Rishab N

Nice start . Looking forward to more progress

I've always wanted to see an UCS gunship, and this looks amazing. Nice work

Fantastic tank. It looks very realistic

No sign of the 42043 either

They're the tires from the 42000 race car Link

Another interesting creation from you. Nice work

Awesome MOC. It looks huge

I'm a very novice MOCcer and have always wondered this. Thanks for making this topic

This looks like a nice modification and saves a bit of money which is great. I've always wanted to bricklink an UCS set(If only I had more money ) and the snowspeeder is definitely one I'd want to replicate

Awesome MOC. I love all the chrome- it really adds a lot of flair to this already great model Probably because chrome is expensive to produce. I still would like to see more parts in metallic silver though

Thanks. Means a lot from an official reviewer. Yea i totally agree with your view. Again I can't help but think this is a set that is more for younger children even though the age says 11-16. I feel that this type of vehicle(sorry I'm going to stereotype a bit) would appeal to a boy under 10 as it has the looks. Every boy that age has probably liked monster trucks or pickup trucks at some point and this set hits that desire.

I'm pretty sure that isn't a C model as I can see parts that aren't from the set, but it looks pretty good

It really depends what you're looking for. Do you want it for parts or for being a shelf model?

Wow your attention to detail is just awesome

Thank you everyone Yea I think TLG really lost some quality with this set. I still think that it's a better buy than the 42038. The 42038 seems to be ok but all those orange pieces aren't really of much use Yea its modification possibilities are great. Little OT but what tires did you use on your mod? They don't look like the normal crawler tires so did you force the ones on the A model?.

