Maaboo the Witch

This part and this part. And please begin each sentence with a capital letter. Thanks!

My primary concern with the Technic theme is that B-models are being phased out, at least in larger sets such as the CAT D11 (for now). I am aware of the statistics quoted by @eric trax, in that seemingly only twenty percent of Technic consumers actually downloaded digital manuals (a move I can only attribute to TLG wanting to make B-models less appealing and thus justify phasing them out), but still - that's a full fifth of the Technic fanbase that's been shut out. As well as myself, I can only assume Sariel is part of this fifth, given that he always marks "no B-model" as a con. And there are still others on this very forum who are unhappy with this. In a tradeoff between B-models and new parts, I'd pick B-models every time.

Heaven forbid I say anything that narks you off. Except you.

I still reserve my right to complain. I don't expect TLG to comply with my every whim, that'd be simply delusional on my part. But I will continue to voice my opinion and critique what I don't think works in a set or the theme in general. I'm not buying this set, or any other in this year's 2H wave. That hasn't happened since 2013. Let that sink in. I'm voting with my wallet - let's see what 2022's 1H wave brings.

Who doesn't want five sets of Grave Digger stickers?

You're forgetting the ripper. Not to mention the LADDUH!

That's because they don't do much. Boats in particular translate poorly into Technic.

Interesting tidbit about the illegal LADDUH BENDING. The last time I remember seeing a building step requiring misplaced brute force was in the instructions for 42070's B-model - you have to wrench the rear section open to place the spare wheel in the back. I dont; I just open the cover with the remote and then put it in. Don't think there's a workaround like that here though.

@LvdH Yup, same with me - I hate it when the moulding mark is visible on beams. I placed a sticker on the marked side of a beam in 42053 and it haunts me to this day...

I do line up axle pins as seen in the manuals because they can only be attached in one of two ways. Same deal with bushing direction. I'm not as fussy with regular pins.

Hence the qualifier "I suspect". Admittedly it was a bit of a long shot.

Yeah, 18+ sets are hardly UCS grade. The Raptor, for one, is dull and oversimplified and has STICKERS for headlamps.

I find colour vomit more of a distraction than anything else. Plus, I suspect requisitioning parts in loads of different colours adds to production and transport costs, which will then inflate the price of the set.

Couldn't agree more. And TLG is charging top dollar for this shallowness. I don't blame the designers either; I blame the bean-counters and decision-makers for all of it.

Modularity is great. It provides stopping points for big builds and relieves the pressure of getting one big build right. It also makes problems easier to resolve and takes away the whole "oh no, did I miss a part out?" concern.

Don't forget the Monster Jam trucks. Both have brilliant B-models.

I thought Alfred designed 42097.

No, it just has everything to do with the price.

Olav's Facebook profile says he "worked" at TLG, so I'm not sure he's even there anymore.

That isn't my point at all. The extra functions that are often included in the C+ profiles don't seem to work well, or they serve little purpose.

My point is that the extra functions aren't worth it. Aside from the Liebherr.

It allows the dozer to roll better if the tracks are at optimum tension - not too slack and not too tight either.

Four, actually, with the Zetros. The diff lock doesn't really count since it only modifies the driving performance rather than being a distinct function in and of itself. The A60H doesn't do much beyond driving either - only the dump bed raises it above that level, and don't even get me started on that useless gearbox, or the even more useless steering.

On real machines, this is done to stop the tracks becoming too tight and thus getting damaged.

This. All of it.