02/09/2018 - 21:24 In my opinion... Reviews

LEGO Technic 42082 Rough Terrain Crane

I had saved the best for last: We finally finished the rapid test cycle of the LEGO Technic novelties of the second half of 2018 with the reference 42082 Rough Terrain Crane (4057 pieces - 249.99 €).

LEGO announces the color in the description of the product, it is a "... immense play and build experience with the LEGO® Technic ™ 42082 All Terrain Crane, the largest and tallest LEGO Technic crane to date ...". And I must admit that I spent a few very long hours there to finally arrive at the final result and be able to take advantage of the different functions offered by this set. Review , it's true, quickly assembled, it's less obvious.

Do not count on me to explain to you why the designer did or not his job by placing such or such gear in such place. I am in the wrong position to have an opinion and that is not the point of this article. Don't get confused either by the number of pieces announced here (4057 in all), this is a product from the LEGO Technic range. We therefore find a little more than 1500 pins of all kinds in this box or more than a third of the total inventory.

If you like the LEGO Technic concept, you'll be in heaven here. As far as I am concerned, I must admit that I went through phases of great weariness in assembling the complex sub-elements which required constant vigilance. A small error even caused me to have to dismantle a whole set by methodically going back over thirty pages via the instructions.

LEGO Technic 42082 Rough Terrain Crane

The satisfaction of arriving at the end of the second instruction booklet (nearly 700 pages in all ...) quickly took precedence over the boredom felt during certain sequences of the assembly. The result is really impressive and we are eager to test all the features promised via the ingenious and didactic system of selectors, the function of which is visually indicated explicitly by a drawing (on a sticker).

I would add in passing that if you are not the type to stick the stickers on your sets because you keep them to make jams or that you stack them in a binder that you flip through from time to time while gargling in front of your friends on the impeccable condition of your boards accumulated over the years, you are missing something.

The pictograms that dress the control box are essential for everyone to be able to control this crane, except forcing your children or your passing friends to learn the list of functions by heart. So stick these damn stickers on me, it's for a good cause ...

Then all you have to do is follow the visual indications to put the crane into service and check if this toy lives up to the promises made by the manufacturer. And unlike the content of other boxes which ultimately only offer very limited playability, the crane in this set allows you to have a little fun thanks to the many integrated functions.

We even take the space of a moment for this guy seen in a documentary on Discovery Channel which pilots a huge machine using a small box and about which the voiceover tells us that at the slightest error he will waste a lot of time and money on his boss.

A little regret for me, it's really painfully slow at all levels. It's probably very personal, but it lacks nervousness. Deployment of the stabilizers becomes really annoying, although I'm not sure that in real life the operation will be much faster. If you have a little more than a minute in front of you, I have filmed the sequence below for you:

It's hard to want to repeat the operation beyond the first phase of discovering the thing, especially when you notice that the stabilizers absolutely do not raise the crane by a millimeter. And it's kind of the same very slow punishment for other features like the boom deployment of the crane which "... deploys up to one meter high! ...". It's long, very long.

Some, anxious to find a ready-made excuse, will see a touch of realism in it. I rather see it as something to get bored quickly and put this crane in a corner until I have the courage to take it apart. If the assembly experience will be enough to delight fans of the LEGO Technic universe, I once again find the effort / reward ratio offered by this set a little disappointing.

To weight my reaction, I again make it clear that I'm not the type to marvel at a few well-designed gear sets. When I have a set from the LEGO Technic range in my hands, it is the purpose of the product that interests me even if I am aware that I am missing out on what makes this range so interesting for fans. the most assiduous. That certainly explains that.

I also regret that LEGO did not take advantage of the launch of the ecosystem products Powered Up to offer a product equipped with the latest innovations from the manufacturer in terms of engine.

The control panel placed at the back of the crane is extremely well thought out, but I imagine what it would have been possible to do by having the same controls within an application installed on a smartphone that would act as a remote control. , as with the type of documentary I mentioned above.

