Category Archives: Review

Eighties’ Studly Goodness

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Continuing our series of reviews of sets aimed at the more mature builder, here’s the 5580 Highway Rig, from 1988…

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5580 got the ‘Model Team’ line off to a good start. It was the same scale as the earlier ‘Hobby Sets’ (12 studs wide) and, albeit after a long hiatus, appeared to carry on where they left off; although this time, LEGO managed to produce an attractive, well detailed model of a popular subject. They even went to the trouble of designing nice new wheels for it.

5580 had the look of being designed by someone who loved the subject – often the sign of a winning model. He had fun with all the greebling, too – perhaps a little much, especially when it came to festooning it with little yellow lights all over the place. Against the white panels, these do make it look a little as if it’s got a bad case of zits….

Still, all the other detailing was very successful, the colour scheme was attractive (using printed pieces – not stickers – hurrah!) and, if you lift the bonnet forward, there’s a very pleasant show engine (LEGO’s first ?); the influence of which is still seen in many medium sized MOCs by car builders everywhere.

LEGO also included steering, operated by the spare wheel mounted on the back of the cab. It didn’t work that well (too many twists and turns in the linkage ‘twixt rack and wheel) but it was a start. It might have been better if the control was on the roof, as on later models.

There was an interior, of sorts, featuring some seats, a steering wheel and a single printed slope that constituted the dashboard. Pretty basic inside then, but again, not a bad effort at the time. There was a bed behind the seats as well, wherein sleep would be rendered impossible by the steering gubbins in the way.

After the wealth of detail on it’s front half of the set, the rear looked a little underdone. The trailer hitch thing (or whatever you call it..) was just a 4×4 turntable, there was no attempt at wheelarches and little else of interest back there. However, mounting the eight rear wheels on movable axles was a nice touch to give the illusion of suspension.

Overall, this 5580 a very nice model indeed. One of those that manages to look right, despite the compromise of using train doors on the cab. A rare combination of refined good looks with a dose of playability. There’s a very good reason why they’re expensive to buy now.

It Could Have Been A Contender…

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… if it was made of smaller pieces and released 30 years later…

That’s ‘hobby sets’ for you, an almost forgotten line from the 1970s that lasted just 2 years and spanned 7 sets. In those far-off pre-Technic days, this was as sophisticated as small Lego models got, and it wasn’t enough. If they tried something similar now with the advantage of more and smaller specialized pieces, it might work. Oh wait, they do. It’s called the VW Camper and I will get to that eventually, via a circuitous route that takes in various models and themes spanning all Lego’s attempts to appeal to the mature car fan.

Being old, I feel the need to start in the 1970s… The three vintage cars I’ve already talked about, so here’s a pile of blue plates looking somewhat like Jody Scheckter’s 1974 Tyrell….

Lego 392

… not exactly a picture of beauty but there’s something about it. Stand back and squint a bit… oh well, please yourselves… In the year 2012 it does look a bit basic, but in 1975 there was nothing to compare it with. They did what they could with what they had.

Check out those wheels – old, old pre-Technic red gears for hubs! It doesn’t lack ingenuity. Mind you, even with what was available at the time the engine could have been better – all yellow, really ? Still, the stickers give it a lift. So, don’t fall over yourselves to buy a boxed one at an absurd price; if you like it, make it from your collection. You will have the pieces…

Possibly the only set that sold more slowly than a hobby set car was a hobby set bike; there were only two and this is the better one of them…

Lego 394

… while a vintage or F1 car (only just in the latter case..) could get away with using basic pieces and still be a nice thing, the bikes were just too small to convince as models with their relatively large pieces. The Harley above is quite nice, but can’t avoid looking clunky and the Norton was even worse – possibly because clunkiness quite suits a Harley…

Clunkiness does suit a 19th Century American steam engine, and the biggest set, the 396 Thatcher Perkins locomotive, was a looker in it’s multi-coloured, oddly proportioned way. It was a standalone piece, not designed to run on rails and far too big for any train layout; yet, like the others, not quite pretty enough to be an ornament.

