Blakbird

Thanks for resurrecting this thread. I had forgotten about it and it looks like I never made a copy of these instructions. Has anyone gone to the trouble of collecting the individual images from Brickshelf and making PDFs? If someone has already done it, that would save me a lot of time instead of doing it myself.

Yes.

THe kind of person who would own a power puller would know immediately. I took the connectors from mine briefly, but I couldn't stand how the black ones looked.

OK, I took the instructions and made an MLCAD file and the attached render. There were a couple of things I couldn't replicate. The Hero Factory shields on the sides of the turret did not exist in LDraw, so I made an add substitution. The Bionicle chain links also do not exist, but I was able to find all of the other parts. One more thing I noticed about the change from 2 IR Receivers to 1 is that we lost the cool grenade launchers.

Yes, this is what will happen when some people choose to make a profit off of others' work. This is clearly Paul's Lamborghini Gallardo and I'm sure they built it using my instructions, yet they make no mention of the creator. I'm not sure what they were thinking with the lime green. C'est la vie. Here's the original, in case there was any doubt:

I understand your frustration, but you are lucky these are available at all. When I was building my Murcielago, there were no yellow #4 connectors available anywhere in the world for any price. I agree that it makes no sense that parts like this connector and the 1x6 thin liftarm have never been made again. These are common parts in other colors. I even mentioned in my 8043 thread that there is a spot which clearly should have used 1x6 thin liftarms but used 1x7 instead. Why?!? Not everyone is in their right mind. I bought a Power Puller and parted it out just for those 2 yellow #4 connectors. It was the only way to get them. I made most of the money back by selling the 1x6 liftarms and the tyres.

Thanks so much for providing these instructions. Can you explain a bit about why you used two receivers? I've been looking at the instructions and trying to figure out the wiring. I do not think you have any skid steer function, so does that mean that both receivers are on the same channel and each "red" output goes to a different motor so the left and right motors work together?

I have a couple of questions about this model after having downloaded all the images for it from Flickr. In your main pictures, you show the model using 2 IR receivers, but in the instructions you only use 1. Why the difference? I think you used 2 receivers originally to try to maximize the power to the motors. Did you decide it didn't work? If it did work, why did you change it for the instructions? I also noticed that the battery in your main images is on the opposite side from the instructions. Did you actually use 2 batteries to go with the 2 receivers originally? One other difference is that the LEDs are not included in the instructions, but they are easy to add. I'll definitely be building this one because it looks like loads of fun and is highly unusual.

Based on the fact that not only have I disassembled and rebuilt every single Technic set in the last year (as well as a bunch of MOCs) but I also play guitar, I no longer have any feeling left in my fingertips at all. While building 8070 I noticed that there was a stain on one of the parts so I looked down and noticed that I was actually bleeding. That was awesome. I've decided that true dedication to Technic can only be reached when you build until you bleed. On a side note, my blood smells kind of like ABS.

There were some "Technic like" parts prior to 1977, and in fact even in 1977 it was called "Expert Builder" and did not become "Technic" until 1985. Some examples of earlier parts include the Samsonite gear wheels in 1965. The part which you reference above never appeared in a Technic or Expert Builder set.

I was also noticing that the yellow Murcielago is not built correctly, but it is close. There are also some color substitutions. Perhaps, but my MPD was made from Paul's photos, so it should come out the same. The black Gallardo is definitely also Crowkiller's model, but is has been altered to be more "solid" using more liftarms and less open space.

Superglue (cyano-acrylate) works great on plastic but won't stick to the metal shaft. I'd use JB Weld or epoxy.

There's not much anyone can do to offer advice on this since no one on the planet actually has 8110 yet. By all accounts, it will be fantastic, but then so is 8258. I don't really think you can make a wrong choice since you will be happy with either. The benefit of buying 8258 is that you won't have a chance to get it later for a reasonable price, but you still have 2 years to buy 8110 if you get the money later. For that reason, I'd go with the crane truck.

Yes.

It's a first half set. The procedure of releasing one of them slightly later (in March) seems to be new last year. I don't know if this signals a future trend or it is just something that had a particular reason this year.

Sounds fine to me. Use it wherever you'd like.

It's certainly possible, but "reasonable" is the debatable part. In this model the steering input is on the back and the function runs the entire length of the chassis along the bottom. A set of double bevel gears ahead of the front axle grab the steering rack. So all the steering is underneath the gearbox and the engine. In order to get it up to the steering wheel, you'd have to bring that motion up much higher and pass it through the engine bay without interfering with the engine. It would certainly add a lot of parts and at least a few u-joints.

The castellations have certainly never been used in an official set, but I do recall a LEGO Pneumatic Engine once that made use of them. Can't remember which one right now.

It is slightly shorter and significantly wider than the crane truck. Lower too, of course. Quite different than Crowkiller's Gallardo in functionality. The Gallardo has all wheel drive and steering, but really no other mechanical functions so the supercar is much more complicated. The Murcielago adds suspension, so that gets closer. I like the blue. Pink is right out. I had the same extra parts and the same thoughts. I'm sure they are for the alternate model. I wondered when someone would notice that. I didn't notice until after my review was posted. The wheels are backwards because I put them on when I felt like it, not when the instructions called for them so I didn't see that they should be reversed. My minifigure scale picture has them on the other way. Both directions look good to me.

