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This is possibly one of the least efficient uses of a motor in a wheeled vehicle, but it looks so cool!

Truly amazing MOC! I never expected to see that kind of rotor in one, to be honest - what a great work you did there

I've been in the waiting list since the 6th of September, and still no joy It's not like I'm in a hurry, but it would be nice to at least get some information on the expected ship date for the service pack.

Thanks for the great review and the photos! Mine is still sealed in its box, but I hope that changes soon enough

Some nice pictures there I'm curious about those 'try it out' flyers you had in your exhibit - what was written there? And how was the visitor's reaction to your site?

Functionality is an obvious requirement - it's what Technic is all about. Sets like 8868, 8880, 8480 and 8455 are always considered technical marvels, but smaller sets can also have great functionality - 8858 being a perfect example. The looks aren't that important for me, but of course we all want the models to be as good-looking as possible. Most of the ones we consider to be the best sets manage to pack great functionality into a nice form - take the 8880 and the 8480, for example. Some sets, mostly in recent years, focus more on looks, and this has resulted in stunning sets like the 8420. Others simply are what we'd expect of them, by representing accurately the machine they're modelling - I think the 8856 fits this category. Finally, there's the Unique factor - sets that are interesting because there's no other set of the same kind. A few good examples of this are 8094, 8839, 8485, 8480, 8479, 8263 and 8043.

It seems Technicopedia is about to be updated! The home page already has links for the Technical Fundamentals and 1996 (it's still not there, though)

Nice! I can't wait to receive mine

I've also played the trumpet years ago, and it's safe to say there's never been one like that

My preferred instructions were the ones from the mid-90's. They were far better than the extremely dumbed down versions we have today. Agreed, but then again I'm not completely against not having alternate model instructions printed by default - for the environmental concerns, and to use the cost savings on improving the models themselves. As some suggested here, perhaps the alternate instructions could be made available on demand at a small cost for those who don't like the downloadable versions.

This is simply the name I came up with when registering my account at Brickset - the only concern in the choice was to keep it phonetically valid. I've been using it ever since on LEGO-related sites.

Out of the ones I own, I'd say the worst is probably 8414. It's a small-medium set with interesting features, but the overall experience was somewhat poor.

Very nice! I'm also wondering why the real thing has such a small blade for its size.

The first thing that crossed my mmind was some sort of NXT Roomba, and apparently others have thought the same You'll find plenty of other ideas around the Web - I'll do the same whenever I get my hands on a NXT.

Oh well, mine was ordered on Thursday, but by the time I finally manage to start building it, LEGO will probably already have released a fix. In the mean time, it will remain sealed

Now I want the 8043 even more! The set alone is expensive enough, and with these mods it's now a wallet-buster

Geez, now I have to get my hands on another 8868 I remember building the 8412 and 8414 alternates before my Dark Ages, but neither was impressive. Post Dark Ages, I got the 8880 built as the F1 car, and it's an impressive model - huge and with good functionality. I may be wrong, but isn't it the only LEGO F1 car with a transmission?

After a quick glance at the topic where Tom posted 'his' creation, it's obvious that he never intended to credit Crowkillers. It was really nice of Meatman to let everyone there know about Crowkillers work, and that at least forced Tom to admit he borrowed 'some' (as in, most) ideas from him. Now, for me it's a no brainer that whenever you get inspiration from someone you should give due credit to them. It's just common sense and, regardless of how much the original designer doesn't care, as in this case, I'm sure he'd feel at least a little pride in knowing his contributions to the community are properly acknowledged.

For me it's mostly this forum and Peeron, but it varies a lot. For example, lately I've been using BrickLink much more often. Blakbird's Technicopedia is always worth mentioning, of course. Besides the sites included in the poll, I also go everyday to eBay (why isn't it listed, if YouTube is?)

I don't think anyone has ever tried anything like that with Technic, so kudos for yet another original and well executed idea

Thanks!

Thanks for this great review, BlakBird! Right now there are only two questions about this set on my mind - when will it be available in Portugal, and whether I should buy only one

The car may not be 'stylish' as you say, but it's still very good looking In any case, you should be very proud of your first super car, because you've build a mechanical marvel there. Congrats, and hopefully you'll want to build a few more after such a great start!

This is a very cool remake of one of the best models ever released. It does look smaller than the original, but I guess that's because there are no studs. Maybe that's just me, but I think studs make models look larger. Looking at the contest topic, the others are pretty nice as well. I'd say that the one above this one is perhaps more similar to the original, but a proper remake of 8868 has to use pneumatics, so that may have cost him a few votes.

I've been waiting for this update for a long time, and as always it's another great addition to a great site This one is somewhat special to me, since two sets from 1995 are part of my original collection (it was a small collection) and I coveted a few of the sets from 1995 for a very long time. Adding to this, I recently completed the 'Tech Build' collection for that year, so your reviews allow me to understand them better. Now, since you asked for it, I tried to take note of the little flaws (mainly typos) your fatigue caused. I probably missed a few, but hopefully this will help a bit. In the 1995 year page: pinnalce -> pinnacle ened -> ended "and 8400 series were introduced which would" -> "and 8400 series were introduced, and they would" (maybe just add the comma) "4 Tech Build models were released in 1995." -> "5 Tech Build models ..." (then again, maybe 4 since you put 8485 apart) plae -> plate "(a seen on the yellow gearbox at right)" -> ?? disadantage -> disadvantage In the 8485 set page: "the buttons and a different" -> "the buttons are a different" The Control Center User Guide states that up to 51 movements can be saved in the unit, with a maximum of 41 in a single program (thus leaving up to 10 movements for the other program). "but it still" -> "but is still"