LEGO Technic 42082 Rough Terrain Crane

We therefore find here a single engine Power Functions L and a battery box which is also easily accessible at the rear of the crane and which incidentally acts as a counterweight. You only have to partially remove a pin and lift the black cover to access the box. It is this single motor which controls all the functions of the set via several gearboxes managed from the control panel. Why not, the designers have done their homework and a single motor is actually enough to put the crane in motion.

360 ° cab rotation, installation of the side stabilizers, lifting of the arm, deployment of the boom, winding and unwinding of the cable, everything is there. This crane will certainly delight fans of complex assemblies and public works machinery of all kinds, but it lacks a bit of fun for me especially since it is impossible to move the machine forward or backward other than manually, a feature that should be provided as a base in sets featuring vehicles.

This is only my opinion, but in 2018, if we want to attract a clientele a little larger than the fan hardcore of LEGO Technic products, we should no longer have to vroom-vroom on a toy at 250 €.

LEGO Technic 42082 Rough Terrain Crane

At 249.99 € the crane at LEGO ou 199.99 € at amazon, as elaborate and complex as it is, this big box is reserved for die-hard fans of the LEGO Technic range.

There must be a few kids who will dream of adding this machine to their collection for Christmas, but with the same budget we must be able to do more fun than a red and black public works machine whose fairing conceals most of the mechanisms that are at work during the various phases of operation.

The secondary model proposed by LEGO is even less sexy than the crane, it is about a "pile mast" whose instructions must be downloaded in PDF format, there are no small savings .... Reserved for fans who want to spend their free time pretending to lay a foundation.

LEGO Technic 42082 Rough Terrain Crane

For the rest, I have not noticed any obvious problem for the occasional constructor of LEGO Technic sets that I am, apart from perhaps the impossibility of putting the boom completely in the horizontal as on the real cranes of this type. . I rechecked that I hadn't made a mistake while assembling, it looks like it was planned like this.

This LEGO Technic set 42082 Rough Terrain Crane is ultimately not one of those about which one can be satisfied with having a peremptory opinion. Even though it's just a construction crane, it's still a pretty crane packed with features.

If you like complex assemblies, with lots of gears, various and varied gearboxes and pins of all colors, go for it. Otherwise, buy Star Wars or Harry Potter is good too.

I will now tackle the dismantling which promises to be fascinating and I indicate to you that the set presented here is as usual put into play. To participate in the draw, you just have to post a comment on this article before the September 15 at 23:59 p.m.. You have every right to disagree with me, this is not eliminatory.

Update : The winner was drawn and was notified by email, his nickname is indicated below. Without a response from him to my request for contact details within 5 days, a new winner will be drawn.

Scrat - Comment posted the 04/09/2018 at 08:40

LEGO Technic 42082 Rough Terrain Crane

75953 Hogwarts Whomping Willow

Ideal companion of the set 75954 Hogwarts Great Hall, the LEGO Harry Potter set 75953 Hogwarts Whomping Willow (753 pieces - 74.99 €) is it just a bit expensive extension or a product that stands on its own?

As you already know, LEGO highlights the complementarity between the elements of this box and the reproduction of Hogwarts sold in the set 75954. On the packaging of the two products, in the instruction booklets and even in the official description (... Can be combined with the Great Hall of Hogwarts ™ Castle 75954 for even more exciting LEGO Harry Potter adventures ...), the manufacturer never fails to remind us that we have to go back to the cash register to take advantage of the possibilities offered by the combination of these sets.

The assembly is still so simplistic and relaxing with this set: We stack bricks until obtaining a construction identical to that seen on the box.

Nothing rocket science (!) In this set, even the youngest will easily reach the goal set by LEGO. After two weeks spent assembling the different sets of the second wave LEGO Technic 2018, I must say that I felt like I was in fashion Speed ​​Build right here...

The downside to this relative simplicity of assembly is that it is still so fragile, difficult to move and complicated to handle without dropping something.

75953 Hogwarts Whomping Willow

Big batch of stickers in this box, the youngest or the less accustomed will have to appeal to the patience of their parents if they do not want to disfigure the whole with badly positioned stickers or large air bubbles under the bricks of the walls.

