8448 Review

[Rishab N]

I recently decided to build a supercar of some sort, and after some input from Blakbird I decided to buy the famous 8448. This was my first “old” Technic set and while deciding to buy it, I found a surprising lack of reviews for it. The only comprehensive review I found was here on Eurobricks(which is here and is quite good) so I decided to do another review for it as this set definitely deserves more. In this review I’ll be reviewing the gull wing model.(I apologize for pic quality if I ever do another review they'll be much better I promise)

Here’s the pile of parts at first glance. It’s pretty big coming in at about 1400 pieces, and was the biggest Technic set at that time (correct me if I’m wrong). It has a large number of 1x16 technic bricks and 7x3 liftarms. The set had a couple unique pieces being the wheels and the steering hubs.

Here are the wheels compared to the common supercar tires made by Lego.They're quite large and IMO they seem to be the most realistic tires as they are thin and are able to make the most realistic steering designs (see here).They're shiny, but don't look that great in terms of design, so they aren't used much.

The steering hubs are also quite interesting although they are not widely used except in Jorgeopesi’s Ferrari F40.

Any way let’s go build this thing.

The books are absolutley awesome and are divided between chassis and body(ies). They are both thick heavy books and the quality is great even 16 years later.

The build is divided between the chassis and the body. The entire build maintains modularity which is interesting and adds a nice customization aspect. The chassis is divided into numerous modules and starts off with a frame. The frame is quite sturdy and has the beginnings of the drivetrain in it.

Next up we have the suspension modules. The rear suspension is too stiff and the front suspension is too soft. I feel like this set could have really used the yellow hard springs as these are only the medium stiffness.

After the suspension we have the gearbox. The 8448 probably has the best gearbox produced in a Lego Technic set. It has a total of 5 speeds and one reverse gear. It was reproduced in the 8466 Off Roader.

The gearbox and engine are added, and at this point the car is fully functional. All of the gears can be selected and the engine moves nicely. I also like the effort put into the engine details, its not something you see in modern sets. The interesting thing about this car is that the engine can easily be placed in the back even when the model is fully built, but it makes the front look very sparse. Once the chassis is built you can continue onto the bodywork, but if you aren't a fan of the original design, you can always build one of the other 4 designs(hot rod, racecar, concept car, and buggy) The instructions used to be hard to find, but now they should be here.

After this point the build loses a technical aspect and focuses more on aesthetics. The dashboard is added and the bodywork starts to take shape

Eventually you reach this point where you make a choice whether to build the convertible version of the car or the gull wing version. I chose to build the latter.

Some nice seats are added and the bodywork is finished up

Anddd we're done. I gotta say even though this model is 16 years old, it still looks really good. The minimalist design with flex axles and panels with large holes leaves a bit to the imagination, but makes an awesome shape. There are a couple clever techniques to get these shapes. The functions all work well and the gullwing doors have an extremely smooth operation. One thing I don't like about this model is that it lacks Hand of God steering which makes it a bit more difficult to play with. I would go far enough to say that this car was the original "supercar". Although there were others before it, I feel like this is the first one in which looks seemed to be a priority. It also had realistic functions unlike the 8880(which is still an awesome car with its complexity) which had 4 wheel steering which isn't really seen on most cars.

So how does this car compare to our modern supercars? I owned the 8070 for a while, but then parted it out to build the Vampire GT.

Both the 8070 and 8448 have their strengths. The 8070 obviously has a more modern look due to the newer parts and it is much more filled it. It also has the function gear box which opens everything nicely; however, for me, the 8448's realistic gearbox is far more interesting. Something about the different speeds of the engine just interests me a lot. Also the 8448 has the modularity concept which makes everything much more interesting.

Here's a final pic with Crowkillers's Vampire GT. The 2 cars almost look like father and son with their gullwing doors.

Overall I got to say this is one of the best sets I've built. It has great looks combined with excellent functions such as the gearbox, modules, and gullwing doors. It only has a few flaws that detract from the main model, but they are barely noticeable.If you guys are still with me after this long review I'll give a rating now

Building Experience-10/10 Building this model never gets boring. The modularity is nice and its always fun to see all the modules come together

Design-9/10 The 8448 was a massive step forward in design compared to the blocky supercars of the past. It looks good, but has a bit too many holes in some places and the wheels don't look too good.

Functionality-8/10 The gear box in this model is amazing and has to be Lego's best. Its gullwing doors open very smoothly. I can't attest to the other models, but I'm guessing their functionality is just as smooth. The only flaws I see here is the lack of HOG and the problems with the suspension.

Value-10/10 In the States you can get this model for little over a 100 on Ebay while in Europe its probably a little cheaper. I payed a little more for my copy, but I don't regret it. The model is one of the best Technic models I've seen.

Parts-10/10 This model is full of excellent parts. There are many normal Technic parts which are always good to have, and an abundance of bricks and studded parts which are good for Model Team/studded Technic. The set also has 10(!) of those rare #3 red connectors which sell for ridiculous prices on Bricklink. It also has many rare red soft axles and some interesting parts such as 12L axles in red. It also has the rare metallic wheels, dampers, and steering pieces.

Overall-47/50 Highly Recommended. Go buy this model and you definitely won't regret it, and in the rare event that you don't like it feel free to send it to me

Thanks for reading and feedback on the review is welcome

Edited April 12, 2015 by Rishab N

[DrJB]

Great review. I got the 8448 (new) about 10+ years ago, and it's one of the few model I still have on display. Some say the 8880 was a landmark, rightfully so as it introduced many functions. But, I prefer the 8448 for modularity, clean design, and very 'modern' looks.

There are several parts specific to that set only (wheel+tire+spindle+rack) and it's a pity they were not made available in other/subsequent models.

Edited April 12, 2015 by DrJB

[DrJB]

What, no one likes this model? Or it is so 'old generation' and you're all spring chicken? :laugh:

[Corvette3]

I have always wanted one, well ever since i got into technic, but they always manage to elude me.