Tag Archives: Mining

Miniature Minecraft

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Lego Technic Mining Loader

We were a bit underwhelmed by LEGO’s 42049 Technic Mine Loader set when we previewed it here towards the end of last year. It has pneumatics and a two cylinder engine, but…meh. However a recent upload by previous bloggee Tamas Juhasz (aka mbmc137) shows how it should have been done, and at about half the scale.

Tamas’ tiny Technic recreation of the official set might be small, but it packs in just as much functionality, and in doing so it might just be the neatest and most well engineered small-scale Technic model we’ve seen this year. It could even be a set, if there wasn’t one already…

Lego Technic Mining Loader

With all the functionality of 42049, Tamas’ build squeezes in all-wheel-drive, articulated steering, pneumatic bucket elevation and tilt, and a two-cylinder piston engine (making it just as unrealistically underpowered as LEGO’s version).

There’s lots more to see of this incredibly tidy build at Tamas’ Brickshelf gallery and at the Eurobricks discussion forum, plus there’s a video of the loader’s features available below.

YouTube Video:

42035 Mining Truck Review

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Lego Technic 42035 Mining Truck Review

After prompting the wrath of pneumatics fans following his controversial Set Review last month (and meeting TLCB Elves, which can be just as perilous), Thirdwigg has returned to join us here at TLCB Towers to add another official LEGO set to the burgeoning Set Review Library. Over to Thirdwigg to explain…

Most of the sets I buy now happen after months of deliberation, intense community scrutinization, and reading every online review I can find. And usually during double VIP months at LEGO.com.

Not this one. I went to the local toy store in a moment of children-induced weakness, purchased this cute little dump truck, and went home and started building it right away.

The box of 42035 is smallish, but the weight of it conveys a $30 set more than the size does. Upon opening the box, you’ll find a couple of bags of parts, a small sticker sheet, and wrapped instructions for both the A and B model.

As I started sorting the contents I found some of the new or rare parts that attracted me to the set. First, the new panels are pretty fun. Basically, they are a 5×11 panel with a 9×2 triangle removed. They are robust, and have an empty center; both sides of the panel are flat and can be presented to the outside of a model. Second, are the newish tires. They were part of the reason I was interested in this set, as I wanted to try them out in some MOCs, as their size fills a nice hole in Technic wheels range. Third, there are a smattering of new unique and/or interesting parts, like a piston and cylinder and the 3L pin with 1L axle.

Lego Technic 42035 Review

The build starts with the chassis, and before you are 8 steps in, you ask yourself “why no differential?” I’ve stopped trying to answer questions that start with “why did LEGO not do_____?” Now I just change it myself when I am done. Continue reading →

Big Dig

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Lego RC Front Loader LeTourneau L-2350

This, according to the Guinness Book of Records, is the World’s Largest Earth Mover. Well this isn’t obviously, but it is a thoroughly well built replica of the enormous LeTourneau L-2350. Designed to load the mining industry’s huge haul trucks, the world record holding L-2350 can raise to 80 tons 24 feet into the air. This lovely Lego recreation is somewhat smaller, but it can still carry a Power Functions battery box comfortably in its bucket. Built by Tamas Juhasz aka mbmc137 it features remotely controlled bucket lifting and tilting, drive and steering, and there’s more to see of how it all works (some of which may surprise you) via the links above.

Lego Remote Control Earth Mover

Brick Bucket

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Lego Technic Bucket Wheel Excavator ER-1250

At over 1.2 meters longs, weighing 8kgs, and with 14 motors, 4 batteries, and 6 IR receivers, Desert752 Kirill’s replica of the 700 ton soviet ER-1250 bucket wheel excavator is one of the most spectacular creations that this blog has ever featured. It’s also, if you’re a TLCB Elf, one of the most dangerous.

Four XL Power Functions motors power the excavator’s two tracks independently whilst two M motors can swing the platform through 360 degrees. Another two M motors rotate the conveyor unloading arm so that it can remain at a fixed point whilst the superstructure turns around it, a third M motor powers the conveyor belt, and a fourth controls the arm’s height. An L motor performs this role for the main boom, with a further M motor powering the bucket wheel on the end. Finally two micro-motors control the unloading mechanism.

If all that sounds a lot you’d be right, and the only way to really appreciate Desert’s incredible engineering feat is to watch his bucket wheel excavator in action;

YouTube Video:

Now imagine that you are a TLCB Elf. An Elf who has been squashed several times during employment at TLCB Towers, and who has gleefully discovered this particular creation.

You can probably guess the outcome when an 8kg remote control tank complete with a viciously rotating bucket is under the control of a bitter and vengeful mythical creature. It’s safe to say that we have a lot of tidying up to do this afternoon.

While we try to piece together what remains of our Elven workforce, and get the body parts out of various Technic mechanisms, we suggest you take a closer look at this amazing creation – you can see more of Desert’s ER-1250 on both MOCpages and Eurobricks, plus you can read a hint about something LEGO themselves have got coming here...

Lego Technic Bucket Wheel Excavator

I Like Tequilatron, It Makes Me Happy!

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Pico 01

Graphic designer, Pico van Grootveld is the design and editing brains behind a sci-fi collaboration called “Mining Frenzy“. We featured one the builds, Clayton Marchetti’s “Goliath” on our rather spacey Sunday. Pico’s contribution to the collaboration was a ship from his Tequilatron faction but he also built some other vehicles, which didn’t find space on the poster.

At the top of this post is his Magnaloader and below is the ‘Roidjumper Mech. Pour yourself a drink and then sit back and click this link to enjoy Pico’s work.

Pico 02

Minecraft

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Lego Technic Caterpillar Dump Truck

Today a jubilant TLCB Elf set a new office record; the most colleagues squished in one event since records began. It seems that whenever an Elf finds a monster remote controlled creation its first instinct is to flatten as many of its co-workers as possible with it. One poor Elf was so ingrained into the tyre tread it was rotating with the wheel to be newly squashed every few seconds.

The tyres in question are third-party RC items, employed here because The LEGO Group simply doesn’t make any large enough. The rest of this creation is 100% authentic Lego though. It’s based on a Caterpillar 795F heavy dump truck – as found in open-cast mines all around the world – and it’s powered by two XL motors, with a further motor controlling the steering and another the lifting of the bucket.

If you’d like to see all of the images then head over to Eurobricks where builder shineyu has started a discussion topic to showcase his work. If you like this creation you might also be interested in an incredible previously blogged Terex excavator that works alongside the 795F in the real world; it’s now available on MOCpages to view, whilst we spend some time giving some lightly injured Elves a ride in the bucket of the Caterpillar.

Lego Technic Mining Truck

Minecraft

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Lego Technic Terex RH400 Excavator

The Elves, buoyed by their recent scoop of 2014’s Technic 42029, are feeling quite Technic-y at present. They don’t understand how Technic works most of the time, but they do have enormous fun playing with it. Especially when it’s something as big as this; a monster Terex RH400 mining excavator by Russian builder Sheo.

Powered by a total of nine Power Functions motors Sheo’s magnificent mining creation can drive, steer, rotate, raise and lower the boom, open and close the bucket, and – if you’re a Lego Car Blog Elf – run down a colleague and squash them into the office carpet. All this and it’s only mini-figure scale! You can see all the photos, videos and technical details of the Terex on Eurobricks via the link above.