So that’s Hobby Sets. A curio from another time when Lego tried to engage older builders. The release of the first Technic sets in 1977 killed them stone dead. I’ll shut up now so you can go and look at something modern and smooth. Try scrolling down…

Blast From The Past

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In 1975, was this Lego’s first attempt to create an AFOL market ? Discuss…

All the sets in the ‘Hobby Sets’ line from the mid to late Seventies are rare items now, and highly sought after; but they weren’t at the time.

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Take the blocky beauty above, for example; who’s it aimed at ? For kids, it wouldn’t fit in their town layouts, older kids want models that do something; if an adult market existed at the time, it’s just not intricate enough thanks to the lack of specialized pieces in 1976.

The whole line bombed, and that’s a shame. These are nice models. Not snazzy, complex or huge; just pleasant display pieces. I remember the 395 Rolls-Royce I got when I was about 7, still have it in fact, and I loved it. Standing proudly atop it’s cardboard display stand, here was a thing that said Lego bricks can make something nice.

It’s not entirely without detail. Those old 1×1 yellow windows make fine vintage headlights and the white spoked wheels are great. They only ever appeared in this and the 391 Renault. Mostly though, it’s an assemblage of white bricks and black plates in the rough shape of a car…

Nice car, mind. But again, it falls between two stools. Kids want stuff of the moment (apart from me, but then I was a strange kid…what do you mean I still am ?!); adults want more realism, yet the bricks weren’t quite up to it.

The first set in the series was even simpler, but it’s still a pretty thing….

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It’s a 1913 Cadillac – a curious choice of launch model for a whole new line of sets. First car with an electric starter, apparently.

So, what are these ? Toys ? Not really. I don’t remember making ‘vroom vroom’ noises with mine. I’d just look at it, and make inevitably similar alternatives with it.

Are they an attempt to create something like the modern VW camper ? Perhaps. That’s a thing that’s a joy to build and behold, for all that you can’t play with it. But that works because it’s so exact – you instantly know what it is.

Hang on – they came in nicer boxes with classy, simple artwork; which could be used as a display stand – they’re ancient Architecture sets on four wheels! Hmmmm…

I’m probably over-analysing. They’re of their time in design, and ahead of their time as an idea.

Feast your eyes on the biggest of the first three cars, an impressive looking 1926 Renault Limousine – this was quite a bit longer than the other two and doesn’t the blue look fab ?

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Anyway, enough of my prognostication, these can all be enjoyed today for what they are; nice models made from basic bricks that have a certain period charm. If you’re a vintage car fan, you’ll enjoy having any of these three.

Just don’t scroll down and compare them to Malte Dorowski’s Porsches. It’s simply not fair.

8043 Motorized Excavator Review

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The Technic Renaissance Continues…

This is not just a model. It IS an excavator, albeit a small one. Lego Technic appears to have arrived at the point where it’s possible to make a kit do everything the prototype does. All it lacks is its own motive power – but even this is taken care of if you have enough batteries…

First impression: Isn’t the box huge ?

Second impression: Why is it half empty ? Never mind, everything you need is here to build this hugely impressive machine. Unlike a lot of recent kits, it’s not foolproof – an expert builder will be fine with that; a novice might end up with a model that does nothing because of too many carelessly rammed together gears. Make sure each axle turns freely throughout the build and you’ll be fine. This is one to take your time over, and I for one welcome that.

So, what do all those cunningly combined gears and motors do ?

There are 4 medium motors in a module, driving the various systems through a mind-crushingly complex geartrain. These can either drive the vehicle along and rotate its body on the chassis, or manipulate the excavator arm at any of three joints according to the position of the gearbox selector. Like everything else, this is operated by remote control.

For driving it along, one might suspect the M motors would not be up to it; but their torque is surprising and it goes just fine, if rather slowly. Separate motors drive each side independently to allow it to steer. XLs with different gearing would doubtless make it faster, but since when was an excavator any kind of roadburner ?

As for the digging part, it’s very capable. Thank those linear actuators – less pure than the older pneumatics but much simpler and way more effective. There are four of them and they do a great job. Again, the gearing is quite conservative and movements are slow-ish to ensure the motors are up to it. They are, as long as the dirt is fairly loose (yes, I’ve got mine a little bit dirty – there’s just no way to resist..) It’s better still if you replace the supplied over-large bucket for a yellow one you’ve pinched from the back of a passing 8862.

