LEGO’s 42024 Technic Container Truck set received a fairly average review from our experts earlier in the year. Plenty of scope for improvement then. One builder to give improving the model a go is TLCB debutant Henry Quarmby, who has repurposed the pieces found within the official set for his excellent truck and trailer combo.
Featuring working steering, a linear-actuator operated load bed, a working crane, plus a tilting cab with opening doors, Henry’s 42024 alternative has play value galore. The trailer doesn’t miss out either, with a folding jockey wheel and an opening cover.
All the photos of Henry’s 42024 ‘C-Model’ can be found on MOCpages, plus you can read the aforementioned review of the original Technic Container Truck (or Skip Lorry as decreed by our reviewer) set by clicking on the link above. Which model do you prefer?
This neat looking ERF skip lorry, or ‘container truck’ if you’re from The LEGO Group, was discovered on Flickr. Built by Makorol it features full remote control drive and a host of other working functions. You can check out all the photos via Flickr here, watch Makorol explain all in his excellent video below, and you can read our review of LEGO’s own 42024 container tr… sorry skip lorry set by clicking here.
This is Technic set 42024, ‘Container Truck’ which will henceforth be referred to as a ‘Skip Lorry’ since I write this in the UK and that’s what it is. It’s a mid-market set that sits in the not-too-extravagant £60 sweet spot, so let’s see what it offers…
Firstly, Technic boxes these days look pretty good; a clear image of what’s inside and simple, elegant graphics. Shame you have to rip it to get into it. Now to empty the (un-numbered) bags into my customary unsortable heap and get building…. you may wonder at this point if a rainbow has vomited on your work surface…. Time will tell if all those colours work well (8860) or not (8865)…
It’s a fairly standard build that starts with a gearbox. This seems like an unnecessary complication, since it’s only switching between two functions and there’ll still be two controls, but there is a perfectly good reason for this. Be patient. There’s nothing too difficult here and the two instruction books give you completely clear guidance. What is refreshing is that it seems like there’s a few more pieces per build step than in many recent kits – a possible reflection of it’s intended age group (10-43 since you ask…)
After a leisurely hour or two you’ll have a skip lorry that looks quite nice, and your earlier fears over it’s colour co-ordination will prove unfounded. This is an attractive model. Although the feature count is quite modest, and nowhere near the let’s-stuff-everything-in 42008, what it does, it does well.
Even the stabilizers do a good job… they are linked to a connector that engages with a bar on the skip when left up. This enables it to tip the container, which is something I’ve never seen a skip lorry do; perhaps I’m just not paying attention. It’s an effective, well thought out system.
With the stabilizers down, two linear actuators move the skip in a graceful arc onto the surface behind, accompanied by much furious wheel twirling. As standard, this is a manual control model but said manual control is the usual black gear, when an old fashioned pulley and pin would be more ergonomic given the lowish gearing here.
Or better still, stuff a motor in. It’ll take a PF M motor and battery box with the greatest of ease – so much so I suspect that it was intended to be motorized all along (hence the gearbox). The only reason it’s not being that it didn’t hit it’s price point so equipped. Allegedly. This would be a much better set at £80 with the motor included, but I can see why Lego wouldn’t want it troubling 42008’s market position.
Now let’s talk about styling…
It does look good, and I think the colours help here, although it might be time for Lego to make a bit more effort in the cab area. There’s nothing bad here, but it’s a bit same-again. Detailing is a tad sketchy and ill-thought-out (if the doors had glass, the mirrors would go through it when they open, for instance). Presumably, it couldn’t be seen to out-shine the more expensive 42008. I prefer the grille treatment on 42024, though – those silvered grille tiles always look a little flat. Maybe I’m just pining for the 8292 Cherry Picker from a few years ago – an otherwise unremarkable set with a very attractive cab design. Or you can simply treat it as a blank canvas to put your own ideas on – it’s Lego after all!
One piece (or rather six pieces) of very good news is the tyres – new for this set (and the digger in 42023), they’re proper square-shouldered, not-too-wide truck *ahem* lorry tyres that greatly enhance this model compared to the smaller, wider items on 42008.
