Lego Tom

They are indeed small parts. Such as an extra clear and red lens, and a variety of pins and bushings. I've had a couple left overs with other kits but this one had 44, with nearly half of them being black pins (always handy to have!). Perhaps because of the self test unit does, starting with both spools empty. While the unit could count the number of motor revolutions from empty spool to the hook reaching the limit, how the thread places on the spool will vary, depending on how evenly it stacks onto the spool, so I'm not sure if that's what the app uses to determine travel or not. I wonder if you determined how much extra thread was used, divided that amount by 2 and wound that amount on each spool, then did the calibration again if it would fool the app?

Finished my initial build. My observations: the instructions are good but fall short of great. There are a few instances of failure to clearly show positioning of parts, and as noted in an earlier post, they lack Lego's older method of including a template on each page of the sizes of beams used. There were also several small parts left over, which is better than being shorted parts but still indicates quality issues in packaging. The build is easy and there were no problems. Again, as someone mentioned stringing the line for the hook is a bit fiddly, and the first time I did the set up with the app, something went awry and it resulted in uneven winding on one spool, requiring a re-do. Two areas I was not pleased with: the operators cabin is pretty funky when compared to other Lego sets and the grid plates over the crane motors are uneven and look bad, IMHO. It's one area I plan to re-do in the future. Operating with the app works great though I agree the crane turns way too fast for a machine of this nature. I did not try it on carpet, but it ran OK on a large area rug. While I would have liked to have the boom a bit longer in length, I'm not losing any sleep over the matter. Same thing for the width of the tracks - wider would have been more appropriate but I can live with it as is.

Hmm, will plaster hold up to the heat of molten lead? 621 degrees F, 327 C.

Has anyone determined for certain whether the counterweights are solid or hollow? If hollow, I'm thinking about adding lead shot to give them more weight.

OK, semi-related question: This build takes 12 AA batteries. What do you folks prefer for batteries? Alkaline? Lithium? Rechargeable? What about the possibility of using two 6v lantern batteries disguised as the counter balances and wired in series for 12v? Asking for a friend! (LOL) Also, a few words for those complaining about the height - or lack there of for this crane. I am not a crane expert, however a friend of mine is. He is an operating engineer who assembles/disassembles and operates and maintains the real deal. Crane height, when you are talking about large units is not a one size fits all thing. If a crane is needed to move a 200 ton object 100 meters high, the crane company does not send and build a crane that is capable of lifting the unit 300 meters. You may see the same crane on two different jobs and it may be twice as long on one job than it was on the other. It is also my understanding that the higher/longer a crane is, the less lifting capacity it has as the added weight of the crane's structure must be reduced from it's lift capacity. Last, while a 2.5 or 3 meter boom would be impressive on this build, how many end users have a place to actually display such a unit? One can argue that it would have been great for Lego to include the extra pieces to make this happen and let the end user decide on the finished length, but that would have added even more cost to what many have complained is an overpriced unit. You can't have your cake and eat it too!

Perhaps it's time this thread was resurrected. After going on a Leggo Technics binge, over the course of the past 6 months, I have assembled the following kits in this order: D-11 Cat #42131 Land Rover Defender #42110 6x6 Volvo Articulated Hauler #42114 Liebherr R 9800 Excavator #9800 Bucket Wheel Excavator #42055 Rough Terrain Crane #42082 While each set has it's own special features and appeal, the Rough Terrain Crane is a stand out favorite. It has so many operating features that it's a virtual toss up between it and the bucket wheel excavator for hands on play time. Unlike the BWE, all the features operate smoothly and reliably. It would be a plus if it could be made self propelled/steered but that is minor complaint. It is unfortunate that like several other kits on the above list, it has been discontinued and not brought back in some variation even if only to do a yellow version.

Looks great! Lots of ingenuity!

