Lost_In_Noise

You're welcome. I've got another one coming, but I'm also busy with christmas shopping...

This feature is implemented in the set 8232 Chopper Force. Take a look at my Review for an explanation. These pics show how it works by using a gear rack and a rubber band:

When I think the car builders on this site are among the greatest, Sariel returns to raise the bar yet again. I'm speechless...

Very nice indeed. Are my eyes decieving me, or is that TWO buggy motors in the back?

It looks like a good start. Now if I could only recall where I've seen those tires before..:)

Welcome home:D

Very good pictures and information in this review. I would like to have seen some shots of the build process though, and perhaps the alternate model? Thanks Splat!

It's important when discussing pieces per step, that the early Technic models were designed to be an extra challenge for those tired of building Lego houses. You might think that the sets of today are easier to assemble for your average kid. While some early models included seats with functions, working steering wheel, and pop-up headlights, those IMHO very simple functions are cut from the current produced sets. They are cut simply because they aren't anything special, and doesn't add anything significant to the sets. If the Technic designers would still focus on creating the most comfy-looking reclining seats with custom-made parts, we wouldn't have the later huge models like the Unimog, Excavator and the Crawler. Take the 8110 for instance. It has a working engine driven by 3 differentials, power functions, and even a compressor. AND it's buildable by a 10- year old.

8865 was released in 1988 as the biggest Technic/Expert Builder set until that date. With 900 pieces, it included double wishbone suspension for all four wheels, a rear mounted v 4 engine powered by a differential, a 3 speed gearbox and popup headlights. This was also the first Technic set to bear the name "Car", since the previous sets had only been variants of the same chassis. The shape of the body is made by using pinned technic bricks at various angles, made possible by use of the new "pins with friction". It was the first set to include suspension on a steered axle, made possible with the new parts. The box The box is your average early Technic kind, with flip-top showing parts. There is also some pictures explaining the workings of the main model, and the alternate on the back. The parts This set introduced several new Technic elements which were to help making those sets stand out in a crowd. Anyone who has seen or built the successor, 8880, knows that hinges were essential to the shaping of a decent body. While this is merely a test car, the hinges are only used to create some nice seats. This was the first set to include specialized Technic pieces,other than bricks, bushes and axles: Wheelhubs Steering arms Steering links Ball joints Steering wheel Toggle joints Also, perhaps the most noteable improved parts of this set: the half-bush, and pin with friction ridges lenghtwise without center slots. Too much friction in fact. Numerous people complained to Lego about these new pins damaging their pieces. This led to the replacement "pin with friction ridges lenghtwise WITH center slots" being made. This didn't have the strong clutch power of the previous, thus, it was far easier to dismantle. I will be replacing all the old ones for this review. The axles were previously only to get in even lenghts. This would change in this set, because it was needed to get the steered, sprung front axle to work right. Only a 3 axle so far though. The wheels and rims are the same as the previous Car Chassis, only in an unusual color. This is the only set to have these in white. No new gears were included in this set, only 8T, 14T, 16T, 24T, a differential and some 1 x 4 gear racks. The instructions The usual "how to assemble" page: This is the set with most pieces per part ratio. The first step requires 35 pieces alone. 