Erik Leppen

Not everyone uses digital builds, remember. I'm not sure there should ever be a competition that requires using LDraw-like software to join. I believe actual part limits has only been done once - with the Mini competition, quite some time ago. Had a limit of 200 parts. Everyone had to "prove" this by showing an image showing all the parts layed out. With 200 parts this is doable. I used software to keep the count below 200, but one could work without software. There has also been a C-model contest, I believe, more recently. I don't remember a "proof" being required that your model could actually be built from the selected set. I'm not sure about a fixed inventory that everyone has to use. Part of the competition it not only the competitive aspect for contestants, but also seeing all kinds of new MOCs. I think with the exact same parts for everyone, I would be less interested in seeing everyone's models. However inventive, there'll always be less variety than when we're free to select parts. Especially if there are onyl 200 or so parts, I expect that some people will find the same solutions to things. In my personal opinion, it would be great as a competition, but less than ideal as an event. (I view EB Technic competitions as "events" on the forum that people can "visit".) But of course, that's only one opinion. If there is interest for such a competition, don't let me discourage anyone :) The GBC one still sounds cool. I've never built a GBC module but would be tempted to try it one time for a competition. (I hope the subject doesn't get selected too soon, because I won't have much build time the coming weeks :P )

When reading through the topic I was already thinking about 42070 and its lack of proper suspension in particular. But also its teeny crane comes to mind. But I think my biggest disappointment, I dont know if it's really a "detail" but it was surely infuriating, is 42110, the olive green Defender, and the fact that it simply doesn't work. The whole chassis is basically one function, and it just doesn't run. Meaning that you buy a 2500 piece Technic set, and then when someone comes along and says, "so, being Technic and all, what does it do" the answer is basically, well, it's supposed to let the engine run sliiightly faster or slower depending on this lever here you can hardly access and then have the tableroom to roll 70 cm before seeing any movement in the engine at all, and then switch again and roll another meter to see any change. Now that's the theory. The practice is that whenever you do that, most of what you hear is clicking. So I set it to neutral so that at least it can be rolled around to play with the steering and suspension. I'd say this is a great example of how not to make a Technic set. Fortunately, I knew about the issues before I bought it and I bought it mostly for the parts, but it was still an even bigger disappointment than I expected. Luckily enough the suspension and steering worked rather well and it looked cool, so at least it left somewhat of a positive impression, but imagine what could have been done with all that chassis space instead. Another really bad detail is the front outriggers of 42108. Manually, no gear system whatsoever. Really, Lego?

Realism and LA's are not the problem. The tow truck also uses LAs and noone complains. In fact, it uses LAs where pneumatics would have made more sense and vice versa! (Outriggers never have to be placed half-way, so pneumatic would make more sense there. The crane should allow precise control, so LA makes more sense there.) The thing with the tow truck is that it's not bigger than the functions require, and, as a result, it's filled with functions. Simply said: the size : functionality ratio (or, better, the price : functionality) is quite good. Technic is about functionality. For looks, we have literally all the other themes (except Mindstorms and educational stuff). So if there's one thing that Technic should deliver, its functionality. So, if a set doesn't deliver on that, it would have been better off as a Creator set. How I would change the CAT? If I were in charge, I would either release a Creator set, or just re-release 8275 instead. That set was big, but not overly huge in relation to what it does. It doesn't have empty large empty spaces or needless complexity. Also, it was affordable, and as far as I know, does the same as this CAT thing, so on the level of functionality (that one thing that gives the Technic theme its reason to exist, remember), we gain nothing but we pay more than twice the price! (RRP for 8275 was $ 150 in 2009, which is about $ 190 now.) I'd consider that a problem. Now I don't really care, I don't buy control+ stuff, I still think C+ is a huge failed mess, but I would have liked to see a set that I would have wanted instead. Now, basically, the tow truck is the only 2021H2 set even worth considering. All the rest is either cars or out of my reach, money-wise.

