LEGO 42055 Technic Bucket Wheel Excavator
Bucket Wheel Excavator 42055 | Technic | Buy online at the Official LEGO® Shop AU
Bucket Wheel Excavator 42055 | Technic | Buy online at the Official LEGO® Shop AU
Bucket Wheel Excavator 42055 | Technic | Buy online at the Official LEGO® Shop AU
Bucket Wheel Excavator 42055 | Technic | Buy online at the Official LEGO® Shop AU
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LEGO Technic Bucket Wheel Excavator 42055 Playset Toy
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Technic Bucket Wheel Excavator 42055 Used, Complete, Built
Delivery between 16–19 June $266.57
Bucket Wheel Excavator
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Lego Technic Bucket Wheel Excavator 42055 In 2016 Used Retired As Is
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LEGO TECHNIC: Bucket Wheel Excavator (42055)
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Lego 42055 Technic Bucket Wheel Excavator Used And Compelted
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LEGO TECHNIC: Bucket Wheel Excavator (42055)
Affiliate Disclosure: We may receive a small commission for purchases made through this link at no extra cost to you. This helps support our site. Thank you!
LEGO TECHNIC: Bucket Wheel Excavator (42055)
Affiliate Disclosure: We may receive a small commission for purchases made through this link at no extra cost to you. This helps support our site. Thank you!
Lego Technic 42055 Bucket Wheel Excavator 3929pcs Mining Set Sealed
Delivery $140.07
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Lego 42055 Bucket Wheel Excavator 3929pcs Sealed Technic / Express
Delivery $65.07
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originally posted on LEGO
Contrary to a few other people, I would say that the XL-motor has enough power to do the job, but the slip clutches go too easily while digging. And, as I found out, the slip clutches are needed! While digging larger pieces, some of them don't leave the buckets at the top, and go around the wheel until they jam. If you didn't have the slip clutches in this situation, you might wreck something.I am working on adding another XL-motor, after the gearbox. The clutches, (not to be confused with the slip clutches,) cannot handle anything more than an XL-motor, so I don't want to wreck them with too much power.Other than that, the set is solid. I was especially impressed by the lengths they took to make the main turntable sturdy so that it doesn't bind on anything. The ... MoreContrary to a few other people, I would say that the XL-motor has enough power to do the job, but the slip clutches go too easily while digging. And, as I found out, the slip clutches are needed! While digging larger pieces, some of them don't leave the buckets at the top, and go around the wheel until they jam. If you didn't have the slip clutches in this situation, you might wreck something.I am working on adding another XL-motor, after the gearbox. The clutches, (not to be confused with the slip clutches,) cannot handle anything more than an XL-motor, so I don't want to wreck them with too much power.Other than that, the set is solid. I was especially impressed by the lengths they took to make the main turntable sturdy so that it doesn't bind on anything. The model, like 42042, doesn't turn, and this one is more difficult to mod because there is much less room by the tracks. However, the model isn't designed to move as fast as the Crawler Crane, so I found it less of an issue.Their are boatloads of good pieces on this model, I was especially impressed by the 32 pulleys they provide as well as the amount of track.The mining truck they provide is almost the same as 42035 with the sad exception of the engine. I think they should have kept that part of the truck, but it is still a very good add-on.Overall this is a very good model. Just because it's Technic and it costs over $200 doesn't mean it's going to be great. This one is.
