As proven by BBC’s Top Gear, the Toyota Hilux is the toughest vehicle ever made. Favoured by emergency relief agencies, the SAS, and er… al-Qaeda, the Hilux is in use in probably every war zone on the planet. It was also the car of choice of Back to the Future’s Marty McFly, and it’s this version that previous bloggee Paul Kim has chosen to recreate from our favourite plastic blocks. You can see more of Paul’s brilliant 1980s Hilux on both Flickr and MOCpages.
In our recent review of the 42030 Technic Volvo loader set, a reader did make the very valid point that the newer, more elaborate flagship sets, while very nice, do cost rather more than they used to. Where was the equivalent of those ’80s supercar sets for a reasonable price ?
Thomas, this is for you.
At £70 for 1063 pieces, it would seem that Lego has been listening with the recent 42029 Customized Pick-Up Truck set. With engine, steering, suspension, transmission (sort of..), a winch and a tipping truck bed this is at least as playable as, say, set 8860, the car chassis from 1980.
That fine old stager cost $59 for 668 pieces way back then, equivalent to $167 in today’s money according to the office abacus. 42029 is $100, or less than half the price of the Volvo.
Let’s see if it measures up in other ways…
First of all, the box is almost exactly the same size as 8860’s, and probably a good deal fuller. It’s simple and attractive in the modern Technic way, showing various different features of the Pick-up and the alternative plough / grabber crane B model.
Upon opening, you’ll find a selection of un-numbered bags, two crumpled instruction books and a creased sticker sheet. Arrgghh! I would have sprung an extra quid for some protection for these…
Moving on, it is a pity that 42030’s innovation of a single, large book isn’t continued here and, once again, there are no paper instructions for the B model.
I’ll stop complaining now. For a bit.
It’s a reasonably straightforward build, with some clever design and thoughtful touches to keep you entertained. There’s four of those excellent sliding Cardan joints here, as well as a quartet of the best springs for moccers – those yellow harder ones that are the same size as the old soft springs. And red panels. Lots of red panels. All good stuff, although I didn’t notice anything new here.
The result of your expenditure and labour is a bit smaller than the old supercars, but it looks good in it’s nicely styled red bodywork. It works alright too…
The engine’s a V6 (two pots short, surely ?) and looks nice under the opening bonnet with what appears to be a six pack of carburettors sitting atop the block. Or are they six turbochargers ? That’d be fun… It’s driven rather slowly by the rear axle. It’s good, but it would be better if you could hear it when the car’s being pushed along. For seventy quid I don’t expect to be making the ‘vroom’ noises myself…
Steering is by the usual hand-of-god gear behind the cab. It feels a little loose and the lock is just OK, but it works. The in-cab wheel is not connected, and it’s not angled, leaving it looking too low and not quite right. A note for moccers – if you make a fantastic looking car and bung the ‘wheel in dead straight and too low it RUINS it. Fact. For a reasonably priced set it’s forgivable however. Just.
Suspension is pretty impressive. Independent all round, with one hard spring per corner, it feels perfect in stiffness and travel; and a good deal better than what’s underneath most real vehicles of this type… The double wishbone design is very robust and capable. This passes the drop test! TLCB will not be liable for any breakages that occur when you chuck it down the stairs, however.
The transmission has nothing to do with changing engine speed relative to the wheels – instead the lever between the seats can toggle between drive from the gear on the side being sent to the winch or the tipper mechanism. There’s a secondary control just inside the door where it’s easier to reach, but I do love the fact that the ‘gearlever’ moves as well.
The tipping bed works via a single small linear actuator that you’d swear wouldn’t be man enough, but it is. A little wobbly, yes, and it does only go up about 45 degrees, but it can take some weight in the back. And hooray! for the fully lined bed; there are no holes left unplated and the tailgate will flop down. Very good.
Also good is the winch. It does what it says on the tin. The transmission that sends drive to it and the tipper is easy to motorize as well, although it’s a lot less necessary than it is on 42024, the Skip Lorry. The gearing for the manual control seems about right.
