Blakbird

At long last, I have completed 1986 and all 8 sets which showed up that year. This is the longest I have taken to complete a year of set documentation, so I hope it is worth it! Enjoy.

If you want to see how LEGO Technic sets work, then go to Technicopedia. Only the sets up until 1985 are contained there so far, but you will at least get to see how Technic functions work. Technic functions exist for the sole purpose of existing! They demonstrate how real mechanical systems work, which you can build with your own hands and then observe in operation. Whether the reciprocating engine and gearbox turn via a motor or via your own hands doesn't really matter, you still get to see it work. Also note that a large majority of Technic models which do not come with motors can be motorized by adding a supplemental motor. This is generally in the instructions. Eric

Yes, that sounds like a pretty good idea. I'll put it on my list of improvements to make. It might take me quite a while to get to it since I am more concerned with just getting all the sets listed first. I am an old fashioned HTML author, so I really only know how to make pages the old way, with a text editor. Sometimes I use a simple tool to speed things up like SeaMonkey. Unfortunately, I have no idea how to make dynamic pages or how to integrate a database. It would be cool to have the whole thing be searchable, for instance. It would be especially nice to be able to search by function. However, I don't have any database to start with so I'd have to create one before such an idea would be feasible. At the moment I am just filling out the information for each set as I go along. Take a look at the revision history to see how often it is updated. So far, I try to add things every week or two, usually one model year at a time. Not sure how long I will be able to keep this up though.

All of the remaining categories and comparisons have now been added including: Excavators Backhoes 4x4's Fire Trucks Big Rigs Combines Airplanes Watercraft Arctic Action

Update: All of the sets from 1984 and 1985 have now been added, including the first pneumatics!

I'm going to go out on a limb and predict that the pole reverser will work like the 8480 submarine (alternate model). In this model, the battery box is internal and the pole reverser is basically an on-off switch. When you turn it on, the prop turns and the fiber optics activate. Then you can use a gearbox to switch functions (open and close the front hatch). No set uses the gearbox better than 8480! The 8421 is slightly similar, but without the pole reverser. A gearbox is used to change functions (telescope boom or wind cable). So in this case, there may be a gearbox to switch between winch function and some other function(s) that we can't see in the picture. The pole reverser would simply be an on-off switch which also reverses direction of the functions. I agree that it seems ridiculous to have a motor to do nothing more than drive a winch. I will almost guarantee that there are other motorized functions. One clue would be the size of the motor. If it is an XL motor, they wouldn't use that just for a winch. However, if the gearbox is used for switching functions, it means that the gearbox is NOT used as a transmission for the car. Eric

Thanks for letting me know. I have fixed the signature.

Update: Universal sets from 1982 now added.

This particular forklift is rather infamous for jamming. It is not because it has been sitting for a long time. The chain mechanism lifts in the front, which tends to rock the forks towards the back. The corner plates on the back that prevent it from pivoting tend to jam and make the whole thing "stick". There is not much you can do about it, it is just a problem with the design. You can try rotating the 2x2 corner plates on the back of the fork mechanism out a little bit so they are not so tight. Mine very rarely goes all the way up without sticking. Eric

Very interesting trivia! I was not aware that a boom rest had been added to this model, but I do mention on my page that it is difficult to raise from the lowered position due to poor mechanical advantage. I'm not sure I would add the boom rest even if I had it, because it would mean that I could not put the boom all the way down. Yes, I am interested in this type of data, although I don't know when I will have time to add it. You might notice on the 851 page that I mention another little bit of errata. The mechanism for lifting the implement was very weak and came apart a lot, but later instructions (like the ones on Peeron) actually changed the design to eliminate this problem. This also changed the parts list of the set. I have the older version. Many early sets also had completely different instructions in the USA than they did in Europe. For instance, one version will show the parts needed for each step (like Technic still does today), but another version will not. Some of the early European instructions were on a fold-out poster instead of a book (like my 851).

