therealjustin

Keep saving for the 42009 but look for deals since this set will be around for at least another year. I would never sell my 8043 or my 42009. Both are the best Lego Technic sets of their genre and will be highly sought after for years to come.

I placed an order for one at 12am EST last night. It looks like S@H is out of stock until late January. I'm really excited to finally have a decent model of Curiosity and I think she'll be happy on my desk. My next project might be a larger Mars diorama made of Lego.

I don't think getting an 8272 Snowmobile for 34 euros would count as a bargain but it's one I have always wanted because I live in snow machine country.

Terrific work! Any plans to release instructions? I think they would sell pretty well as you have captured the look perfectly!

The Nurnberg Toy Fair starts at the end of January and the new 2H sets are usually shown there.

The hook block is something that needs attention in this set I think(the shape is not realistic) and I have been trying a few ideas in LDD. The stock one is on the far right.

I would totally buy the black version! Nice job! 9396 is a decent set but that color palette always looked wrong, especially with the stupid half red and half yellow stickers they expect you to apply.

Good to hear that it is working for you too! Maybe you could try some fishing line if the cotton string is causing the movement to be slow.

I tried a few different ideas today and found that if the cable is thin enough, you can add a return cable beneath section 2. I added a pulley to the rear of section 2 similar to the front but without the 3L axle and half bushings. Instead I used a frictionless tan pin. Tie a cable to the end of section 3(same spot as the other cable is attached) and run it through section 2(not through the 5x11 panel holes!). Next bring the cable underneath section 2 and dangle it in front of section 1. Insert all sections as they would be if the arm were retracted and secure the cable with a pin. It works perfectly! There is little friction between the cable and smooth plastic panels so I don't think this would cause any problems unless you use the crane daily, of course. Now the boom can retract without the need for gravity.

I would like to see a supercar-like set, only a pickup like the Ford Raptor. The Unimog tires would work perfectly! That or a large garbage truck like the one posted above.

8265 - Front Loader 8420 - Street Bike 42000 - F1 Race Car 42009 - Mobile Crane MK II

Lego did not have any of their normal string in stock so I purchased some beading string at a local store. It is almost identical to the official string found on the 8110 Unimog winch but a bit more silk-like. The problem must be friction because the way this boom is designed, section 3 needs gravity to retract since there is no return cable. For example it will not retract the last section if the boom is completely horizontal. If I could find a solution for that it would be great! There was a member on Techlug under the username "Jacques27" but he seems to have left for good sadly. His 42009 projects had a return cable or at least it looks like they did.

First, thank you for the help Alex! I used the PDF to build the boom. I went through the LDD file and made a list of the pieces I needed before you made the PDF, so some of my parts are different like sections 2 and 3 which are yellow. Also, the 32L axle support is different(styled like in the LDD file) and a few tiles are different lengths(1x8 instead of 1x4, etc). Nothing that would cause mechanical issues though. In my video it appears that section 3 does not retract all the way but it does. Friction is causing it to not retract fully the last couple inches by itself and only does if I push it in manually. -First I tied the cable onto the end of section 3 -Then I put that cable through the front of section 2(inside 5x11 panel holes) and out through the rear -Lastly the cable was pushed through the hole located at the bottom of section 1 and secured with a black pin. I don't see any red axle... This is how I looped the cable:

In this short video you can see the issue. When the last section is nearly retracted it sticks because of friction. Not sure what the problem might be. Also, the photo shows this final section and how it can be pulled out. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaBL3Qv3l18&feature=youtu.be

I just built this extended boom and I'm curious about a couple things. Is anyone else's last section of the boom able to be pulled out completely? On mine, this end section can be pulled out and left dangling by the string in both extended and retracted states. Also, when you retract the boom does this last section require you to push it in the final few inches? Maybe I did something wrong? I cannot for the life of me figure out how I was suppose to attach the string at the bottom of the largest section so I just took a gray bushing and tied the string around it and tucked it up in the cavity.

Another great review! Sadly this set does absolutely nothing for me and the color scheme and design are not interesting at all. I think 8052 is a lot nicer in both looks and function.

I spent about $75 on parts for my 42009 to make the extended boom from the Techlug.net forums and add a few more details to give it a more polished look.

I like the operator cross-bar! I always thought this area looked a bit naked.

No axles in my spare pile. Here is what I had leftover: 3 tan gears 2 tan pins 1 light gray pin 1 red sliding gear 6 light gray bushings 3 yellow half-width bushings 2 orange transparent lights 1 red transparent light 1 orange transparent slope 6 black pins 1 spare string(possibly included to attach to whatever you want to lift)

My Unimog has started to lean to the right, when viewed from behind. I thought it might have been the battery pack but that is on the other side

Yes, I'm always interested in the different designs that lead up to the final product.

There is a new article posted on the Technic blog where Markus Kossman discusses the challenges of designing the 42009 Mobile Crane MK II. Notice the 2013 sketch model. Interesting! http://www.lego.com/en-us/technic/technicfan/blog/2013-2hy/technic-mobile-crane?icmp=COUS45HomeWN2TechnicNewBlog

Wow, really nice!

I just found two for sale in the U.S. and I can use some light gray or black pieces for the other two.

I ordered the parts for the boom and they should arrive any day now. The only issue was the yellow 32184 which I cannot find anywhere.