Styling is generally a success, although it does have a slightly unfortunate Hummer-esque aspect from head on. The front wing area is a little sketchy but this is nitpicking now. It’s a good looking model. The wide track seems to suit it’s (not cartoonishly) elevated stance. I’d leave the stickers off, though. The ‘roaring bear’ motif looks like he’s already broken his jaw, poor fella…
Inside, there’s not much to see. There’s the aforementioned vertical steering wheel, the gearlever and a pair of too-small seats. That’s pretty much it, although it’s good that the door mirrors are attached to the (opening) doors.
I really like the look of the B model. It’s an articulated plough / grabber truck thingy that looks like a fun build with a versatile result. I haven’t built it yet but the signs are good.
So. A Supercar replacement on a budget ? I’d say yes – it’s not better than 8860 but it is better value. 8/10. It should suit most Technic building petrolheads, including TLCB’s good friend Thomas.
After a less than positive review of LEGO’s 8437 set last week we take TLCB time machine forward a year to 1998, when sadly things were not getting any better for Technic fans.
1998 brought a slew of new pieces and colours, many of which appeared on this set; the Technic 8432 Red Hot Machine. 8432 was a sleek looking two seat coupe, with rear wheel drive and a V6 engine up front – the perfect petrolhead’s car. It featured new wheels and tyres, two types of flex tubing, new turquoise pieces, and – in an effort to bring LEGO to a digital generation – a CD ROM game, something The LEGO Group developed for a number of different products during the late ’90s.
First the car: Back in 1998 it did look quite cool, suiting the period rather well, and taking inspiration from many of the concept cars gracing motorshows at the time. As is usual for a medium-sized Technic set 8432 featured several real-world functions, including steering (by both Hand-of-God and via the steering wheel), a working V6 engine, and rear suspension.
That suspension was a little strange though. It included three shock absorbers; one for each wheel (although the suspension wasn’t independent), and a third which could be used to change the ride height between two settings, because… um, to be honest we still haven’t figured that out.
8432’s steering was strong, but with a poor lock and stiff action*, and the aforementioned suspension didn’t work particularly well either. It seems as if LEGO threw these functions into the model because a Technic check-list needed to be ticked, when really all that mattered to LEGO was the way the model looked.
So… the CD ROM game: We tried to find a screen shot of this but to no avail, so you’ll have to do your best to imagine it: A bird’s eye view of a desert racetrack, populated by a little Red Hot Machine and another – very strange looking – vehicle in front of it. You are the hero driver of 8432 and for reasons unknown there are some baddies in vehicles built exclusively from the parts of 8432 (hence their strangeness) that require ramming off the road.
Using the arrow buttons you drive your Red Hot Machine (or its B-Model buggy counterpart if you so choose) around the track, chasing down the baddie up ahead and watching out for rocks and oil spills. A few good shunts from behind and your opponent’s vehicle is wrecked, and you can move on to the next challenge.
It was quite fun, and although a birds-eye view may sound rubbish these days, back then even Grand Theft Auto used the same set-up. However the 8432 CD ROM was no substitute for a proper computer game, being much too short and – despite some nice cut scenes – very repetitive.
So a pretty average game, and a pretty average model too. We can’t help but think that if LEGO had focussed on one or the other the result could have been so much better, and however dated the game would look now, the Red Hot Machine itself has faired no better – such is the danger of following short-lived trends too closely. Those new parts mentioned earlier were never seen again, which probably tells us everything we need to know about 8432 and its 1998 Technic companions.
5/10
The malaise affecting the Technic range in the late ’90s was to continue for a few years, however in 1999 there was finally a sign that things were going to get better…
*But your Mom liked it.
But instead of sand, this one’s full of some very tasty Power Functions stuff. Previous bloggee sm 01 is the builder of this bewitching flame-decalled Model-T hot rod, and he’s packed it with functionality. There’s a LEGO RC Buggy motor for drive, Power Functions working steering and lights, working suspension, door handles and a whole range of custom chromed parts. There’s lots more to see on both Flickr and MOCpages, but the best way to view SM 01’s creation is in motion – check it out in the video below.
YouTube Video:
It’s time for another TLCB set review! Today we take a trip back into one of the darkest corners of LEGO’s archives. The year is 1997, Bill Clinton has been elected for a second term, Hong Kong returns to Chinese rule, Toyota launch the Prius hybrid, and The LEGO Company kill off their best loved theme – Town.