The black bucket it comes with is much more suited to the B model, a handsome and useful bulldozer that’s possibly a homage to this kit’s 8275 predecessor. I do wish Lego would supply paper instructions for both models – it’s such a faff to download and it’s never the same building while staring at a computer screen.

Incidentally, have you noticed how much an 8275 will cost you now ? It’s frightening. That’s what happens to the very best models in any theme in this strange market. I just hope the price of this and other well regarded large sets isn’t driven by speculators; if so, expect it all to come crashing down any time soon… Still, when it does we’ll all still have our Lego to enjoy won’t we ?

Be that as it may, I would urge you to get this very complete model while Lego are still producing it. If you have the slightest interest in Technic, you’ll love it. 10/10.

8466 Review

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The big green Lego machine

Welcome to the next instalment in our series of Lego’s ‘ultimate’ car sets reviews.

Originally released in 2001, 2 years after 8448 (Super Street Sensation).  It is clearly related to 8448 as it shares many functions.  Includes 1102 pieces (plus spares) including those awesome chunky wheels and 2 dampers.

Much like 8448 the core of the chassis is made up of traditional Technic studded beams multi layered for strength.  Due to this the core of the chassis is very strong.  However, the simplistic method used to attach the modern studless beams and liftarms to create the bodywork and ‘undercarriage’ just aren’t strong enough.   With light play pieces will start to come loose.  This might be due to mine being second hand and maybe the Technic pins are a little tired.

The gearbox and transmission is the best part of this model, but nothing new. From memory the 6 speed gearbox (5 forward gears plus reverse) is exactly the same as 8448 and works very well. The V8 engine transmits the power to all four wheels through 3 differentials – nothing spectacular but it does the job well and I enjoyed building it.

Independent suspension using double wishbones on all four wheels sounds great but the weight of the model coupled with the very poor positioning/angle of the front suspension springs equates to complete front suspension failure.  If you push the front of the truck down it will not recoil.  I have even tried brand new springs but the problem still persists.  The rear of the truck is much lighter and the springs are positioned slightly differently (due to there being no steering) and subsequently work much better.

The Hand of God device and in-car steering would suggest that this is a very playable model and is the only improvement on its predecessor (8448).  However the steering lock and front suspension is so poor that it hardly turns.

The bodywork is typical of models from this era using panels and flexi tubes to create a well shaped and distinctive look.  The greeny/gold panels shimmer in the light and look great in my opinion.  The gullwing doors are a really nice touch and great fun to build and play with.  Again the principle is not new and has been seen before in 8448.

The interior is simple and befits the off-roader feel.  The seats are a good size and much more in proportion than modern Technic sets.  There is ample room in the back to add motors or the optional crane arm.

The chunky balloon tyres are excellent.  I am not sure how much weight they could support but they are very cool and a great addition to any collection.

It comes with few stickers subtly used on the panels, gearbox and dashboard. The box is reasonably sturdy but does not include the plastic trays.  TLG Pleeease bring these back.

Overall, 8466 is a slightly disappointing addition to the supercar range, and offers nothing new in terms of technical advancements.  I must admit that it is not all that bad.  I enjoyed the build and it has massive potential for modification.  Many of its faults could be rectified by the clever builders out there and power functions could easily be added.   I have seen some fantastic power function RCs on YouTube.  The opening doors and wheels are great fun, and the colour scheme and bodywork is like Marmite – you either love it or hate it.  However, when compared with the other supercar 4x4s; 8880 (the black supercar) and 8110 (The Unimog) this model is quite poor.   6/10 and I think I am being a little generous due to the potential for modification.

Happy building 🙂

Lego 8458 Silver Champion Review

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Insert Mika Hakkinen for twice the awesome.

Welcome one and all to the sixth instalment in our series of Lego’s ultimate car sets reviews. The year is 2000, and the ‘Racers’ line is off to a good start with this and the very similar 8461 Williams. With less emphasis on the technical aspects and a more authentic look, these complemented the concurrent 8448 Street Sensation car.

