Tag Archives: Technic

Technic 42064 Ocean Explorer | Review

It’s review time here at The Lego Car Blog, as the first of 2017’s Technic sets is placed under the microscope. Reader and previous bloggee Nils O has got his hands on the new 42064 Ocean Explorer set, and he joins us here at TLCB Towers to let you know whether you should get your hands on it too. Over to Nils…

Worth a second look?

OK, this isn’t a car, but it’s Lego Technic and it’s a vehicle. So, who cares…? When I saw TLCB’s preview for the first 2017 Technic sets I was a little disappointed by the picture of the 42064 Ocean Explorer. It was already written in the blogpost that the model looked more like a City set than like a Technic model, and there weren’t many Technic functions visible on the photos.

Despite this, I really liked the look of the ship, so I thought that I’d give it a second look when the set became available in stores. When I finally saw the set I was pleasantly surprised; it really had enough functions to wear that Technic logo on the box. So I made a wish for my birthday and now I’ve got it!

Ok, so what do we get? We get quite a big ship with a clean, studless, almost LEGO City like look. We also get a small submarine and a small helicopter. Each of the three models has one or more Technic functions. The scale is more or less in line with LEGO City, so if you like you can use a crew of mini-figures with it.

First of all there is the ship, a big explorer vessel of the type you would expect to search for a sunken ship or to explore the deep sea fauna. There are three ‘hidden’ functions operated by ‘HOG’ gears on top of of the ship’s bridge. The first function is the steering of the ship. The model has four little wheels for smooth movement on the floor. The rear wheels have a steering function operated by the bigger gear mounted in the centre of the bridge. The steering is also connected to two steering rudders on the rear end of the vessel. The second and third function are for the operation of the crane. The crane can be rotated and lifted by turning the two smaller gears on the left and right side of the bridge. It works perfectly to drop the submarine into the ‘water’ and get it back on board.

The second model is a little deep sea submarine. It’s quite small, but it has two Technic functions built inside. One gear is connected to the rear propellers, so when you turn it, they turn too, whilst the second gear is connected to a mechanism that opens and closes the pair of robot arms like a pair of pliers. With a little practice you can grab ‘specimens’ and bring them back to the vessel.

The third model is a small helicopter. Even though it’s smaller in size than most LEGO City helicopters it has the typical Technic helicopter function of both rotors being connected to an ‘operation gear’ outside the model, allowing them to spin simultaneously. Both smaller models – the submarine and the helicopter – have a canopy big enough to carry a mini-figure, and by adding one or more ‘half pins with a stud’ you can even fix the figures inside.

So, after all, the 42064 Ocean Explorer is really worth a second look, and for me it really was worth buying it. My son loves it, too. For him it’s like his LEGO City models, just better. I think it could also be cool to see all the functions of the vessel motorised with Power Functions elements (hmm, I think I see a new project appearing on the horizon…).

Thanks to Nils O for joining us as a Guest Reviewer to add another set to the Set Review Library. If you’d like to write a set review as Nils has you can; simply get in touch with us via the usual channels.

LEGO Technic 42064 Ocean Explorer Review

Picking Fruit

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We don’t think we can ever recall seeing a cherry picker actually picking cherries. Fixing light bulbs, telephone wires and cutting trees, yes. Picking cherries, not so much.

Still, whatever the inaccuracies of the name, this remote control Technic cherry picker from Anto of Eurobricks is a very accomplished build. Remotely operable functions include the drive, motorised outriggers, a rotating turntable and an elevating crane boom, whilst mechanics take care of the steering and boom extension.

There’s lots more to see of Anto’s creation at the Eurobricks forum via the link above, plus you watch the cherry picker in action via the video below.

YouTube Video

Orange Crush

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Another day, another find, another Elven catastrophe to tidy up. Following this week’s earlier Elf squashing our workforce has been in a cautious but nevertheless vengeful mood.

And so one of the week’s earlier victims found itself at the controls of a vehicle capable of exacting a hit-and-run based revenge. With the Elves it doesn’t really matter if the perpetrator of a previous act is actually present when the revenge is served, just as long as someone gets squished. And squished they were.

The vehicle in question is this absolutely wonderful ZiL 130 MMZ 555 tipper truck, in perfectly-suited Porsche 911 GT3 orange, as built by previous bloggee Samolot. In a convenient metaphor for the communist economy that spawned it, the Zil was the ideal tool for crushing the people, or in this case, Elves.