originally posted on LEGO
over all this is one of the best technic sets i have had.it simulates the real bucket wheel excavator very wellwith many of the same functions and looks. the instructions were also very easy to follow as i completed it in one day.every thing worked perfectly but here are some things i noticed that could be improved:the mechanism to stop the secondary conveyor belt revolving with the superstructure does not work instantly, therefore the conveyor will be out of line from the mine truck when unloading and cause spillage.it is quite hard to mine out of things such as a bowl ect. because the bricks that are being mined move out of the way of the bucket wheel. i think a new set that has a mine like Jeppe's shown in the bucket wheel excavator designer video ... Moreover all this is one of the best technic sets i have had.it simulates the real bucket wheel excavator very wellwith many of the same functions and looks. the instructions were also very easy to follow as i completed it in one day.every thing worked perfectly but here are some things i noticed that could be improved:the mechanism to stop the secondary conveyor belt revolving with the superstructure does not work instantly, therefore the conveyor will be out of line from the mine truck when unloading and cause spillage.it is quite hard to mine out of things such as a bowl ect. because the bricks that are being mined move out of the way of the bucket wheel. i think a new set that has a mine like Jeppe's shown in the bucket wheel excavator designer video should be produced if possible.the bucket wheel and conveyor system don't move consistently and smoothly, i was not surprised by this because of the sheer size of this model and all the gearing that goes through it, but that could be improved.and finally when enabling the excavator to drive, because of its weight:3.6 kg (!) there is huge force pushing on the tracks and making it harder to move therefore the gears on the top of the excavator that connects the tracks to gearbox click and don't deliver the power required, allowing me to only drive on very smooth surfaces this could just be that i built it incorrectly but i don't think so.these are hardly noticeable its just i am a perfectionistbut if you are thinking of buying this set, go for it because i suspect lego won't make another bucket wheel excavator and it is truly an amazing set.
originally posted on LEGO
So, my 5 year old son got to choose any model from the lego catalogue, and he ended up selecting the largest of them all. Boys will be boys!He also had a clear idea of how to share the work, daddy builds it, and he gets to play with it!I have not build Lego technic in this scale ever before, and the it was an amazing buildning experience. The set is simply massive and delightfully complex. You have to pay close attention or suffer the consequences - I had once to back track and correct the orientation of a wheel, took some 20 min to correct. Despite being careful with and checking that I did not pinch any moving parts I still have some jerkiness in the conveyer belt, which I have not found how to correct. This is a challenging build, and there are really a lot ... MoreSo, my 5 year old son got to choose any model from the lego catalogue, and he ended up selecting the largest of them all. Boys will be boys!He also had a clear idea of how to share the work, daddy builds it, and he gets to play with it!I have not build Lego technic in this scale ever before, and the it was an amazing buildning experience. The set is simply massive and delightfully complex. You have to pay close attention or suffer the consequences - I had once to back track and correct the orientation of a wheel, took some 20 min to correct. Despite being careful with and checking that I did not pinch any moving parts I still have some jerkiness in the conveyer belt, which I have not found how to correct. This is a challenging build, and there are really a lot of pieces!. I was a bit sore in the finger tips once the build was done.I absolutely adore the design with only one motor, it makes for a really intricate gear box, which was challenging to assemble and really well designed. It moves slowly yes, and I regard it as a design feature and by no means a flaw.It does not dig lego pieces well and I would rank the playability as a bit limited. But I am not the one to judge, my son absolutely loves to play with it and credit to the design it handles being played with well, even when Lightning McQueen (junior lego) gets disassembled and travels the buckets.If you enjoy Lego Technic, you need this set.
| Features | |
| Release date (DD/MM/YYYY) | 01/08/2016 |
| Assembled dimensions | 100 - 290 x 190 - 720 x 100 - 330 mm |
| Number of pieces | 3929 pc(s) |
| Recommended age (max) | 16 yr(s) |
LEGO Technic Bucket Wheel Excavator 42055 Playset Toy
Affiliate Disclosure: We may receive a small commission for purchases made through this link at no extra cost to you. This helps support our site. Thank you!
Technic Bucket Wheel Excavator 42055 Used, Complete, Built
Delivery between 16–19 June $266.57
Bucket Wheel Excavator
35-day returns
Lego Technic Bucket Wheel Excavator 42055 In 2016 Used Retired As Is
Free delivery
Affiliate Disclosure: We may receive a small commission for purchases made through this link at no extra cost to you. This helps support our site. Thank you!
LEGO TECHNIC: Bucket Wheel Excavator (42055)
Affiliate Disclosure: We may receive a small commission for purchases made through this link at no extra cost to you. This helps support our site. Thank you!