First impressions – This thing is huge! 34 studs wide across the rear track… a surprisingly simple build, given it’s size and apparent complexity. I found it very enjoyable to put together. Still using the old studded beams for the chassis, this is sufficiently stiff to allow it’s suspension to work properly (sort of, but we’ll come to that..)  Anyhow, I’ll go through it’s features one by one like I usually do…

Engine: A very authentic for the period V10. Not very authentic for any period, it turns rather slowly when the car is pushed. If ever a car cried out for more noise, it’s this one. Never mind, that’s easily fixed and doesn’t it look lovely ? All those tubes greebling it up to great effect. Real effort was made here, including things like radiators and oil coolers to ogle when you smoothly raise the cover with it’s damped action to show it off.

Suspension: A round of applause please for those wonderful long and thin wishbone pieces… I thank you. These really help give this car it’s realistic appearance, and fortunately are stronger than they look. Another thing to admire is the cleverly contrived pushrod activation of the horizontal springs. I daresay this kit was designed by a knowledgeable F1 fan and it shows. However, although the single hard spring per wheel should be enough, at the front it isn’t. This is because the way it’s all articulated means that there’s very little movement against the spring over the course of the suspension’s travel. This is why it’s too soft and sticky in it’s action. At the rear, where there’s a bit more room, everything works fine.

Steering: Well, it wouldn’t get around Loews’ in one go – nevermind, let’s call it the Silverstone set-up… More of a problem than it’s relatively poor lock is the fiddly operation. Blame the authentically shaped steering wheel and wonder how Hamilton and Co. manage… a secondary control of some kind would have been a bonus but it works well enough.

Transmission: This is where the budget over-run on suspension pieces came from. A single fixed gear that wouldn’t be a problem if only it made more noise! I know, I know, I’ll change the record…

Body: Looking for all the world like a McLaren in it’s spangly metallic silver panels, I can only assume they refused permission to Lego to use their name. It doesn’t matter. Silver Champion is a great name for this, and appropriate given that Mika Hakkinen had won the Drivers’ Championship the previous year. Don’t let anyone tell you it’s not a McLaren. It so is, and bravo for that! Biased, me …? Whatever the licencing issues, the fact remains that it looks gorgeous – a surprisingly successful stab at using those multi-faceted complex panels to form a very lean and sleek shape. Just don’t put the horrible, brittle, peeling stickers on it and it’ll look ace.

This car is very definitely not a featuretastic technic supercar. What it is, is a beautiful and functional display object – the perfect gift for the F1 nerd in your life. 9/10.

8448 Super Street Sensation Review

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Looking Good On The Street

Welcome to the fifth instalment of our Lego car sets reviews. It’s now 1999 and Lego decided they couldn’t top the technical wonderment of 8880, so didn’t try…

What we have here then, is a significant aesthetic evolution if not a technical one. This managed to do all that was expected of it and look good doing it.

Engine: Hurrah! Finally, for the first time since 1977, a Lego car’s engine is in the right place! It’s a V8 too, and we all like those… Like the other sub-systems on this car, the engine slots into place as a unit, a very well thought out and educative system. Pity it doesn’t make much noise, even in the lowest gear, but it does run more smoothly than 8880’s and for that we should be thankful.

Steering: Works well but it lacks the secondary control of its predecessor which does prove a little awkward with some of the bodystyles. Build it as the convertible for maximum playability. One very good feature of this steering system is it’s centre-point geometry, whereby the road wheel’s pivot point passes vertically through the tyres. This makes for a much more realistic movement than any previous car – and most of those that followed, for that matter…

Suspension: Wishbones all round with good travel but a penny-pinching single spring per wheel is not enough and it’s too soft. Apart from that it’s a well engineered system that doesn’t take up too much room and, although it isn’t as strong as 8880 or 8865, it is strong enough. Don’t think it could cope with being dropped, though…

Gearbox: The one area that shows a solid advance on what went before. A full five speeds plus reverse give this car the best transmission of any 20th Century set.