They enhance the B-model too – another grader! It looks pretty good though – at least as good as the 57,000 grader B-models that have preceded it… one of these days there’ll be a grader A model but I won’t hold my breath. You have to go online to build it, however, and that’s always a faff….
So, what have we learned? 42024 is quite stylish, in its multi-coloured, unadorned way, and it works quite well (if you add a proper handwheel) or very well if you put a motor in. 8/10 – if you’ve already got a motor. 6/10 if you haven’t.
I’ve just realized that I’ve done an entire Technic vehicle review without moaning about the steering. This lorry has a good system. It really does.
It’s that time of year again, when several lucky Elves ‘volunteer’ to get thrown over the perimeter fence of The LEGO Group’s development HQ. Weeks have passed since the office sling-shot fired the Elvish task-force into the Danish darkness, but today the final Elf returned and thus we now have the complete Technic line-up for the first half of 2014! Some of the stolen images have watermarks on, but hey – we’re not picky.
42025 – Lego Technic Cargo Plane
The main picture of this article is the main Technic set of 2014, and it marks a return to air-based Technic not seen for some time. The ‘feature’ model for the start of the year, LEGO’s new Cargo Plane features some rare Technic colours and a whole host of Power Functions and mechanical goodies, including; turning propellors, opening nose-cone, lowering ramp and adjustable flaps. Targeted at the upper end of the Technic age-range 42025 is aimed at builders aged 10+ and will likely sit at the top of 2014’s prices.
42021 – Lego Technic Snowmobile, 42022 – Lego Technic Hot Rod
Next up are the two mid-range vehicles in the 2014 LEGO Technic line-up; 42021 and 42022, a snowmobile and hot rod respectively. Each is aimed at a slightly younger audience than 42025, but they still include a variety of proper Technic mechanical functions, including steering, suspension and piston engines. Each also continues LEGO’s expansion into brighter colours and decals, making them very visually appealing sets. Like all of the 2014 Technic range, instructions are provided for two possible models and these will also be available digitally via Lego.com.
Our third volunteering Elf snaffled two new starter Technic sets aimed at the 7+ age group; 42026 and 42027. As with all starter models their simpler build does mean less functionality than the larger Technic sets, but the LEGO Group does enhance the play value with pull-back motors. The Elves, being optimistically at the mental capacity of a 7 year old, love these, and we suspect they’ll be the biggest sellers in the range next year. Bold colour choices abound in 2014 with more lime green and a dash of bright orange – we’re sure that we’ll see these re-surface on a few muscle car MOCs throughout the year.
42020 – Lego Technic Double Rotor Helicopter
Probably our least favourite of the 2014 LEGO Technic sets is this transport helicopter, but the range has to start somewhere. The rotors spin in unison and it features some useful looking rotor blades, but not much else. It will be cheap though.
The final two new Technic sets in LEGO’s 2014 range get back to the heart of the brand; big chunky construction equipment with loads of mechanical features. It’s safe to say we’re delighted with these two sets.
On the left is 42023, the Construction Team, and the first multi-model set we’ve seen in years. Featuring a tracked excavator, front-loader and a dump truck it looks like a great way to expand a Technic collection with some excellent mechanical models. Aimed at ages 8+ the three models are quite simple, but they’re also full of play potential. Bravo LEGO.
And finally, the last model in LEGO’s 2014 Technic range is 42024, container truck (or ‘skip lorry’ as we’d call it here in the UK). Aimed at the 10+ age group it features some strong mechanical features including working steering, a lifting container arm and extending support legs. It’s also – despite the modern studless construction – rather retro looking in a classic red-yellow-blue combo, and we like that.
Overall it’s a pretty strong line-up for 2014, and there will be further additions, including a new flagship, for the second half of the year. As always we may review some of these sets throughout the year, and if you’d like to read The Lego Car Blog’s expert reviews on official LEGO sets from previous years, check out the Reviews page here.