Contrary to a few other people, I would say that the XL-motor has enough power to do the job, but the slip clutches go too easily while digging. And, as I found out, the slip clutches are needed! While digging larger pieces, some of them don't leave the buckets at the top, and go around the wheel until they jam. If you didn't have the slip clutches in this situation, you might wreck something.I am working on adding another XL-motor, after the gearbox. The clutches, (not to be confused with the slip clutches,) cannot handle anything more than an XL-motor, so I don't want to wreck them with too much power.Other than that, the set is solid. I was especially impressed by the lengths they took to make the main turntable sturdy so that it doesn't bind on anything. The ... MoreContrary to a few other people, I would say that the XL-motor has enough power to do the job, but the slip clutches go too easily while digging. And, as I found out, the slip clutches are needed! While digging larger pieces, some of them don't leave the buckets at the top, and go around the wheel until they jam. If you didn't have the slip clutches in this situation, you might wreck something.I am working on adding another XL-motor, after the gearbox. The clutches, (not to be confused with the slip clutches,) cannot handle anything more than an XL-motor, so I don't want to wreck them with too much power.Other than that, the set is solid. I was especially impressed by the lengths they took to make the main turntable sturdy so that it doesn't bind on anything. The model, like 42042, doesn't turn, and this one is more difficult to mod because there is much less room by the tracks. However, the model isn't designed to move as fast as the Crawler Crane, so I found it less of an issue.Their are boatloads of good pieces on this model, I was especially impressed by the 32 pulleys they provide as well as the amount of track.The mining truck they provide is almost the same as 42035 with the sad exception of the engine. I think they should have kept that part of the truck, but it is still a very good add-on.Overall this is a very good model. Just because it's Technic and it costs over $200 doesn't mean it's going to be great. This one is.
over all this is one of the best technic sets i have had.it simulates the real bucket wheel excavator very wellwith many of the same functions and looks. the instructions were also very easy to follow as i completed it in one day.every thing worked perfectly but here are some things i noticed that could be improved:the mechanism to stop the secondary conveyor belt revolving with the superstructure does not work instantly, therefore the conveyor will be out of line from the mine truck when unloading and cause spillage.it is quite hard to mine out of things such as a bowl ect. because the bricks that are being mined move out of the way of the bucket wheel. i think a new set that has a mine like Jeppe's shown in the bucket wheel excavator designer video ... Moreover all this is one of the best technic sets i have had.it simulates the real bucket wheel excavator very wellwith many of the same functions and looks. the instructions were also very easy to follow as i completed it in one day.every thing worked perfectly but here are some things i noticed that could be improved:the mechanism to stop the secondary conveyor belt revolving with the superstructure does not work instantly, therefore the conveyor will be out of line from the mine truck when unloading and cause spillage.it is quite hard to mine out of things such as a bowl ect. because the bricks that are being mined move out of the way of the bucket wheel. i think a new set that has a mine like Jeppe's shown in the bucket wheel excavator designer video should be produced if possible.the bucket wheel and conveyor system don't move consistently and smoothly, i was not surprised by this because of the sheer size of this model and all the gearing that goes through it, but that could be improved.and finally when enabling the excavator to drive, because of its weight:3.6 kg (!) there is huge force pushing on the tracks and making it harder to move therefore the gears on the top of the excavator that connects the tracks to gearbox click and don't deliver the power required, allowing me to only drive on very smooth surfaces this could just be that i built it incorrectly but i don't think so.these are hardly noticeable its just i am a perfectionistbut if you are thinking of buying this set, go for it because i suspect lego won't make another bucket wheel excavator and it is truly an amazing set.