Chassis: I do wonder if the ghost of Colin Chapman stalked Lego Towers at the time this was developed – they listened to his mantra of ‘just add lightness’. It’s a lot less bulky than any car set since 853 and, with the benefit of new bracket pieces and better building techniques, it’s stiffer than that dear old blancmange. Not as stiff as 8880, but, like a lot of things on this car, it’s good enough. A bit like a Lotus Grand Prix car that was designed to last until the end of the race and then fall to pieces, it did what it had to do.

Body: As the first big set to use the new multi-faceted panels and flexi-tubing, it made good use of the new styling pieces to create a sharp-looking sports car, in any of it’s myriad configurations. This plethora of body styles, all on the same chassis, was a departure from the norm and they all looked convincing. The convertible is my personal favourite, the cleverly contrived folding roof of which worked in much the same way as the then-new Mercedes SLK’s. The gullwing doored coupe was a hit as well, although those dampers wouldn’t survive many operations of the doors before wilting. More evidence of the cost-cutting that compromises this set, perhaps. Whatever, the body was definitely an overall success, however you fancied building it.

This set stands up very well on it’s own merits. Compare it too closely to 8880, however, and it does come up short in a few areas. It’s a more ‘commercial’ set, if you like, concentrating on surface aspects more than the substance within. It also has more of a ‘built to a price’ feel than the ‘money no object – let’s stuff everything in’ 8880. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing – 8880’s four wheel steering was just wilful – but it seems a slight shame that, for the first time in this series, technical progress had stopped.

A short word about those panels and tubes and things – No. A long word about those panels and tubes and things – Unconscionable. Although they managed to make this stuff look pretty good here, these things were, in the decade that followed this car, responsible for more multi-faceted hideousness than the Technic theme itself could bear; a dark era from which it is only now emerging.

Rant over. And breathe…. that’s better. The above isn’t this car’s fault and, overall, I like it for its thoughtful, lightweight engineering and snappy style. 9/10

8880 Review

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The last of the studded Supercars

Welcome to the next instalment in our series of Lego’s ‘ultimate’ car sets reviews.  We had a fight over who was going to post this one.  Likely I won ;).  This set was bought for me by my girlfriend in 1995.  Needless to say I was so impressed with it, that I married her!

It was originally released in 1994, 6 years after its predecessor 8865.  The last of the supercars to be built purely from studded beams.  It is packed with functions that we all take for granted today and includes over 1300 pieces, some new and unique never to be seen again.

Let’s start with the chassis as all good supercars should.  Traditional Technic principles of multi layered beams separated by two plates make this a very strong and stable model.  If you want to learn how to build a Technic chassis you need not look any further.

Next the gearbox and transmission, this is where we start seeing some new and exciting pieces, which are still used today.  The new transmission driving rings and their reciprocal clutch gears allow for a smooth four speed transmission with a good range of ratios.  The specially made gear stick and shift plate I believe are unique to this set.  Transmitting power to all four wheels through 3 ‘new’ style differentials and a completely unique hub system.  This part of the model is a huge leap forward from its predecessor and in my opinion has not been matched until the recent release of the 2011 Unimog.

Suspension and Steering – Independent suspension using double wishbones on all four wheels fully integrated into a four wheel steering system via the hubs and steering arms. Very clever and total overkill, but great fun to build and play with.  The suspension travel is somewhat limited and a little stiff.  Although you can increase the travel with minor modifications, but I suspect the wheels would rub on the body at full compression.  You can not drop it from height, as you could with 8865, as the steering link would ‘pop off’ the ball pin/joint.  I believe in later sets black pins where included with more friction to address this problem.  In my opinion this is the only major problem with the set.  This was the first supercar to include a Hand of God device and in-car steering, making it much more playable than previous supercars.  It is a little awkward to use if you have fat fingers, but a minor modification (pulling the wheel up by a half bush or two allows for a more pleasant action, and much easier than reaching into the car.  It is possible to change the steering wheel (another new part) to right hand drive, if you so desire, but you need to start the process very early on in the build – not really possible post build.

The engine is a ‘new’ style V8 connected via a drive chain as opposed to a more solid gear system.  A minor flaw but nothing to write home about.

