Lego Tom

Nice! How about some detail photos of counter balance system?

Maaboo has spoken!

Volvo may have a bucket available with a center reinforcement plate but this picture shows a bucket without one: [/img]

Pretty sure it's not:

LOL, here ya go....

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away....

People are far more likely to lose their collection due to fire than theft. Most thieves have no idea of the value of LEGO sets or pieces and will go after more marketable items like electronic items. Regardless, if you are worried about some malady befalling your bricks, you should make sure you have insurance to cover any potential loss you can't afford.

The unicorn thing may not be LEGO's doing. I went vehicle shopping last week and noticed many manufacturer's are producing equally nauseating colorization's of 1:1 models. I walked away from the model I was interested in buying because of the bizarre use of colors inside. Perhaps it's a 'youth' thing that manufacturers have keyed into, but it certainly isn't in my taste.

@nerdsforprez The thing is, people who want a more difficult assembly can rip out pages of the instructions or just ignore them altogether. The rest of us dummies depend on them.

I finished the CaDA Hummer and here are my thoughts on this kit. Please note that these are my thoughts based upon my experience with this kit. The sole purpose in posting is to act as a reference for anyone considering purchasing this product. The build is unlike anything I have done to date. You build the complete chassis first all the way to adding the tires and wheels, then assemble the body panels separately before piecing them together to then put onto the chassis. There’s nothing wrong with this manner of construction but if you do something wrong it may leave you wondering why things aren’t going together properly. Don’t make any mistakes and all will turn out fine. The build is complex with some steps presenting a test to your manual dexterity, but to CaDA’s credit, everything goes together well. The end result is a beast! The engineering on this is first rate and CaDA deserves high marks for both design and execution. Form, fit and function are on a par with anything available from LEGO, at a price that is much more palatable than recent LEGO products. Packaging is in line with other recent CaDA master build products. Everything is contained in mostly numbered bags similar to LEGO. The kit comes in a very sturdy cardboard box with the parts bags divided into 5 attractive boxes within. The internal boxes are attractive in that they have an outline drawing of the completed product on the boxes themselves. Also, keeping in line with the other CaDA model I built, all the standard build pins are located in their own individual bags. I like this method, as the pins are separated and can be dumped into one bowl for each type rather than working through individual bags, each with their own supply. It’s a simple thing, but simple things often make the process flow better. Another simple thing – most of the pins are black, so there are no blue or red eyesores. The 3L friction pins are black, the 2L axles are black, etc. Again, it is a minor thing but the end results is much better, in my opinion. As was noted in the review I did about the CaDA truck mounted military crane, there are some parts that CaDA made in two pieces vs LEGO’s one piece counterparts. This was probably done due to copyright concerns. The pieces still perform the same functions. While creative builders may be able to make use of the individual pieces, I couldn’t think of any real advantage to having the pieces literally split in half. The most negative thing I have to say about the kit is what was touched on in earlier posts – the instruction manuals. Note the plural as there are 5 in total. In size, they are about the equivalent of 2 LEGO technic manuals, as each of the manuals are relatively thin. However, CaDA saves space by putting two, three or even four steps on a page where LEGO would typically use a full page for each step. While this good for the planet (saving paper), it also means the pictures are generally smaller and not as sharp as the LEGO counterpart. The instructions for this model also show the various part colors for the initial assemble process, but once the parts are assembled, the resulting assembly is done in grey. In most cases, this isn’t a problem but sometimes, especially on complex assemblies of which this model has many, keeping the colors visible greatly aids in the assembly process to quickly identify proper orientation. Additionally, the color of the pieces isn’t consistent with the actual parts, especially in the call out area for the pieces needed for that numbered step. In particular, black parts may be shown as black, or gray. Since there are gray parts in the kit, this can be confusing at times, especially when starting the build and encountering this discrepancy. Once you realize this, it’s not too bad but still disconcerting. In general, CaDA small pictures in the parts callout area are lacking in clarity and color consistency. Lastly, concerning the manual, sometimes the steps read right to left, top to bottom and other times, they read top to bottom, left to right – so pay attention!!! Note actual assembly vs gray picture: Note number sequence: Someone mentioned CaDA’s stickers in another post, and the stickers in this kit are inferior as well. They feel thinner than LEGO’s, which isn’t bad, but the color is way off from the color it is being placed on. They are so far off, I haven’t put them on, at least not yet. There are only 4 stickers in the kit, which given it’s a military vehicle, is kind of odd. Not that military vehicles have a lot of writing on them, but they do have some for identification purposes. Like other CaDA products, this one can be built using manual or motorized options, and can be motorized at a later date after they build. This is a really great option as it allows the user to buy the kit at a lower price if they aren’t interested in motorizing the model. Nor does adding the motors later on require major revision of the model to add the motor(s) and power supply. Again to CaDA’s credit, the power supply has a self-contained rechargeable battery supply that uses any standard USB wall wart. CaDA is way ahead of the curve on this! Included in the kit is 5 motors, a rechargeable power source and controller. I was annoyed however that the connections on the motors and hub CaDA sent me did not match those shown in the instructions. The drawing shows the new USB type plug in connections while the set I received had the older LEGO style connectors. Figuring out how to hook everything up wasn’t rocket science but could leave the uninitiated builder scratching his/her head. On top of that, CaDA’s website will not let you request replacement parts for the drive system, no matter which style you receive. The automated page steps you through the process where you have to up load a picture of your receipt and also requires the set number. When you key in the set number, the site takes you a listing of all the parts in the set and you simply select the missing/damaged part(s). The problem here is none of the motorizing parts are listed. Even if you key in the number for the motorized set instead of the model set, it takes you to model parts with no motorized parts listed. Nor could I find a simple way – or any way for that matter to contact them and explain the issue. Here are a list of the operating features: Doors, hood and rear deck open and close. Doors are spring loaded to stay shut. Removable roof panel to insert rocket launcher/chain gun (both, traverse, launcher fires, gun barrels rotate). Steerable front wheels. Locking front and rear differentials. Four wheel drive. Folding seat backs. Working front mounted winch. Operating pistons. Motorized Functions: Drive forward/reverse. Steerable front wheels. Selectable locking/open differentials. Power front winch. Traverse/operation of weapon. Headlights So that is my take on this model. In summation, it is a great model at a very acceptable price. Only experienced builders should buy it however as it goes beyond your standard build criteria. EDIT: I forgot to mention that before purchasing, I had read in another review that the 12L axle connecting the front and rear drive was pretty flexible and a potential problem. The writer suggested either reinforcing the axle or replacing it with the CaDA carbon fiber piece. At $1.60, It's a bit pricey but when you compare the two, there really is a huge difference in flexibility with the carbon fiber being much more rigid. Ordering it with the set saves the cost of shipping.