The potential of this playset comes down to landing the Ford Anglia in the branches of the Whomping Willow, except to find the fact of "...mix potions ..."or" ...patrolling the ramparts ...".

The Whomping Willow is the real star of the set. The ends of the walls and the few pieces furnished with accessories only form a taste of the box that we sorely miss and are ultimately only there to make us want to buy the set 75954 Hogwarts Great Hall.

The playability quota is here provided by the wheel which allows the shaft to turn on itself. With a little practice, it is even possible to eject the Ford Anglia. It's funny. Two very large stickers dress the trunk of the Whomping Willow, it's a shame but it's better with it.

75953 Hogwarts Whomping Willow

The reproduction of the Ford Anglia 105E Deluxe seen in the film is correct. It is Chibi, almost cartoonish, but it's not a licensed LEGO Creator Expert set, so the vehicle does the job.

No seats inside, you have to be able to place Harry Potter and Ron Weasley there and the two characters will therefore remain standing, they had only to miss the train.

The two suitcases provided will go in the trunk, what an idea to want to put them in the hands of the characters.

Sorry for the purists, the steering wheel is not on the right, it is placed in the middle of the cockpit and LEGO does not provide cages for Hedwig (supplied) and Crustard (in the other set) ...

75953 Hogwarts Whomping Willow

On the minifig side, alongside the unpublished versions and for the moment exclusive to this box of Harry, Ron, Seamus Finnigan and Argus Filtch, we obviously find characters common to several sets: Hermione Granger is also delivered in the set 75954 Hogwarts Great Hall and she is also accompanied by Severus Snape in the set 75956 Quidditch Match.

Double faces for everyone and two pretty "civilian" outfits for Harry and Ron, quite faithful to the movie even though Harry's pants are not the right color.

75953 Hogwarts Whomping Willow

I read a lot about the designers' choice regarding the integration of plants (6135278) on the branches of Whomping Willow. They have an unfortunate tendency to unhook and fall at the slightest movement.

Scoop: It's done on purpose, as if the leaves of a tree were falling when the wind blows hard, for example ... The fundamentalists of the official LEGO assembly nomenclature and slayers of so-called "illegal" connections will only have to find a reason or to modify the construction.

75953 Hogwarts Whomping Willow

LEGO praises the complementarity between the set presented here and the set 75954 Hogwarts Great Hall. There are two pine Technic which allow to connect the two constructions but it will be necessary to accept some inconveniences. The mobile staircase can no longer be fully deployed after connection because it comes up against a lantern. In any case, it covers part of the adjoining room, de facto limiting the playability within the premises.

Be aware that you don't have to follow LEGO instructions, no one will blame you. You can also connect the building to the other side of Hogwarts and you will get a right angle playset where you can park the Ford Anglia in front of the Great Hall as well.

75953 Hogwarts Whomping Willow

Finally, I think that this set is indeed only a luxury addon (74.99 € all the same ...) for reference 75954 Hogwarts Great Hall. If the two boxes together offer a playset of a beautiful scale, the set 75953 taken separately does not offer many possibilities with its cramped spaces and the only notable physical functionality which consists in making the Whomping Willow turn on itself.

This is also the fault of these LEGO Harry Potter sets which do not clearly choose their camp: A little too coarse to make high-end exhibition products and a little too low in functionality to make attractive playsets. even if the official descriptions do not fail to remind us that "... Iconic scenes from the Harry Potter ™ movies can be recreated with these sets.."

As I said during the test of the set 75954 Hogwarts Great Hall, you have to spend 184.98 € to afford the total. What will do the vast majority of fans who will not stand for long to own only part of Hogwarts. If you have the patience, I bet LEGO is sure to offer the bundle at a discounted rate in the coming months.

Note: The set shown here is put into play as usual. To participate in the raffle, simply post a comment on this article before September 9 at 23:59 p.m.. You have every right to disagree with me, this is not eliminatory.

Update : The winner was drawn and was notified by email, his nickname is indicated below. Without a response from him to my request for contact details within 5 days, a new winner will be drawn.