So, my 5 year old son got to choose any model from the lego catalogue, and he ended up selecting the largest of them all. Boys will be boys!He also had a clear idea of how to share the work, daddy builds it, and he gets to play with it!I have not build Lego technic in this scale ever before, and the it was an amazing buildning experience. The set is simply massive and delightfully complex. You have to pay close attention or suffer the consequences - I had once to back track and correct the orientation of a wheel, took some 20 min to correct. Despite being careful with and checking that I did not pinch any moving parts I still have some jerkiness in the conveyer belt, which I have not found how to correct. This is a challenging build, and there are really a lot ... MoreSo, my 5 year old son got to choose any model from the lego catalogue, and he ended up selecting the largest of them all. Boys will be boys!He also had a clear idea of how to share the work, daddy builds it, and he gets to play with it!I have not build Lego technic in this scale ever before, and the it was an amazing buildning experience. The set is simply massive and delightfully complex. You have to pay close attention or suffer the consequences - I had once to back track and correct the orientation of a wheel, took some 20 min to correct. Despite being careful with and checking that I did not pinch any moving parts I still have some jerkiness in the conveyer belt, which I have not found how to correct. This is a challenging build, and there are really a lot of pieces!. I was a bit sore in the finger tips once the build was done.I absolutely adore the design with only one motor, it makes for a really intricate gear box, which was challenging to assemble and really well designed. It moves slowly yes, and I regard it as a design feature and by no means a flaw.It does not dig lego pieces well and I would rank the playability as a bit limited. But I am not the one to judge, my son absolutely loves to play with it and credit to the design it handles being played with well, even when Lightning McQueen (junior lego) gets disassembled and travels the buckets.If you enjoy Lego Technic, you need this set.
This is, by far the biggest LEGO that I have ever owned. And it was definitely the most enjoyable and involving to build. Now on to the features. The main feature of the set is obviously the bucket wheel, and it is one heck of a feature!!! Once done it spins much faster than expected, and the way it connects to the conveyor belts to make them spin is fascinating. Another one of my favorite features is how the bucket wheel, when it gets stuck, doesn't short out the motor by the clever addition of the gears with the slips on them; Nice job LEGO. Whilst building it, one of the coolest parts was making the main turntable & connecting the secondary superstructure to it. One of the most mentally rewarding sectors of the build was the gear box, I just thought that part was ... MoreThis is, by far the biggest LEGO that I have ever owned. And it was definitely the most enjoyable and involving to build. Now on to the features. The main feature of the set is obviously the bucket wheel, and it is one heck of a feature!!! Once done it spins much faster than expected, and the way it connects to the conveyor belts to make them spin is fascinating. Another one of my favorite features is how the bucket wheel, when it gets stuck, doesn't short out the motor by the clever addition of the gears with the slips on them; Nice job LEGO. Whilst building it, one of the coolest parts was making the main turntable & connecting the secondary superstructure to it. One of the most mentally rewarding sectors of the build was the gear box, I just thought that part was just plain fun. I have also seen these machines in pics and love how close to the real thing it is. The small details added in bag no. 8, which, while at first glance may seem unimportant, actually ad much more detail from close up. and OF COURSE the power functions have to be just about the coolest part!!! I mean come on. The XL motor is super powerful and, although not as fast as some of the other motors, packs one power function punch. And, thoughtful as usual, LEGO also added a good size pile of grey elements for immediate play action!All in all this LEGO set was worth every penny!!!THANK YOU LEGO!!!
When I first saw leaked images of this set online, I immediately fell in love with it. I wanted it as soon as possible and the wait was agonizing, because it looked just magnificent.I was a bit worried at first when I saw reviews of the set on Youtube, since most people said that the playability of the set was terrible. Nevertheless, I still wanted the set for its sheer complexity and its magnitude of pieces. And I do love it.Starting with the building experience, I felt really challenged with the whole process, as I was paranoid about messing up a single step. But that's what makes this set and any other large Technic set engaging.This set fits matches my personality as a Lego builder perfectly, since complexity and a challenge is very important to me. But do ... MoreWhen I first saw leaked images of this set online, I immediately fell in love with it. I wanted it as soon as possible and the wait was agonizing, because it looked just magnificent.I was a bit worried at first when I saw reviews of the set on Youtube, since most people said that the playability of the set was terrible. Nevertheless, I still wanted the set for its sheer complexity and its magnitude of pieces. And I do love it.Starting with the building experience, I felt really challenged with the whole process, as I was paranoid about messing up a single step. But that's what makes this set and any other large Technic set engaging.This set fits matches my personality as a Lego builder perfectly, since complexity and a challenge is very important to me. But do be warned: This set requires a HUGE amount of patience and skill to complete. This is not a novice set, believe me.As for looks, I was a little less satisfied, especially on the opposite side of the excavator(the opposite side of what's shown on the box). On that side, most everything was exposed and looked half-baked. This is understandable, because this is after all a huge Technic set where functionality comes before looks. Nevertheless I was still unhappy with the the exposed frames, wire, and bright-colored axles in the build.And now for the crucial part of this set: The playability. Like I said before I was worried that this would be an issue since so many other people think it is, but I must disagree. The slow speed is entirely realistic considering what this set is based off of. As for the ability to pick up set's included "cargo," it's actually not bad. Bucket wheel excavators in general are not designed to pick up things that are on the surface in the ground. They have to dig into the mound of soil around it. While this ability of picking up cargo is not the best, this is preferable to me since it makes the set more realistic that way. Plus, once the cargo is actually picked up, it's fun to watch it go through the neat little conveyor belt systems onto the small truck, which is great even on its own (it could be a separate set)As a whole, this set really did go above my expectations. It is very accurate to the real life excavator: a complex monstrosity that is just under 4000 pieces and its just fun to play with aside from its minor downfalls with looks. I highly recommend this set to anyone who loves a good, challenging building project, as its a great addition for any Lego fan's collection.
