allanp

I'd have preferred less pistons, like an inline 4 over this. This is a step backwards in authenticity. I don't buy the "If the licencing partner wants" argument. So the licensing partners might have preferred one thing over another, so what? Let them buy Legos entire production run then. If the fans want something else then screw what the licencing partner wants, they ain't paying for it .

Maybe it's number 2b, or maybe it's not 2b, that is the question!

I'm not sold on this so far. I really don't like the Kawasaki style engine, especially in a full sized car, would have preferred less pistons to less mechanical realism. Also, the way the locking diff is controlled directly on the rear axle is not up to the level of a Technic flagship IMHO. But we haven't seen the gearbox yet, so maybe there is some good stuff happening there? So far it's a pass from me.

It looks quite real to me. If it is based on a 10 year old car then I'd say that's a good thing! I never really cared what it was, only if the mechanics are good and worth the price. Limiting yourself to only doing the latest model of car doesn't allow you to pick whatever would make for a great Technic set. Would we not have preferred the classic defender with full live axles rather than the newer one? Heck, I still don't see why the UCS cars have to all be supercars! Why not a classic defender or a Ram pickup, or even a family hot hatch (something far more people could relate to), or anything with a stick shift?! Anyway, being another supercar, it is what it is. Time will tell if there's anything worth the price on the inside. I know many fans here would say that it's another car, there can't be any novelty left. But to me there's still lots of room for improvement. Same functions, just done much better.

There are 2 valves, they are connected the red levers on the stand.

Well this looks better than expected!

Yeah I haven't seen that piece used in Technic for ages!

Just some quick thoughts I probably should have made, or made clearer in my video. You don't really need to split the axles on the pilot truck, I didn't really notice much difference doing that, but guess it doesn't hurt. Also to help it round corners I chose not to add rubber tyres to the main loco drive wheels. The low torque of the ungeared motor, the high speed gearing plus the weight of the loco is just enough to stop them slipping too much. I mentioned that I don't fully subscribe to the idea of motors fighting each other, but of course you should always try to gear them to at least be roughly the same. I have seen one motorisation effort which used 2 PF motors linked together via a differential, but as they are linked to spin together at the same speed you really don't need a differential. I did choose the ungeared 9v motor for the loco because it's the only motor I have that spins even remotely fast enough to not bog down the 9v train motor.

Well, here's how I did it.... Runs great

So the issue appears to affect motors connected to both IR receivers, is that correct? If so, I think it would be unlikely that multiple motors, remotes or receivers have the exact same malfunction. The only part common to all these is the battery box, so I would start by looking at that first. Do you have a second one to swap it out with? After many years of storage it could also be the case that you have dirty/oxidised metal contacts on all your electric plugs. Those metal pins are much smaller and harder to clean than the previous, larger 9v metal contacts, so try some electrical contact cleaner spray. It evaporates quite quickly so spray some on and try to plug and unplug each electrical connection a few times while it's still wet with contact cleaner. Then do a final rinse spray with the cleaner and wipe away any residue. Do this with each electrical contact individually and try to avoid overspray on the model itself.

Also me for all the working mechanics of the Merc and McLaren.

Just watching the gif I feel like I can hear crashing tiny cymbals! Also......

It'll probably be an amphibious car, as we haven't had that many cars this year!

Things have changed a bit since the last backhoe, it would likely have to be licensed. I think it would be criminal for that license to be anything other than JCB, and the most iconic JCB is the 3CX. The 4CX might be more mechanically interesting due to the 4 wheel steering (at least, I think it has 4 wheel steering), but the 3CX already has a driven and steered front axle, and with it's smaller front wheels is really the most recognisable and iconic JCB. Now, if you look at what it would take to bring a flagship 3CX as a set, it's a massive challenge, the front bucket has 3 functions (raise/lower, tip and open/close) while the rear digging arm has about 4,859,259,462 functions! Okay, maybe not that many, but built into the rear frame there's the rear stabilisers, side shift, slewing, the shoulder joint, the elbow joint, bucket and telescoping boom. And if we really want to be functionally authentic there should be an extra spare pneumatic PTO near the rear bucket for an accessory attachment. It's a white whale of a design challenge, which is probably why we want it so much! It has so much potential that to not reach it would be a disappointment, I suspect not only for the fans, but for the Technic designers, at least one of which I know wants to bring us a backhoe. To reach that potential, to have all those functions, it has to be a certain size (like the BWE) with some parts being made bigger to suit. And dare I say it also needs to be pneumatic, unless you want it to have 12 motors and be either very slow or very weak. Could it be RC? Well maybe, if they bring out a new PU control valve that is stackable/daisy chain-able in some way. Then you could control all 10+ motorised pneumatic functions from only 2 ports (valves and compressor) leaving the other 2 ports for drive and steer. We've wanted a backhoe for so long, they wanted to bring us a backhoe for a while, might as well do it right and not half megablocks it. Nah, he referred to "some linear actuators", they can shove them where no backhoe would dig in normal operation!

