Review : LEGO Technic 42078 Mack Anthem

It's my favorite at the moment and I took all my time to assemble it: The set LEGO Technic 42078 Mack Anthem (2595 pieces - 159.99 €) is in my opinion the best set of all ranges of the beginning of the year 2018. Forward for some impressions (and reviews) around this Mack Anthem in LEGO sauce.

Like probably many of you, I have always been fascinated by these big trucks making their way on a strip of tar split by a yellow line in the middle of an American desert. Over the Top, Maximum Overdrive, Duel or even Transformers are all films that have contributed over the years to maintaining my admiration for these imposing and powerful machines.

I'm not usually a huge fan of Technic sets, and I don't hide it. But when LEGO adds a few panels and other more classic pieces to dress a model, I immediately feel a little more in my element. This is obviously the case here, with this superb reproduction of the new Mack Anthem.

You will not be mad at me for not going into ecstasies at length about the few features of the set, they are anecdotal to me and only underline the lack of motorization of a product that would have really deserved to be able to be controlled via a remote control.

The steering wheel turns via the somewhat unsightly thumbwheel placed at the back of the cabin and steers the front axle, the motor fan turns when pushing the truck and the container unloading system, as efficient as it may require some patience ... More than its functionalities, it is for its look that I appreciate this Mack Anthem. Some fans try (on Racingbrick ou Eurobricks) to motorize the tractor and the trailer, but I have not found a modification with sufficiently explicit instructions yet.

Unlike the set 42056 Porsche 911 GT3 RS To which I criticized a very approximate integration of the panels forming the body of the vehicle, the designer here endeavored to fill as much space as possible so as to leave only a few gaps.

Lifting the hood reveals a reproduction of the engine with cylinders that move when moving the tractor. Anecdotal but you'll know it's there, just like the sleeping space inside the cabin. There is a large number of stickers (35) to stick in this box, but it is once again at this price that this Mack Anthem really takes shape.

For a licensed product that can almost be considered a luxury promotional gimmick, LEGO could have gone to the trouble of pad printing the most important pieces, especially those on which the brand appears. The emblematic Bulldog of the brand is plugged into the front cover, it's a nice detail very faithful.

No complaints about the general look of the tractor. Those who find that the diameter of the tires seems undersized to them can refer to the photos of the real Mack Anthem, the proportions seem to me rather correct. There are few empty spaces left, the bodywork is consistent. I just regret the presence of these blue Techinc pins which spoil the rendering.

Fans of the Technic range will find themselves on familiar ground with the crudely dressed flatbed trailer delivered in this set. The two jack arms are actuated via the two knobs located at the rear. And it is laborious.

Each arm uses two jacks to fully deploy and each wheel gradually unloads the container provided. We shoot, we shoot and we shoot again. Amusing five minutes, the time to see that the mechanism is efficient and surprisingly precise, but much too slow.

To prevent the platform from tilting under the weight of the container when the latter swings in the vacuum during the unloading phase, two stabilizers are provided. They deploy simply and quickly via levers and lock in the open position to prevent them from accidentally retracting. Simple and efficient.

Something needs to be unloaded and LEGO delivers a white container here to assemble. The whole is very well designed, the performance is convincing. The doors open by lifting the two independent mechanisms, it's realistic. You can make the container heavier by filling it, the two stabilizers do their job.

Not being used to the Technic range, I had to show a little extra concentration to assemble the tractor frame and the two trailer arms. I logically took a little longer than usual to finalize the assembly of this set and I get the feeling of having really benefited from the assembly phase, which is not always the case. with other boxes whose content excluding minifigs is sometimes a little sloppy.

This set is therefore a real success in my eyes, it offers a slightly higher construction challenge than the usual stacking of bricks seen in the sets. System without going into the visual rickets of some products in the Technic range, and the end result is really very convincing.

In short, the pleasure of building is there, the satisfaction of then seeing some features at work. The end result finally sounds like a nice reward. I didn't take the time to assemble the secondary model, a Mack LR garbage truck, but if your heart tells you, instructions available for download will allow you to extend this immersion in the world of the American manufacturer a little more.

The public price of this box, 159.99 €, will perhaps discourage some of you from trying the adventure. Know that we already find it for 105 € at amazon Germany, which makes this nice product more affordable.

I leave it to the specialists of the Technic range to give us their opinion in the comments on the various features integrated in this set.

Note: The set shown here, supplied by LEGO, is included in the game. To participate in the raffle, simply post a comment on this article before April 8 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.