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REVIEW - 8459 - Pneumatic Front-End Loader INTRODUCTION Hi guys ! Today I am bringing a review of a set that I wanted for lots of years. In 1997, the release date of this set I was 7 years old and at that time I only could dream of having this set. Many years passed and this week I managed to buy this awesome set for only 40 euro in very good condition (beside the pneumatic cylinders which are kind of rusted - oh well, just my luck ). The 8459 Pneumatic Front-End Loader is a middle ranged set with 591 pieces. But in this pieces we can find a lot of goodies - 4 big wheels, an air tank, a decent number of pneumatic elements and some gears too. Ah, I forgot this set comes in 4-WD and has a V6 engine. SET INFORMATION Number: 8459 Title: Pneumatic Front-End Loader Theme: Technic Released: 1997 Part Count: 591 THE BOX and INSTRUCTIONS As I do not own the box I can't tell you much about it, but back then I understand that the parts came in a nice plastic tray inside the actual box. Ok, so not let's talk about the instruction manuals. I must admit I didn't know that in 1997 LEGO had better instruction manuals then now. The quality of paper and the booklet itself is MUCH better than what we find today. In the instructions we can find both the A and B model. They are printed in a high quality paper with very good color reproduction. Another think, the size of the booklet is as a A4 sheet of paper. As you can see, the step are very simple and easy to follow. In no point of the build I had to double check if I made mistakes. THE PARTS The parts assortment is very, very good. You get a ton of studded beams (which is a breath of fresh air from all the studless building that I am doing these days), lots of pneumatic hoses, pneumatic pump, cylinders and the cool air tank. The pneumatic hoses are much higher quality that the ones of 8110 Unimog, the are soft and you can put them in the cylinders very easy. Here you can see all pieces (minus the connectors). Another thing I want to mention are the wheels and tires. They are much more rubbery that the ones we find on today sets. Even tho they are old, they are in perfect conditions. They are smaller then the ones of 8265 Front-End Loader, but similar in design. As I have told you the pneumatic parts are in the above picture. 3 cylinders, a pump and an air tank. THE BUILD Here comes the fun part ! The build is super, very easy and pleasant. It took me 3 hours to make this set and in those hours the fun kept going till the end. Lets see the first part that you start with. The building starts with the back differential and the mechanism that will turn the engine. As you would expect, there is no suspension o this model, nor the front or the back. The build is simple and the fact that is all studded it gives you a very different feel that the newer studless builds. Next we build the front part of the Loader and under all the bricks there is another differential. So, as I mentioned this model has 4WD. The pneumatic hoses are put in place and the pneumatic cylinders are added to the front of the model. The models turns with the help of the Technic Gear 40 Tooth and this works very nice, way better than 8265s steering. Another great feature is that the steering wheel turns in the same time as the wheels. The cab is added. It features a blue Technic seat. You can see both the HOG steering as the steering wheel in the cab. The last 2 pneumatic cylinders are added and the hoses are linked to them. The only thing to do in the front is to add the bucket. Now, lets move towards the back of the model. The manual pump is added and we make place for the engine and the air tank. The air tank sits above the engine and it looks great. Also, the blue color of it brings a nice touch on the model. This is the finished model, it is small but overall it looks great. In my opinion this is one of the best Front End Loaders out there, even better then 8265 - which was my favorite till now. I do not own the 42030 so I do not know what to say about that. CONCLUSIONS This is a great "little" Front-End Loader and the fact that is pure pneumatic it makes it shine. The looks are great, the parts are great, the model is great . Should you buy it ? Yes, and if you are lucky you can find it at a decent price. This set is worth every penny I paid for it. As far as I know, LEGO released this set twice, in 2001 and 2004. Other then the box there is no difference between this model and the other ones. Lets score this set: Design: 9,5 - I love everything about this set, it looks awesome. Build: 9 - great fun build, great manual Functionality: 10 - all function work perfectly, the pneumatic system rocks, the steering is nice. Parts: 9.5 - very good part pack, but be careful to damaged old cylinders Value for money: 10 - as you can get this set for a decent price, it gets a 10 ! Overall: I am not good with math, but this set is a big 10 from my side. A true classic with great functions and looks ! It won't let you down in any way. I hope you enjoyed my review and feedback is always welcomed. Thank you !