allanp

That's great, much better, more functional and way more authentic than the original.

That's just awesome.

By the looks of it (and I could be wrong) but Grohls is the only one that has working counter-rotating rotors, making that one my favorite!

I really can't see the point in me buying 8053 as I already have 8421 which is much much better.

Cheers blakbird, seems it won't allow me to add pics from flickr

Well if ou call THAT an advantage....

Pneumatics are faster, stronger, more reliable, far more realistic, are cooler, more authentic, more useable and just about better in every way than LAs. The only advantages LAs have is their absolute pricise positioning (pneumatics can be positioned more than pricisely enough for most cases anyway!) and they are a bit longer (pneumatics really should be made to be about twice as long as they are now to be in scale with todays larger sets). I like that some sets have nice complicated gear trains to drive them, but you don't have to have LAs in order to have nice complicated drive trains. Besides the drive trains in the 8043 to the actuators really aren't that exciting, just a couple of gears and a bunch of UJs. The majority of the complexity of that set was in driving the tracks. When you consider how much the LA does for you (converts a fast rotary motion into a slow linear motion in one single part), it's too much to be done for you. Technic is a toy but it is more than that. It is unique in how it recreates real life mechanics and machines in a authentic way. It's not like having a toy, it's like having the real thing under the christmas tree. As a child, there was nothing cooler than that. When have you ever seen a front end loader in real life powered by LAs? I know they are not powered pneumatically either but it is a fluid under pressure moving a ram. That's just so much more real than LAs which just seem far too detatched from the real thing to give that same sence of having the real thing, just smaller. To sum up, Pneumatics encapsulate everything that is good about technic. They work great and just like the real thing and are fun to play with. LAs on the other hand are tedious, boring and brings technic down into the realms of just another toy.

The 8880 ad has got to be the best lego ad ever . I also think the packaging (the front with the technical drawing behind the picture, the clear lid allowing you to see all the parts and especially the tray with the special parts in) was awesome, way more intising than todays presentation of sets but that's a different topic. Hears a few more oldies not in this thread yet, Enjoy. http://www.ina.fr/pub/culture-et-loisirs/video/PUB3774397077/lego-technic-jeu-de-construction.fr.html Anybody mind telling me how you guys deep links your pics and vids so they appear on the page, it never seems to work for me!

I like it, but like it has been said above you do need some re-inforcement. But the driving rings should take the strain as long as you are not driving it with an XL-motor. An RC buggy motor would be good for this gearbox providing all other gearing down is done after this gearbox and your gearbox is re-inforced. Good luck!

I really don't mind having the same thing over again, as long as it's always an improvememt on the last. Sadley niether the backhoe or the "super"car is an improvement on what's been done before. But then these are only the first half sets so maybe that's being a bit harsh.

I get the feeling that some people saw his designs from photos, liked what they saw and went to bricklink to buy the parts needed to build it from the photos as you don't really need the instructions. It's just like any other lego set, if you have, or can get the parts then there are plenty of pics available on the net to build it without buying a kit. You can build a set (or something similar but just as good if not better) that's not been released yet just from the preliminary pics. I'm not sure how anyone could prevent this unless the model required some parts that are new or unique to the kit (like 8880 for example). It would be interesting to know if the people buying the parts from bricklink are many people (suggesting what I said above is accurate) or if they are primarily only being bought by one person (suggesting Crowkillers fears are well founded). In anycase i'm not sure of the legalities pertaining to the copyright (if any) of how a product is used (in this case the design of how TLGs own copyright protected parts are put together). Technically, as soon as you design something, you own the copyright (proving it may require the copyright symbol or some kind of documentation and so on). So does this mean that as soon as I post pictures of one of my MOCs then you have to ask my permission before you build one the same? Personally I don't think so. However, if the issue is to do with the copying and selling of the instructions, then can you copyright something that contains the copyrighted parts of TLG? I know this situation sucks for somebody that has put alot of time and effort in his design, but I never understood how he could have prevented this. I'm not saying it's his fault and it is bitterly unfair, but he has left himself open to this.

No LA, old or new, is good for any model

Sweet, just don't break it

Have you tried cleaning all the electrical contacts, including the ones on your wires?

I have not tried taking it apart, however a friend of mine did have some problems with his so i attached to a 9v ungeared motor and let it spin for a while to clean up the contacts and surprisingly it worked. I don't know if it'll work for you but you could try that first.

The Log Loader is a good example of a set that not only looks like the real thing, but also works like the real thing, truely authentic and educational in disguise as a fun toy.

I love that part on 8868 where the hoses pass though a single beam Ok a good set has to function quite authentically and look authentic and have a good amount of complexity relative to it's size or piece count. And hugh piece count helps but is not vital. The addition of power functions can also help but too much can ruin a set by driving up the price and/or lowering complexity. But what about what makes a truely great set, what makes sets like 8868, 8880 and 8480 legends. Well firstly they have all the points listed above with the addition of bringing something new that could not be done so neatly before. These sets introduced new stuff that really enhanced the technic theme till far into the future. They don't just look authentic, they look amazing considering the parts available at the time. They didn't just work "quite" authentically, they were mechanical marvels. The only way you could get 8868 to work more like the real thing would have been to fill the pneumatics with oil! Everything functions effortlessly and realistically. Their mechanisms were not just complex, but they were elegant and efficient for the time. You can tell these sets took a long time to design, longer than they do today. I'm sure TLG see's that as a step forward in terms of shorter lead times (is that the right term?) but to me, it's one of a few steps backwards they have made in the last decade. The legends used the brick to it's full potential, now we have IMHO a better assortment of parts overall (with some exceptions!). But i'm not sure they know how to get anywhere close to the potential offered by todays parts.

The custom parts idea sounds great. I'de submit this as I don't think it would be too much of a "stretch" for them to do but the odds of getting 1000 supporters seems too high.

Sorry, my mistake, yes the pitch is the same, I meant the thread height is less. I was getting my terms a bit mixed up as per usual

That's a cool transmission and no, i haven't seen a technic set/MOC being tested in a treadmill before but I think every review must include a treadmill test from now on

That looks like it could be an official set, I like the steering mechanism most (works great on a telehandler or monster truck) and the powered sttering wheel is a nice touch (one that I miss from modern sets).

For those of you that use them (not me!) I hope the smaller pitch of the thread does not shorten their life span. The sideways play would also suggest that the full depth of this already small pitch is not used. I guess now we know that a smaller surface area DOES reduce friction Once again I have to say kudos to TLG for doing this so fast and without fuss.

That's the B-model, looks nice!

WOW that's a beauty!

That's what i've been saying.