I tend to agree with this. Right now it felt as if he jury just took their picks from the top 10 and declared those the winners. This does make the public voting feel a bit pointless. I wonder if we would have had a much different outcome if the judges just picked their favorites from the get-go. Why have public voting at all, if this is what is done with its results? I mean, the current second-prize winner was tenth place (!) in the public voting. I'm sure the judges can find plenty arguments why it's the best, but apparently, voters don't agree. Otherwise they would have voted differently. And I don't disfavor this person winning - not at all, I think it's a great build - but two entries with more than double the votes each have been declared out of the podium. But I do get that the judges may want to have a slight edge in voting. What I would suggest is that judges can vote as normal, but their votes count double, or something like that. Or, if the public voters may distribute 20 points, than judges may distribute 50 points. Or, before public voting starts, judges write a few lines about all entries and their thoughts, and then leave the final decision to the public vote. Things like that. That way, it's still possible for judges to steer, but not to disrupt the outcome and basically disquality a top-voted entry like that magnificent 8462 redux that, in my taste, perfectly matches the competition spirit of modernizing a Technic set to today's build style. That's 100% what it did, and it's what the contest was all about, from my point of view. I feel, if you have public voting, you should agree on respecting its outcome, whatever it ends up being (insofar the voting has been done fairly). But, I have to say, this is a sour spot on an otherwise awesome, well-run and fun contest and it has been a great joy seeing al lthose entries come together, and it's great to have a place like Eurobricks where lots of people come together and do friendly competitions like this. Kudos to all who helped make it possible :)

Were you guys planning on presenting the current top-10? That might be a fun way to build suspense, and it shows how the public has voted and puts 10 great entries in the spotlights rather than just 3 :)

Both are fine, but I really prefer to see the progress. A MOC is not only a model, it's also a process of design, build, change, etc. Finished models are everywhere on the internet - showing a process is much rarer, and gets you an insight in how someone proceeds when building a model. That provides a graet learning opportunity for all of us as readers/followers :) That said, I know it can take some courage to show one's learning curve :) and often I myself fail to do it like that. But I always appreciate if that's done. Even for models that, in the end, didn't work out. Or, better: especially for models that didn't work out, because these usually won't be found elsewhere :)

17: 10 16: 6 3: 4 19: 3 27: 2 44: 1 I think I've been able to make a top-6 I'm happy with. But there were very many good entries. I like how many models are a bit smaller and there are almost no huge models. Many models are ones I would want to buy if they were sets, and that wouldn't cost a fortune. Well done to all contestants :)

What makes it hard is the huge number of entries this time. I think the formula 1 style 10-6-4-3-2-1 point system works great with moderate number of entries. But with a whopping 46 entries, of which a great deal of such high quality... man, it's hard to pick just 6 :D Right now I've made a selection and ended up with 8 favorites, so I have to decide which 2 of them will get zero points, even though I think they're really good. So, off to creating a spreadsheet I guess :) Note: this is not a post asking to change the voting system. I actually agree with Jim that it probably makes very little difference. I just wanted to say that there're so many great entries this time :) Edit: I do have to say though, there are quite a few entries where the images don't work. I wonder if it's just me, but on 5 or so entries, I just see a row of green icons and very long codes that look like some kind of generated links.

36. 8446 Monster Crane Functions four wheel steering (with Ackermann) full unsprung suspension rear axle drives a V4 working steering wheel canopy raised via small LA grabber arm rotates via worm gear and turntable grabber arm is deployed via worm gear grabber arm is extendable grabber can be opened and closed and uses a spring to hold things Photos Original set 8446 Monster crane, released in 1999. Topic

It has been a while - sorry for the lack of updates, but I didn't have as much build time as I'd have liked this time around, but I've managed to finish it. I added the black flex axles for the canopy and let them return in the rear section. For the crane, I used a similar geometry as the original, but I used the extension part with gear rack to add a simple extra function. This has the added benefit that it can reach below ground level. For the grabber I used the same geometry as the original. To raise the canopy, I decided to use a small linear actuator. Also, the headrests are now part of the canopy. As it was in the original, but the reason was that otherwise it wouldn't fit. Also, I added a working steering wheel. I know the set doesn't have one, and it's not really within the contest spirit, but I thought this was a cool feature worth adding like how it makes the list of functions even longer :) And I changed how the rear wheel arches are mounted (you can't see this change) to slightly increase the range of the rear axle's tilting. (I also kept the colorful chassis, as you can see...) Functions: - four wheel steering (with Ackermann) - full unsprung suspension - rear axle drives a V4 - working steering wheel - canopy raised via small LA - grabber arm rotates via worm gear and turntable - grabber arm is deployed via worm gear - grabber arm is extendable - grabber can be opened and closed and uses a spring to hold things Personally I think this is an impressive list for a model this size, but of course, I'd like to year your take :) I believe with these 4 pictures I can enter the contest and be happy about the model I created :)

I don't believe it's allowed to advice (or even ask) about that here. After all, this is a Lego forum, so I don't think it's allowed to suggest alternatives...