LEGO were in trouble in the late ’90s. Not enough children were buying construction toys, and the perceived threat from computer games and electronics pushed the company down a very dark avenue. Their response was to drastically simplify the Town range through a series of easy-to-build almost pre-fabricated sets, and to lighten (read cheapen) Technic construction.
Whilst there was a notable highlight in the 1997 Technic range it was mostly about as appealing as Chrysler’s late ’90s car line-up – picking a favourite was like choosing the best of the venereal diseases. So here was our pick at the time, the somewhat odd-looking 8437 Sahara Blaster.
8437 was a sort-of dune buggy, Paris-Dakar type thing, but so loose was its affiliation with the real world vehicles on which it was apparently based in some markets LEGO called it the ‘Future Car’ to hide its inaccuracies.
Ok, so first the good stuff. 8437 does actually contain some lovely Technic engineering. Rear suspension, a V4 engine, differential, and working steering all feature. The Sahara Blaster also came with the option of bundling in LEGO’s new 9V motor, which could be slotted into the rear in place of the piston engine in just a few seconds. This made the set a wonderfully playable thing, especially with its brilliant air-filled balloon tyres.
And now the bad stuff. Those huge tyres meant the steering was minimal, and it was further worsened by a very weak Hand Of God control mechanism, plus – for reasons we simply cannot fathom – the use of a flex-system for the steering arms. These components barely count as LEGO, being completely useless for any other application, and they’re also woefully inadequate for holding the steering together on what is supposed to be a tough off-road vehicle. If you crashed your Sahara Blaster into a sofa, the steering would break, and fixing it was like wiring a plug wearing oven gloves – immensely difficult and no fun at all.
Plus it looked like nothing in particular, the seats would fall out all the time, opening the doors would break the top of the roof, and we’re not even going to start reviewing the B-model…
And yet, somehow we still quite like 8437. Maybe it’s those tyres, maybe it’s because it’s blue, or maybe it’s because things were going to get even worse in 1998…
5/10
This off-road tank transporting truck was suggested to us via the Feedback and Submission Suggestions page, and it’s the work of Hajdekr on Flickr. Whilst we’re not sure a roll-on/off system could lift something like a tank in the real world, Hajdekr’s model very neatly combines both System and Technic parts to make it work. You can see more at the link.
We seem to be having a bit of a Fiat day here at TLCB, and our second Fiat-related product is this rather brilliant Technic New Holland tractor by newcomer Flidsager.
New Holland were founded way back in 1895 in America by the extravagantly-named Abram Zimmerman, who started engineering engines and assorted farming machinery for the farmers in his local community. Success brought both expansion and a buyer, and in 1947 the company was bought by Sperry Rand where it continued to prosper. Further acquisitions by Ford, and then by the Fiat Group followed to bring the business to where it is today, offering the widest range of agricultural products in the world.
The T8.420 tractor shown here is built in the US and is powered by a 420bhp straight-six diesel engine. Flidsager’s Technic version features this engine too, alongside pneumatics powered by LEGO’s Power Function motors, remote controlled all-wheel-drive and steering, a working power-take-off, and a pendular suspended front axel.
You can see all the photos of Flidsager’s incredible Technic New Holland T8.420 on Brickshelf via the link above, and you can join the discussion at the Eurobricks Technic forum here.
The Elves are particularly excited by today’s find. Not only does it have racing stripes and an ability to smush other Elves into the carpet via remote control, builder David Roberts’ has included a shout out to them in his creation description.
Don’t think that doing this earned his ‘4×4 Greeble Transporter’ a place here though, as TLCB team don’t like excited Elves one bit, so such shout outs probably balance out somewhere around neutral (before you guys get any ideas!). The creation has earned itself a place here though, by being thoroughly brilliant.
Driven by a Power Functions XL motor and steered by two linear actuators the Greeble Transporter contains a proper dose of Technic goodness underneath the fantastic classic space exterior. You can see more pictures, and a video of the vehicle in action, via both MOCpages and Flickr.
Our usual articles here at TLCB publicise only new creations. Today though we take a trip back in time to look at the creations of one of the all time greatest Lego vehicle builders, someone who has featured not only on the top Lego websites, but also the likes of Top Gear and Jalopnik. He is of course, the amazing Firas Abu Jaber. In our second ‘Top 5’ list our collaborators Head Turnerz suggest their five favourite Firas creations. Over to the the Head Turnerz crew…
Much of the online Lego community know of the legendary Firas Abu Jaber, and most will have a favourite or two of his creations. Here at Head Turnerz we have teamed up with The Lego Car Blog to give you another HT x TLCB Top 5, this time to showcase the very best of what Firas built over several incredible years.