It truly amazed me how often I saw "I'm a seasoned technic builder, I did "blah-blah" fast, & it doesn't work right & missing pieces"! Such arrogance. For 1 if your missing pieces, then YOU lost pieces, end of story. I get it, sometimes in piles of parts you can't find that 2 point flat piece for a bumper or whatever & you think it isn't there, then later it falls out of a gear assembly piece it was stuck to & some forget all about it. 2, as people said "slow down" go back over the complicated gear assemblies, stress test them for smoothness as you build, & yes you want to remove excess play in axles & parts, but not as tight as they can go, pull back on them just a bit untill you get smooth rotation while applying pressure in all directions especially where you ... MoreIt truly amazed me how often I saw "I'm a seasoned technic builder, I did "blah-blah" fast, & it doesn't work right & missing pieces"! Such arrogance. For 1 if your missing pieces, then YOU lost pieces, end of story. I get it, sometimes in piles of parts you can't find that 2 point flat piece for a bumper or whatever & you think it isn't there, then later it falls out of a gear assembly piece it was stuck to & some forget all about it. 2, as people said "slow down" go back over the complicated gear assemblies, stress test them for smoothness as you build, & yes you want to remove excess play in axles & parts, but not as tight as they can go, pull back on them just a bit untill you get smooth rotation while applying pressure in all directions especially where you know pressure will be most for that function & powered or not all the functions will always work. Do you really think Lego would put out a $300 biggest set ever without building & covering trouble shooting over & over untill it's at 110%? You would have to think they half assed it, or somehow you have a mechanical machine that you built that you can't get to work but not your fault Wich is pretty backwards. These sets are supposed to encourage learning those things so I'm very confused I keep hearing this. In short all these big sets are amazing if you build them right, & they can be tough. The new Mercedes truck for instance has quite a few times in the 400 page directions where some parts aren't shown avidly & if you weren't observant you would go right over them, & several times I found myself going "wait, when was that-those parts supposed to go on?" Seeing them in the current build photo, & missed them in parts needed on this page & them just showing where they go with no arrows. If your mechanical, love to build, love Legos, & want an impressive project ANY technic Lego set will be great! Don't listen to these guys that missed the fundamentals, & think it's the rig Wich except in 1-10 billion has missing parts maybe 1-2 never important parts.
I rated this 5 stars, err 'bricks', because I'm to going to knock it for one short coming but that one flaw is definitely consistent and often causes the entire mechanism to jam. Hopefully Lego Engineers pay attention to these reviews but I suspect they already are aware of this:When the scooped up debris falls out of the buckets it has a tendency to over shoot the trough it is intended to go into and instead travels around the bucket wheel assembly and quite often causes the entire mechanism to jam and stop rotating. This isn't a random occurrence but rather happens quite frequently forcing you to have to quickly reach up and put the system into neutral so you can free the jam. When it doesn't jam, those pieces that don't go where they should, drop onto the floor ... MoreI rated this 5 stars, err 'bricks', because I'm to going to knock it for one short coming but that one flaw is definitely consistent and often causes the entire mechanism to jam. Hopefully Lego Engineers pay attention to these reviews but I suspect they already are aware of this:When the scooped up debris falls out of the buckets it has a tendency to over shoot the trough it is intended to go into and instead travels around the bucket wheel assembly and quite often causes the entire mechanism to jam and stop rotating. This isn't a random occurrence but rather happens quite frequently forcing you to have to quickly reach up and put the system into neutral so you can free the jam. When it doesn't jam, those pieces that don't go where they should, drop onto the floor or your table and go scattering about. Design simply needs to scoot that side of the trough further over or make it wider.Aside from that one glaring design flaw the rest of the assembly works well. The instructions are very well laid out and the experience was quite enjoyable. I'm impressed the designers can make something like this. What an awesome job they must have.