The bodywork is as good as it gets when using studded beams.  It comes with what seem like hundreds of hinges that cleverly create a skeleton shell.  The boot (rear hatch) opens and locks into place but unfortunately there are no driver or passenger doors – Dukes of Hazard style entry system then.  When compared to more recent Technic models it does look a little blocky, but for the time it was pretty darn good.  You could roll this bad boy on a high speed corner and survive the crash, unlike more modern panelled and flexi pipe models which buckle and break easily.  Oh yeah its black – gotta love black Lego.  The pop up lights are a nice touch and operated by a lever on the dashboard.  The seats look OK but are no where near as functional as its predecessors, another minor flaw.

The second model is a great build in its own right and resembles a Formula 1 / Indi car from the late 80s early 90s.  Includes full independent suspension and a two speed sequential 😉 gearbox.  A nice build except for the dashboard which is under a lot of stress – one wrong move and it will ping across the room slide under the sofa and be lost for ever.

It comes with a few stickers but luckily they do not span more than one brick so you can take the model apart, and rebuild as many times as you like without damaging them.  The box is a sturdy construction and includes a plastic tray with divider boxes.  I wish Lego would reintroduce these types of boxes.  Wink wink nudge nudge.

Lego Technic 8880 F1 Car

In summary a huge leap forward from 8865, a good looking model (for the era) full of functions and a challenging build for all ages.  It has lots of potential for modifications; increased suspension, removing the rear wheel steering and the interior could be improved, but I am a Lego purist and love it just the way it is.  I have built most of the Technic supercars, F1 cars and 4x4s over the last 30 years.  This is the one I use as my bench mark.  An easy 9/10.  The only one I that think beats this classic is the new Unimog.  Oh and maybe 8860 – you never forget your first love 😉

Happy building 🙂

8865 Test Car Review

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Lego Technic Test Car 8865 Review

Welcome to the third instalment in our series of Lego’s ‘ultimate’ car sets reviews. The year is 1988, and progress marches on, technically if not aesthetically…

The ‘Test Car’ – so called for no reason I can discern – represented a useful further evolution in the technical capabilities of these early cars, adding a very effective double wishbone independent suspension system at each corner to the features already present in the earlier 8860.

Not only that, there were pop-up lights and an attempt at some sort of bodywork for the first time…

First, the build. Having unpacked the (disappointingly flimsy) box you may notice lots of new (at the time) and very useful pieces – the parts for the front suspension and those stiff black pins made their appearance here. On piecing the chassis together, it becomes apparent that it lacks the elegance of earlier versions – almost as if it was designed by two people who never spoke to each other. Still, there’s lots of details here to delight the budding engineer.

Suspension: It works very well, much better than 8860’s swing axles, if a little soft at the front. Strong, too – the car can be dropped from quite a height and will just bounce. I will not be accountable for any breakages that occur from readers chucking it down the stairs, however… The problem is, this very strength makes it bulky, leaving nowhere sensible to place the engine. The other problem is, the rear axle’s movement is accommodated by 2 universal joints on each side, forcing an absurd width on the poor thing.

Engine: A neat little V4 that’s not that little (blame those old square pistons, much as I like them..). There’s nowhere for it to go except on top of the bulky rear suspension. If the car was longer, it could have been some much more exciting mid-engine sports car: as it is, these technical compromises made it too tall, much too wide and not long enough. An opportunity missed. Runs well, though.

Lego 8865 Test Car

Gearbox: Still a three-speed linear arrangement, but it manages a smoother operation than 8860’s thanks to an extra shaft, and the engine spins freely in all three gears. A success.

Seats: A disappointment. These hinged together plates show evidence of concerted cost-cutting and are not a patch on the items used in 8860, which can be made to fit this – just don’t do them in blue…

Lights: My favourite thing on this car – they work smoothly and are a delight to operate. Is this where the money saved on the seats went ?

Steering: Works quite well, but not brilliantly. There’s a UJ in there forced through a 45 degree angle and it’s slightly too much – leading to a gritty action. Also, LEGO’s strange obsession with limiting the steering lock of its models first made itself known here. Blame those wishbone parts, I guess. It’s not bad in this respect – and would in the future get a lot worse – but it could be better.