In fifth place is, without doubt, the best recreation of the iconic Mitsubishi Evolution X that you’ll ever find made from LEGO. We remember when we first saw Firas’ creation posted on the MOCpages home page – and we nearly fell off our chairs. With 15 stud wide body work and ingeniously recreated disc brakes Firas’ Evo is jam-packed with details, making it not just one of the best Evos, but one of the best Lego cars ever made.
What sort of Top 5 of the best Firas cars would this be without one of his famous Lamborghinis? Coming in at number four is this stunning Lamborghini Gallardo SE built way back in January 2009. The body shaping is – as with every Firas build – perfect, and with the freakishly great eye for detail that he has, this Lego Lamborghini does not let the famous marque down.
K.I.T.T could possibly be the most well known T.V/movie car of all time and Firas did not disappoint when he ‘dropped’ this one, again back in 2009. Firas’ model features everything the real ‘82 Pontiac Firebird Trans-Am K.I.T.T had, including the infamous scan-bar. Of course, everything opens, including removable T-tops to complete the convertible roof!
The Pagani Zonda C12 S is one of the most beautiful Italian cars ever made, Firas somewhat cheesily describing it as “just like a beautiful girl”. We can see what he means though, and his Model Team version is just as eye-catching. The curves, his unique building techniques, and those remarkable headlights – it’s how a Lego car should be built. Firas even constructed his Zonda so that all the ‘elements’ were detachable – see how he did it at the link.
Taking the top spot in our Top 5 Firas Abu Jaber creations list is none other than his incredible Ford GT – possibly the greatest Model Team car ever made, and the most popular car in the history of MOCpages. Some may disagree with our previous choices, but we think we that all will agree that this is the car that cemented Firas’ reputation as the best Lego vehicle builder of his time. A legend if you will. This GT was so realistic it was even featured on the official Top Gear website! It’s the perfect MOC.
Some of you reading this may not have had the privilege to see first hand Firas’ builds show up on your ‘most recent’ listing on MOCpages, but to have witnessed it at the time was an absolute honour. Firas was and still is the true G.O.A.T of Lego car building. We think we speak for all when we say we hope to see him make a return some day…
So that’s Head Turnerz’ Top 5 Firas Abu Jaber creations. Do you agree with their choices or has your favourite missed the cut? Let them know what you think by joining in their discussions over on Flickr – click here to visit the group, and they’ll join us again soon for another Top 5.
Pawel Kmiec, better known as Sariel, has been busy…
Thumping onto the doormat at the TLCB Portakabin this week, has been a copy of his second Lego Technic book. It’s called Incredible Lego Technic and it’s clearly intended to show us just how incredible Lego Technic can be. 36 different builders, most of whom have graced these hallowed halls before, show you how. It showcases more than 70 of the very best Technic models out there and it’s designed to inspire.
It does. Running to 280 pages and printed on thick, glossy paper, it gives each model 2-4 pages of very high quality photographs, some accompanying text that gives details of the models’ various functions and a bit of background info about the prototypes. It’s a lot like flicking through the greatest hits of MOCpages, in a parallel universe where the photo resolution is high, and everyone presents their models faultlessly. And there’s no-one saying ‘come an chek out mi awsum tuner’…. although to be fair, that doesn’t seem to happen as much as it used to.
Anyhoo, this makes it the best kind of coffee table book; one you can dip into when the mood takes and probably refer back to many times when looking for inspiration. There are no instructions or building tips here (Sariel covered that in his previous book) but experienced builders will find the diagrams that highlight the motors and gears on a lot of the models quite helpful.
(Spoiler Alert!)
To whet your appetite, I’ve chosen two of my favourite models from the book:
Nice, yes? It’s Francisco Hartley’s Lamborghini Aventador and, like many of the builds here, it’s quite recent. The author admits that this book may date quickly due to ever more brilliant models being produced, but there’s also a smattering of truly timeless classics, such as this gorgeous MAN truck built by Jennifer Clark in 2003:
Brilliance on this scale doesn’t date. It’s motorized as well, using old 9V motors to do everything the real thing does. Impressive stuff and all the better for showing da studs.