Update Many more categories with feature comparisons added. Over a hundred new photos.

Update Sets from 1981 have been listed including 8844, 8845, 8846, 8848, and 8859.

Update: ========== Photos of about 60 sets added and feature comparisons completed for categories: Cranes Bulldozers Forklifts Super cars Go carts Tractors Helicopters Motorcycles Other

Thanks for the research. For the mini sets which have multiple numbers, I will probably use the slash "/" notation when I get to them. For the sets which were re-released, I am listing them under the original number. But on the actual page for that set, I will discuss the other numbers. The Search Sub will probably also use slash notation. Note that the Turbo Command set (8432/8428) also came either with or without a CD-ROM.

You are correct. In the early years, everything was "Technic", so there was no problem. In more recent years, the name has been put on some sets which use Technic parts, but which don't meet the criteria for Technic. So what are the criteria? I don't really know. Whatever my brain decides is Technic will be included, and whatever my brain decides is not, will not! In general, I don't intend to include the competition type sets or Bionicle. The expansion packs (supplemental sets) are not listed, but I may add them later after I am done. Some of them, like 870, 872, and 880, contain parts, motors, or gearboxes which you can't get anywhere else. I may also add some of the really good models from the idea books. But for now I am concentrating on sets. Star Wars is a tough one. I own all the Star Wars Technic sets, but I am torn as to whether or not to include them. Most of them don't really have any technical functions but are primarily static models, with the possible exception of the Destroyer Droid. We'll see how I feel about it when I get to that point. I did intend to include all the Micro Technic, so if you see some listed which I don't have listed, please tell me which they are! Minifig packs will probably be included at some point. Thanks for looking so closely!

Thank you for the reference. I read your site regularly as well. I don't intend to give up, I am still having a lot of fun. My wife is even helping me with the pictures and by proofreading everything, which makes it much easier. She said that if I put her in the pictures with the LEGO, I could probably charge money for the site, but it is not that kind of site! :-D As far as I know, I have every Technic set. As I go along, maybe someone will mention one to me that I did not know existed. Yes, 8480 has always been my favorite, followed by 8485. I think I like these best partly because they are so detailed and complex, but also because they are so different than anything else Technic has done. 8479 is also amazing, and very unique. I never had Technic as a child. Technic was very rare in the USA, so I did not get my first set, 8480, until I was an adult. I was into Space LEGO as a kid, and 924 was my favorite. That is a great one. I have used up two sets of batteries already, and my son won't leave it alone! Well, back to work on Technicopedia for me.

Thank you for the kind words. I will try to keep everyone posted on my progress. 9 sets done, only a couple hundred to go! :-D

Update: Sets from 1978, 1979, and 1980 are now posted.

Thanks! It is easy to be motivated when you first get started, and harder as the project gets bigger and bigger. But this is something I have wanted to do for a long time, and I still get excited every time I take out an old set and think about all of its functions again. By the time I get to 8480 and 8880, each page is going to be really big! Your story about looking for such a site is exactly why I am doing this. When I started with Technic, I remember thinking that I wanted to collect more of them, but had no hope (at the time) of getting ALL of them, so I wanted to know which ones I would like best. I could see images of all of them on Lugnet, but I couldn't really tell what they did. The functionality has always been the selling point of Technic for me. Eventually I actually did get all of them, so I am in a unique position to compare and contrast. When this site is complete, hopefully someone will be able to find out which helicopter (for example) they would most like to have based on all available information. Incidentally, I am in the midst of preparing 1978 (854 and 855) and am almost done. They should be posted by the end of the weekend.

Technicopedia Hello everyone! I've finally decided to turn my LEGO Technic obsession into something useful. Well, more useful than it already is anyway. I've started a new website which will not only catalog all of the Technic sites, but provide technical descriptions, pictures, and animations of all of the features. It is far from complete, and it will take me a long time to finish it, but I've posted the first version with all of the sets from 1977. Please take a look and tell me what you think! Constructive feedback is welcome.