Very cool! You might be able to minimize torsion of the tower by slowing down the slewing speed. Real cranes move pretty slowly. Regardless, nice build!

Because they are plastic, the lube is most likely silicone based. Mixing shouldn't be a problem.

LOL - says the man who is living on land stolen from various groups since the dawn of time! Native Americans themselves didn't believe in land ownership, but f they didn't want you living on a particular piece of land, they killed you or drove you away. Today, Native Americans are the only ones who own land in America. Everyone one else leases it in the form of taxes. Regardless of whether you own the title to the land, don't pay the taxes and the land will be taken from you. Native American lands are held in a perpetual trust by the Federal Government, meaning it will always be theirs unless they sell or give it away to non- Native Americans, and they pay no tax on the land.

Has anyone tried injecting silicone grease?

I'm still trying to figure out who the intended audience was/is. I hope it wasn't me...

Look at the picture and tell me which parts are black and which are dark grey: Here's a hint - there are NO GREY PARTS. So if you wasted time looking for them, too bad. CaDA also removed all color after the item is assembled as show here: Also note that the instructions read right to left instead of the left to right most of the world uses. For reference, here is what the assembled part looks like. Note how the greyed out picture removes several colored parts that could have been used for fast location. Not deal breakers when it comes to recommending the set, just things that CaDA could have done much better on.

I would suggest you get your hands on the instructions for the Hummer and then come back and correct your statement.

Now they need to work on their instructions. I just received the Hummer and the instructions are really bad! I'll do a review when I finish the build but I suspect the instructions will be the biggest negative.

They are there to warm up the sun!

I'm not sure which would be better - to move the tracks out further, add another set to make them wider or maybe both? IIRC (too lazy to go look) the tracks on the D11 are wider so using those may help as well.

Doesn't matter - it was still well done! LOL!

I found plugs on line. I can figure out the rest with an ohm meter. Thanks.

@efferman Great Review! I agree with everything you said in your well done review. The set indeed should be considered the Technic set of the year for all the reasons you stated. Plus the price makes it a bargain, in my opinion, whether you select the powered or un-powered version. As a down note, you are also correct about the quality of the actuators - my boom actuator broke last week and had to be replace it with one I had on hand. As you indicated, the instructions are a bit lacking and at times confusing. You mentioned the complexity of the gear box several times (which is true) and therein lies one of the failures of the instructions. Nothing gets tested until the end of the build and that could be a serious problem if someone makes a mistake during their build with one or more of those many gears. A few test functions along the way could prevent someone's frustration later on. While the model does function very well without power, the crane winch is geared so low that raising/lowering the hook manually will test your fingers! The motorized version is the one I opted for and you are correct: adding the motors is done at the end of the build, which in my opinion is another flaw in the instructions. To add the motors, the builder needs to disassemble and remove much of the interior cab work. CADA should have made a notation at that point of the build process to say "Hey, if you are building the motorized version, skip to page XXX". Instead, they have the builder finish the build, then tear it partially apart to install the motors. If one initially built the model for manual play and later decides to add the motors, then I guess this is OK but not you ordered the motorized version to begin with. Another point about the motors. As you stated, only two are needed. This is a testament to Michael's design. That so many functions are available yet can be operated and controlled with only two motors is a real engineering achievement! You asked for the proper names for the "pillars" and in the US, they are called stabilizers or stabilizing arms and the mechanisms on the ends are stabilizing jacks. As for the piece of cord CaDA supplied for securing the crane's hook, I found rubber bands to be far more easier to use. Again, your review was excellent and I generally agree with everything you said. I hope your review drives more people to buy this set and thus spur more models of this nature. Sorry YouTube won't let me give you more than one like!

Thanks for the reply! I would like to power the LED lights I have added from one of the hubs, so I need one of the plugs LEGO uses. I also need to know which pins on the plug will give me positive and negative.