Most Lego sets have building instructions for two models, sometimes three. Using some tricks there is sometimes a way to get more.
Now owners of the 5867 Creator race car can find instructions to build two special models. The instructions can be downloaded from the German Lego club page by writing "CLASSIC" or "TRUCK" in the clubcode field (all caps):
One can find more instructions on the Lego club page, for example the "Blue Lightning" that can be built from the four sets from 8192 to 8195.
As Easter is approaching there is of course room for nice small animals. Bunny & co. can be downloaded from here.
Lego recommends to get the bricks from Pick-a-brick.
Update: one of our readers has recommended Technic set 1030 from 1983 from which a lot of simple functions can be built. It has many typical parts that are easy to find in other sets. The instructions on Peeron are somewhat incomplete but he has provided a complete version that can be downloaded from here as a 6.5M PDF file (6.5M).
In Lego User Groups it is an everyday thing to have competitions in various themes. But now for the first time Lego organizes an official challenge for Technic builders:
The competition is very simple: 1. Build a model out of primarily LEGO Technic elements. 2. Take a picture of the model 3. Press the button below to Enter the competition 4. Enter your contact information 5. Upload your image
What to build? This month (February) the competition is all about flight and functions - build a model with cool functions in the form of something that flies (plane, helicopter etc.) and make sure that the image shows the part of the model that has a function - as well as describing it! It does not need to actually be able to fly, but it must be an aerial vehicle. The Model does not need to be motorized, functions can also be manual.
How does it work? Right now you can submit models - On the 15th of February - a panel of judges consisting of designers, marketing managers, building instruction artists and more will pick out (of all submissions) 10 finalists that will then be put up for voting here on the site.
The winner will receive a prize and also continue to the Big Finale in October.
Well, that is more than just a challenge. Gentlemen (and women of course), start your engines!
I have finally completed it! Not only I have managed to assemble my Christmas present completely, I also have taken photos so there is nothing that stops me blogging about it.
So what is it? The most aged member of the Big Car series, the "Auto Chassis" from 1977. It was missing some parts but the seller was so kind that he sent all of them to me. By the way I am very happy with it. It feels like new, I did not find any broken or yellowish parts. My old Technic playing sets from the 80s are in a much worse shape by now.
After putting it all together I found comparison against the other Big Cars natural. Some numbers to start with:
this is the oldest of all, sold from 1979
this has the fewest pieces, 610
This is also the one to contain the fewest special parts. For example the front suspension is made of bricks and rotating plates. There are no springs but there are nonetheless interesting details. For example the suspension has a hole in the middle to accommodate the power train from above. The gear rack moves only sideways, not back and forth with steering. Unlike most other Technic models from the age it has an intermediate arm that makes this possible. Another interesting property of the steering is that it is impossible to fit the gears together such a way that the steering wheel is completely horizontal when the wheels are parallel to the chassis.
The power train makes a very massive impression, the four big cylinders after each other would be enough to drive a boat. The gearbox has two gears, in first gear the pistons literally "fly" - I am not sure that this lasts long under heavy playing. In the rear there is no differential. Instead, there is an universal joint keeping the two sides together. I think this can be really easily broken by the torque of the large wheels.
Besides the relatively simple basics there are a couple of interesting details. The first seats can be adjusted forward or rearward with a rack mechanism. The middle part of the rear seat can act as an arm support or can be hidden.
Until I saw it from photos only I did not realize that the engine is shifted one stud right from the centerline - I believe this gave more room to the exhaust and the gearbox. The proportions of the car are also somewhat surprising, it is not wide but very long, probably longer than any of the sportier subsequent models.
One more thing: the assembly instructions come on both sides of a single foldable sheet in 10 main and 27 secondary steps. For comparison, the instructions for the 8448 have more than 150 steps (and pages).
I wanted to write this post a long time ago. It was before the summer when I decided to take some risks to buy the latest piece of my "Big Car" series, the 8865. Already before the purchase it was clear that the pile contains a lot of extra parts. Luckily I found everything for the big car in a good condition. This is where the riddle started, I wanted to find out the rest. I started from here:
First question: what are all these wheels? There are eight small ones, then six more of the same with larger tires, then the one in which the axle rotates, and then I did not speak about the larger off road ones yet. They seem to come from different sets, but still... Which set contains so many wheels?
