A disappointing, not very toyable... toy.
Posted by
Lola
in Cambodia
on
14 December 2009
There's a trend in Technics these last years where what you build isn't showing you how stuff works - what you build is usually well designed, well engineered: pleasant toys full of various functions to play with later on or to put on a shelf - see looks and fun of 8285 'Tow truck', and best of all to me, 8275 'Bulldozer' - they rocks!
Now, the obvious trade-off is that there isn't much space for mods. As toys, engineering is real cool, they are sturdy and, usually, highly functional; building them up is part of the pleasure, fiddling with them has been mostly removed from the programme since the advent of studless beams - look at 8674 'Ferrari F1 Racer 1:8' for instance (but 8674 one at least has real-life F1 suspensions, if not much else)
Well, this 8295 one is not cool, nor nice, nor well engineered, not any of this. I am used (and still bored) to non-steering wheels on steering mechanisms (8285 again, or 8289 'Fire Truck'); used to useless stabilisers that are only there for show (...8285), but I wasn't ready to face a steering system that doesn't work fully from stop-to-stop and protrudes so much from underneath that you can only operate the thing on the flattest of surfaces; a boom mechanism that twists under the force needed to extend it; and such heavy, cumbersome boom lifting process. Plus poor looks: boom-wise, it's the anti-8285 which boom work really well and does lift (small) stuff.
As pointed by fellow reviewers, this set brings some interesting parts, like the big wheels (parts 45982+41896) and the clutch (part 6539)+clutch actuator lever system (part 6641). Less cool is the Linear Actuator, but that's because these feel like they have been imposed on us as replacement for the much geekier, cooler Pneumatics... And nobody asked for the retirement of pneumatics in the first place! That said, the Linear Actuator isn't bad by itself, and is probably the easiest way to transform a PF motor rotating force into linear. Speaking of which, if you plug in the PF motors, the boom operation becomes less tedious, but better put an XL one in there, if only to lift the boom by itself (no, you can't lift it with anything on the pallet). That is, preferably without the friction gear safety (part 60c01) in the process or it will slip and the boom won't raise at all. Of course, there is no native way to move 8295 with the motors, it's only for the boom level and length.
One feature to notice tough: it is the first time I stumble upon a steering setup where, as in real life, the inside wheel turns more than the outside one: this is mandatory in vehicle engineering, and is generally ignored by toy makers, Lego included. This feat doesn't save the day, as it add to the vagueness, spongeness to the full 4-wheel steering mechanism that isn't so neat and tidy in the first place, relying as it is on the 'Knob Wheel' (part 32072) .
I usually like to make fair (longer) reviews, pondering pros and cons, but these 139USD aren't swallowed yet. I was looking forward to the 4-wheels steering, I knew the pallet hook wasn't remotely controlled but yet, over the shortcomings I expected, this is too much. I give it a 1/5 for some good parts to have+asymmetric steering wheels, and 0 for everything else, including full wheel steering system.
Only buy at clearance/discount, for the big rubber wheels and clutch (and actuator if you need one). there is no engine, no pistons, no extra-cool parts rare otherwise here [but maybe for the 4 stop-ended axles in 8-lengths (part x1739)]; yet it's still a 1182 parts set with lots of variety, so it's no nothing. But you don't need to build it.
Thanks reading this.
Lola out.
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