There’s a lot more than cars and trucks here, with Aircraft, Watercraft and Farm and Construction equipment represented also, as well as half a dozen real oddballs that show amazing ingenuity – buy it and find out what they are!
Incredible Lego Technic is published by No Starch Press, and will be available from Amazon in the next week or so as I write. It’s fairly expensive at $29.95 (US) but you are definitely getting what you pay for.
Recommended.
This beautiful MAN 8×4 tow truck is the work of Flickr and Brickshelf‘s Marek Markiewicz (aka M-Longer), and it’s one of the finest looking Model Team trucks of the year. But its beauty is much more than skin deep. Within the wonderfully replicated bodywork sits one of the most advanced Technic systems we’ve seen to date.
Thirteen separate functions are generated by a variety of Power Functions motors and Technic pneumatics, which are all remotely controlled through LEGO’s infrared receivers. These include drive, steering, working stabilisers, raising and extending the boom and under-lift, four separate winches, plus an electrically driven pneumatic compressor with auto shut-off.
The only way to do this incredible engineering feat justice is through a video, and fortunately Mr. Markiewicz has created just that. Watch below, be amazed.
YouTube Video:
Following our review of LEGO’s own 42030 Technic Volvo Front Loader set it’s time for one of yours! This little front loader by TLCB debutant Appie might be much, much smaller than LEGO’s flagship set, but it packs very nearly as much inside. A pneumatic raising/lowering and tipping a bucket, all-wheel-drive connected to a working piston engine, articulated steering connected to the steering wheel and pendular rear suspension are all squeezed in. We think it would make a most excellent official set. See more on Eurobricks by clicking Appie’s name above.
There was a time you had to watch out for Volvo drivers; unpredictable, incompetent pilots who felt ‘safer’ in their tank while putting everyone else at greater risk… then two things happened. The unsure drivers migrated to even more tank-like SUVs and Volvo started making decent cars. Terrible drivers don’t like good cars so the ones who didn’t fancy a 4WD got themselves a Peugeot, who as luck would have it stopped making good cars at about the time Volvos got better. So now you know who to watch out for. You, of course, are a perfect driver…
For the ultimate get-out-of-my-way, bog-off-Range-Rover experience you’ll need one of these…
Coming Soon To A Town Centre Near You..
Yes, TLCB has finally got around to reviewing the set that everyone’s talking about… last summer. It is of course the Technic 42030 Volvo L350F Loader.
The Technic range is always best topped off with something big and yellow and this is bigger and yellower than most. It’ll drive right over a Peugeot, and it rivals the 8110 Unimog for sheer size. So it should for 170 smackers….
At just over 1600 pieces, it doesn’t scream value at that price, but the 4 PF motors and remote control gubbins makes the outlay more palatable. And you do get a very big box for your money; not the fullest box in the world, exactly, but there’s plenty of good stuff in there.
One innovation I really like here is the single, thick instruction book. So much better than half a dozen thin ones… now how about another one for the B model? Anyone? Hello? Nevermind… let’s crack on and build the thing. What’s surprising here is how easy it is compared to other recent large sets. This is mostly down to each function having its own dedicated motor so there’s no complex gearbox arrangements to contend with. There’s not even that many gears… it’ll only take about 3-4 hours to assemble, but it still makes for an enjoyably lazy afternoon.
As for pieces, there’s little new here, apart from that huge bucket – the biggest Technic piece ever, apparently – although ‘Mog wheels in yellow are nice to have, and engine cylinders in green are a thoughtful and accurate detail. I did see some ‘5L axle with stop’ which fortunately are a different colour to the older ‘4L axle with stop’ but that’s about it for elemental innovation. Maybe Technic has enough connectors and brackets and beams and so on to be going on with. There certainly seems to be plenty of choice now.
You might think 170 quid is a lot to pay for 3 hours of building, but consider the many hours of playing this fully remote controlled beast will give you… this model actually does do quite a lot:
Engine: An inline six, as per reality, and it’s 4 wheel drive. It’s green too, but I don’t mean environmentally friendly… It doesn’t turn terrifically quickly but it’s always a nice thing to have. It’s impressively accessible too; the grille on the back will hinge open, as will both side panels. You can even unlatch the rear mudguards to open another panel and walk right in! It’s driven, as are all four wheels, by the XL motor beneath it, at what seems to be an appropriate pace. Not too fast, not too slow. Just right.