I bought this set quite some time ago. I was so excited to have the biggest technic set ever. I was itching to start building right away. Now i will list the pros and cons. Pros:The biulding techniques used in this set were incredible and this set shows that you can make such a stable structure with technic elements. And the idea of making this into another set seems impossible to me yet the lego team managed to do it. Cons: Only one motor was used to power the entire thing. I know that the real bucket wheel excavator is slow but the lego verson keeps glitching out from time to time. If you are a lego fan under 12 DO NOT BUY THIS SET. The instructions were a little confusing to me and I may not be the only one.The reason I gave this set such a high rating is ... MoreI bought this set quite some time ago. I was so excited to have the biggest technic set ever. I was itching to start building right away. Now i will list the pros and cons. Pros:The biulding techniques used in this set were incredible and this set shows that you can make such a stable structure with technic elements. And the idea of making this into another set seems impossible to me yet the lego team managed to do it. Cons: Only one motor was used to power the entire thing. I know that the real bucket wheel excavator is slow but the lego verson keeps glitching out from time to time. If you are a lego fan under 12 DO NOT BUY THIS SET. The instructions were a little confusing to me and I may not be the only one.The reason I gave this set such a high rating is because this set introduced me to the world of power functions. In a few months I started to make cars move. Later I got introduced to lego controllers. Then even later, with my own design I created a 4x4, 4 wheel steering dump truck. Sorry if you think I’m bragging. I am just trying to explain how much this set can teach you. In my opinion, if you’re new to power functions, keep the instructions and use the techniques shown inside. Overall this is a great set especially for me because I eventually achieved alot. I definitely recommend buying this set
This thing is huge, it was a heck of a lot of fun to build, and while there are some small things I'd definitely like to tweak, it's a pretty good set overall.I haven't had the trouble with motor skipping, though I can definitely see the potential for same. It's definitely important to have a good mental model of how all the gearing is going to work, reading ahead in the instructions is *super* important if only to gather some understanding of how the whole thing will work. That plus lots of testing of gears ahead of time can avoid a large array of issues.Probably the biggest thing this model has going for it is it's sheer scale. Eight phases of construction, nearly all of the roughly 4,000 pieces used in the A model), a massive gear box situated up at the top ... MoreThis thing is huge, it was a heck of a lot of fun to build, and while there are some small things I'd definitely like to tweak, it's a pretty good set overall.I haven't had the trouble with motor skipping, though I can definitely see the potential for same. It's definitely important to have a good mental model of how all the gearing is going to work, reading ahead in the instructions is *super* important if only to gather some understanding of how the whole thing will work. That plus lots of testing of gears ahead of time can avoid a large array of issues.Probably the biggest thing this model has going for it is it's sheer scale. Eight phases of construction, nearly all of the roughly 4,000 pieces used in the A model), a massive gear box situated up at the top of the model where you can really get a good look at it in action. The movement is slow (and thus accurate to an actual Bucket Excavator), but satisfying. It's big and complex, Rube Goldberg-esque in some ways, but it really is a sight to see when it's all put together.That said, there are definitely some decisions I don't care for.First, there are some loose pins left in the model that probably don't need to be there (though it might take a little cleverness to hide them). This is a minor gripe that mostly is a pet peeve of mine, perhaps they represent something on the real machine, but they don't look particularly great on the model.Second, a number of the functions are unpowered, when they very easily could have been. I'd've loved to see the lift/lower actuators given a spot in the gearbox, even if that meant a separate control panel (perhaps lower near the lower conveyor locking panel) and an additional motor (I think I may try to retrofit in such a system at some point in the future).Additionally, the lower conveyor's control system is at best somewhat confusing. Specifically, the 'locked/unlocked/neutral' control doesn't seem to really have any substantive