Review : LEGO Technic 42081 Volvo Concept Wheel Loader ZEUX

Do you have to be an unconditional fan of the LEGO Technic range to be interested from time to time in the new products marketed under this label? No, and that's good.

LEGO having offered me (like many others) to test the four new products which are marketed from August 1st, I will therefore offer you some "Review "on these boxes.

We start with the product that excites me the most among these new sets, the reference 42081 Volvo Concept Wheel Loader ZEUX (1167 pieces - 129.99 €).

And it is a public works machine. You will tell yourself that I contradict myself a bit, I who often repeat that backhoe loaders and other loaders leave me unmoved. But beyond the hundreds of pins to fit in this set and the endless turns of the crank needed to operate the few moving parts of the machine, there is something more interesting.

If you don't like the LEGO Technic line, don't go just yet. I am not going to give you a Prévert-style inventory here of each gear or cylinder provided in this box or of the number of crank turns necessary to reassemble the machine's bucket. Others will do it better than me ...

What interests me here are not the on-board features that consist of raising or lowering the arm and the shovel, moving the rear block or turning the wheels of this futuristic machine. The real interest of the set lies in what precisely does not work and is only theoretical. Indeed, the Volvo ZEUX does not exist. This is a concept developed in 2016 by LEGO in partnership with Volvo to try to imagine what the machines of the future could be.

We are talking about a concept of a fully autonomous loader, equipped with a camera, nicknamed The Eye, capable of allowing it to detect a human presence around the site, a drone which supervises its operation and movements and a block of four electric motors housed in the mobile counterweight placed at the rear. The wheels are also equipped with sensors that tell the machine when and how to move this counterweight so that the machine is rock-solid.

You know, I'm not a big fan of the sets in the LEGO Technic range, I find the ratio of construction effort to the features offered often disappointing. The long hours spent patiently assembling the set while remaining attentive to the sometimes a little confusing instructions are in my eyes only rarely rewarded by the amazement hoped to see the different functions at work. Here, we mill, again and again, by turning the various gears that serve as a wheel.

But this Volvo ZEUX finds favor in my eyes because in my opinion it embodies what LEGO should be heading towards: offering a part of the dream to fans by offering creations that provoke an effort of the imagination apart from the few on-board functions, sometimes anecdotal. Let set 42081 Volvo Concept Wheel Loader ZEUX fulfills this role perfectly.

If you like sets from the Technic range, you know what to expect when it comes to assembly. The challenge is there, with a large booklet of more than 250 pages, a few well-bodied stages during which vigilance is required and a beautiful sheet of thirty stickers to stick to dress this conceptual device.

As a bonus, the set allows you to assemble a second vehicle also out of the imagination of Volvo engineers and LEGO designers: the PEGAX articulated hauler. Unfortunately, the manufacturer does not provide a hard copy instruction booklet to assemble this very successful alternative model, you need to download them. on the dedicated space in PDF format. Oops, they are not yet online as of this writing. Too bad, we'll have to wait. Update August 2, 2018: Instructions are now online.

In terms of what I would have liked to get in this box, you can imagine that I would have really appreciated being able to control this set from my smartphone or from a small remote control ... I am obviously not talking about taking off the mini -drone provided, but at least to move this loader back and forth and allow it to fill its bucket remotely. Thus, the concept would have come to life before my astonished eyes.

It may be for later when a smart MOCeur and generous enough to share its know-how has successfully integrated the Bluetooth hub and the two engines of the new ecosystem. Powered Up at the heart of the machine.

In the meantime, I say yes for the construction challenge and for the good idea of ​​the conceptual and futuristic machine which will perhaps evolve on the sites of tomorrow. This set also deserves to be offered to young fans of LEGO and technology, they will find both something to put their fan skills to the test and something to dream a little.

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 10 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.