The Lego 42029 Customized Pickup truck is a Lego Technic set that was released in the second half of 2014. The set has 1063 pieces and retails for about 100 USD which seems a bit high. When the first images were leaked, the reactions were very mixed. Some people liked it others didn’t and the main complaint was that the set’s front end looks quite ugly. Honestly I wasn’t a fan of the whole second half of 2014 line up, but I decided to buy this set for the parts and do a review of it as I quite enjoy making reviews. Anyway lets get on to the actual review. The Box I apologize for the glare on the box, I'm not sure how to avoid that. The box is weirdly shaped as it is long and short in height. It feels full and has a pleasant weight to it which makes you think that the price was worth it. Here's what I mean about the shape. Compared to a model with similar parts, the box is not really square. Here's the back of the box. It displays the model's various functions, the possibility to motorize it, and the B model. The B model honestly looks terrible to me as it looks like a mess. Here's the contents of the box. There are 11 bags and once opened, the parts barely fit on my temporary, tiny table that I was using to build. The box also contains two instruction manuals( and no instructions for the B model as always) and an unsecured sticker sheet. Since the sheet wasn't secured, mine arrived with a large bend in it. This picture is after 5-10 minutes of trying to flatten it. The Build The build starts with the rear axle and the mini linear acuator for dumping. Not much is really going on right now. Some beams are placed diagonally to make a sort of truss which is kinda interesting. The other interesting thing is how the dump function works. Normally in Lego vehicles the linear acuator pushes the dump bed up as shown in this photo by Blakbird. Instead of using this basic pushing mechanism, the acuator in 42029 is mounted facing downward and fully opened in closed form. When you want it to dump, the acuator pulls the bed up instead of pushing. I'm not sure what benefit this gives, but it is an interesting way to make a mechanism. Anyway back to the build. The build then goes to the front of the chassis. At this stage, you get a feel for the size of the model, and to me it seemed a bit small at first. After that the build takes an odd step. In a model it makes more sense to build a complete chassis and then build the bodywork, but in this model the build ignores that the chassis is not finished, and moves on to the cab section. The cab looks alright, but the interior looks very half baked. The seats are too small for this model and they're blue... again . I'm really getting tired of seeing blue seats in models. It doesn't look realistic, and is it really that hard to make different colored seats? This trend has been used sparingly for many years, but then in 2009 it started to get used for most models. It's been 6 years of that now and I think its time for change. Anyway on to another overused Technic mechanic- the gearbox. The 42029 follows the time honored tradition of a function splitting gearbox. This iteration of it is quite simple with only two functions- a winch(again ), and a dump bed. The functions are controlled by the black bevel gear on the bottom, or from the 8 tooth gear on the right as that's where the M motor can be placed. The cab is attached and the model starts to resemble its final form. Next the engine is added. This was also a source of controversy as it was a V6. Most pickup trucks use a V8 so this was a bit odd. It's also not that hard to squeeze in 2 extra cylinders as evidenced by Sariel's motorization of it, so this seems to be laziness on TLG's part Another interesting thing I found was that the instructions displayed the old mold for engine blocks while my set included the new blocks. The odd thing is that my 42009 also has the newer style blocks and its from 2013, so I would think the 42029 instructions would include these new blocks as the set came out a full year after 42009. Next you have to build the front axle. I'm not a huge fan of these new hubs as there has to be so much space between the suspension arms. Also an interesting technique is used to limit the suspension. The white pieces, which are normally used in studded sets, block the arms from sagging under weight. Front axle mounted. At this point the steering also works and you could have a rolling chassis if you wanted to. And now the cliche winch piece is built. On a side note, I have 2 shelves of Legos. One shelf contains supercars and the rest is ordinary sets. Every single set I have built on that shelf has a winch or thread of some kind. They're all done differently, of course, but i just find winches boring. As a function they're quite boring unless its absolutely necessary such as the 42009 or 8258. Now here's another source of disappointment- the ugly front end. When you look at modern pickup trucks( especially American ones), they all have a feeling of power. The grilles are massive and are covered in chrome and the lights are large and boxy. Just look at the new Ford F-150. The 42029 looks so weak compared to these trucks. Instead of large boxy headlights it has bug eyed lights which are made from gearbox extenders. The grille also looks terrible. Its a mashup of red and grey parts which does anything but evoke a sense of power. I think they could have made it look a little better if they had replaced the red bushes in the grille with grey. Also look at those #3 connectors in grey. There was also some controversy about this as they look very out of place, and this was the perfect opportunity to bring back the rare #3 connectors in red. They brought back the red 5x11 panels in this set, so why couldn't they do they same for these connectors? I replaced mine just to see how it would look and it looks a lot cleaner. Overall the whole front area looks quite disappointing and feels sloppy. Anyway on to the rest of the build and there's not much left of it. The dumping bed is attached and a few other details are added and bam you're done. The dumping bed is an uncommon feature for a pickup truck, but it works well, and gives it a second function thus giving TLG an excuse to use another function splitting gearbox Here are the spare parts Completed model Here's a few pics of the finished model. I think the rear is simple and pretty well done Here's a side shot. With the high suspension, it feels more like a crawler to me than a pickup truck. The suspension is one of the best things about this model. It feels neither too soft or hard and is nice and bouncy. It also has amazing travel. The model's winch also works smoothly as with every other model with a winch. The set can also be motorized with the 8293 power functions set. All you need is an M motor, LEDs, a battery box, and a clutch gear. Motorizing it is quite easy and only takes a few minutes, but one should manage their cables properly, as I didn't pay much attention to the placement and it they stopped the bed from fully closing. I didn't care much for the motorization as it just put lights on the roof and motorized 2 functions. Unlike the 42024, this set doesn't really need the motorizing as the functions work at a reasonable speed, so I decided to not keep the motorization and advise you not to waste your money on the extra parts required to do the motorizing. I decided to take the set outside in order to match its rugged looks. Nice view of the V6 and its turbochargers? Not sure what the things are on top of the engine. Everything opened I also decided to give the dumping bed a practical test with birdseed and it worked well although the bed and parts of the chassis got quite dusty One flaw with the dumping is that the tailgate has to be opened manually. It doesn't make much sense to put a dumping function yet not have an easily opening tailgate. Personally I would have liked to see the tailgate use frictionless pins and some sort of manual locking mechanism. It would feel a bit more realistic at least to me. Final Thoughts The model doesn't have the greatest looks or the most realistic functions, but it has a great assortment of parts. Personally even though this set claims to be for older ages, I feel that it would appeal to younger children more due to its high ride height and quirky looks. It is also one of the most durable models that I have built. The suspension absorbs drops and it can be rolled over multiple times with no or minimal damage. At one point it accidentally fell off a sofa and it survived with only the roof lights and one steering link breaking. With all this sturdiness, its an interesting build as there is so much reinforcement and it is fun to see how they achieve this. The model is easy to break into chunks and has a lot of possibility for modification, so that's always good. Overall Build- 8/10 It's a fairly standard build, nothing too surprising, but it is fun to see how sturdiness can be achieved. Also there are a few interesting parts Looks- 4/10 Really TLG? This looks nothing like a modern pickup truck. I get that its "customized" but that gives no excuse to how half baked the looks are. The front end looks sloppy and the rear is just simple Parts 10/10 Steering arms, suspension, CV joints, ton of red parts, beams in black, dark bluish grey, etc. Its a great parts selection to build your own model. Functions 7/10 Lets see, it has great suspension, steering, a V6 , yet another winch , and a function splitter which really wasn't necessary. Price 7/10 At first glance the price looks alright, and you get the .10 cents per part ratio, however, it feels like it should have been priced a bit cheaper. Just look at the 42024- over 900 parts for 70.99. Now I understand that this model uses some more expensive parts and such, but i think it should really be priced at $85. That sounds like a more fair price since you have to pay an extra 30 to buy the kit that motorizes it. Final score 36/50 The set is a big pile of 'meh'. It could have been better, but its just average, and doesn't have much realism. It provides a ton of modification possibilities(Perhaps this was TLG's intent with this set hence the "Customized" name) and I would love to sit for hours and modify it into something better, but it also fills the function of expensive parts pack, and that's what I will probably be using mine for. In a perfect world where I had more money, I'd love to buy 2 of these and use one as a parts pack and modify the other one, but I guess I'll just have to modify this one and then break it for its parts. For now though its staying on my shelf just beckoning me to go and try to make it even more of a customized pickup truck. Thanks for reading my review. As always constructive feedback is appreciated and please voice how you feel about this set too.

Actually I was most impressed that even though the sticker sheet had a huge bend in it, the stickers were still usable, so i guess I'll keep it. Thanks for the help

I recently ordered a set from Target, and the sticker sheet was bent. I know that Lego offers replacement sheets, but would this still extend to this as Target can't send me a new sticker sheet

I like it. IMO the front looks a bit too open and boxy, but I really like the rear and its smooth look.

I think I'll wait till August as I want the polybag/some promotion

Great work. I like how much function you incorporated. The middle appears to be sagging from the weight though

Nice review. I recently acquired this set, several others from that era(not Star Wars), and a large lot of bulk pieces in a garage sale . It's missing a few pieces and I'm planning on completing it. Not sure if I'll keep it or sell it as it has a lot of charm and nostalgia, but I've never really been interested in this type of ship.

I would love to build it, but the prices of red flex axles and toggle joints are ridiculous

I just got 24 #3 red connectors for 6 dollars. Not bad I'd say. That makes my total 32 and I'm not sure what to do with them

Awesome functions. Nice work