter Sprocket 14T Spur Gear 18T Clutch Gear CV Joint with 4L Axle Large Suspension Wishbones Two-Piece Wheel Hub Elements Large Hard Shock Absorber (Estimated 11L-15L Length Contracted, 15L-19L Length Extended) The inclusion of the 18T Clutch Gear validates my previous comment—this must be how the unusual rotational increments imposed by the 9T Gear Shifter Sprocket are corrected and converted back into the standard divisible-by-4 LEGO geometry. While I won’t unfortunately be able to buy this set due to cost, I am sure looking forward to buying these parts individually once they hit LEGO’s Pick-a-Brick shop. I am also looking forward to reading New Elementary’s review of all these new elements. I have to admit that this is sure looking to be a good year for new Technic parts, despite the fact that Technic as a whole is still suffering from the whole “licensed car” fever.

I know that, I just thought this particular new piece was quite interesting since this is the first time - or at least one of the first times - that LEGO has introduced a 9-base Technic part.

This is awesome!!! New large shock absorbers, new wishbone pieces, new two-piece wheel hubs, and a 9-tooth stepper gear—all on top of the Road Bike parts—what more could I ask for (maybe other than new propeller blades)? I hope all these new parts mean TLG has some good surprises up its sleeve for Technic's 50th Anniversary sets next year. The unique seven-spoked wheels featured in this set might actually make great watercraft propellers or pump impellers, at least as decoration even if they never necessarily generate any useful thrust when submerged and driven in fluids. Also, that 9-tooth stepper gear is an awfully massive shocker for me—I find it quite surprising that TLG would employ an odd number of teeth. While the arrival of this new stepper gear piece indicates that proper stepper mechanisms are now finally possible (at last!), the odd tooth count may limit its usefulness for many applications, especially since most gears in the Technic system—and in fact almost all—have an even number of teeth divisible by 2, 4, 6, or 8. A 9-tooth stepper gear would rotate about 40° per tooth. That's 5° short of 45°, which would've been one-eighth of a full rotation, and 50° short of 90°, which would've been a quarter rotation. Unfortunately, that means those who choose to use this gear with a LEGO motor won't really be able to use non-encoded servos not designed for rotational intervals less than 90° or even 45°, at least not without significant down-gearing. That being said, the new 18-tooth gear has a tooth count that is divisible by 9, as does the existing 36-tooth double-bevel gear, so either could theoretically offset this limitation if used on the same rotating axle that the stepper gear is mounted on, in order to drive another in a geared-down setup. Of course, this is just a mathematical theory that still has yet to be tested.

My bad then, but are you sure about that? Because in an image on a previous page of this thread, and again here, a 12-tooth gear just barely meshes with a 64-tooth gear, at least maybe until you factor in the half-mm correction that I mistakenly wasn't considering when I wrote my previous comment. That's a great idea! Didn't think of that. Thanks for the tip. :)

It does, though I found that a tiny half-a-mm offset can fix this. It's just kind of tricky.

Great news, everyone! New Elementary just posted their full review of the LEGO Icons 11380 Road Bike yesterday, and I'm pleased to share that we've got some new intel on the new Technic parts included in that set. Please see below. - @ord was absolutely correct. It is now officially confirmed that the new road bike wheels on the inside, when fully assembled, are exactly 23 LEGO units across at the center (7-piece central chord/diameter), 20 units across its 5-piece chord, and 12 units across its 3-piece chord. As such, a completed wheel connects perfectly—via up to twelve 2L beams and connected pins or axle pins—with four 11x11 35T circular gear racks when assembled into a complete annular gear ring, allowing the full 140T annular ring to directly drive the fully-assembled 12-piece wheel rim. A picture shown on New Elementary's website proves this, and therefore, direct drive of a large annular, hubless wheel using the gear rack elements—without all those flimsy, weak 11L offset spoke rods—is now possible. - Furthermore, the new large single-piece rubber bicycle tires, which are about 33 units in diameter, centrifugally secure the completed 12-piece wheel rim and everything attached or connected within it, meaning we can now build large wheels significantly stronger and sturdier than we could before. If you're looking for giant high-speed Technic road wheels for large models, such as supersized racecars, go-karts, or other models—or perhaps searching for flywheels to power large pneumatic engines, these are your parts! - In even better news, the new 64-tooth gear meshes perfectly as planet gears within the large 140T annular gear. Two 64t gears can fit within it side-by-side with a central 3-unit separation, driving the large annular gear directly. In theory, this separation also means that a 16-tooth spur gear can act as the sun gear in this setup, resulting in the following possible planetary gear ratios for this specific configuration: 9.75 : 1 (Fixed Ring Gear) 8.75 : 1 (Fixed Carrier/Planet Gears) 1.114 : 1 (Fixed Sun Gear) As other users have pointed out, this arrangement is still a bit tight, but a half-mm offset can make it work. Occasional light imperfections and/or defects in the surrounding parts, especially slight deformities in the wheel rim elements and surrounding rubber tire, often require a bit more work to make this planetary gear configuration happen, though it is possible. You just have to be very careful with the spacing so as not to grind other gears within the arrangement. Using lubricant on the rotating gear teeth may put you in a better position to use this configuration than doing without. Of course, while New Elementary doesn't show it, other gear combinations may work better for this application as well. - The new curved Technic elements used to form the road bike's wheels can be used in smaller quantities to form perfect arches.This opens the door for future sets, both inside and outside of the Technic lineup, to take advantage of this capability. Imagine the possibilities! As always, we shouldn't count our chickens before they hatch, but there are so many applications of arches that I am almost certain we will see these parts used again in future sets. - Lastly, New Elementary discovered something on the new 20T freewheel gear. Like Sariel showed, this gear functions normally when turning clockwise and as a clutch gear when turning counterclockwise. This is echoed in New Elementary's review. However, the internal rachet only has 4 stops, meaning that, when the gear teeth are locked from rotation, an axle can only rotate within the freewheel gear for a quarter turn (90°) before the internal rachet locks it from turning back. Unfortunately, this means that those who seek to drive or otherwise use this gear with any form of electric motor—especially a LEGO one—should beware, because that motor could easily take damage or skip / strip gear teeth, as it would with any other static gear, if it is allowed to backdrive the freewheel gear too far. I am immensely grateful and excited for these new parts. Hopefully we will see these translated into Technic sets in the coming years.

