Kumbbl

:grin: :grin: :grin: :grin:

agreed - and in addition it should exceed a certain threshold of the part count, or in other words: it should be a high-end set, a flagship model...and one or more special features would support the term supercar even more, e.g. a cabrio with moveable roof or 4 wheel drive, 4 wheel steering..

does anybody know if there are instructions of Grazis Monster Truck out there?

more or less agree for 8053 - i own this only for this unique b-model - 8431 and 8421 are way better cranes.... Also completely agree for the sets 851, 856, 8846 and 8848 (this and 8846 are one of my all time favorites): these are wonderful sets but i would have categorized them as small sets This airplane is a good mid-range, right: what is the setnumber of this racer? I would like to add this one: Not completely as good as the (high range) 8485 but has also its merits and provides a lot of fun... One remark to the praised flat bed truck 8109: i like this model a lot but for me it is not really midrange (e.g. compared to something like 8459) - at least if you count this truck mid-range than i would also vote for the great heli set 9396:

maybe it depends a little bit with which Lego technic one grew up... ;-) Apart from this it is simply a fact that still some of the best technic sets ever are born in the studded area... the building technic is more or less irrelevant for the question if a set is good or not...

Hmm, i would not rank 8053 as midrange: with near 1300 parts this is IMHO a real high range set... there were a lot of years with flagship models with about 1100 - 1400 parts... if you count 8053 as a mid gange then you can also count 8880 as mid range - and this would be quite nonsense, isn't it? But here is another excellent mid range - the fantastic tractor 8284: another one is the 8862 - both the A and the B model (very well done combine harvester):

for 8069 i would say more or less the same as for 8265: unplayable without motorization with one difference: whereas 8265 is at least somehow motorizable the 8069 isn't - at least not without disturbing the well done look...the problem is: LAs are IMHO completely unplayable without a motor...so: you can have fun building these (not motorized) LA-models, have fun looking at this models (a certain short time) but what what comes then? answer: dust and more dust... or breaking apart and using the parts... apart from that the 8069 is a well done set full of functions, agreed...

no wonder - there is no backhoe in 2009

Hmm, disagree - looks well is right but the functions based on the LAs are not - i never understood why the 8265 is ranked so high.....playability is near zero if you do not want to get a typewriters cramp...8265 needs essentially motorization....but the standard way looks not very well and some existing full motorized MODs are quite expensive to build and far away from the out-of-box-model... IMHO this one is a much preferable model of a front-loader: The 8455 Backhoe is even a better model, it is a marvel concerning all criterias (Design, functions, realism, playability) My third one would this crane - full of functions (apart from a fake engine even more than the 8421 flagship), all very well done: These three are IMHO by far the best midrange models TLG has ever made... both of them beat the 8265 easily... but of course: just my 2 ct

ah, good to know: many many .... many many (should be 1000 times ) for this good instructions and your effort!!

ah, thank you... Hmm, if i understand this right, then this is more or less the same slewing principle as of the 8868: dual pneumatic cylinders which are cross connected and operate contrary to slew the mini-turntable...just a little bit miniaturized compared to the 8868... well, well build, no question but this is IMHO not a "airpressure driven rotary-module" because such a module would not work with cylinders - but it is a module which simulates this via cylinders as the 8868 has done ... Or have i misunderstood your solution?

Hmm, either i'm blind or i have missed something... this is all i see in LDD: I do not see any pneumatic hoses, cylinders etc.. so how should i see how your air powered rotary-module works? But to be honest: i'm a newbie with LDD, just installed 30 min before...

the 8865 supercar has out of the box moveable seats and also a "body" with windscreen... the 8880 can be moded to get moveable seats - see here: http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=79397

just catched today a 8284 tractor for 39€ + a racebuggy motor (incl. battery box, white clutch-gear etc.) for only 5€ extra charge... in view of the current bricklink-prices of a racebuggy motor IMO a really great deal or what do you think...

yeah, you are right - but explain us please, which component of a car the "suspention" is, which you mentioned very often - what exactly does a "suspention"? nifty... how does the rotation work?

ha, i was faster

see posting #29: Fluid under pressure actuated (FUPA from now on!) - means here with lego: airpressure driven rotary-modul

yes you are right - i had only the number of cylinders in mind but not the mounting form... 100% agree... therefore i said that my ranking would be different for the question "what is the best model?" because for the term "best" you have to combine several criterias... But because the technic line has been started with the slogan "...as in reality" (at least in germany) i was interested to see how well this slogan was implemented... also agree - but i would say: it is as realistic as it gets with current lego parts - as you said, no builder has managed FUPA rotary drive until now...