As long as you make sure you can still take it apart, then :)

I believe the rationale is: same length must have different color. And since the 3L pin with bush has become orange, the "length-3 gray slot" is now freed, which this pin now could use. Why the 3L pins got blue and tan, I don't know, but it explains the blue and tan axle pins. (or at least, it explains them being not black and gray. I too wished they used more subtle colors, but all those more subdued/natural colors weren't so common back then) I personally look at this whole pin color issue from the bright side: if TLC didn't do the color coding, we wouldn't have all these different pin types. I even think the color distinction of pins has one big advantage: it makes for easier "deciphering" of models on photos.

Sorry for digging up the first recent post since March here, now already a page ago, but there's one thing I have to ask. Is this theoretical, or is this something that actually happens? I'm asking, because I don't remember seeing here that people reply to a moc with only negatives. Maybe it happens, I don't know, but I don't see it, and I visit the Technic forum a LOT. If anything, there's too much praise and too little criticism. My feeling is that we're mostly discussing something that's not really actually at place, and making a problem out of this just because someone who actually left brought up the point without it actually being recent. (Of course, I may have missed something, which would only prove that the moderators are doing a good job around here :) ). Also, second little thing I wanted to add in general that might have been said but not sure, is: language barrier. I believe we all know this is Eurobricks, meaning lots and lots of different nationalities mixed through. I see people from countries I couldn't even name in their native language, let alone that I could make myself clear in it, so I consider it a little miracle that there even exists a common language that all of us speak relatively well and can make ourselves clear in, like, at all. It's not a surprise if sometimes something is misunderstood. I'd expect it to happen much more often than it seems to do. (Heck, I sometimes get caught up in a misunderstanding in my own language.) I do agree on the too-few-comments on new mocs issue though. Sometimes I'm just not sure what to say, partly due to the language barrier, partly due to the text-only-ness of the medium, but also indeed out of laziness sometimes.

I'm actually glad with the extension personally, I haven't had a lot of build time lately. So with this extra week I might get to hand in something that looks sort-of finished. It would be a shame if I'd miss the deadline again (as I had for the small-scale cars competition).

Looking forward to seeing a few photos of your model :) Remember: you must have some of your own content to show if you want to start a topic. Curious to see what you're making from this set for the contest :)

This is a great model! A real contender, and maybe the best use of those new wheels I've seen so far :) Super recognizable model of one my personal favorite set (at least of its B model) :) I think the way you did the paneling is really nice: not too much but it has panels where it needs to. I like how simple it looks - it's a sign of good design if it looks simple. One thing that always bothered me about the original is the slanted roof; your model fixed that :) The outriggers are maybe a bit too similar, but they're effective, so yeah :) Also I'm not so sure about those cams in the middle of the crane arm - it doesn't look too strong there. As far as extra functiones goes, a tilting bed would have been a nice extra. But it's plenty functional as it is. The addition of an engine is a nice feature, but as others, I'd really like to see more of the internals. How did you route all the functions, how did you make the pump work, etc. Maybe a shot from below is the easiest way of showing a bit of the functionality.

On the risk of continuing about a topic people want to stop, but Anything anyone ever does anywhere is wrong to someone. Fortunately, the vast majority of things people do are right to most. In my experience, staff here does a great job at keeping Eurobricks a generally nice place. What goes well is often forgotten, because - by the nature of the work - whenever staff do well, it tends to be invisible... It's only normal that a worldwide forum with as many viewpoints as there are members, a heavy discussion sometimes pops up. Please don't forget that all the good work goes by silently, but it's still appreciated, and I'm sure many members are actually very thankful! (they don't always realize it however). It just seems to be a natural thing to focus on what's wrong, and I don't think that can be changed... I'm afraid I don't really have an unpopular opinion to help bring the topic back on track. Maybe this one: I actually really like that in official sets, internal parts have all kinds of odd colors. It makes a build less boring, is helpful to non-FOLs and helps increase the part availablity for rare colors :)

Calling a behavior homophobic behavior is NOT the same as calling a person a homophobe. Saying "Suggesting people go elsewhere or be quiet about it *is a homophobic tactic*", as williejm does, is NOT the same as saying "whoever suggests people go elsewhere or be quiet about it *is a homophobe*", as 1974 seems to suggest. Also, to support full tolerance, you have to be intolerant to intolerance (NOT intolerant to the intolerant, only to intolerant behavior) Please make the distinction between discussing actions/statements and discussing people. Criticizing/dismissing actions/statements is OK, criticizing/dismissing people is not.