Teddy bear10 - Comment posted the 01/09/2018 at 16:31

 

75953 Hogwarts Whomping Willow

75954 Hogwarts Great Hall

What if we took a quick look at the set 75954 Hogwarts Great Hall (878 pieces - 109.99 € - VIP X2 points in August)? Why fast? Because this type of set does not call for any particular criticism as it is aimed at a specific audience.

You are Harry Potter fans and you don't want to spend € 419.99 on the large micro scale model of the set 71043 Hogwarts Castle ? This more modest box is made for you, especially if you prefer minifigs to micro-things. Do you have no particular affinity with the Harry Potter universe? You have just saved 109.99 €. End of the story.

The LEGO Harry Potter sets marketed between the early 2000s and 2011 having become inaccessible on the secondary market, many fans who were not necessarily interested in LEGO products at the time are now delighted with this reboot of the range. . It is understandable and whatever the content of the new boxes offered by LEGO, they will probably be unanimous among fans finally rewarded for their patience.

75954 Hogwarts Great Hall

For the rest, this box proposes to assemble a very caricatured representation of Hogwarts focusing on the Great Hall and on a tower grouping together a few more or less identifiable spaces.

Everything here is summed up in its simplest form and sometimes even pours into the purest symbolism. The designers wanted to pile up an incalculable number of references and some are sometimes summarized in their simplest form. Even the Sorting Hat is there with a nicely crafted piece (in front of the mirror in the photo below). The Philosopher's Stone is in the chest placed on the first floor of the tower. The fans are in heaven, the others remain unmoved. It's logic.

75954 Hogwarts Great Hall

It will be necessary to apply the inevitable stickers provided on both sides of the removable elements of the riséd mirror, on the reversible banners of the different houses, on the clock placed above the main door and on the walls of the tower. Don't be surprised if the final result you get after applying the different stickers on the walls of the tower differs from the visual on the packaging of the set. The instructions suggest a different placement.

The fact remains that thanks to this set, the youngest will have in their hands an affordable box whose construction challenge is far from being met. This compact version of Hogwarts also makes a perfectly acceptable playset although it is a bit fragile in places. This is particularly the case of the arrows of the roof which have an annoying tendency to unhook. It's annoying, but since it's LEGO, it can be put together in the blink of an eye.

Minifig collectors will also make the effort to be able to add new versions of their favorite characters to their collection. And LEGO was not stingy with this box.

As with the other pretend-like movie set-style dollhouses usually marketed by LEGO, it takes little fingers to access some of the "playable" spaces. But this box being intended for children (from 8 to 14 years old, it is written on the packaging ...), it is not a problem ...

75954 Hogwarts Great Hall

On a purely architectural level, we recognize Hogwarts at first glance, it's successful. Those who have never been interested in the Harry Potter universe may see it as a medieval church, but fans will not be fooled. It's compact, a bit simplified, but the result is quite correct. Personally, I prefer the gray used here for the roofs to the green of the previous sets. Everyone will have their opinion on the matter.

It's up to you to then create the rocky peak on which Hogwarts is placed to give it a little height. Some MOCeurs have already tried their hand at exercise with success (see the wonderful work of Vortex on the subject).

Too bad that LEGO does not provide enough to completely close the building instead of delivering a half building. An additional roof section would have been welcome.

Exit the flotilla of boats sailing towards Hogwarts, we have to be content here with a single copy, the great room becomes a cramped space with reversible banners with benches on which the students cannot really sit, there are even two chairs placed on the floor in front of the teachers' table ...

The many towers of the building are here modestly represented and the main tower is not even perfectly round which clashes a little with the roof of the thing which displays a rather convincing shape.

75954 Hogwarts Great Hall

Harry will have a little trouble making out his parents in the mirror behind which Fawkes (Fawkes) is hiding by being glued so close and the gigantic moving stairs seen in the cinema boil down to a modest retractable set.

Not to mention the Basilisk whose representation here is far from acceptable unless you consider that the thing is inspired by a new form of modern art.