Steering: This is articulated in the middle, just below the operator’s cab, and it’s actuated by a PF Servo Motor. These do make the steering easier to operate than a standard motor, but with the standard remote control it’s all or nothing. I think I’d still prefer an M or L, geared down to make it controllable unless I had the speed controller. This is minor quibbling really; the system works very well and PRAISE BE! The in-cab steering wheel is connected!! There’ll be dancing in the streets tonight! Or maybe just in my house…
Suspension: Yes, there is some. Sort of. The rear axle is pendular, albeit unsprung. It’s one of those features that doesn’t need to be there but I’m glad they made the effort.
Bucket Elevation: Controlled by two large linear actuators driven by an L motor, the bucket will move up to impressive height, and it’ll maintain the tilt angle through the upper two thirds of the travel. All very good. The box makes the proud boast that it’ll lift up to 1Kg, and this it will do. It absolutely will not lift 1.1Kg however. You can’t fault LEGO for honesty…
Bucket Tilting: A single linear actuator, controlling the bucket’s angle through a wide range of movement via some clever leverage, this works seamlessly and well. An M motor does the driving and it proves to be strong enough. If you feel the need to lift 1.1Kg, I’d swap it for an L at the same time as stuffing in an XL for the bucket elevation though. Having said that, it sounds like the limiting factor is the LAs’ internal clutches rather than the motor.
42030 feels like a belated successor to the sainted 8043 Excavator, in that it does all it sets out to do, and it looks pretty good doing it. It’s not quite as sophisticated as that model, and styling-wise, while it looks enough like the actual Volvo to wear it’s stickers with pride, the areas beneath the cab and under the bucket are a tad sketchy. This may be just because the back half is so thoroughly detailed, with all the railings and panels and so on that give this some real visual heft.
The B model looks good as well – it’s an articulated, tipping quarry truck, modelled after another actual Volvo, for which there’s a complete second set of stickers; presumably you just have to peel off the A model’s stickers first! It’s got the typical Technic tipper see-through bed however… I’d stick with the better, more sophisticated Loader.
Overall, I’m very grateful that a Technic designer has a mate who works for Volvo (true story – it’s why this exists) and it deserves it’s place at the top of the range. Like all good RC vehicles, it’s excellent for spooking the dog. 9 and a half / 10.
We found this model too late for Halloween, but it would have been a perfect Frankenstein’s monster for the festival of all things horrible!
Many vehicle manufacturers have sold off their old designs to be re-built (badly) by state-run abominations within oppressive totalitarian regimes. Mitsubishi, Renault, Rover and – most prolifically of all – Fiat, have all seen their retired cars re-borne overseas. Lada, Yugo, Zastava, and FSO amongst others all owe their engineering to Fiat, and they all had one thing in common. They were complete sh*…
Fortunately the people of Poland are now unshackled from both the tyranny of communism and the FSO Polonez they had little option but to drive. The FSO company didn’t last long in the free world after the fall of the Soviet Union, and the factory closed down in the early ’00s.
The FSO Polonez is therefore quite a strange choice for a Lego Technic ‘Supercar’, but that’s just what newcomer Krzysztof Cytacki has chosen to recreate, and in doing so he’s built one of the finest and most accurate Supercars we’ve ever seen.
Underneath the stylish bodywork there’s a perfectly replicated engine, gearbox, interior, steering and suspension system, plus opening doors, hood and hatchback, working windscreen wipers and LED lights. It really is one of the best Technic Supercars ever built.
You can see Krzysztof’s creation in a huge gallery on Flickr by way of the link above – it’s well worth a few clicks.
Looking a bit like an enormous tow truck for spacecraft, David Roberts’ ‘Leviathan’ mobile landing pad is more than an excellent classic space vehicle. Underneath the red and yellow stripes beats a heart of pure Technic, with huge independent suspension, remotely controlled six wheel drive and Power Functions four wheel steering. Oh, and two very pleased-looking mini-figures at the controls.
See more of this wonderfully eccentric Classic Spachnic mash-up on Flickr at David’s photostream – click here for the full gallery.