I reversed the order of the gears, putting the two small black gears where you put the larger tan gears and the tan gears where you put the black gears. The ratio sped up the drive, but not as fast as your placement. IMHO, it looks more realistic, moving faster than the stock build but not as fast as your modification.

Yeah, that looks much better! Great job! The Sherman isn't an easy object to duplicate however they made so many versions. including those the Israelis used well into the 70's that you have more than just one 'acceptable' version to go after. Please keep posting!

The early M4A1 did have a steep angle, but the radial engine - as your cutaway picture shows - was much smaller in proportion to the rest of the tank. Later versions, including the picture below of an M4A4 straightened out the drive line and mounted engines (there were many different engines used in the Sherman) much straighter. Using your slightly out of scale radial to represent an earlier build with the angled engine/drivetrain will as you stated, require raining the deck height, which will also effect the overall accuracy to scale of the model. A cutaway of a M4A4 with the multibank Chrysler engine for comparison: EDIT: The severe limitation on picture size here forces me to use a link instead of posting the picture directly - sorry! Sherman M4A4

Amazing build! Would it be better the make the frame a bit wider so the engine will sit down in between the rails rather than at an angle? That could help your turret problem as well.

Compared to others, this is a minor nit pick. My old eyes sometimes have trouble distinguishing between dark grey and black on the Lego instructions. If the kit only has that specific part in black, then there's no issue but some kits have the same part in dark grey and black. It would entail more work on the part of Lego, but small letters next to the part would help tremendously, such as B next to a black part, DG next to a dark grey one, etcetera.

LOL - thinking outside the box!

On the Land Rover, I was missing an 8t gear and a couple other pieces. It is frustrating having to stop a build and wait for Lego to respond, then ship out the part(s), but eventually (about two weeks later) the parts showed up. In the meantime, I visited the local Lego store and they were able to supply the gear and one of the other missing structural parts, so I was at least able the complete the build (other parts were cosmetic). Banning a customer seems a bit harsh. Every story has two sides, and perhaps as someone suggested, an AI program said the electronic equivalent of "something's going on with this guy". Still, I would try contacting a live body and pleading my case. And remember you get more when you are courteous and polite.

As a newbie, I have zero experience with light bricks, but as an electrician I can state that is the result of a leaking battery. Depending on the damage the acidic leakage did to the clear plastic, it may or may not clean up. It might require sanding/polishing with extremely fine grit paper. Are the light bricks sealed units?

Trying embedding picture link....

Well then, I'll just have to sue with a class action suit on behalf of Lego builders looking forward to this kit...

I am so looking forward to this: 42146 Liebherr LR 13000 (18+) - 2882 pieces - 449.99$ Although I've no idea where I'll put it!

Simple yet impressive! Any plans to add steering to the rear axles?

I was recently in New Jersey waiting for my AirBNB to become available, so I went to a local mall to kill time. Inside the mall was a Lego store and they had one of these kits on display. I was smitten. I didn't buy it because I didn't want the hassle carrying it back on the plane, but I ordered one on line and it arrived at my home the day I returned from my trip. Did I mention I've never put a Lego kit together before? LOL, it's true. The build took the better part of a week and I have to say, outside of some issues distinguishing dark grey parts from black parts in the drawings, I had no problems and everything works as it should. I was hooked! I've since added the Land Rover, Liebherr Excavator, Bucket Wheel Excavator and the Rough Terrain Crane. Of all the builds, the Land Rover gave me the most heart burn, one because it was missing parts and two because I screwed up one of the gears early in the build (something I discovered is pretty common on this model). Of course this wasn't the end, I have since started adding light kits to the various builds. I have been using Briksmax kits with mixed feelings. The pictures are soooo tiny and my old eyes have trouble seeing some of the details. Most recently, I discovered an 8 port expansion board was bad - it has a short - and Briksmax has been very slow in returning my request for a replacement and even slower in sending one out. Outside of that, the kits are quite satisfactory and add a neat dimension to the models. Pics or it didn't happen, right?