75954 Hogwarts Great Hall

On the minifig side, LEGO has been pretty generous in this box and there is almost something for everyone. Five students are provided: Harry Potter (with Hedwig), Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley (with Crustard), Susan Bones and Draco Malfoy.

Small sweater with V-neck and tie in the colors of each student's respective house for everyone. Sober, but consistent. Small non-articulated legs for the whole troop, they are still children ... For the teenage versions of the characters, we will have to wait for future sets.

Special mention for the hair of Hermione Granger, it is faithful to the haircut of the actress Emma Watson.

75954 Hogwarts Great Hall

No Students Without Teachers: Minerva McGonagall, Albus Dumbledore and Quirinus Quirrell get the job done. Double face for Quirell, you know why ...

Nick Quasi Sans-Tête and Rubeus Hagrid complete the cast offered by this box. We can discuss the appearance of Hagrid, some finding him a look of Playmobil. On the contrary, I find it rather successful, it is a good compromise between fully molded minifig and bigfig.

75954 Hogwarts Great Hall

The creature we could have done without here is the Basilisk (or Basilisk in original version). This giant reptile locked in the Chamber of Secrets has frightened a whole generation of fans. Its interpretation in LEGO version is far from paying homage to this menacing creature.

We know that LEGO bypassed the Chamber of Secrets after testing a first version of the set which included this space with a panel of children who remained more or less indifferent to the presence of the place. These same children, however, had shown some interest in the snake itself, so it was retained.

75954 Hogwarts Great Hall

Beyond its potential as a playset, this product also offers an interesting alternative in terms of exhibition. From a distance, you will recognize the characteristic facades of Hogwarts.

Things will get more complicated with the addition of the few walls provided by the set 75953 Hogwarts Whomping Willow (753 pieces - 74.99 €) which flesh out the construction a little but increase significantly and in a non-linear way the surface occupied by the whole.

The 75953 Hogwarts Whomping Willow set, which we will talk about soon, will allow you to obtain some additional minifigs and the total bill therefore climbs to 184.98 €. It's up to everyone to see if the game is worth the candle.

In the end, it's hard not to simply say yes to this box which will find its audience among the many fans of the Harry Potter universe happy to be able to afford a quality derivative product. There is something for everyone, kids wanting to have fun in the halls of Hogwarts and parent collector, all at a price that seems almost reasonable to me.

Note: The set shown here is put into play as usual. To participate in the raffle, simply post a comment on this article before September 5 at 23:59 p.m.. You have every right to disagree with me, this is not eliminatory.

Update : The winner was drawn and was notified by email, his nickname is indicated below. Without a response from him to my request for contact details within 5 days, a new winner will be drawn.

LZDSGN - Comment posted the 27/08/2018 at 12:54

75954 Hogwarts Great Hall

LEGO Architecture 21047 Las Vegas

The Architecture line is probably the one that takes itself the most seriously at LEGO. Sober and classy packaging, instruction booklet with black cardboard cover, high retail prices, no kidding. It's LEGO, but we don't play with it and we are therefore entitled to expect the content of the sets to live up to the reputation of the range. There is always something to smile about at the ingenious use of one piece or another, but here it is serious with "... sets that find their place in all interiors ..."

Latest set in this range, the reference 21043 Las Vegas whose previous version never marketed (ref. LEGO 21038) was the subject of a redesign following the massacre of about sixty people by a gunman posted on the floors of the Mandalay Bay hotel in October 2017. It is therefore the Bellagio hotel which replaces the Mandalay Bay on the skyline of the final set 21047 Las Vegas (501 pieces - 44.99 €).

I could do a lot on the different techniques used here to assemble different hotels, but I let the buyers of this box enjoy this little pleasure. After all, they also pay for it.

LEGO Architecture 21047 Las Vegas

Las Vegas for many visitors comes down to a few trips back and forth on the strip between crowded sidewalks and endless halls of hotels filled with slot machines and stretches in their eyes from the city entrance sign to Freemont. Street, the border beyond which most guides recommend not to venture (even if historic Vegas has strong arguments to make) under penalty of being slaughtered or kidnapped by horrible bloodthirsty bums.