Perfect! Thanks, Milan!

The rear wheels for the 42239 Tumbler set use the Technic Small Racing Rims, which I believe were used in 76139 as well. In that case, there is a very high likelihood that the rubber tires used in this set are also the same.

Well it must have steering since this Tumbler is a Control+ set meant to be operated from a distance using a digital mobile app, and the all-in-one RC hub has a steering servo output on the front of it, so it would only make sense that LEGO would use it for this function. That being said, this is the Tumbler, which means it's steering system is very unconventional compared to usual everyday ground vehicles. The smaller model displayed in @R0Sch's above post could be used as a physical reference for how this function will most likely be achieved. However, because this set is also licensed, the real version used in the movies could also be used as a guide for how the steering function will operate. Perhaps suspension rods? The Tumbler definitely has a suspension system in the movies, doesn't it? Since this is a Control+ set, it would be an awful crying shame for this model not to possess at least some form of suspension system, especially given what LEGO is asking us for to buy this set—US$190. I mean, that price point is just plain stupid ridiculous for the volume of stuff we're getting in return here (again, for $190) if it's not super high-quality, so for this set to at least feature a decent amount of functions—including a proper, working suspension system—is a very basic and reasonable expectation for that amount.

I respect that. AI is a pretty controversial topic in the world right now. However, when it is used as a tool to expand creativity rather than simply a replacement, I do believe it is very valuable to have and preserve. I have tried generating models of certain LEGO Technic vehicles with Google's Gemini AI before for the noncommercial multimedia franchise I am creating, but I have kind of been hiding and deleting those images afterwards because the generations were such good quality (even though it obviously made up plenty of parts that didn't exist) that I was getting worried LEGO might perceive such images as trademark and copyright violations. While not necessarily addressed, nor prohibited in LEGO's official "Fair Play" policy (which was implemented before the AI boom), I feared they might go as far as to issue a takedown request against me if I posted those AI-generated images for my story, though I would hope that I am being more cautious than I should be. Unfortunately, from the way AI guardrail laws are unfolding, the legal scales generally appear to be tipping in deterrence of AI usage in creative works, precisely because it devalues works through perceived lacking of human effort, in addition to bypassing paying for the work of other human artists who rely on works they sell for a living, and the creative industry that relies on economic activity to survive. Therefore, to stay on the legally- and ethically-safe side, I am using primarily physically-built models for the final story—even though it's ten to twenty times more expensive (well into the high four figures). That being said, I still hope to throw in some AI-generated models here and there to keep physical construction and production costs down, provided that doing so is still legally allowed by the time I finish my work in 2029. Regarding the use of Technic pieces in AI images, this might be acceptable from a legal standpoint since other competitors like Mould King, CaDA, and others are all effectively copying the same part designs (just taking out the LEGO-specific protected trademarks like logos, production codes, etc.), however, the AI's near-successful imitation of the official LEGO logo (which is definitely forbidden under the "Fair Play" policy without official affiliation) is a major concern that I could definitely see LEGO raising, if they haven't already. I already saw a pretty scary example of this on YouTube on April 1st (I will share the link to the video later if I can find it again), but if people can generate ultra-photorealistic images of fictional Technic sets that don't actually exist but easily fool others into believing they are official LEGO sets, I definitely see LEGO stepping in to make sure that customers aren't misled by those images into thinking those sets were actually produced by them when they clearly weren't in reality. In my opinion, this should be fine as long as the AI images are watermarked and labeled appropriately as AI-generated, but people who deceive for a living—unfortunately—keep removing these labels and messing things up for the rest of us who are trying to be honest. This is one of the many reasons why why we're seeing governments stepping up worldwide to pass stronger laws mandating irremovable watermarks. Excellent idea. If our moderators are okay with this, I strongly support continuing this topic. We're already having a very interesting discussion here. I think that's awesome! And yes, I know how it feels. I deeply miss B-models in Technic sets too. The good news is that Rebrickable always has our back nowadays when it comes to providing ideas for alternate models.