Thanks for the download @Toastie :) I scanned through it, I think for us there's not that much new. The designer section is the only remotely interesting bit, in my view. Most of it is lots and lots of exclamation marks. As someone really not into magazines, this is one of the first things I noticed... Are all modern magazines like this? Wow, it's screamy, man. Don't people get sensory overload by just looking at this? I can't count the number of different design elements thrown at this thing. Text in capitals, colored text, all kinds of colored boxes and gradients and swoops and shapes and fonts and arrows and things, makes it look very amateuristic and thrown-together. Even sets like 42080 are well-crafted gems compared to this :/ Weird random fact: Luke Cragin says "the more functions a model has, the better I like it" yet his fave model is the ocean explorer (42064). Er, how...? The boat hardly does anything, and the mini vehicles could have been $10 sets. People are weird :/ In any case, thanks again for offering the download, but for people who can't read German: you're not really missing much...

I think the decision to leave out the stickers in the review is a good one. After all, lots of folks here on Eurobricks hate the stickers with a passion (at least I do, and I'm not alone), so it's actually valuable for us here to see how a set works without, even though that's technically not a "full" review, because it wasn't how the set was "meant" by TLC. But whatever. TLC took this whole sticker stuff way too far for years now. So it was about time more people take the techlug.fr route and leave them out :) so yeah, I hope the stickerless review is a keeper :) It's good to see that the set is actually as good as I'd hoped. It was on my buy list already, but I'm only reassured by the review :) I do wonder what's with the part list in the book though. It used to be sorted by color, it seems to in a rather random order right now. Also, the amount of orange parts seems to actually be quite low. Oh well. At least the new perpendicular beams are used in good quantities, and finally there's a pneumatic set again :)

Nice review @Jim - thanks for taking the time to write your thoughts and make those great pictures. I like how you actually write your thoughts before and after, and how they change over time. I think this is good stuff to know, and your reviews are always a delight to see and read, and different enough from @Sariel's to make both have their place in the review scene. It does make me more positive about the set. It seems to be a pretty cool set to build, with plenty of functionality going on. I can appreciate a good build, and those new "perpendicular beams" certainly help. I won't be getting this set, because I simply have no interest in these types of models, but I do appreciate it being made and I can imagine other people will enjoy building, controlling and modding it. Your video didn't seem to show the steering though, is there a reason for that? After all, a RC set should also be fun to drive around. With the low speed and large turning radius, it seems like it would take ages to drive even a single full circle. How much play value is there in actually trying to navigate a parcours (is that a word in English?)? By the way, for being bullied by a weird plastic animal on wheels for minutes on end, your cat seems to keep its calm quite well :P

I can only join the crowd with praise. This is a magnificent model, and being a C model makes it all the more commendable. This car transporter is turning out to be quite the C-model supplier, I believe. Cool to see how you replicated pneumatic or linear actuator and turntable functionality without the usual parts for those. This is what C-modelling is about, finding new creative uses for parts. My favorite function has to be those side outriggers, how you made the double motion work is pure genius :) Of course, it impossible to not compare this to 42128. Compared to that, what I like on your model is how the crane doesn't look oversized, the car lifter doesn't raise to ridiculous heights, and the truck itself doesn't feel overly long. It feels like a really compact function-dense model. There being only 2 rear axles helps a lot, even if you miss the raiseable axle function :) I like how you used the parts of the blue car for the crane. It also feels less "blocky" than the 42128 set, with more angles or rounded shapes. The only thing I don't like is how your blueprint images are using perspective. To me, wireframe images on a blue background grid should not have perspective ;) So yeah, great truck. I even like how you did the locking ratchet function for the winch :)

I'd definitely go for a blue interior. You changed the body color too, so why not "update" the seat color to go with it. I think blue interior looks as good with azure as the original teal interior did with blue. I expect teal and dark azure will clash, because they have the same lightness. For the rest, your model is looking great :)

I'm not so sure about this one, to be honest. For me it feels a little bit too much of a literal copy. It's not (yet) within the studless build style, it just uses studless parts. The bodywork especially, feels like a literal brick-for-beam replacement... I'd use more panels and flex-axles. I do like the white interior though :) That said, you certainly get all the points for recognizability ;) and you didn't pick an easy model. And it's good to see the 4 wheel steering working, so keep up the good work :)