24 steps for the 900 parts gives an average of 37 parts per step. This is a shot of the notorious engine assembly, requiring 144 pieces alone. No parts callout is given for the alternate model, common in early Technic sets. Well, on with the building, starting with: A model: Test Car The main model is built from the bottom and upwards, common in the early sets. This is the frame of the chassis at step 2. The steering arms with support for the wheels are placed. Each layer of the chassis is reinforced by plates. The base is nearly complete. The axle which runs to the front will operate the front lights. A differential is placed in the center of the rear axle. Next is creating the driveshaft, with a 14T spur gear at the end which meshes with the differential. Some Universal joints are fixed at the end of the axles running from the differential. This allows the rear wheelbase to move without bending the driven axle. The suspension uses two springs per wheel, sufficient for the weight of the final vehicle. They are fitted to the lower arm of the wishbone setup. A custom steering rack is made by joining two 1 x 6 Technic plates with a towball axle and a link on each side. The seats bases are also placed. Here is the complete steering rack setup. The axle that drives it has a 1:2 gear reduction. The 12 axle is passed all the way through the rear wheelbase, connecting the springs and swingarms. Some custom made wheelhubs using Technic bricks and pins. The lever for the gearbox is placed. It has a 16T gear and a 24T on it. The Steering arms are used for the front wheelhubs, with an axle with towball connected to them. The front wheelbase is finished, and the gearbox is complete. It uses printed tiles rather than stickers. Yey! Now if it'd only been synchronized... The headlights are mounted on an axle wich has an axle connector at the end. They are placed on the chassis, and the axle with the red cone on it will operate the lights. Here is a front view of the lights with connectors. This is how they work: Now for the engine. This is the first Technic V-engine. It uses the old square piston heads, and a custom made cylinders. The trans-red bricks gives it a nice finishing touch. You can see more of this building process by reading my 858 Auto Engines review. The engine completes the transmission. Here is a cycle, showing the gear change. 1st: 1: 1,5 2nd: 1 : 2 3rd: 1,5 : 1 And neutral: From the other side, showing the driveshaft: In the next few steps the body of the car is made, using primarily pinned liftarms at various angles. The front grille is made of plates. A simple callout for 73 parts forms the front and dash. Now the model is nearly complete, missing seats and windshield. The seats are a bit cheaper than 8860's, missing the reclining mechanism with gears. In stead, they use hinge plates. The headlights are covered with plates, conceiling them when not in use. Some long Technic bricks finishes the windshield, and the wheels are placed, finishing the model. Features Steering with steering wheel. No HOG on this model: Changing gears: Pop-up lights: Reclining seats: Engine drive by rear differential: The double wishbone suspension is a major upgrade from its predecessor. The wheels will maintain the same angle no matter which state of compression the suspension is in. Comparison 8860, 8880, 8448, 8070 B model: Jeep This build starts with the front axle, which is steered and suspended the same way as the main model. The steering rack is a bit smaller. This model also uses double wishbone suspension for the front axle. Now the chassis is mostly finished. The red/blue levers doesn't have any function, besides aesthetics. The axle for the steering wheel uses two Universal Joints. Three 16T gears makes the wheels turn the same way at the steering wheel. A vertical 16L brick locks the parts together, before the dash is made. The car is nearly complete, all that's missing is hood, mudguards and the rear axle. The rear axle uses the same setup as the main model. These four elements are created separately, then joined to form the rear axle. It's mounted in a pendular matter, rather than the double wishbone. It only uses two of the remaining shock absorbers. From the rear you can see how the differential meshes with a 16T gear. This is used in the motorization of the car. The light grey vertical long bricks are mounts for the motor. The seats in this alternate is made the same way as the main model, only they don't retract or anything. The jeep is finished! Features: Suspension: Differential: Steering: Comparison: 8820: 8816: 8066: The verdict This set is what Technic evolution is all about. It clearly shows the advantages of the new availible parts, along with the cons of the soon-to-be phased out parts. Namely, the huge unsynchronized gearbox and engine. The next model would have new parts which would save some space for those functions. Although the body is almost non-existent, it was a dramatic change in the "car chassis" models. This sparked the interest of creating a truly sculpted car for the successor. The build process is a challenging one, at least for the targeted 11 year olds, as this set came with a very short instruction, and even worse for the alternate model. Thanks for reading. Questions and comments are always welcome!