Remote control drive with a remotely controlled four speed gearbox, and a novel linear actuator based steering system give this ZiL 130 a surprising turn of speed, certainly enough to catch out a few slower Elves, whilst all-wheel suspension allowed the truck to roll over them with ease. Unrelated to the smushing, but a cool feature nonetheless, Samolot’s Zil 130 also includes a remotely controlled dumping mechanism powered by a Medium Motor, taking the total motor-count to four.

Opening doors, a working steering wheel, and an opening hood all feature too, and Samolot has included a level of detail that’s now becoming typical with many Technic builds that moves the theme ever closer to Model Team in terms of aesthetics.

There’s a whole lot more to see of Samolot’s superb ZiL 130 dump truck via Brickshelf, MOCpages and the Eurobricks forum, plus you watch all the working features in action courtesy of the excellent video below.

YouTube Video:

BMW F700 GS Rallye

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LEGO’s new partnership with BMW Motorrad has already produced a brilliant looking Technic set in the form of the 42063 R 1200 GS Adventure motorbike. Joining it in a matching scale is this superb F700 GS Rallye built by Flickr’s ianying616, who has recreated BMW’s mid-spec tourer wonderfully in the latest Technic style, adding some neat Model Team detail touches whilst retaining Technic functionality. Steering, shaft drive, and a two-cylinder boxer engine all feature, and there’s more to see at ianying’s photostream.

Candy Crush

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It’s been a slow (read ‘hungry’) week for The Lego Car Blog Elves. However, with their empty stomachs ‘motivating’ them it was only a matter of time before we’d have a creation to share with you.

The hungry Elf responsible for today’s find was duly awarded a meal token and Smartie, upon which something remarkable happened… the Elf ate about half of its Smartie, and it then proceeded to break the rest into pieces. Were we about to witness the first ever moment of Elven compassion and sharing? Were we balls.

The aforementioned Elf scattered the Smartie pieces opposite a curtain in the office and then scurried off. Soon several of its colleagues had sniffed out the unguarded confectionary and landed on the abandoned loot like seagulls on an open bin.

But unguarded the confectionary wasn’t, and the curtains suddenly parted as a huge white truck powered through them. The nearest Elf had just enough time to point and scream before being squashed forcefully into the office carpet, before its scavenging colleagues met the same fate.

A jubilant Elf then re-emerged, scooped up the Smartie remnants, and ran off cackling madly. Sigh. We thought they were getting bored of this.

Still, kudos the Elf in question, which had deployed some remarkable inventiveness to overcome its find’s lack of speed – which normally would have left it unable meet out any smushings.

The vehicular weapon, whilst slow, is a mighty impressive bit of kit though. Based on a Volvo FMX truck, the build features five Power Functions motors that power the four-wheel-drive system, generate air pressure for pneumatically locking differentials, and drive the centrally-pivoted steering, whilst pendular suspension with simply ludicrous articulation and oversize tyres from the 42054 Claas Xerion tractor set take care of truck’s impressive rock-crawling ability.

The build is the work of TLCB debutant dgustafsson1317 and there’s an enormous gallery of high quality images available to view on Flickr. Click the link above to see all of the Volvo FMX Crawler photos, whilst we scrape some very flat Elves out of the office carpet.

Technic 40th Anniversary | Super Secret Set!

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Lego Technic is 40 years old this year! Launched in 1977 the Technic range took LEGO into a new world of technical detail, providing advanced construction for older children and adults alike, and bringing with it probably the largest range of new parts in the brand’s history.

It all kicked off with a simple car chassis, a ‘New Technical Set’, 853. The single most viewed page here at TLCB, 853 introduced rack and pinion steering, a working piston engine and an operable transmission to LEGO fans. Its success allowed LEGO to develop the theme and three years later the second generation car chassis was released, this time with LEGO’s first attempt at working suspension, 8860.

Despite being LEGO’s second Technic car chassis, 8860 is often thought of as the daddy of all Technic sets, paving the way for the series of Technic Supercars that followed (of which you can read more in the Set Review Library).

With the Technic theme turning 40 years old this year LEGO have decided to pay homage to one of their greatest products, giving builders the chance to recreate the iconic 1980 set using modern parts found in the 2017 Technic range. Three sets, the superb-looking 42063 BMW R 1200 GS Adventure motorbike, the 42061 Telehandler and the 42057 Ultralight Helicopter provide the pieces required, and building instructions are now available* for free online.

Such is the way with the advancement of technology, LEGO’s modern take on the classic 8860 set packs all the functions of the original into a more compact package, and features working steering, a 4-cylinder boxer engine, an operable transmission (which may well be the first since the 1980s not to use purpose-built gearbox parts) and functioning rear suspension. The design uses straight-forward pieces too, so many builders may be able to build it from parts found within their existing collection.

