TechnicSkiier802

Personally I think so. Lego was really gunning to get adult car enthusiasts to buy their Technic sets. I am not sure if this marketing strategy paid off as well as they wanted. The ferarri 488 for example just sits on the shelves of my local Barnes and Noble discounted. They seem to be really listening to fan feedback now and going back to their roots of making technically interesting models. Even the Cars are using novel solutions now.

From the pic on the box I cannot tell if this has suspension or if the tire is just angled weirdly

I really like this model. It appears to be a large improvement over both 42096 and 42125. In both looks and complexity. Its not an empty shell like the other 1:10 cars. Its also very nice to see them trying something else with the suspension. The same independent suspension getting reused in every sports car model was getting boring.

If that price is accurate. Buying a new in box Big Red will still be a much better deal. It is kind of insane that a discontinued set with more peices and collectors value is cheaper. Any set over $600 should have over 5k peices. The value just isn't there at that price.

If it was the 6 wheeled bogie skidder version I think ithe proportions would work for the front wheels. The description already confirmed its 4x4 though. May be an interesting mod though.

I dont really understand why the seat would be motorized though. In the real skidder the seat is on a swivel and you press a button on the joystick to release it. It has driving petals on both the front and back of the cabin. It would be a cool function though. If a bit overengineered for a medium size set.

Wishful thinking, but what if 88018 is a cheaper motor that can be used in low load situations such as a compressor. To be introduced with the skidder.

This possibly means we will get the new panels in 2 shades of blue. That set is a great parts pack. Especially for body panels. Im not sure why so many people are upset about this release. I work in the tech industry and in my experience and there is still a pretty big shortage of both components and competent developers. I wouldn't be suprised if they are delaying releasing more c+ sets until they have proper stock of the module and also retire a few more as until recently they had 5 on sale that were constantly in and out of stock.

The reason why I say forest machine is because it seems like it will have a similar mechanical base to it. My theory is that this will be a pneumatic set and that the grey cylinders were introduced for this license. It would make sense because JD is very protective over the colors used in its licensed products. If it were pneumatic it would have a very similar setup to the forest machine. Duel cylinders for elevation and one cylinder for the grabber. It would be re bodied to have 4 large wheels possibly from the xerion instead of 8 smaller wheels. Both the skidder and forest machine also have articulating bodies. There is also a 6 wheeled version of the skidder that would require even less work to rebody from the forest machine.

This is pure speculation, but I almost wonder if the skidder is going to be a slightly modified re release of the 42080 forest machine. Possibly without moterization. Similar to how the 2022 garbage handler was a simplified version of the volvo crane

Looks like a great set. I just wish they made it look like a winch cat. You could probably add just a few more peices, a short peice of string and the hook element. To achieve two more functions.