Soluzar

I'd love to build this, but there simply aren't any of the required tyres on Bricklink. I guess maybe if I find the single set that include them I could give this a go. Seems like there's no viable alternative tyre. Nothing seems to compare in terms of size. Maybe TLC will re-introduce this part, or something similar to it. I really like the look of this model, but without those rear tyres...

Having kids probably is a good excuse for buying more LEGO in general. :D Personally I don't have kids so can't justify the price of Mindstorms, or multiple copies of a single set, hehe. The 8070 and 8043 seem like a good foundation for a collection, to me. Both are great parts packs, in addition to the fun of building them to begin with. Both were among the sets I picked up upon recently emerging from my dark age. That's a damn fine price for the 8070. I paid less than RRP, but still more than you did!

As small a complaint as it might be, I'd rather all axles were the same colour too. Then again, I'd rather all pins / bushes / etc of a given type were the same colour, too. They are only small connecting elements, I don't see the need for colour variation. It just adds an extra complication for me when mixing old and new parts. It already irritates me that I've got an old and a new shade of both 'light grey' and 'dark grey' to contend with. I want to freely intermingle my LEGO by element type, but the old grey looks so out of place next to the new.

To some extent, I felt the same way you do until recently. I also chose the 9396 as my first modern Technic set to build. I didn't have quite as many problems with it as you seem to have, but I did have to retrace my steps back to discover my mistake a couple of times. I think what helped me was sorting the parts thoroughly before starting to build. Since then I've built other modern Technic sets and some of them have bags which are numbered to correspond to phases of the build process. This helps a lot. You open bag #1 and it has all the parts you need for the first several steps. Then you move on to bag 2. It's an improvement.

Yep. Well... at least you can get some idea by consulting the list of parts, but it will always be a problem. I want to try building the 8868 one day. I have a growing pool of parts to work with, and can bricklink the rest. The main problem will be that the quality of the instruction scans is awful. I think it would certainly be cheaper for me to build it from individual parts, but I guess I'll have to factor a copy of the instructions into that.

It would be nice if they'd upgrade the instructions for older models to HQ at least. They aren't going to make more money selling discontinued models, and if I want to try to build it from my part collection, I've got a pretty poor set of instructions to work from.

One major complaint I have with their web instructions is that they are often poor quality and pixelated. The colour reproduction is worse than on paper, too. I don't want that to be the only copy I can work with.

I already decided that I'd rather sort parts by type than set, even though I don't have much Technic yet. If I need to sell a set, I will find the parts by building it, then check rebrickable to see what extra, unused parts should be in the box. That should work fine.

I'm not sure if I would. I can't really see what it adds to the kind of things I want to build, honestly. If I think really hard I can maybe see some potential for it, but then I'd need to be coming up with ideas specifically for Mindstorms rather than the normal kind of thing (cars, trucks, construction machinery) that I'm naturally drawn to. As well as that, it's my perception that the NXT brick is pretty big, and I don't necessarily want to give up that much space, or mass. It's more weight for the motors to haul, after all. I'll say "maybe" if the next generation of the brick is smaller, and brings with it some more powerful motors. It might be fun to have an autonomous vehicle that can navigate around obstacles. I don't see any real need for an LCD screen, personally. Also, maybe they will increase the number of motor control ports.

Odd that. Here in the UK, TRU are quite reasonably priced. You won't find too many amazing deals here, but you also won't find yourself paying above RRP on every item.

Ahh, that's great! I do have 8070, and although I don't have 9397, I expect to pick it up very soon. I wish I hadn't missed the window of availability for that model. Looks nice. If I can get one from ebay during a month when I have extra cash to spend...