It was clear in the beginning that I do not have all the parts for the forklift: the chain was missing and many other parts too. But I though the truck could be there:
Still many pieces left, let's try the trailer:
Well, that is something. I abandoned the forklift, six small and six larger wheels are crossed out. But what about the other wheels? This wing piece helped to solve part of the puzzle quickly. It was included in two Lego sets ever in yellow, only one of them Technic: the 8840 Desert Racer from 1991:
Of course the driver is nowhere, pistons neither, so this list has many missing items too. Maybe once I will try to fill the parts from my other sets, until then there is this photo. The four large offroad wheels are also crossed out, but I still have eight small ones. This part was the key to the last missing set:
So I got a 8808 Mini F1 Racer for free, year 1994. I have found almost all pieces for this one:
As a conclusion, for the already good price of the 8865 I got two thrids of an 8872, an 8808, a lot of yellow spare parts and an interesting riddle:
Finally the link to the album and a video - if there is no forklift then let us transport a racer:
As of yesterday shop.lego.com accept orders to the Czech Republic, Hungary, Norway and Poland. This means that besides the full selection one can order models designed in Digital Designer, hard to find exclusives and even bricks by the piece through Pick-a-Brick.
In the last few days a lot of new details have surfaced about the plans to introduce new Technic sets for 2010. Let's see them!
8045 Telescopic handler
Price: 12.99$
Lego parts: 117
What does it do: Using the handle at the rear one can upper and lower the handler arm. The B set is a motorcycle with a side car.
8046 Helicopter
Price: 19.99$
Lego parts: 152
What does it do: We can move the main and tail rotor in sync. Another handle operates the lifting winch. The B model is a seaplane.
8047 Mini excavator
Price: 24.99$
Lego parts: 252
What does it do: Working treads, knobs to control the excavator arm. The cabin can be rotated around completely. The B model is a treaded handler.
8048 Buggy
Price: 39.99$
Lego parts: 314
What does it do: Suspension on all four wheels, the front wheels with functional steering and the rear wheels drive a V4 engine. The roll cage can be opened. The B model is a tractor.
8049 Log handler
Price: 59.99$
Lego parts: 525
What does it do: The tractor has steering, the trailer can be attached and detached. The lift arm on the trailer can be operated pneumatically.
My favorite so far is the Buggy - one can pack a lot of technics in a small space in 2010!!
I am not a rabid fan of Star Wars but this set appeared just now is very nice. The Corellian Corvette named "Tantive IV" appeared with number 10198 in the selection of Lego Shop. One look is enough and you already feel in the middle of the action :) Brickset has already published a detailed review.
To the fans of the Star Wars series: from now you can get a new Millenium Falcon besides the existing ones (the XL 10179 with 5195 pieces and the L 4504 with 985 pieces. The new set is the 7778 and consists of 356 pieces. It is definitely a wise choice if you do not have enough room in your apartment :)
The risky purchase project has finished successfully. I admit that this was my biggest gamble evere, I only hoped that it has all the pieces. Although the set has many fragile parts all of them are in excellent shape: nothing is broken or sunburnt, they have not even been covered in dust. From the traces I suspect that the previous owner has built it together once or twice and then all the pieces ended up in a bag, for my luck. This is the oldest set I have bought so far and the one in the best condition - I will make a comparison of all my purchases sometime.
Like its age suggest, the car is built almost entirely from bricks and only a few special parts. The chassis and the bodywork is made of bricks and so is the rear suspension (excluding the springs and some links). Only the front suspension makes heavy use of special parts.
Interestingly, this car is almost a perfect representation of the developments that have happened in the car industry in the last 20 years. This car feels much more raw than its predecessors. It only has 4 pistons but they are brutally large - the block itself is bigger than a later V10. It runs very smoothly though. The gearbox has 3 gears and no synchronization at all. It happens frequently that it does not take a gear because the cogs are not in position. It also happens that the gearbox drops out of a previously selected gear. It is not very sophisticated and makes the owner feel the technology behind it unlike its successors. (Ok, the 8880 is at least hard to push forward but the 8448 is really very soft.)
I am very happy that I have bought it, it was well worth the 47 Euros it cost (about $85). Even more so if we count the remaining pieces (I will write about it later).
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.
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:
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.
Life goes on outside the Technic world as well, the Star Wars series got new members. You may know 7749 Echo Base from The empire strikes back and 8038 The Battle of Endor from the Return of the Jedi.
The second half of the year is upon us so more and more details are available about the forthcoming Technic sets. The 8263 Snow Groomer has 590 parts and sports treads and shovels in the front and back, both adjustable. We have already covered the 8265 Front Loader. Now it is clear that it consists of 1091 parts and has a V6 engine with gearbox and most likely an all wheel drive with multiple differentials. The linear actuators move the bucket in the front. The new flagship is the 8258 Crane Truck. This set has 1877 parts and will probably contain a hostload of working features. We expect a V8 engine and gearbox, but it will certainly have adjustable supports and a fully functional crane as well.
