Off road

Nice weather is coming, builders feel inspired to build something for outside - it is tempting to build new truck trial vehicles.

The first truck for today is the "TT10" from Nagy Abonyi Attila. He took a Kraz 255 as sample for his newest creation. It got so famous that even TechnicBRICKs has covered it. It uses 3 XL motors as well as working suspension and military camouflage. More images in the Brickshelf gallery of Attila and this video:

The second creation comes from Sariel who has built a double cab all wheel-drive Tatra T815 with one medium and two XL motors. As usual he has included a detailed description.

As the image shows there is a big emphasis to make the suspension like the original. More images on Brickshelf.

8297 Off Roader

From the bigger Technic cars we have already covered the 8880 Super Car, now let's see a less aged set. The 8297 Off Roader came out last fall and can be bought as we speak. The model is somewhat different from its line of blood because it contains electronic parts - but let's not jump forward.


The car is entirely made of studless bricks. In the front we find a V8 engine that is connected to the rear wheels via a single differential. The front wheels have steering and all four wheels include a double wishbone suspension. The doors open upwards with the usual pneumatically damped springs. It could be nothing unusual so far, it is at the same level as a 8458 race car.

However, this is not the end of the story yet: the car contains an elertrical system. When we turn it on we can see the headlights turn on immediately: a first in Lego, this car contains white LED parts. This is only beginning though, the car contains a motor as well. No, it does not drive the car, it would be way too weak for that. With a switch we can opt to drive the winch in the front. The photo below shows the motor and the main switch on the top behind the cockpit.

The most interesting feature of the set is that the motor can be used to adjust the suspensions of the car up or down. Flip a switch (on the bottom of the car, the tip can be seen on the photo above) and push another (in the middle on the side behind the cockpit) and the motor moves all suspensions of the car up or down.


The yellow end of the spring moves up or down around an axle that reaches to all four suspensions. This needs a lot of mechanic parts, as can be seen on the photo showing the bottom of the car.


All in one 8297 is a good set especially because all these interesting things are packed into a set containing less than 1100 pieces (the 8880 has more than 1300, for example). As usual there are more photos in the album. Special thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Tegla for letting me test their wedding present.

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!