Congratulations. I really would like to get this set in blue, but of course I'll take it in whatever colour it comes. :D

I see. I assumed that the existence of the 4x4 Crawler meant that RC cars were a thing which worked reasonably well. I don't expect to get a lot of speed out of it, but I just find the idea of "LEGO you can drive by RC" appealing. If I wanted high performance RC cars I'd buy something from a specialist range, of course. The Little Devil looks promising I already have a lot of the parts I would need to build it. The lights seem like they might be a problem though. I can't even find a reference to "62498c02" anywhere except the Rebrickable parts list. Any idea where they come from? Of course! I'd really love to, actually. The Vampire GT looks excellent, but I'd like to see just how someone else did it before I experiment myself. My first attempt will probably be to motorize the 8070, according to that YouTube video. If that works, and I can gain confidence from it, then the sky would be the limit.

I'm very much interested in "full RC" technic models. What I mean by that is a vehicle where the drive and steering are remotely controlled. Having other powered functions ( 8070, 8110, 9397) remotely controlled is fun too, but the official sets seem to focus mainly on that, only rarely doing a model with RC drive / steering. I actually do enjoy models with powered functions like the ones I just mentioned, but I would still enjoy greatly building a "full RC" car. The 9398 4x4 Crawler seems nice, and I'll be getting it soon enough. The 8043 Motorized Excavator is even nicer, having a truly full range of RC functions. Only thing is, neither of those are cars of the type I'd really like to see, to build and to play with. I'd be more interested in something similar to the 8070, but with the original power functions removed in favour of "full RC" features. In fact I'll probably make some attempt at that, using a certain YouTube video as my guide. I can't understand why LEGO haven't made anything like this. I'm pretty sure I'm NOT It's really a bit too early in my exploration of Technic for me to be confident coming up with anything original - I'd like to study the work of others, first. I feel more comfortable with instructions to follow for now. I know that might seem to some of you to go against the spirit of Technic, but it probably won't be a permanent state of affairs. Anyone recommend anything? I know that it's only a minority of MOCs which have published instructions...

It's true that the last 3 years of Technic sets have been outstanding. For a long time, I maintained a passing interest in LEGO, but didn't truly believe the dark age would ever end for me. I'm sure not everyone would share my opinion, but a lot of the sets released in the late nineties and early naughties didn't look interesting at all.

My instinct did suggest that the new cylinders should be easy enough to replace with new ones. I assume that the problem with the Micromotor is that it's much smaller than any other motors they have released. Is it prone to failure?

Maybe the plan is to try to make custom elements. If you can heat the plastic, you can maybe join pieces together for rapid prototyping of a new type of connector maybe? Once you know it does what you need, you can then submit it as part of a CUUSOO project, perhaps. That is, if CUUSOO includes Technic.

Well, I won't disagree with you. There's potential to make the 8070 an RC car though. I've found some hints online for modifying the 8070 to that end. No 'complete instructions' as far as I can see, but then the LEGO Technic community does tend to the self-reliant. Since I've got little experience, I'd prefer step-by-step guidance, but this way might be fun too. I was lucky enough to find an 8043 for sale, still marked at the RRP. Delightful. I feel extremely lucky, since it's already discontinued. I snapped it up in an instant, of course.

I've recently picked up a few new LEGO Technic sets, but my original experience was with the Technic sets from the late 80s and early nineties. For a while there I wasn't interested in new 'studless' Technic, but I've come around. To get to the point, my concern is for longevity. I still love those old time sets, and would like to build them again someday, either by assembling spare parts from Bricklink or by buying a whole set. The new stuff is fun, but the older sets will never leave my heart. I'm wondering if the pneumatic cylinders / pump and the motors will eventually wear out. It seems logical that pretty much everything would eventually wear out from use, but then there's the question of whether the powered / pneumatic functions of a LEGO Technic model get enough use to wear out. I know I don't have the intention to run my models for hours on end. I want to try out the functions, and see it working, but I don't want to play with it for ages. What do you think? Have you had parts like these wear out on you? There's a finite supply of replacements out there, I presume. The newer motors and pneumatic parts are different. Can they be substituted? Can you successfully build (for example) the 8862 Backhoe Grader using modern pneumatic cylinders and pumps, or is it 'period parts' or nothing? What about pneumatic hoses? New ones the same as the old? Even though this topic was touched upon in another recent thread, that one probably won't go into detail about compatibility of replacement parts, so I think that there could still be a use for this thread. I don't have these same concerns for most 'historic' LEGO elements. While they can break, it seems unlikely in most cases unless they are abused. I've got some 20 year old parts that look new.