difference drawn between the 'locked' and 'unlocked' state, and even when locked, there is a *lot* of play in that lower conveyor. Practically speaking, I just generally leave it unlocked most of the time. I'm less disappointed by this being unpowered, if it were IR remote controlled, I would more annoyed, but given the functionality is *just* the rotation of the lower conveyor, it's not a big deal.I think the biggest issue with the model is actually that it doesn't have any kind of whole-model rotation (i.e., the tracks are in lockstep, you can go forward, or backward, but cannot counter-rotate to turn). I'm not sure if the real Excavators can do this, so perhaps it's more accurate to have it unable to self-turn, but given how big these things are, they must be able to turn on their own, so it's disappointing to not have that functionality available. I don't think that having independently driven tracks would've been *too* hard, but it definitely would have added more complicated gearing in the base, and probably a few hundred more parts. I view that as a feature, not a bug (I like sets with very high part counts).Overall, I think this is a really fun build, and so far it's definitely got some jaw drops and 'wows' from the people I've shown it to, it's really a pretty big statement sitting up on the shelf next to all the other great Technic models in this construction subtheme. I look forward to the next big set!
TLDR? To summarize, this is the most fun and challenging technic build I have ever done.The scale of the set is just amazing. Right out of the gate the dump truck is a fun build by itself. The working steering and latching dump mechanism make it a great addition to the set. Then you start in on the crawler base. The mechanisms were surprisingly complex, as there are four mechanical functions in the base alone. Here you have the track drive, the superstructure rotation, the output chute rotation and the output chute conveyor drive. There is even a transmission selector here to engage auto rotation of the output chute. Next we build the digging arm with the bucket wheel, main conveyor and tilt mechanism, and the power section with the battery pack, motor and ... MoreTLDR? To summarize, this is the most fun and challenging technic build I have ever done.The scale of the set is just amazing. Right out of the gate the dump truck is a fun build by itself. The working steering and latching dump mechanism make it a great addition to the set. Then you start in on the crawler base. The mechanisms were surprisingly complex, as there are four mechanical functions in the base alone. Here you have the track drive, the superstructure rotation, the output chute rotation and the output chute conveyor drive. There is even a transmission selector here to engage auto rotation of the output chute. Next we build the digging arm with the bucket wheel, main conveyor and tilt mechanism, and the power section with the battery pack, motor and transmission. Finally we pull them all together and add the adornments. By the time it is completed, it is a mechanical marvel. The movement is slow and realistic, and thoughtful design prevents it form damaging itself if it gets bound up.There are a few ares for improvement. First, there is a single motor for the entire model, and it can only power some functions at the same time. You can either engage the tread drive, or the bucket wheel and rotation functions, not both at the same time. Even in crawler drive mode, it drives both treads at the same time with no differential or steering, so it can only travel in a straight line. Upgrade #1, add a differential, or another pair of motors to enable skid-steering. The next issue is the output chute auto rotation. This is selected with a technic shift mechanism, which is cool, but they have a lot of lash (almost 90 degrees) so there can be alot of play in the position of the output shaft. Upgrade #2, find a better coupling for the output chute rotation to eliminate the lash. And while we are at it (Upgrade #3) we should also make the output chute angle adjustable as well. It is just a bit too high for the included dump truck, and parts have a tendency to bounce out. And finally, the model is adorned with lots of simulated lights. These are just begging for a light kit Upgrade (#4). I have no doubt this set will provide me with endless hours of enjoyment making upgrades and modifications. And in the unlikely event I ever get tired of that, the shear volume and variety of parts in this kit are amazing fodder for the grandest of technics machines!. Overall I give this set 5 bricks.
| Features | |
| Release date (DD/MM/YYYY) | 01/08/2016 |
| Assembled dimensions | 100 - 290 x 190 - 720 x 100 - 330 mm |
| Number of pieces | 3929 pc(s) |
| Recommended age (max) | 16 yr(s) |