LEGO therefore limits its interpretation of Las Vegas to the Strip, which will be enough for most fans, even for those who tried to see if Chumlee was in the area and who for the most part came back disappointed with their paid excursion to the boutique seen in the show P.

The originally planned skyline wisely respected the order of the various buildings represented on the Strip, regardless of which side of the avenue they are placed. Starting from the mythical sign placed at the entrance to the city, the Mandalay Bay is effectively placed before the Luxor, which is itself placed before the Encore at Wynn hotel, which in turn precedes the Stratosphere complex with at the end of Freemont Street race.

I know that the majority of the other sets in the range are content to accumulate the different constructions of a particular place without respecting their respective locations, but the effort had nevertheless been made here on the starting set ...

The designer in charge of modifying the set has therefore simply withdrawn the Mandalay Bay to replace it with the Bellagio which should however logically have been placed after the Luxor.

A little lazy, this modification ultimately only amplifies the echo of the event that justifies it, even if LEGO has never officially communicated on the subject. To liven up the Sunday meal, everyone can explain that the substitution of Mandalay Bay for Bellagio was made because of a news item that occurred almost a year before the date of effective marketing of this small set ...

In the end, LEGO could also have left the set as it is and waited a year to put it on sale.

LEGO Architecture 21047 Las Vegas

I finally think for myself that Las Vegas really deserved better than this modest skyline. Might as well do things right and provide us with enough to reconstruct a complete Strip with at least twenty iconic hotels in the city ... LEGO does recommend that you bring together several identical sets to get what is starting to look like a mini-wall of China, the same principle applied here would no doubt have found its audience.

Certainly Las Vegas does not conceal an incredible architectural heritage in the noble sense of the term, but the Strip is nonetheless a collection of creations sufficiently original and varied for LEGO to step out of its usual comfort zone. Don't worry, I'm digressing but I'm well aware that choices had to be made anyway to stay in the theme and in the format of the sub-range Skylines.

If you've been on vacation to L'Excalibur, the Venetian, the Circus Circus or the Casears Palace, you won't wipe away a nostalgic tear while contemplating this set carefully placed on the living room dresser. The only point common to all visitors will probably be the Freemont Experience, an obligatory point of passage for a drink under the neon lights and tourists who screech suspended from the zip line that crosses the luminous dome. And possibly the magical spectacle offered by the fountains of Bellagio, vaguely represented here.

Finally, I think that this quickly assembled little set may not deserve all this attention and that it will probably end up on sale in souvenir shops at McCarran Airport ("... I'm coming back from Vegas, hey I brought you something. It was that or a CSI t-shirt ..."), I will end by telling you that I find that the Luxor is still a bit cramped and that it will cost you around forty euros at the end of the month to add this set to your collection.

Note: The set shown here is put into play as usual. To participate in the raffle, simply post a comment on this article before August 25 at 23:59 p.m.. You have every right to disagree with me, this is not eliminatory.

Update : The winner was drawn and was notified by email, his nickname is indicated below. Without a response from him to my request for contact details within 5 days, a new winner will be drawn.

Nicolas - Comment posted the 16/08/2018 at 12:21

LEGO Architecture 21047 Las Vegas

12/08/2018 - 17:40 In my opinion... Reviews

LEGO Technic 42080 Forest Machine

The third set of this new wave of LEGO Technic 2018 boxes, the reference 42080 Forest Machine (1003 pieces - 144.99 €), features a forest machine. Why not, there is something for everyone.

On the look side, it's almost that. The vehicle looks like different models of gear that you have probably seen on RMC Découverte or Discovery Channel if you are a fan of these documentaries featuring the adventures of different families of operators. The only problem with the LEGO version is that the mechanism which is placed at the end of the arm is still very close to the cockpit and the axis of the mechanical arm cannot be dissociated from that of the cabin.

