Bought my 42000 here in Vancouver, Canada last week - built it over a few nights after the kids went to bed. Since I never sticker my Lego, I think with the orignal poster's photos, I have little more to add photo-wise.
Must say, with only the 8386 Ferrari Racer (bought a month ago) as a benchmark, I was really impressed. I had limited expectations, since as I've posted in the Rosco Classic Racer thread, my intent is to gear up for a 60s F1 racer MOC, and this model was to supply some badly needed parts. That said, insofar as the merits of the model go, I'll say the following:
The suspension and steering components (esp the hubs) are indeed superb - and offer some excellent options far beyond a current-period F1 racer. The pointy rotational couplings were very cool - I'm more of a "U-joint" guy, and so look forward to seeing how I can work with those in other applications.
The chassis is a bit more flexible than I'd have expected. I suspect part count/ecnomics factored into that, and in light of my intent for this car, not something that bothered me.
Like Blakbird, I found the gear-driven opening mechanism really tiringly slow. Indeed, insofar as the concept of a powered rear cowling, I consider it a silly and contrived "feature" in need of a justification. For my taste, a simple pivoting mechanism with a hold-open feature would have been a better trade-off, especially if the alternative would have been a more rigid chassis and/or more realistic mechanical feature. Again, just my opinion ... :)
I welcomed the healthy supply (24) of curved fairing pieces over the shape cable/former pieces used by 8386. Again, just opinion, I don't like the formers, usually giving that exoskeleton feel - I know it can give definition for some complex curved forms - but thankfully, here it was not needed, and indeed, the fairing pieces worked excellently. I agree with an earlier poster who mentioned that it seemed like something was missing - a few more could have been used perhaps in certain areas - but again, likely cost considerations account for that.
Really liked how the pushrod suspension was modelled - though I noticed a bit of rubbing on one side (Front Right), so the action has a bit of a click when weighted. Those heavy duty shocks will be come in handy later, for sure ...
I had a good supply of leftover pieces - extra hoses, and an extra stabilising arm, and a few extra half-height lift arms. I checked, and didn't think I missed anything ... maybe needed for the alternate model?
Never did figure out where the six transparent pieces went - first time in my history of LEGO getting stumped by instructions - but then again, I am a relative newb to Technic, and have been away from Lego in general for a good couple of decades, topped off by being blessed with a less-than-stellar powers of intellect ... :)
I hear some of the "not good value" arguments some have posted. If you have a huge existing supply of Technic parts, and especially if you already have something like the Silver Champion, or the 8674 Ferrari, or the 8461 Williams, I can see why some would think twice about this model. For my situation, since it boosted my Techinic components by roughly a third, it was a good investment on that score alone. Furthermore, it helped me understand how steering/suspension is modelled in LEGO for modern racers . A fair bit different in some of the projects I have in mind - but still, a great learning tool, and again, a good buy from that standpoint. For experienced MOCers/AFLOs, I'm sure the other reviews were more helpful in your buy/don't buy decision. For adult Technic newbs like me, I can absolutely recommend this set.
Cheers,
C
Bought my 42000 here in Vancouver, Canada last week - built it over a few nights after the kids went to bed. Since I never sticker my Lego, I think with the orignal poster's photos, I have little more to add photo-wise. Must say, with only the 8386 Ferrari Racer (bought a month ago) as a benchmark, I was really impressed. I had limited expectations, since as I've posted in the Rosco Classic Racer thread, my intent is to gear up for a 60s F1 racer MOC, and this model was to supply some badly needed parts. That said, insofar as the merits of the model go, I'll say the following: The suspension and steering components (esp the hubs) are indeed superb - and offer some excellent options far beyond a current-period F1 racer. The pointy rotational couplings were very cool - I'm more of a "U-joint" guy, and so look forward to seeing how I can work with those in other applications. The chassis is a bit more flexible than I'd have expected. I suspect part count/ecnomics factored into that, and in light of my intent for this car, not something that bothered me. Like Blakbird, I found the gear-driven opening mechanism really tiringly slow. Indeed, insofar as the concept of a powered rear cowling, I consider it a silly and contrived "feature" in need of a justification. For my taste, a simple pivoting mechanism with a hold-open feature would have been a better trade-off, especially if the alternative would have been a more rigid chassis and/or more realistic mechanical feature. Again, just my opinion ... :) I welcomed the healthy supply (24) of curved fairing pieces over the shape cable/former pieces used by 8386. Again, just opinion, I don't like the formers, usually giving that exoskeleton feel - I know it can give definition for some complex curved forms - but thankfully, here it was not needed, and indeed, the fairing pieces worked excellently. I agree with an earlier poster who mentioned that it seemed like something was missing - a few more could have been used perhaps in certain areas - but again, likely cost considerations account for that. Really liked how the pushrod suspension was modelled - though I noticed a bit of rubbing on one side (Front Right), so the action has a bit of a click when weighted. Those heavy duty shocks will be come in handy later, for sure ... I had a good supply of leftover pieces - extra hoses, and an extra stabilising arm, and a few extra half-height lift arms. I checked, and didn't think I missed anything ... maybe needed for the alternate model? Never did figure out where the six transparent pieces went - first time in my history of LEGO getting stumped by instructions - but then again, I am a relative newb to Technic, and have been away from Lego in general for a good couple of decades, topped off by being blessed with a less-than-stellar powers of intellect ... :) I hear some of the "not good value" arguments some have posted. If you have a huge existing supply of Technic parts, and especially if you already have something like the Silver Champion, or the 8674 Ferrari, or the 8461 Williams, I can see why some would think twice about this model. For my situation, since it boosted my Techinic components by roughly a third, it was a good investment on that score alone. Furthermore, it helped me understand how steering/suspension is modelled in LEGO for modern racers . A fair bit different in some of the projects I have in mind - but still, a great learning tool, and again, a good buy from that standpoint. For experienced MOCers/AFLOs, I'm sure the other reviews were more helpful in your buy/don't buy decision. For adult Technic newbs like me, I can absolutely recommend this set. Cheers, C