Quick report

I report that the 8865 set that was purchased the risky way got in my physical proximity during the summer vacation. The bricks are in surprisingly good condition, nothing broken, not even dusty, which is not bad from a set that was first marketed in 1988. What I have found:

• there are four large wheels, promsing
  
• I have found all the parts so far, even more promising
  
• there are many parts from other sets, I did not find out yet which ones

I do not promise to make a video like the one about the 8448, but something is definitely coming.

Lego 8448 Super Car II.

The supercar project reached its first stage of completion - it is complete. The replacement for the missing parts has not arrived yet, so I have built the convertible.

Instead of telling more let us look at the pictures:



And the video:


More pictures in the album.

Lego 8448 Super Car I.

Let's take a look at the super car from 1999 as promised. As usual, I have bought the set second hand on the net for CHF 89 (approx. $80). It came assembled and was a little bit dusty. A bit disappointing that contrary to the description some parts were missing like the damped springs. I took it apart completely just to be able to build it and clean it. (I normally use an old toothbrush to do this.)

Most Lego models come with instructions to build two or three different models, but this one is different. There is only one chassis only but we get instructions to built 6 different shells: it can be a sports car with gullwing doors, a coupe-convertible, a concept car, a racer, a hot rod or a buggy.

This model resembles a real car the most from all the super cars I have seen so far. It has exactly the same mechanical features as a real car: differential, gearbox, engine, suspension and steering. The 8880 is more complex but also makes a less credible impression. The four wheel drive is still ok, but the four wheel steering has not really gained adoption amongst real cars. Unlike the 8880 this car is exactly like a real one: engine in the front, rear wheel drive and a drivetrain between. No overcomplicated chain drives, in exchange easy to push and easy to steer.

Another specialty is that each main piece is built separately to be assembled later, like the suspensions and the engine.

Let's see a video about how it is built:



As usual, images in the album. To be continued!

Overwhelmed

These days I am overwhelmed with Lego sets. I have already covered the ones I got for my birthday and the 8865 Test Car is not forgotten about either. (However it is many kilometers away from me right now, it takes some time before I can take it in my hands - I promise it will come soon.)

But this is not the end of the story yet. Meanwhile I have managed to get a 8448 Sports Car too. I have already mentioned my ambitions to get all the pieces of the Big Car series and this is a new item in the row. This is where I stand now: 853 (1977), 8860 (1980), 8865 (1988)?, 8880 (1994), 8448 (1999).


I have started to put it together but documenting everything appropriately takes some time - I promise I will get there in days.

But even this is not the end of the whole story. Somehow I got a 8422 motorbike too, waiting to be re-assembled. I think was the biggest surprise of all my deals so far. I have bought second-hand sets with full warranty, missing bricks shipped after me. I have bought sets assembled and disassembled but I did not expect what has happened with this bike. It came in assembled in a bag. When I opened the bag I already got suspicious because some parts that should have been white according to my memories looked pretty yellowish. And besides that... it stinked! The previous owner must have been a chain smoker and the smell was so strong that I had to put it to the balcony to make sure the family sleeps well. I always learn something new :)

I hope I can make it enjoyable soon so that I can cover it.

History of the big Technic cars, Part II.

(previous part, next part)

I owed you the next part of the Big Technic Car story for a long time. Here it comes.

The line of flagships was simple and logical from the beginning (1977) right until 1999: a single flagship, the throne was always taken by one of the the four cars introduced in the previous part. They were the largest Technic models and since they followed one after another there was no competition amongst them.


1999 marked the start of changes with the introduction of 8448 "Super Street Sensation". This set broke the tradition in several ways. For the first time the bodywork was made of studless bricks, with the chassis was made of old-style bricks but well hidden. The two types of Lego bricks divide Technic fans since then. The car also started a new trend by focusing on the looks and not only packing features. Unlike the all-wheel drive in its predecessor its V8 engine "drove" the rear wheels only. This was also the first car since the original 956 carrying its engine in the front. The number of gears in the gearbox has increased to 5+1, making it a match for most road cars.

Another first, it was possible to build multiple bodyworks onto the same chassis. As a sports car, it could be built with "gullwing" doors opening upwards or as a "coupe-convertible" with folding roof. As an alternative it could also have an American style hot rod chassis. The doors were opened with pneumatically damped springs.


The lineup has changed fundamentally when a secondflagship, the 8458 "Silver Champion" race car was added. The Silver Champion is in fact a McLaren Mercedes Formula-1 car but it did not carry an official badge at that time. The car emphasises the break with traditions even more: it has less moving parts but a more realistic bodywork including front and rear spoilers. Like all Formula-1 cars at that time, it has a V10 engine and double wishbone suspension on all 4 wheels. It has a differential and steering but no gearbox - its technical content is below the level of the 8865 introduced more than 10 years earlier (not counting the number of cylinders and the bodywork that can be opened).

The diversity was increased even more with the introduction of the 8466 "4x4 Off Roader" set in 2001. If two flagships were not enough now there was a third one. Its size was no match for the other models but in working features it was: besides a V8 engine and the gearbox from 8448 it had an all wheel drive and doors opening upwards. Like the "Street Sensation" the chassis is made of bricks and the exterior from studless elements.

The next set in 8461 "Williams F1 Racer" from 2002. It is basically the rebranded version of 8458: along a blue-white livery and some new parts the biggest change happened in the name: it was an official "Formula-1" licensed product and ran as part of the "Racers" series. The building instructions had about 80% commonality with its predecessor.

The last set is not really a super car, the 8435 "4WD" introduced in 2004. It is nevertheless worthwhile to mention because it sports many working features that would had made it a super car several years earlier. Contrary to its name it had a rear wheel drive with a V6 engine in the front and working differential in the rear. The front wheels had a functional steering as well as an independent suspension. The rear did not have springs at all but the bridge could be bent relative to the body so it made a real off-road impression. This is the first model that did not have any studded bricks at all, consisting of 763 parts altogether. For comparison, the flagship from 1977 contained 590 parts!

Stay tuned for the next episode!