I already asked, but nobody really responded... how well do things like motors, pneumatic cylinders, fibre optic lights and other "working parts" hold up after 20 years? The only 'classic Technic' sets I have include only plastic parts. As with other kinds of LEGO, the technic parts made of ABS hold up pretty well to the ravages of time. A quick wash and it is mostly as good as new. The working parts include rubber, plastic and metal. If I were to splash out for an 8868 or 8840, would it work? Would it keep working for long?

I've been away from home and LEGO for the weekend, but it is as you say. The axle labelled on your diagram was in the wrong hole when I built it. I'm obliged to all those who posted pictures, advice, and things. It is heartening to know that others make the same mistake with this model. My 8880 is now completed to my satisfaction, and while there is still a gap, it is much smaller and loots substantially better. It now looks as I expected and hoped it would. I would have hated to get this build wrong, since I've had feelings of deep longing for it for many years during my dark age of not buying LEGO. I would have hated even more if the set had been flawed by design. I'm intrigued by the LDraw model, but as yet I don't know how to use that application. I intend to learn.

When I first rediscovered LEGO, this was one of the sets I really wanted. I never got to have one as a teenager, and I really wanted it. A few quick bids ebay later, I managed to snag one. Pretty good condition, too. The box is a tiny bit beat up, but hey... it's 20 years old. The bricks were pretty dusty, but everything is present and correct, so I'm a happy LEGO fan. I've completed the build, but not entirely to my own satisfaction. It seems that the hood at the rear of the car sits abnormally high, when I follow the instructions. There's a gap of about an inch and a half between the rear bumper and the hood. I have no idea why. As far as I know, I followed the instructions to the letter, but maybe I got something wrong I'm not aware of. Since then I've tried some modifications of my own to correct the issue, but nothing has worked perfectly. If I can get it to look fine in the closed position, it causes issues with the opening mechanism. I've managed something that works fine for now, but I'm not entirely satsisfied. Anyone else run into this? Was it a known issue with the set?

Unfortunately the 8043 is already somewhat inflated in price at least where I can see it available. It does look like a lovely set. I'd take it in a heartbeat for the RRP, but that doesn't seem to be an option. It's exactly the kind of set I'd like though. I really appreciate some of the input in the thread, it's given me a lot of things to look for in the near future. What I'm really looking for is a complex and involving build process that with the added reward of getting to see the model do stuff when it is finished. I don't really have room to display much LEGO so most stuff will be assembled, tried out, and then dissasembled fairly quickly, with the potential to make something else out of the parts.

That is an important consideration, thanks for the information. I would ideally like them both. I'd like to get the Supercar too. I don't think it's the best use of PF, but I don't actually think it's a bad set. It would be cool if there was a motorized and RC supercar in that style though. Maybe something to try as a personal project once I have some experience with newer Technic.

I'm really interested in sets that make good use of power functions, especially those which are capable of full-blown remote-controlled driving, like the 9398 4 x 4 Crawler. I'm also impressed by the powered grappling arm of the 8110-1 - Unimog U400. I'm a bit less impressed with the use of power functions on the 8070-1 Supercar. It looks nice, but I've had sets where I can open the door or open the hood myself just fine. I was OK with that. Since I've only fairly recently returned to the world of LEGO, I don't really know all of the sets, or what features they have yet. I don't own those ones I mentioned just a moment ago. I'd like to pick up at least a couple of them, though. In addition to that, what sets do you feel have good use of power functions? Preferably sets which aren't already out of production, or only available for silly prices on the secondary market. Last but not least, if you could only go with either the 4x4 Crawler or the Unimog, which one would you go for? The reality is that I'm probably asking which one to get first, but if you really could have only one, which would it be? Or would there be another first choice altogether?