DrJB

Well, it's proven to ME. You may have a different opinion and that is alright. I have kids and went through many 'series' and it's always the same story: We need such set because it has that unique part of minifig. It was the same story with their friends and their parents. Need more 'proof'? Go search for the green ninja from Ninjago, which was released only once in an expensive set and still today commands a high price tag on eBay. But again, the data is there, and the interpretation is up to the one looking through the lens.

Very nicely executed. I've heard the build calls for some very rare parts (such as the 15L black ribbed hose). Any chance to post details about those (hard-to-get) parts or is that a no-no? I'm tempted to buy the book and build the beast, but I need to collect the parts first, and do not want that to turn into a big frustration.

Nicely done, as always. I was just looking at mine yesterday and was contemplating disassembling it. Now, after seeing your post, I'm gonna let it sit for few more weeks. I'm curious to get your opinion on the rotor. For me, it was a difficult build full of small parts and intricate connections ... (thick/manly fingers do not help). But ... let me not spoil the fun. Enjoy!

Glad u appreciate. I was looking for actual lego tattoos on people, but when I found this, I simply HAD to share.

Thank you for opening up and clarifying your position. Allow me to answer few points as well. 1. I was not yelling. I tend to be rather verbose in my writing, and to make sure what the emphasis is in my statement, I write the 'key' words in upper case. Maybe there is a non-written rule in this internet ether that equates CAPS with YELLING, but I'm not aware of such. 2. While I fully agree with you and others that questions such as the one I asked, we'll never get a true answer to, is it not ok to still gather 'opinions' as to what people thought of such practice? In my many years (and I'm not lecturing), I've learned that there is way more than pure black and white: There is PERCEPTION. And so far, these exclusive parts (to me) seem like a mechanism to push sales. Others will disagree, but I'm sure many more might see it the same. 3. Lastly, about what questions/topics are and are not allowed on here, my position is this: We live in a very diverse world, and while Mr CloudGuy (Cumulonimbus) ;) has different expectations from the forum, mine have some overlap with his, but not 100%. It would be very boring if all of us came here for the same exact reason. Many of us buy the newspaper (if any remember what it is) and read SPECIFIC sections only ... I do not read the newspaper, and yet I do not tell anyone what should and should not go there. I think I made my point ... ;) In any event, to me this is a forum i.e., a place for discussions, whether it's about the latest MOCs, building ideas, finding out 'official' information, or even collecting opinions (as it was my intention) ... and the main point is to walk away a bit satisfied from this interaction, hopefully not with a higher blood pressure. Peace to all.

Not quite, the one I recall had a different rotating 'table'.

The topic is neither fabricated nor augmented. This is a forum i.e., a room for discussion, and if you missed the point, you need to re-visit. Obviously you and I are from different generations. When I was growing up, lego was about buying sets and building whatever you wanted. Today, to some extent (not just Technic) it has evolved into building specific contraptions with a certain number of UNIQUE parts. Of course YOU are entitled to YOUR opinion, but don't go hammering on me as to the validity of the post. YES, it is a proven fact that TLG uses unique parts to sell specific sets. You do not agree? Well, my little girl is always asking for a different Elves set because it has a key with a different color/pattern. It is now about collecting all the possible variations of that key ... No, no one is twisting my arm to do anything, not TLG, not my daughter. I was merely asking for what the 'community' thought of such unique parts, and if you think the post is NOT appropriate, please notify the mods, and move on. Happy building, gluing, MOCing, hacking, ... complaining, or whatever it is you like to do with YOUR legos. ;)

Given how expensive the molds are, the ROI must be huge on those 'unique' parts ... This is the only business-sensical justification.

Agreed, the 8880 and 8448 had a number of unique parts amongst them. Those must have been very expensive sets to make. True, I was referring primarily to the YELLOW version. Yellow tends to stand out in any build. Gray is rather dull/neutral.