Sorry if this comment seems all over the place, but then so does the Technic theme! It really feels like somethings going on behind the scenes. There's so much secrecy though, we're just left to speculate. Was there some early demise of PU? Are the designers strangled by higher ups? Are they already well ahead of our concerns and ripping the bandage off quickly so to speak, or is there nothing wrong at all? Can we not get any kind of dialogue between us and the Technic team, even if we have to sign NDAs? There have been some fantastic efforts made in recent years in terms of new pieces, but the sets seem way behind. We have yet to see the Merc and McLaren, but we kind of already know the cool new pieces we can expect from them from the Yamaha and Audi. And releasing a roughly 1:8 scale car flagship the same year (if not same month) as another 1:8 scale car, something seems wrong here. It's not like they don't know what to do. We could all easily describe a dream flagship that would be considered "best ever". How about a 4000+ piece motorised pneumatic JCB 3CX in 90's flip up lid box with a grader b-model? How about a control center plus (basically a modern control center 3) based universal set, with PU2.0 which has the fully programmable control center plus remote and models including a massive robot arm, a huge black scorpion, a forklift and a futuristic space vehicle thing (in the 90s style box of course!). Imagine how cool the TV advert for that would be! If we can dream this stuff up I'm sure they can. I'm sure their imaginations aren't limited to small supercars, medium supercars cars, big supercars cars, off road cars, futuristic space cars and a real life space car. I wonder if the upcoming water vehicle will be an amphibious car.

I still want to believe the best year/era is still to come. https://images.app.goo.gl/P3hoMguu3HLaR4yo6

Locking diffs you say? That would be cool, their usefulness is in replicating the real thing. Are they useless in a purely manual model? could you not say that about the whole engine and transmission? On the other hand, their effect wouldn't be noticeable in a model you push yourself, and I'm pretty sure they would brake the diff gears if pushed round a corner too fast, unless it could be designed in a way that it disengages with enough force. If we do see locking diffs, great, but if not, it wouldn't be so bad. At least the axles won't be so horrendously massive (wasn't the axle of the zeros almost as thick as the whole wheel!) only obnoxiously massive!

You also missed my spelling of Ackermann! As far as I know yes it is.

Ide be happy if they do the same old functions as we've had before, just done much better. A realistic gearbox with low friction, large CV joints, differential with a high ratio (the ones with the red crown gear), Ackerman steering geometry, proper (as in not cam style) piston engine and a good transmission and suspension setup for off roading. It seems like slowly they have been releasing all the needed elements, the gearbox of the Yamaha (could do with perhaps a few more sizes of clutch gear), the stiffer suspension springs from the BMW/Yamaha/Ferrari, the newer diffs, the larger CVs from the Audi. Now it's time, finally, to bring it all together. But still, most of this good stuff is not new to this flagship. And I get the feeling these wonderful new parts will still be all the colours of the rainbow! Do they not realise? These parts to us are like the most desired minifigs of other themes, these are our minifigs, and look at the love those minifigures get. Dual moulded legs, gun metal grey helmets/armour and rarely does a part of a minifig escape without being printed. Why can't our most treasured and desired parts of the Technic theme get such treatment and love from the coin counters? Imagine all the gearbox gears being gun metal grey, with a tasteful ring of colour printed on them to help the casuals tell them apart. Or all pneumatic hoses in black with their end faces printed different colours. This would allow far more colour coding options but also done in a much more visually pleasing way, the best of both worlds. How about a dual moulded textured rubber over plastic steering wheel? I kinda felt a small glimmer of this looking at the mars rover, with it's new tyres coloured grey, printed wheel caps and new printed arch pieces. That's great! But this is Technic, where the mechanisms, both external and internal, should be the stars of the show. Make the internal mechanisms look authentic and good enough to show on the box. I think this is what I'm always looking for. How is this flagship moving the theme forward (perhaps I'm looking too far forward!) in terms of mechanical authenticity. Sure the outer body work has to look good on the box, but bodywork is boring! So let's see. Will this be a greatest hits of much of the good stuff that we already have (which I really wouldn't have that much to complain about if done well), or will it be something more.....astounding?

Real truck wheels are so deep they can be bolted back to back without any spacers and still have a gap between the tyres. Don't know why they never make truck wheels like this in Lego.

Oh wow, one of my all time favorite sets and I didn't even know it was based on a real thing! Now I feel dumb. You learn something new every day

Funny you should say that, I haven't ever seen a truck that looks like 8868. I care much more about mechanical authenticity than looking authentic so it doesn't bother me, but it's almost like the designer invented the whole concept of this truck because they knew it would make a great set. I could be wrong though. Do you know of any trucks vehicle that 8868 could have been based on?

It looks like there might be 2 at the rear of the truck for the chassis.

Ah yes, now that you say it it's obvious! They look good though.