In real life, it seems to me that the arm in question extends several meters and that the cutting operations are done at a good distance from the operator. But hey, I've never been to check on the spot, I usually just watch the adventures of lumberjacks who almost get run over by a tree trunk or who spend an entire episode repairing a broken machine ...

LEGO Technic 42080 Forest Machine

The rear part of the vehicle accommodates the battery box Power Functions which supplies the pneumatic compressor starting system with the supplied L motor. The vibrations and the noise which result from the operation of the unit gives a small realistic side to the machine, as if its engine was really running at the back. Intentional or not, this detail helps give this forestry machine an almost realistic feel.

Too bad that LEGO only provides the now "old version" of the elements Power Functions in this box, officially replaced recently by those of the ecosystem Powered Up. The manufacturer has just clarified that it has no plans to ensure backward compatibility between the two systems. Fans or a third-party manufacturer will probably take care of this in the near future with DIY or mass production of adapters and converters.

On the assembly side, if you've never assembled a set that uses the different pneumatic elements in LEGO style, this might be the opportunity to give it a go. The set is assembled quickly and the pneumatic circuit connections identified by different colors can be used to explain the principle to a young fan. It's didactic and you can take advantage of the result quickly without losing the attention of the youngest people who are a little tired of threading pins all over the page.

Do not be fooled that this vehicle is equipped with accessories Power Functions to deduce that you will be able to make him carry out many actions. The only functions provided are the movement of the arm and the opening / closing of the cutting block jaws. The saw is not managed by the mechanism, it is fixed on a floating axis which moves it according to gravity, that's all. The jaw rollers also do not rotate and the cutting block must be manually tilted to allow it to try to grab a tree trunk.

LEGO Technic 42080 Forest Machine

More annoying on this set: if the two cylinders of the pneumatic system manage to raise (slowly) and lower (quickly, thanks to gravity) the arm of the machine, it is more complicated with regard to the cutting mechanism . I have put a little video for you below which sums up the situation quite well: if the mechanism is horizontal or oriented downwards, it actually opens and closes without too many problems.

It is not so obvious when it is facing upwards. The pneumatic element placed in the heart of the block then has difficulty in closing the two jaws. I checked and rechecked my assembly, checked that no pipe was pinched or badly plugged in, nothing helped. A simple pressure of the hand is enough, however, to allow the two jaws to close. I've seen at least one review where the tester seemed to be facing the same issue, without mentioning it.

For the rest, the suspension of this machine which evolves in principle on relatively uneven ground is really very very flexible, probably a little too much. LEGO will undoubtedly have wanted to emphasize this detail. Why not because in any case you will not play for hours on end picking up tree trunks on the living room table.

In the end, I am a little disappointed with this set. The presence of the Logo Power Functions on the packaging had given me hope for a little more interaction with, for example, an automated cabin rotation. It is always with a certain naivety that I approach sets that highlight the logo Power Functions basically on the box, we do not remake.

Aesthetically, it is quite successful with a realistic assortment of colors and access to the Battery Box well thought out to allow for the inevitable battery changes. I would have rather seen the arm in black, but the tastes and the colors not discussing, everyone will have an opinion on the subject ...

Instructions for the alternative model, a log loader, are not included in the box. They must be downloaded at this address in PDF format :

LEGO Technic 42080 Forest Machine (Alternate Model)

Once again, I felt that the energy and attention expended to arrive at the end result was not necessarily rewarded by the possibilities offered by this forestry machine. Fans of the LEGO Technic universe will undoubtedly find what they are looking for with the many pneumatic elements delivered in this set. For others, it is difficult to recommend that they spend € 144.99 on this forestry machine with a little soft suspension and limited functionality. At less than 100 €, we can discuss.

Note: The set shown here is put into play as usual. To participate in the raffle, simply post a comment on this article before August 20 at 23:59 p.m.. You have every right to disagree with me, this is not eliminatory.

Update : The winner was drawn and was notified by email, his nickname is indicated below. Without a response from him to my request for contact details within 5 days, a new winner will be drawn.

Klaus - Comment posted the 14/08/2018 at 21:47

LEGO Technic 42080 Forest Machine