LOL ... I bet the tatoo was MORE expensive than the shock absorber itself.

I did not imply this was specific to Technic, as I'm sure it i's a company-wide practice. When I started playing with Legos (many years ago), the main idea was that you buy a basic/universal set, and then you can build anything you want. This is true today for many of the early technic sets as they did not have any exclusive parts content. Today, if you want to build 'most' sets, you have to build that specific set, or else the parts are not there, or maybe the wrong color. To me, this seems like a 'deliberate' effort to force sales of specific sets. Yes, I know this is a hobby and no one is twisting your arm.

I meant the XL motor, but wrote 'Large' ... corrected now. When a picture is provided, trust the picture, not the text :) I like to 'think' of TLG as a very successful company, one that needs not run such 'practices' ... but I could be wrong.

I have two of them ... they're ok until you get bored of them. As for the sets I missed, the fiorano was on sale at the lego site for $100. At that time I was thinking who would need another yellow red car ... well :(

I stand corrected, I thought they came up in 3 sets at most, when in fact they did show up in 9. Even more ironic, I have 4 of such sets (below).

There are many rare parts that were released in one or at most 2 Technic Sets. One possible reason is it's TLG's way to boost sales of specific sets. Yet, I find it difficult to believe a company of such reputation using such 'tactics'. What possible other reasons can you think of? Sample parts I'm thinking of are: 1. Wheel rim covers on the Ferrari GTB Fiorano - 2 sets only 2. Cylinder brackets on DZ and crane - 2 sets only 3. Pneumatic cylinders on 8455 Not that rare, after all 4. X-Large motor on crane truck - 3 Technic sets + 1 non-Technic 5. LA Bracket on Telehandler (though not sure how useful such part is) - 2 sets only 6. PF Lights - 2 Technic sets only 7. Yellow shock absorber - 1 set only 8. ...

Heating them up, try to use hot water, NOT an open flame.

The graders and wheel loaders we make are fitted with either agricultural tires (same as Claas) or what we call Radial tires (like the lego volvo wheel loader). Whether a customer wants one type or another if tires, depends on the intended application. Agricultural tres are preferre for construction projects, where there ir loose dirt and mud. Radial tires are preferred for snow cleaning on major roads and airports. The agricultural (ribbed) tires have better traction on loose/muddy/soft soil. However, they are not used on smooth and hard surfaces as they generate a lot of vibration for the operator. The last thing you want is a tired operator with a numb 'rear-end' operating dangerous machinery.

How about something without wheels or tires? PF with motors and remote, with both propulsion and steering tends to get boring after a while. Somewhere else I read that TLG gave a lego plastic injection molding machine to visitors ... How about a piece of industrial machinery ? Also, how about a boat/sub?

Fantastic work Blakbird and others. What I would really like to see reverse-engineered, is the multi-dof robot Akiyuki uses in the video below.

Yes, 9395 and 42041 were great as parts collection. I used both to build Madoca's SUV.

This reminds me of an older set (8454) that had lots of red panels and those rare shock absorbers.

I must confess that, like many on here, I'm typically after the large/flagship sets only. The small sets often 'seem' entry level and for a younger audience. Now, I recently picked up two small sets and I must admit I was rather pleasantly surprised. These are the 42045 and 42048. The parts collection and build techniques (especially steering in 42048) were an eye opener. What other SMALL sets would you qualify as a 'must-have' ? PS. Please insert photos to make reading the thread easier.

In fact, most of the construction and agricultural machines use those tires: backhoe, wheel loader, grader, combine harvester, ... I hope we see such tires in more official sets. It would also help if they came in different sizes too.

Thank you for the link. My german is very 'basic' ... but nothing Google translate can't help with. I've contemplated the idea of a motor-grader for a while and to me, the one factor that dictates the scale is the turntable. In real machines, such component is fairly large whereas with Lego, one is 'stuck' with only one option ... unless we try a custom option a la efferman.