You can read our previews of the three sets that supply the full parts list to build the 40th Anniversary 8860 set via the links above, our review of the original set here, and you can create your very own 40th Anniversary set by clicking the link to the building instructions below.

Download building instructions here!

*Thanks to a reader for the tip!

We Got Nukes, We Got Knives, Sharp Sticks…

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…and a dropship containing an M577 armoured personnel carrier. The Weyland-Yutani Corporation’s APC was one of the earliest casualties in the 1986 sci-fi horror Aliens, destroying its transaxle to escape alien attack. Still, everyone else got out OK didn’t they?…

This stunning recreation of the M577 APC from the Aliens movie comes from Technic legend, previous bloggee, and ‘Become a Pro‘ interviewee Pawel ‘Sariel’ Kmiec.

Sariel’s incredible creation packs in all the firepower of the original movie vehicle, with a 360° rotating, fully retractable sliding rear turret, twin roof-mounted opening missile pods, a rotating and elevating front turret, an electrically sliding cabin door, all-wheel-drive and all-wheel-steering with pendular suspension, and full LED lighting.

All of that can be controlled remotely thanks to a third-party SBrick bluetooth system, allowing the half-a-metre long APC to be operated via a smartphone.

To truly see what Sariel’s spectacular creation can do we highly recommend taking a look at the brilliant video below, plus you can see all the images of the M577 APC via both Flickr and MOCpages.

And whilst you’re checking out the video and those links, we’re going to take the APC’s controls and put the fear of God into our Elven workforce…

YouTube Video:

Just Another Jeep

Eastern Exception

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Cars from behind the Iron Curtain were almost universally crap. Cars like this, this, this, and this for instance.

But there was one exception. A glorious, wonderful, magnificent oasis hidden in the vast automotive wastelands of Communist Europe. Tatra.

Now famed for their indestructible off-road trucks, Tatra used to produce cars too, and what cars they were. This is their incredible 603, powered by a 100bhp air-cooled V8 mounted in the rear, and with an amazing aerodynamic body that was extensively wind-tunnel tested way back in the 1950s.

This stunning Lego replica of the 603 is the work of Horcik Designs of Flickr, and it faithfully recreates the T2 version of Tatra’s masterpiece. Working steering, suspension, V8 engine, opening doors, hood and engine cover, and a six-seat interior are all included, but Horcik’s real party-piece is surely that spectacular bodywork.

There’s a whole lot more of the Tatra 603 to see on Flickr – click here to see the full photo album at Horcik’s photostream.

8865 Redux

Orange Crush

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Without doubt Aston Martin make some of the most beautiful cars in the world. The problem for the company’s revenue stream is that because they’ve made beautiful cars for a while, you don’t actually need to buy a new one to feel like you’re owning a bit of the Aston Martin experience. This, clearly, doesn’t help them to sell new cars.

Cue the new DB11 (we have no idea where the DB10 went), which updates their design philosophy and, more importantly, utilises a new partnership with Mercedes-Benz AMG to sort out reliability, ergonomics, emissions, and other such finicky issues that Aston Martin really don’t care for.

Cue also Flickr’s Jeroen Ottens, who has constructed this wonderful Technic Supercar replica of Aston Martin’s latest model. Jeroen has captured the tricky new shape beautifully, and he’s also packed his DB11 recreation with accurate technical details too, including independent suspension, a V12 engine linked to an 8-speed sequential paddle-shift gearbox, a working airbrake, LED lights (the front of which swivel with the working steering), and opening doors, hood and trunk.

There’s more to see and a link to instructions at Jeroen’s Flickr photostream – click the link to make the jump and check it out.

Lego Technic H2 2017 – Set Previews!

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Yup, after a few days away from TLCB keyboard we’re back! We’d been waiting for a crack team of Elves to return from a secret mission infiltrating The Lego Company headquarters, and we’re pleased to announce that some of them have returned safely!

The lucky returnees are enjoying the fame and glory associated with bringing back the clearest images yet of LEGO’s summer Technic releases, and the fact that there are no alsatians for them to evade in the grounds of TLCB Towers.

So, on to the first new set!

42068 – Airport Rescue

LEGO’s first new addition to the Technic range is this, 42068, and we feel like we’ve seen it before. Yes, it does bear a striking resemblance to 8454 from the bad-old days of Technic, but on closer inspection it’s a far more realistic attempt at an airport firetruck than was made in 2003.