Body: Oh dear. Perhaps they shouldn’t have bothered. It’s very sketchy, not at all pretty and lends the whole thing an even more unfinished air than the (body-less) 8860. It is very strong, though – thank those black pins, which you won’t be doing when it comes to taking this apart… These are the earlier ‘interference fit’ pins that really jam themselves in the holes, making for a finger-crushing experience to remove them. Use a 10 axle with a toggle on the end and PUSH. Or a nuclear device… Better still, use later ‘push fit’ pins to spare yourself the agony.

Overall, this is a curious device. There’s plenty of good stuff going on here, but it falls down badly on its – for want of a better term – fashion sense. Its colour scheme has more clashes than a war zone and its proportions are just plain odd. 6/10.

Lego Technic 8110 Unimog Review

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The most exciting release from Lego Technic for a long time. This very faithful representation of the Mercedes Unimog go-anywhere light truck could mark the beginning of a return to form. We can but hope…

First Impressions… it’s a big and vividly illustrated box, promising great marvels within. The pieces are bagged according to sub-assembly, but since the main ‘sub-assembly’ is about three quarters of the total this isn’t as helpful as it might be… still, I somewhat absurdly quite like trawling through masses of bits. Instructions are good and clear, with no colour mysteries but such tiny incremental build steps you suspect they could be followed by a reasonably gifted 7 year old. Nothing wrong with that, but it does make for a lot of pages…

The build. What can I say – a revelation! It’s a really enjoyable thing to put together, especially as this set brings elements I haven’t seen before and cleverly combines electric motive power and pneumatics (in the same way as the old 8868 Claw Rig but no less effective for that). It’s a long process, mind – give yourself most of a day to wallow in it.

There’s no shortage of features to delight and intrigue (and in one case infuriate, but we’ll come to that…), so in no particular order:

Engine. An in-line four cylinder nestling in a quiet corner of the undercarriage and driven (rather slowly) by all four wheels. There’s only a single ratio fixed transmission but there simply wouldn’t be room for anything more.

Suspension. Live axles at both ends, sprung by a single, very firm, spring for each wheel. Ground clearance is convincingly high, thanks to gear blocks at each wheel that send the drive down to them from high-mounted differentials. The suspension’s movements at first appear to be corrupted by the Panhard Rod that helps to locate the axle, but then you appreciate just how thorough the designers have been : It’s supposed to be like that . Hats off to Lego for that one, especially as the springs seem to be correctly resilient, there’s ample travel and an amusing lack of stiffness in roll. That’s probably correct, too.

What can’t be correct is the steering. As standard, this model has the turning circle of a supertanker, with an action so sloppy it makes you fear something will break! And WHY, in Lego’s flagship model, can’t we have the in-cab steering wheel connected ? End rant. It can be corrected. Omit the three quarter pins that so restrict the movement, gear it down so that there’s less strain on the control wheel and change those STUPID ‘knob wheels’ for bevels and it feels much better. Still not as nice as most of Lego’s early Technic models, but no longer terrible.

Pneumatic crane. My favourite part. I could play around with this for hours (yes, I know…), it works very well and is completely capable of doing what it looks like it should. The working of it is a little jerky and hard to modulate, but can be done with practice and a light touch. Or airtanks. The air feed and alternative mounting point to the front allow it to work equally well there, too. The built-in retractable stabilisers do their job superbly, not something you can say about every Lego model that has such things… All in all, this part is a triumph.

The winch on the front, to which can be switched the motor’s power, works well, too, although it’s rather low-geared – I suspect to protect the motor. Easy enough to fix that, of course.

The cab. So big, so bright, so orange! It looks great – better than in the pictures on the box. An easy thing to put together, it comes as a bit of light relief after the complexities of the chassis. There’s enough detail here to satisfy, as well, including the welcome use of some actual old fashioned studded bricks (remember those ?) on the front. It’ll tilt by releasing the long red pins at the back, but you’ll need small fingers for this.

Verdict

Overall, this is both a superbly playable toy (once you’ve fixed the steering…) and a delightful display object, well worth the (steepish) price of admission. If only the steering didn’t let it down so badly, it would merit an easy 10; as it stands it still earns 9/10. Recommended.