I was surprised by the price on this motor. It wasn't as outrageous as i thought, because the 8293 costs close to $50 here.

Great work, always nice to see someone do something else but building with Technic. Also, nice use of the differential in the rotating ring thing.

None of them are hard to build, and all look great IMHO. I would grab the 8069 because it has a lot more function than any of the other sets. 9394 has hardly got any functions, but it is the best looking Technic plane out there.

The box art's still got the axles though.

It's next on the list..:p

Whoa, nice find! I didn't realize there was any difference between the model and the photos. It's not uncommon to have differences in the instructions vs the model, but this is something else. Thanks for the nice comments peeps. I'll spend the day rebuilding the main model...

8860 Car Chassis was the second Technic/Expert Builder Car Chassis to be released. In 1980, three years after the original Auto Chassis, this ultimate model had suspension (gasp!), an engine and reclining seats. The average BrickLink price nowadays is about $90, I think I paid 60 for mine. The original retail price was $59, 10 dollar less than the 858 Auto Engines set. The engine was the first Technic engine to be rear mounted. It has two models, this and a dragster. The instruction booklet is of the really old type, with the "happy kid playing" picture and an explanation of what this really is: After the first 7(!) introduction pages, you will find the start of the set's instructions. The Parts This set has four of the early foam tires and rims. These were used primarily in the bigger Technic/Expert Builder sets of their early age, until they were phased out in 1989 with the 8862 Backhoe set. A notable non-Technic part of this era is the 2 x 2 Turntable, which is aiding the steering of this model. A total of 29 gears vs 668 pieces is not bad at all. This was the first Technic set to include a Differential, so the rear tires doesn't skid when turning. Also, it was the first to include Shock Absorbers Fun-fact: The 1/2 bush wasn't introduced yet, so it made this build somewhat bulky. The only axles which are connected are the ones in the differential, because the Axle and Pin Connector Toggle Joint Toothed wasn't availible until 1982. A model: Car Chassis This build starts with the adjustable seats, which recline and slides on some axles. This is a function which has been abandoned by the Technic designers, allowing them to focus more on mechanical functions. Note that everything is assembled with frictionless pins, because the black ones with friction weren't made until 1981. Here's the start of the build, with the differential on the base of the rear axle. Next the main part of the chassis is made primarily out of bricks. Then the two parts are put together like this: Note the 4 gear racks, which will be used later. Here you can see how the two parts of the chassis is reinforced by vertical bricks. This technique is widely used in the studless era. The steering rack uses the 2 x 2 Turntable, as mentioned earlier. The yellow bricks in the back is the support for the engine. Now for the driveshaft, which has three output gears; a 24T, 16T and 8T. The 14T spur gear meshes with the rear differential. This is what the steering setup looks like: The steering rack is placed along with the driveshaft. The three 8T gears will align with the gearbox made next. Finished gearbox. You can see how the gear shift takes place. 1st: 24:8=1:3 ratio 2nd: 16:16=1:1 ratio 3rd: 8:24=3:1 ratio Here you can see how is meshes with the driveshaft: When the shift stick is placed, it is locked by this brick. If you remove one of the three bushes, you will be able to shift to third gear. This is used with motorizing the car, but I wanted to keep it anyways. The engine is a 4-cylinder boxer, which is made of bricks. For more details about this engine, see my other 858 Auto Engines review. The crankshaft is made using the offset axle holes of 3 24t gears. Here is the support for the steering column. The steering is mostly finished by adding these plates and bricks. And the support for the shock absorbers. The spark plugs are also placed on top of the engine. In the second-to-last step, the fuel lines are connected to the distributor, the shock absorbers are placed, and the steering wheel is mounted on the dashboard. The car chassis is nearly complete. Still remember the seats? Now it's time to place them, along with the wheels to finish the model. Finished! Features Steering: Moving and reclining seats: Engine: Rear suspension: As you can see, the suspension is only hinged in one angle, causing the wheels to lean inwards when the springs are compressed. This would be fixed in the next model: 8865 Test Car. Comparison with 8880 Super Car: 8448 Super Street Sensation: 8070 Super Car: B model: Dragster The B-model doesn't have any piece call-outs, so you'll have to pay close attention to the instructions. This is step 3, and you can see the steering axle in the front. The support for the steering column is already in place. The driveshaft has a 14T spur gear on it, which meshes with the rear differential. No real drag racers has one, because it would have hindered the rear wheels from spinning. The driveshaft is routed around the steering column with some 8T gears. The final drive ratio is 2:1 for this model. The steering column is fixed in place, and the support for the driver's seat is made. Now the driver's seat is finished, and some mudguards are next. The engine is this model is a flat 4-cylinder boxer. The only difference from the main model's design is the cooling radiators for the distributor. The distributor itself cannot be seen. It's placed together with the front axle. The build is finished with the front wheel(hubs) and the gear rack for steering. Features Turning: Moving engine: Comparison 8847: 8205: 2129: The verdict This is an excellent set, filling the gap between 853 Car Chassis and 8865 Test Car. The mechanics work well, although the gear change is somewhat sluggish. The specialized pieces introduced in 1994 would change this, allowing for a synchronized gearbox. The main pro with this set is that you could make any body for it at your heart's desire, unlike the Test Car. The B-model is also well done, but I would like it better if it had made better use of the pieces. More than 200 (30%) parts are left after finishing the alternate build. This set taught me how a differential works. A must-have for any Technic car collector! Thanks for reading/looking, as always, pics are availible @ BrickShelf.

8455 is the best (obvious maybe). The 8868 is way bigger and more pricey if you want it in good nick. The wifey may start asking questions. The bakhoe looks somewhat anonymous also since you have some of the bigger sets from before.

I see you used some expensive cylinder brackets:D I wonder if lego were make this set they would reintroduce this part? Thanks for showing your work! If I was into MOC'ing I would surely use some of it!