I could use numbers and tell you that it is 19 inches (48 cm) long, but since a picture is worth a thousand words, why not compare it using a scale you are familiar with?

Naturally I had to go out and buy the latest Technic Supercar the moment I heard some stores had it, and I put it together the same night. I tried to remember to take pictures as I went along, but I was pretty excited. So without further ado, here is my review of the Supercar II. Note that I am using lo res photos here, but you can get high res versions on my Brickshelf account (once moderated). (image from Brickset) Vital Statistics Set #: 8070 Set Name: Supercar Year Released: 2011 # of parts: 1281 Size: Big Price Paid: $120 USD Let's start with some pictures of the box. As usual, this box is much larger than necessary, being no more than 25-30% full by volume. The box is of the recent "destroy it to open it" variety. I try to destroy mine as lightly as possible by cutting the rear flap with a razor blade. The front of the box shows the main model and then the functions within the orange Power Functions band on the right. The back of the box shows the alternate hot rod model. There is no parts list on the outside of the box. As a matter of interest, there are no pictures of the back of the car on either the box or in any of the marketing materials. It turns out there is a reason for this. Inside the box are about a dozen poly bags, instructions, and a sticker sheet. This is the first set I have purchased which uses the new method of putting cardboard in with the instructions. I appreciated this very much since it resulted in pristine instructions. The instructions are divided into 3 books for the primary model only. As with most current instructions, they are broken down into truly tiny steps, some with only a couple of friction pins to install. The model could easily have been put into one book. The instructions for the alternate model are also 3 volumes but must be downloaded. Now we'll look at the parts. The first picture shows all of them laid out on the table, partially sorted. The Power Functions parts consist only of an M motor and a battery box. The second image shows the large number of newer red panels. There are 6 large wide panels, 10 medium wide panels, and 2 medium narrow panels. The next image shows the liftarms, of which there are many. Most are either black or red. The parts for the seats and dash are dark gray. The frame is light gray. This would have been a nice time to start making this part in black, but no such luck. Now let's see the special parts. The first image shows the collection of gears. Not as many as 8043, but quite a respectable quantity (note that I inadvertently left the 12 tooth bevel gears out of the picture). The 16 tooth spur gears are the new reinforced variety. The next image shows the expensive parts. There are 8 control arms (new narrower size), 4 of the wheel hubs, a differential, two transmission driving rings, 4 stiff shock absorbers, 6 steering links, 4 CV joints (dogbones), and 2 of the new CV sockets (the only new parts in the set). Time to start building. The first image shows the beginning of the transmission, the heart of the car. The two parallel axles will be driven at the same rate by the motor, and the clutch gears will be used when engaged to drive the four motorized functions. Two non-motorized functions (engine and steering) will also pass through the same area, making this section very dense. The next two images shows the transmission installed in the beginnings of the chassis. The view from above shows the white clutch gear which protects the motor from stalling. It is driven directly by an 8 tooth pinion on the M motor. The long axle sticking out the front will go to the V-8 engine from the rear wheels. The last image shows a view from below. The gears you see are one level under the transmission. This next image shows the rear axle and suspension assembly. It features independent suspension and a differential gear. The CV joint "dogbone" system is used here which allows the pivot points of the drive axle to be in the same plane as the suspension pivots, as it should be. This arrangement is exactly like the R/C cars and trucks that I build use The axle stub coming out the front will go to the engine. The following image shows the suspension assembly in the chassis along with the completed gearbox. This next image shows the rear spoiler, the first mechanical function to be completed. A crank further forward uses a link to pull the spoiler which is on a 4 bar linkage. The next image shows the seats. There are a couple of things to notice here. The first is that the seats are truncated because the gearbox interferes with the inboard edges. The next is that the gearbox is not centered in the chassis; it is off by one stud. This means the attachments to the seats are not symmetric. Here is the front suspension assembly, also independent. The shocks and steering rack are not completed at this point. The next image is a closeup of the completed front of the gearbox. Many mechanical functions are visible here. Even though LEGO instructions never put on the wheels until the end, I can't resist putting the rolling stock on a completed chassis, shown in the first image. Everything is functional at this point except that the doors and hood are not attached. The engine and steering work, as does the spoiler and the mechanisms for the doors and hood. The next image shows the body coming together. There are a lot of complex angles happening here, and most of them are NOT accomplished with angle connectors but rather pinned liftarms. The model is now complete. This animation shows what a big difference in appearance there is with and without the panels installed. Note that there are no stickers applied at this point. I did apply them later, but I did not find that they added much since they are mostly solid red. OK, let's see the finished product. This is a VERY good looking car. The panels and flexible axles do an excellent job of contouring the car. The headlights and grille are a great touch. As I've said before, the styling of this car with it's enormous hood make it look like a Dodge Viper to me, though it should be a V-10 then. Here are a top and bottom view. The myriad of functions is easy to see from the bottom. Let's take a closer look at the functions. The battery box and M motor power 4 functions through the central gearbox. The rear spoiler "hides" under the rear deck. As it deploys, it pushes the deck out of the way. The deck swivels on pins at the roof posts. It is an odd spoiler