With no Power Functions or Pneumatic System, 42068 relies on good ol’ fashioned mechanics to enable its working functions. Front and rear steering and a manually raising and extending boom are the key features, and the set employs a wealth of stickerage to liven up what is basically a panelled box sat atop six wheels. Next.

…

42069 – Extreme Explorer

Are LEGO running out of new ideas for Technic vehicles? If 42069 is anything to go by, probably. Loosely based on a tracked arctic exploration vehicle, the Extreme Explorer drops into the 2017 Technic line-up right at the top, being aimed at ages 11+, and the box – intriguingly – has no upper age limit. That stops us having to make excuses to long-suffering partners at least!

With a few unusual purple panels and four separate independently sprung tracks, 42069 looks like a set that’ll be snapped up by those wishing to increase their parts stock, but we’re not sure how well it stacks up in its own right.

In addition to those suspended tracks there’s front axle steering, gull-wing doors, flashy stickers (not shown on the box above) and a working winch. There also looks to be a gearbox too, although we’re not convinced that this is the conventional sort, and it may be more to do with suspension settings or all-track-drive capabilities.

42069 will reach stores in the second half of 2017 and will be priced towards the top end of the Technic line-up, but with no pneumatics or Power Functions components it could offer a decent piece count for the price.

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42070 – 6×6 All Terrain Tow Truck

This is more like it! With over 1,800 pieces and Power Functions remote control, 42070 becomes the flagship set in the 2017 line-up when it arrives later in the year.

Just like your Mom, this thing is massive, with those six suspended wheels running on the same tyres as the brilliant 42054 Claas Xerion tractor set.

We expect 42070 to include full remote control drive and steering, working support legs at the sides and rear, and a gearbox to transfer the motorised power to a remotely operable crane and winch.

We’ll see if we’re right when 42070 lands later on this year, but expect it to be expensive!

…

There you have it, the 2017 Technic line-up is now complete, plus rumour has it that combining these sets allows you to build a modern take on the very first LEGO Technic supercar set too.

We’ll bring you further set news later on in the year, and in the meantime you can check out all the official LEGO sets that have been reviewed here at The Lego Car Blog so far by visiting the enormous Set Review Library.

Holden HJ

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Being unfamiliar with Australia’s (now deceased) domestic car market, at first glance we thought this was a bastardised Volvo. It turns out that it is in fact a Holden HJ ute (sorry Australian readers!), built from the early to the mid ’70s, and available with a huge 5 litre V8 engine. It’s about as Australian as a hat with corks on it, and this delightfully studdy Lego version has been constructed by serial bloggee Senator Chinchilla.

There’s opening doors, a dropping tailgate and an opening hood – underneath which is a working V8 mounted to a functioning gearbox. There’s more to see on Flickr at Senator’s photostream – click the link above to make the jump down under.

Pneumatic Crane Truck – Picture Special

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After a series of small creations we’re back with something big. Really big. Measuring almost a meter long, weighing over 8KGs, and constructed from around 8,000 LEGO pieces, Lucio Switch’s astonishing remote control and pneumatically-powered crane truck is one of the most complex creations that this site has published.

With seventeen Power Functions motors, eighteen pneumatic pumps / cylinders, and six switches, Lucio’s truck takes Technic construction to the limit of what is possible with Danish plastic. Four XL motors drive the rear wheels which are suspended on live axles, whilst the two front axles are steered by twin Servo motors and are suspended independently (which makes for no less than twenty-four shock absorbers in all!).

Underneath the fully suspended and tilting cab (with a working steering wheel, suspended seats and an opening engine cover) is a working V8 piston engine, with twin LiPo batteries that power the motors and six sets of LED lights hidden within the chassis.

Nine M and two L motors then drive everything from the front and rear stabilisers, crane rotation, winch, and the pneumatic pumps which provide air pressure for the three-stage crane elevation and extension mechanism, all of which are controlled via four IR receivers through an SBrick bluetooth device.

Fortunately for us here in TLCB office that lot is much too complicated for our Elves to figure out, so Lucio’s incredible truck was unable to cause carnage and mayhem. It is however absolutely worth checking out, either at Lucio’s Flickr photostream or via the Eurobricks discussion forum, plus you can watch the truck in action via the video below. Prepare to be amazed!…

YouTube Video:

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Tag Archives: Technic

Technic 42064 Ocean Explorer | Review

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Picking Fruit

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Orange Crush

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BMW F700 GS Rallye

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Candy Crush

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Technic 40th Anniversary | Super Secret Set!

Download building instructions here!

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We Got Nukes, We Got Knives, Sharp Sticks…

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Just Another Jeep

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Eastern Exception

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8865 Redux

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Orange Crush

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