You can replace the Black Pneumatic Pump New Style with Black Top with another color, but the Pneumatic Cylinder with 2 Inlets and Rounded End Medium (48mm) has to be that exact type, or it will squeeze the pneumatic tubing like Stefan_Betula_Pendula said. All the cylinders, and the pumps bought separate would cost you about 115$. At least that was the cheapest ones I've found on BrickLink.

8451 was released in 2003, contains 183 pieces, and features articulated steering via HOG and tilting bed.Brickset reports a retail price of $20, and that's about the same as the average BL price. The B-model of this set is a road grader, the only one seen in Technic. The parts The panels in this set is somewhat of a rarity, this item is only seen in this and the 8455 Back-Hoe. The smaller panel #5 is a bit more common, and featured in the above sets and the Hauler. The wheels are 6 of the Tire 43.2 x 28 Balloon Small, which are perhaps most known for their presence in the Power Puller set. There aren't many gears in this set, but these 5 are enough to make the dumper and the road grader function. A model: Dump Truck The front part with the cocpit is made first as a separate element. It consists mostly of thin liftarms, and the HOG axle runs through the center. The HOG is geared down to a 1:2 ratio with these meshing gears. Here is the finished cocpit. Turning the HOG light moves the perpendicular axle connector from side to side. The bed tilting works by a lever mechanism. Simple, but effective. This is how the tilting setup looks before the bucket is placed. Half the bucket in place. Now you can see the whole tilting mechanism. Now that the bed is finished, all that remains is attaching it to the front. A 2 axle secures it in place, you can see it to the left of the DG 3/4 pin. The 6 wheels are attached by frictionless pins. Now the model is finished. Turning the Light Gray 20T DB gear tilts the bucket. This is as far as it goes. Enough to lose any load. In comparison with 8264, it's simply dwarfed. B model: Road Grader This build starts with the rear end and axle leading to the scoop/bucket. Interestingly, this has more steps than the main model; 44 vs 29. It uses 162 pieces, leaving 21. Here you can see how the grader arm is elevated. This 12T DB gear is mounted directly on a pair of 3L thin liftarms with a frictionless pin. This will act as a HOG. The grader is mounted, now the front axle is all that remains. This model uses a pushrod system to steer. A set of liftarms links the input to the axle. And finished! Let's have a look.... That grey gear is easier to handle than it seems. The steering angle is limited by the axles with bushes on them. But still the grader is able to make tight turns. Scoop movement: Verdict This is a nice little set, which works flawlessly in all ways. The dump truck looks really nice, considering the limited parts supply. The road grader also looks better than the 8828 B-model, but I've seen far better MOCs around. It's a bit bigger than your average mini set, such as the Tracked Crane of this year. Thanks for watching/reading. As always, big pics are @ BrickShelf

Excellent review, and nice pics. I'm really looking forward to getting this set myself now!

Why don't you write a book?

Thanks Allan. I was very disappointed when I finally had decided to make this, then had to postpone it. I nearly slammed my head into the wall at the hospital, but the doctor ordered me not to:D I think I'll be rebuilding the main model, since the parts may get lost in the jungle...