indeed being open in the middle and far too large in scale for the car. I think it has more in common with the air brake on the Veyron and McLaren than with a real spoiler. My guess is that they just needed something to use that 4th function for! The doors are scissors style. The pivot axle is at an angle to chassis, so they pivot not only upward but outward. This is accomplished through a 9L link on either side connected to ball joints. The hood pivots at the front to open. When down, it presses against the top of the engine. All 4 of these functions use worm gears which means not only are they geared down significantly, but they stay in place wherever positioned. Besides the motorized functions, this model also has everything else you'd expect a supercar to have including 4 wheel double wishbone independent suspension, V-8 engine, differential, and steering. The HoG steering is at the back by the rear window instead of on the roof. I'm sure one of the questions everyone is asking is, "How does this hold up next to the supercars of the past?" The images below show them all together. The first 2 "auto chassis" on the left were primitive by modern standards, without even a body and without full suspension. Starting with the 8865 "Test Car", that changed. Most would consider either the 8880 or the 8448 the pinnacle of Technic cars, so how does the new one compare? Very well indeed. It has everything you'd expect from the two older models including 4 wheel suspension, steering, and an engine. The 8880 had 4 wheel drive and 4 wheel steering, but that was more of a novelty than it was realistic. The big difference is in the switch from a transmission shifting gear ratios to a transmission shifting functions. Although the newer set may be less realistic in that regard, it is actually much more complicated. The older models took a single input (wheels) and converted to a single output (engine) at either 4 (8880) or 6 (8448) ratios. 8070 converts a single input (motor) to 4 outputs and must therefore contain the entire gear system required to distribute these functions to their remote locations. I think this was an excellent compromise of playability with realism. I can't really think of anything this car should have had that they skipped. Visually, this car has more in common with the Ferrari Racers models than it does with the older Supercars. The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly So what's the verdict? Good This is a great looking model with every function you could reasonably ask for. Here are some of the smaller details I really like: The CV joints. Visually, there is no reason these are needed at all. Mechanically, universal joints work perfectly well. But LEGO went the extra mile and developed a part many have been asking for which bumps up the realism of the driveline to a new level. The angles. Look closely at the car. Look how the doors are inset from the wheel arches which flare out at the front and back. Look how the doors taper up to the rear wheels. Look at the front bumper and the hood. After the chassis is done, there are very few right angles in this model, and that makes it realistic to look at and fun to build. The black stripe along the bottom. It didn't need to have one, but it does. I love it. The stickers. They are subtle and not too distracting. Bad I must preface this section by saying that these are minor gripes. There is nothing wrong with this model, but these are things I might have done differently or trivial improvements which could be made. The lack of pole reverser. There REALLY needs to be a pole reverser. It is a royal pain to use the battery box switch to change motor direction because it never wants to stop in the middle. This is my only significant complaint. Easily remedied. The Power Functions: It didn't really need them. I would have preferred that the functions were operated via a manual crank resulting in a cheaper model, with the PF being an optional add-on. Compare this to models with linear actuators which really all should have a motor. This is an AFOL opinion though. I'm sure the target demographic will love the motor. The black stripe along the bottom. That's right, it was also in the good section. My only complaint here is that the stripe reaches all along the bottom of the car, but then mysteriously disappears at the corner of the front bumper, then reappears at the front of the bumper. The 1x3 liftarm at the corner should be black. Easily remedied. The stickers. Also a carry over from the good section. Some people hate stickers, and I don't think these were really needed, though they are well done. Ugly The back end. That battery box is an eyesore. I wish it had been hidden somehow, but I'm sure this was a cost trade-off. It needed to be accessible to avoid needing a pole reverser. There's no doubt that I have to recommend this model. It easily holds its own amongst the older cars, losing out only because it does not yet trigger any nostalgia. At the USA price, it is a great deal even for parts. Buy it. One last thing I wanted to mention is that I firmly believe that this model exists due to comments at this (and other) forums from AFOLs. We've been saying for years that it has been too long since the last Supercar, and we've opined at length concerning what we'd like to see in a new one. I think this model is for us. Thank you LEGO, for listening. You got it right. (Should have been blue though.)

That's what you get when you export a parts list from LDView based on the CAD file. The CAD file has them as individual parts so you can adjust the length to make everything line up. You have to fix the parts list manually to get the complete assemblies.

I accept both your praise and your blame with equal parts honor and pity. There's no way out for you now. Once you go down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny. The fact that you actually have space in Manhattan and have amassed 200,000 pieces suggests that the resources you have for LEGO are considerable. This is an enviable position in which to be. It is now your responsibility to collect wildly and with abandon, sharing the joy of your collection through images, poetry, and song. If you suck at the latter, we'll settle for images.

It's funny that the only thing we are criticizing about a car covered entirely in brightly colored studs is that some of them are not LEGO! The real problem, of course, is that he should have used tiles.

Your story sounds familiar, not so different from mine. Now that you've told us how big your collection is, you are obligated to show it to us!