Seventh Son

So after reading all negative comments on 8295 Telehandler I still ordered it. And it turned out quite good. But there is an obvious steering issue: it's too stiff. Part of the problem is that 2 beams that turn front wheels are not parallel with the beam that connects them when wheels are turned. But 2 black liftarms at the base of both front fenders prevents those 'steering' beams from moving freely. So the obvious solution would be to replace them with something that would allow beams to steer without being stressed. Hence we need a flexible link. This might have been as well discussed somewhere some time ago, but I didn't look to hard for a solution. Parts you'll need for both sides: 4 x Technic Beam 3 x 0.5 Liftarm 2 x Technic Axle Pin 2 x Technic Axle 6 2 x Technic Beam 2 Liftarm with Hole and Axlehole 2 x Technic Bush 4 x Technic Bush 1/2 Smooth This is what right fender's base looks like assembled: Technic Bush is used to secure whole assembly from below. There is a blue Technic Pin Long with Friction that will get in the way of long axle, but I'll leave it up to you to figure out how to remove that ;) This is how assembled right fender looks like when steered: You can see from photos above how the flexible link helps a steering beam move freely hence allowing for a smoother steering. Hope that helps somebody :)

I find it funny how everybody complains about having to rotate a gear manually to operate 8295 Telehandler, how it is epically bad and degrades playability. But at the same time everybody seem to love 8265 Front Loader where you have to do exactly the same. I like both equally A lot more actually then I do 8258 Crane Truck. I personally do not see rotating a gear as a problem as I enjoy pure Technic sets without motors. What I didn't initially like about Telehandler was the stiff steering. But it turned out to be quite an obvious fix.

Here's a photo of good (left) and discolored (right) parts from 8295 set.

I've build a 8295 Telehandler recently, which, judging from stickers on the box, was originally sold in December 2008. And 2 out of 10 dark bluish gray Technic Triangles are semi-transparent. So dark bluish gray issues go at least back to 2008. Will post photos later.