8455 Backhoe was released in 2003, contains 704 pieces, and features steering via HOG inline 3-cylinder engine driven by rear differential, and a lot of pneumatics. A total of 10 cylinders powers the outriggers, lifting/tilting of the front bucket, and operation of the rear bucket. The sets is considered one of the best by AFOLs, and I agree for the most part. More on pros and cons in the conclusion of this review. The average Bricklink price is about 150 Euros, making it one of the most expensive Technic sets to buy second-hand. I paid about 130 Euro for mine, and it arrived in pristine condition with near-mint instructions and a nice box. Original retail was 80 Euros. The box The box itself is nothing too special, the front has a "Pneumatic" logo on it. The back shows the alternate model, a Wheel Loader, along with the functions of the backhoe. The parts The set rests on a pair of 81,6 x 38R tires and some 56 x 30's. Some 9L links helps with the pushrod steering. The Big Digger bucket was last seen in last years 8069, and 8043 A 4 x 4 x 9 Digger Bucket is used for the back scoop, same as the 8069. A total of 7 pneumatic switches are present in this set, along with 2 pumps and 10 cylinders. 13 T-pieces connects the maze of pneumatic tubing, which is 601 studs long. Not a lot of gears, but that really doesn't matter much in this set. An Old style differential drives the engine from the rear axle. Main model: Backhoe The build starts with the rear end of the chassis. The pneumatic cylinders for the outriggers are placed on the sides. The outriggers "feet" are made of thin triangle liftarms. They are attached with frictionless pins, and capable of lifting the finished model. Next is the pushrod steering mechanism. The front wheels aren't driven, but attached with frictionless pins. The rear boom is pivoted by a pneumatic cylinder, hinged on the vertical axle. The cylinders for retracting/extending the outriggers are connected to a single inlet. This makes them move simultaneously. The first switch controls the boom's pivot. The second raises and lowers the first section. A set of knobwheels and a 12T DB gear transfers motion from the HOG axle to the steering setup. The last switch in the back controls the rear boom's luffing/scooping mechanism. A set of 40cm tubes runs from it. Here you can see how the pushrod steering works. The knobwheel is connected to a set of 3L thin liftarms with a "Pin with towball". The rear wheelarch comes into place before the tubing for the pumps is fitted. This setup directs airflow from the pumps to the pneumatic switches. The two pumps powers all the functions. Here it is in place. The four black long hoses are for the rear boom operation. The pneumatic pumps are a part of the cocpits frame, making it convenient to operate the backhoe. Two pumps providing input makes the machine operate very fast. The top switch controls the outriggers. All switches has a toggle joint attached which makes them easier to operate. The differential sits a bit off-center, another pneumatic switch controls the scoop elevation. The inline 3-cylinder engine uses the Trans-Clear cylinders. These black hoses will operate the front bucket. This final knobwheel is the last link in the steering chain. Here you can see the three knobwheels pushing the links in opposite directions for the steering. The final pneumatic switch is placed to control the front boom lift. The cabin is finished. Note that the beam with lights is not connected to the sides. The right section of the front boom is made of liftarms, and lifted by a pneumatic cylinder. The second cylinder tilts the bucket. The mechanism for tilting is hinged with a crankshaft, which offsets the motion by a half stud. Now the front is finished, all that's missing is the scoop. And wheels, before the rear boom. The hoses are carefully routed with perpendicular axle connectors. Now the pneumatic circuit is complete, all that's left is adding the scoop. Finished! Features Lifting boom Tipping load The pneumatic system causes these features to be synchronized, so you can lower the bucket while keeping it level to the ground. Rear arm, and bucket movement. The rear arm swings approx. 165 degrees. The outriggers are quite powerful, and certainly capable of lifting the rear off the ground about 2 studs. Comparison 8862: 8069: Secondary model: Wheel loader This model starts with the drivetrain, which is similar to the main model. The engine setup is also the same; a straight-three. The steering is the same as the main model. A gear rack leads to the HOG. The back end, which usually has a counterweight, is made as a separate element, before it is placed on the chassis. The wheelhubs are made the same way as the main model, only situated in the back. Front loaders are unable to use the front wheels for turning, since they suffer from too much load for the servos. Some panels finishes the rear. A view from the front. Note the yellow bent liftarms in the back. Those acts as handlers for the pneumatic pumps. The boom support also has the front axle with a differential in it. The engine is quite fast, the final drive ratio with this configuration totals to 1:5,4. (Thanks Sariel) The front wheelhubs are made mostly the same way as the main model. They are the last mechanical part to be added before the pneumatic galore starts again. Ah, this reminds me of 8868, sheer pneumatic madness:-) The cocpit is made as two separate sides. The boom is made a a separate unit. Boom and bucket placed. routing the hoses takes about 5 minutes:S Placing the final switches finishes the model. Features 1) raising/lowering boom is notably slower than the main model, since only one cylinder is used per function. Also, the the pumps seems to strain more. 2) bucket tilt The buckets tilt to an extreme this way, dispersing of any contents. 3) boom extension 4) boom extension 2 Of course, all functions can be run at the same time, since they use different cylinders. You can raise, extend and tilt in one continous motion. It takes roughly five pushes on the pumps to go from the two extremes. Comparison 8265: 8828: 8235: Verdict Forget the 8880, forget the 8460, forget the Unimog! This is as good as it gets. The way it looks and works is unprecedented in any other set I've got my hands on. Eight different functions with just 700 pieces is a great achievement by the Technic team. Don't let the hefty price scary you off. If you can afford it, quickly get one and stop reading right now. As always, big pictures will be made public @BrickShelf. Any questions or comments are very welcome. Thanks for reading!

Okay, thanks. Kepp an eye out for it then:-) Oh yeah, can someone close this topic? Or delete it?