Outdoors02

Thx for the replies, in that case Lego's description is a little misleading. "STEERING AND SUSPENSION – This STEM toy helps kids learn as they play and includes realistic functions including articulated steering, rocker suspension and a boom that rotates 180 degrees" because to get the boom to rotate, you have to rotate the entire front section (AKA use the steering) even though they're listed as separate functions. Will look into mods.

The front bogie (the section with the four smaller wheels underneath to which the boom is attached) rotates relative to the rear/cab section, but does the boom structure rotate relative to the bogie?

I may be wrong, but there seems to be more than meets the eye. Not bad for something so tiny. Compared to the 42225 motorcycle, which is too similar and too soon after 42132 for my liking, I like it. Reminds me of 42132, 42133, 42147 and 42148 from 2022-23. Sure, no official B-model here, but lots of playability regardless (42163 from 2024 is rather limited in this regard). I'm (totally not impulsively) buying it to go alongside my 42157 skidder.

It resonates with me too. Lots of playability for such a small and inexpensive thing. https://www.dreamland.nl/producten/lego-technic-john-deere-1470h-houtoogstmachine-42218/02323787

Oh don't you worry https://www.brickmerge.de/img/sets/l/LEGO_42218_prodimg.jpg (sorry full image file was too large to upload)

January 2026 leaks, from brickmerge.de Visit https://www.brickmerge.de for higher-resolution images. Seems like your wish was granted

Not unlike how 42225 is a essentially a yellow-orange reskin of 42132 from 2022 - I don't think that kids will mind, and personally I will admit that 42225 has the advantage of having the attached pistons (part number #6452846) and crank discs (#6452845) as opposed to detached pistons and cams (#4211483 and #4210759 respectively).

Good point, we can't be too harsh on the little sets. They're (primarily) meant to be gifted for birthdays and Christmas. In a sense they're the ones carrying the spirit of Lego as a toy first and foremost.

Yes, that's been a recurring theme in recent years, but usually January images come 1-2 days after.

I personally will wait for the 42218 harvester and 30736 seaplane, already have the 42132 motorcycle from 2022 so 42225 is quite redundant to me.

Usually early December, 1st - 3rd

I was referring to the little 42218 harvester. It seems like these days the small sets are the ones keeping Technic alive (by not being cars).

All of that in 117 pieces has me interested. Compare that to the 42163 bulldozer which has a worm-gear actuated blade in 199 pieces. Makes a great birthday/Christmas gift and would look great beside my 42157 skidder. Curious to see how 42225 compares to 42132 from 2022.

Everything you're saying makes sense. Basically any toy that isn't a die-cast model will be off to some extent, and even some of those lack details. On the topic of who pays who, I also think that JD pays Lego as a partnership with them (with Lego) is an excellent source of advertising. That's what Fender said when they partnered with Lego to create the Lego Ideas Stratocaster (set 21329) (I'm only speculating though, my statement may be false).

To me this set offers a good balance of price and piece count while having great playability.

You're correct, but knowing Lego I know that they have their reasons as to why it looks that way. That's why I said that if you're interested, don't hesitate to contact them.

Thank you for taking more time to explain and for writing a (seemingly) calmer response than some of your earlier posts. In this case, yes, the discussion may continue. On the topic of design decisions, I'd honestly recommend you reach out to Lego. I have friends who have noticed interesting or unusual design decisions in sets before and by writing to them, they actually got to hear from the designers themselves and were given (often) surprising answers. In my opinion it is worth the try.

Most kids might care about looks enough to notice that it's the same color and general shape as the real machine, but I doubt that they'll start to compare it side by side with the actual machine and start bashing it for every detail that's off. That's because even children know that this is a small toy, so it's normal that it's not identical and what's more, as a Technic set, this toy is meant to be playable more than to be displayable. This discussion may go on, but frankly I think that it's immature (from all of us) to have such a prolonged and animated discussion about a toy that's marketed to children and that unlike Creator/Icons sets, is meant to be played with.

Looking at this through the eyes of an adult, I see what you mean. But as Racing Bricks and Bartybum have said, this set is meant to be looked at through the eyes of a child. I'm 21, so that's easy for me to do. I remember getting the 9390 Mini Tow Truck at the age of 10 and despite its size, I was thrilled to get a toy vehicle that had steerable wheels. Compared to sets I had before, it was obviously more playable. I didn't give the slightest attention to how it looked because I had so much fun playing with it. Also, steering was one of its only 2 functions, the other being the tow cable, but that one is so obvious and expected in a tow truck that many don't even consider it a "function". All that to say that in my opinion, the target audience of this set (children who like Technic are often naturally curious and interested by everything around them) will most likely be so intrigued by its functions all they'll want to do is play with it (with a minifigure inside) and not give the slightest attention to anything else, including, but not limited to, how this set looks relative to an actual John Deere 9700. Once again, if this were a set meant for display, I'd agree with you.

Thanks for the rendering and thanks for including a headpiece. I agree with kbalage on this - I think that the target audience will be delighted. One thing is for certain, a 9-year-old me would've been. That's what I thought, I figured that the steering system would take up quite a bit of space.

Also, I think that having a moving header (to be put and "drive" and "work" mode") that still spins when it's down would be difficult from a mechanical standpoint if it were connected to the wheels.

Intriguing, do you have an image(s) ?

Always on the lookout for something negative to say aren't you? If you don't like this set, don't buy it and keep your negative thoughts to yourself. Doing so will only save you money. As my late grandmother (who just lost a grueling 10-year bout with cancer) always told me, try and see the positive things around you and if you fail, keep your thoughts to yourself. I don't want to go on about my life, but I'm only trying to honor her memory by practicing the principle that she lived by and instilled into her children and grandchildren's minds. I apologize for the angry response (particularly to you Jundis), my only goal was to state that this set has, in my mind, positive attributes. Thank you.

Fair enough. At the end of the day, even though it's marketed as being a model of a specific machine, it's still a small set that's part of a theme where functions are more important than looks. Frieden my friend.

I wouldn't get too worried about those wheels. I'm sure that the only thing that the average builder will notice is that the front wheels are bigger than those in the back, but that's also the case on the real machine.