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Posted 20 hours ago

LEGO Technic Excavator Construction Toy 42055

£9.9£99Clearance
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ZTS2023
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Having now built it, I can confirm that it is indeed an impressive machine, but it's really pushing the limits of what is possible with the Technic system and one motor... Step 8 completes the model with the cabin, railing and other small stuff. The cabin is a little too small for a minifigure. Die-hard Technic fans will want it regardless but if you are on the fence or have limited funds, there are much better Technic sets released this year that I would buy before this one.

Unlike the other three large Technic sets released this summer, this one is not based on a real-life machine. Its design is certainly influenced by real BWEs but it looks nothing like any that I have been able to find pictures of. Take a look at some images yourself and see if you can fine one. Bags #8 add the cab, bodywork, walkways, lights and other cosmetic details. Overall, the build time for the entire model is around 7 hours. So, how does it work? Quite cleverly as it happens, but unfortunately the mechanism is buried deep inside the machine so is impossible to photograph without a major dismantling. (Yes, I should have photo'd it before finishing it, I know...) This is definitely a model that benefits from a video review but they are thin on the ground on YouTube at the moment. If I wasn't hopeless with a video camera I would have had a go myself.

Rating

That's the theory anyway... It's a neat mechanism and it almost works. Generally, the 2x2s always exit the machine correctly but the 1x1s often don't. Basically, as the conveyer moves an 'agitating plate' is raised when the 1x5 beams on the belt pass under its end, which then drops again once it has passed. This in turn causes three axles under the input chute, mounted at a slight angle and spaced to allow 1x1 rounds to pass through them but not the 2x2s, to move up and down/vibrate as well. The 2x2s travel on top of the axles to their exit on the left (in the photo below) while the 1x1 fall through to theirs, on the right. You can see the ends of the three axles in the picture above.

Step 2 builds the bottom part of the frame, on top of which the rest can rotate. I found this part a bit boring. Everything is double symmetrical, so often you have to build the same thing twice or four times. I am therefore not able to wholeheartedly recommend this set: Personally I think it's pushing the boundaries of what's possible with Technic, particularly the Power Functions system, a bit too far and the model has suffered as a result. Fill out an Inventory Change Request ( ?) [ Show Inv Item IDs ] if you found an error in this inventory. This is definitely a set that benefits from a video review so I encourage you to watch Sariel's. You can skip past the unboxing and construction to 17m 30s to see the machine in operation.Note: I took the pictures outside in the garden this morning so they have a nice 'warm' tone to them.) Step 4 builds the structure that carries the 2 arms. During the build I wondered why there were Technic Wedge Belt Wheel (4185) sitting in different angles at the bottom. There were no belts in the inventory, so I was unclear of their use. It's massive! The arm is 75cm long. It stands 45cm high. It's 28 cm wide. There are a lot of nice finishing touches: the walkways, handrails, lights, ladders and so on which enhance its appearance considerably. Occasionally, 1x1s will exit with the 2x2s. It seems to happen if they are carried along inside on top of multiple 2x2s or land sideways on the three axles. If that happens they invariably drop into the depths of the mechanism rather than travel along the belt because it's not been designed to stop them doing so. The box is the biggest I’ve ever had (42009 and 42030 being the largest yet for me). It measures 57.8 x 47.8 x 16.8 cm and weighs 5970 gram. On the front the main model.

Following on from that, the rear end of the digging arm is constructed which includes the control panel/gear box. Here you can see the innards before they are hidden by the top panel. Now, by this point the model has become so big that it no longer fits on my regular photography table so I was unable to take more photos until I had something bigger. The following pictures are therefore taken with different lighting in a different 'studio' and to be honest I am not that happy with them but hopefully they will serve to illustrate the finished model.It's entirely possible that I was not careful enough during construction and mounted gears or connectors too tightly thus causing too much friction but if I -- a Technic veteran with 20+ years experience -- can do that, what hope do kids have of building it any better?

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