LEGO TECHNIC 8860 CAR CHASSIS REVIEW

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Lego Technic 8860 Review

Welcome to the second in our series of Lego’s big car sets reviews. The year is 1980, and the sophistication of suspension arrives at Lego Towers. Not very brilliant suspension, but we’ll come to that..

First, the build. Still fairly straightforward, and the flaws of it’s 853 predecessor are skilfully dealt with – it’s nice and stiff, the steering works well (provided you’ve put the axle bushes on the right way round…), there was now a differential and it’s definitely sportier than before. Again, the engine is the only fiddly part, but if you set this up right it will run smoothly in all three gears (very fast in the lowest gear, which was intended purely for use with the motor and gets blanked off in the instructions. Leave it open and savour the noise!).

This is a truly satisfying model. The colours look right, there’s enough technical stuff going on and it’s playable. It seems like Lego’s designers made a concerted effort to include all the features they could manage with the pieces then available. Briefly, these include the sliding / reclining seats, the rear-mounted flat four engine with some lovely detailing, a three speed transmission, steering and swing axle rear suspension. This was Lego’s first attempt at a car’s suspension and, like the VW Beetle it resembles, it didn’t work brilliantly – forcing massive camber changes as the springs were compressed. Still, it was a start and better than nothing.

It’s an easy model to modify, too. Adding front suspension with the newer steering links and ball joints is pretty straightforward and, with a little rearrangement of the rear reinforcement there’s space for a pair of ‘+2’ rear seats. You now have something that’s exactly the right size and mechanical layout to build a Porsche 356 body on…  this is the sort of thing you can mess about with for hours!

Oddly, the second model – some kind of weirdly scaled dragster – isn’t that good, but it’s easy to build something nice with this very complete selection of parts.

As with 853, the box is nice and solid and beautifully illustrated – although it would have been good to have as many ideas on it as 853’s had. It doesn’t need to be quite so big, either,  but I’m nit-picking now….

Overall, this superb set deserves a 10/10 – it might not be flawless but, for the time, it’s deeply impressive and still stands up today as a good-looking, effective model. Get one and you’ll see why it was good enough to sit at the top of the Technic tree for eight years.

Lego Technic 853 / 956 Car Chassis Set Review

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Welcome to what will be the first in a series of reviews of all of Lego’s ‘ultimate’ car-based Technic sets. We start, naturally, at the very beginning. In 1977, this was the ultimate and I was a lucky boy!

This red machine (still the longest model of any such set…) featured a reciprocating 4 cylinder engine, a forward/reverse transmission, working steering and adjustable seats and…. that’s it. At the time, this was plenty – greater sophistication would come later;  the great thing about this set was that it showed, better than any other, how a car went together.

The build is fairly simple – the only complex part being the engine. It feels a little strange building a Technic car chassis by mostly snapping bricks together, but it also makes you wonder if the newer elements make things unnecessarily time-consuming. Slotting the engine/transmission unit and steering assembly into place makes you imagine workers doing the same thing on a production line. An enjoyable and educative experience.

The finished model is a delightfully vintage thing and highly playable. The best thing about it is the speed and smoothness of the engine’s running as you push it along, assuming the engine’s set up just so… This gives it a personality that’s lacking in most of the later cars, whose engines simply don’t make enough noise to be truly satisfying.

Flaws; well this is a very early effort so there are a few… the biggest of which being the chassis’ lack of stiffness. Blame the penny-pinching single layer of studded beams that form the car’s structure. Double these up and it’s fine. The front wheels drag on the chassis when on full lock – something that couldn’t happen in a newer set, mostly because newer sets seem to have hardly any steering lock… A differential would have been nice, but you can slot one in easily enough now.  The lack of suspension can be forgiven, I think; especially as, if it did have springs, I suspect the chassis would flex more than they do!

Now we come to one of the best features of all these early sets – the box! A proper, sturdy box with plastic compartments for all the new and special pieces that came with this set, and beautifully illustrated with a wealth of model ideas, most of which had no instructions but served to inspire the young builder’s own creativity. Note to Lego: PLEASE BRING THESE BACK!

Overall, this set deserves a solid 9/10 – there was enough to inspire the budding petrolhead here and, if you can, I urge you to seek one of these out (expensive these days, I know..) and re-discover the simple joy of a charming model.