nice exercise, allanp! sometimes i think you are too severe (e.g. V6 = , because for the sake to show childrens how the real things are working it doesn't matter if there is a V6 or a V8 engine, the important thing is, that there is a fake engine at all - BTW: many modern trucks have big V6 engines) on the other side this severness is absolutely correct and necessary: this belt driven engine of the 8868 is really a clumsy solution... And you have pointed out really important aspects concerning realism: these "Straight sections of hose are rigid, bent senctions are flexible" are very conducive to the very realistic impression of the Air Claw 8868, you are right - i have simply overseen this in my chain of reasoning... What i had in mind when opening this topic was the realism in the main focus of a model, so things like spinning speed of pistons or number of cylinders of the engine doesn't matter - suspension is a great example for this: with cars this feature is in the main focus of the type of model so it should been as realistic as possible, whereas suspension with a truck model is not in the main focus - hmm, let me rethink this: on the other side suspension for a MOG is an important feature - well, so i would say: suspension on a model like a Unimog should work realistic but for a truck like the 8868 the lack of a suspension is completely negligible so the for the MOG-suspension is right but i would remove the for the missing suspension of the 8868... Hmm, sounds complicated... maybe we should not elaborate this as rocket sience :laugh: seems you really dislike the 8043...

Hmm, the look of this combine 8274 is indeed realsitic but the functions aren't or - to be precise - i miss a lot of function, so for example the complete internal further processing of the corn and grain ... maybe you will laughing but IMHO the combine from the old ideas book 8888 is the most real one - take a look at the picture: it has all functions the 8264 has too (apart from the lifting of the cutting unit) but it has some important in addition: - a transport of the cutted cornstalkto the internal processing - made with chain treads (see left side) - a mechanism to separate the corn (see yellow parts, A and B - these are driven by gears!) Of course the look of this very old model is quite blocky and not as realistic as 8274 but concerning to the realistic working functions i prefer this red one above...

hmm, maybe it depends on the model and the concrete cylinder/valve setup and air-circuit if an airtank has advantages or not...

yes indeed - i would say a V8 engine would be more realistic but overall i agree - a quite realistic model - a real dragster consists only of few more parts than 4 wheels, an egnine and a seat...

well, indeed, in germany you can catch 8455 backhoes in very good condition (even with instructions and boxin good condition) for about 70€... for 50€ you must be very lucky in Germany too... Therefore i have bought two so i can hold on display both models In Germany this is the best method to get pneumatic parts, because just all pneumatic parts of a 8455 cost in bricklink about 70€... so you better buy the full model... so, as Blakbird already said: depends on where you live... Airtanks: IMHO these are quite useless, because compressor models simply do not need them - 8868 as well as 8110 work perfectly without airtank - i tested an airtank with 8868 but the result was worse compared to the setup without... And the 8455 works IMHO better than the 8459 (has one airtank) because with an airtank the pressure is released to impetuously when opening a valve aftzer the tank is full... so my recommendation is: airtank is waste of money...

both lines of your argumentation leads more or less to the questions "Which set is the best set ever?" or "Which sets you like most?" or etc... - a question which has been discussed here many many times in different flavours... IMHO this question is in the meanwhile boring because there is already all said what can be said (and more or less there is a quite consensus about a "Top Ten technic sets") - therefore i have consciously here focused to realism as criterium - and sorry, the space shuttle is a very cool (and of course complex) set but realistic? hmmm... same for the 8043: The overall look is very realistic but the working functions are surely not - compare it to the excavator of Jennifer (s.a.) and you will see which one is realistic and which one not... alternate model of 8868: i have not asked for "cool mechanisms" or "new concepts" or something similar... i asked for realism... P.S. In the typical question "which sets you like most" my ranking would be also different and i would also include 8480 and 8258 and some others - but this is not the question here...

yes, agree - but this would be really a step forward and outstandingly cool... i'm really waiting for a new breakthrough - something as 1994 with 8880 and the its new driving-rings ... Not always the same cranes, cars and more or less same mechanisms... gearboxes were always a core-feature of lego technic, IMHO it's time for the next revolution, now 20 years after the last revolution....