The 42009 Crane MKII. To build or not to build

[Major_Ton]

Fellow brickers,

A couple of weeks back I bought a 42009 Crane MKII new in box to bring me back to Lego Technic after no less than 19 years! A former flagship looked to be a nice way to get back into complex Lego constructions ;-) I haven't come by to build it yet and after reading a bit more here on the forums about this, I'm having doubts wether to build this set (the final result seems to be a bit of an anti climax considering the clunky functions and not being able to lift anything more than a few feathers?) or sell it and buy something else like the 42043 MB Arocs or maybe even the 42042 Crawler Crane, which somehow I found to be very appealing for a sweat price. Opinions vary ofcourse, but which set do you think is the most fun to build?

Edited February 4, 2016 by Major_Ton

[ctx1769]

I have just started building it myself after grabbing the last beat up box,but complete set. I am looking forward to the completed set, then modding it with more motors

[Jurss]

Build it, then buy Arocs, Crawler crane, Prosche etc. :D

[Kiwi_Builder]

Definitely build it, I enjoyed building it, and I didn't have any problems with it apart from the low lifting weight, but that's to be expected from a Lego crane The end product looks great and functions well, there are a few designs in there that have proven very useful for me as well.

[Erik Leppen]

Buiding sets is a great way to learn the way of studless building. This'll come in handy for building your own models, especially after such a long break.

I don't own the set, but definitely build every set you have. If it really disappoints, you can always sell it "Used" for a slightly lower price, but as the set is relatively recent this won't make a big difference.

And if you're enjoying it, and have the budget, get another set that grabs your attention. I don't own recent large Technic sets except 42039, but 42042 looks very promising indeed.

Edited February 3, 2016 by Erik Leppen

[Gabi_BC]

Definitely build it! It is a great set and i enjoyed the building process. The only thing i found somewhat boring was building the outriggers, since you have to do the same thing 4 times over. As for the lifting capacity, it can be easily increased if you modify the pulley system a little. I did that with very few parts and managed to lift the 42028 dozer. If you plan on buying more technic sets, you can mod the 42009 to be full-rc. When completed, the set is impressive, you'll definitely like it.

Edited February 3, 2016 by Gabi_BC

[British Bob]

Build it! You can always make improvements where the set is lacking.

[JohnBS]

Definitely build it! It is a great set and i enjoyed the building process. The only thing i found somewhat boring was building the outriggers, since you have to do the same thing 4 times over. As for the lifting capacity, it can be easily increased if you modify the pulley system a little. I did that with very few parts and managed to lift the 42028 dozer. If you plan on buying more technic sets, you can mod the 42009 to be full-rc. When completed, the set is impressive, you'll definitely like it.

Build it!

Then it is worth looking at the instructions for the Ultimate 42009 by Jurgen Krooshop. They are available on line as a .pdf, free of charge and are excellent. He includes a list of the extra parts that you will need, which are available from BrickOwl or BrickLink and direct from Lego for motors, etc. Once you've collected all of the parts, take the original apart and build the Ultimate version. Both are great builds, with subtle difference, and you will have learnt a lot.

Best wishes,

John

[Beard]

Build it, then buy Arocs, Crawler crane, Prosche etc. :D

I second this motion.

[cehtunger]

How is that a question exactly?? ;)

For me this set offers best building experience, even better than Arocs.

And don't always trust hardcore AFOL's about final product. This set was also my first after dark age, and

from that perspective it was amazing in every possible way, building, final product, functions.

[Starmort]

Build it, then buy Arocs, Crawler crane, Prosche etc. :D

I second this motion too. Once you start...

How is that a question exactly?? ;)

For me this set offers best building experience, even better than Arocs.

And don't always trust hardcore AFOL's about final product. This set was also my first after dark age, and

from that perspective it was amazing in every possible way, building, final product, functions.

Love that "dark age" reference. Totally true. Same for me.

___

My opinion: build it. Its an amazing product, much more impressive than the Arocs for a non-AFOL.

[grum64]

I agree with JohnBS, build Jurgens Ultimate 42009 with Christophe Moittee's Extended Boom. It's an enjoyable build and the end result is fantastic.

[nerdsforprez]

We get a lot of posts like this on the forum.... and they are good questions. But I would encourage people to stop thinking about sets as they are and start thinking about them about what they can become. Often this is not included in reviews and therefore involves some brain storming on your part. Most are adult builders on this site..... and although building a model is fun... modifying it or building your own MOC is the real treat.

If you ask yourself What can I potentially do with this model? I think you will really help yourself out in your question. I agree with others.... 42009 is worth the build. You point out some flaws. Many of which are easily modifiable. Can't lift more than a feather? I agree..... little while ago i set out with fixing that. Really simply modifications..... adding a Y guy arrangement just like a real crane:

some real pulleys (I did not buy those that you see below. These are available for sale however online @ shapeways.com link: http://www.shapeways.com/product/2LCEBFCDA/pulleywheel-without-crosshole?li=search-results-2&optionId=19923231 -- I just drilled a hole through Lego pulleys so it no longer had an axlehole)

and now my version of 42009 lifts great (lots of other additions.... but you get the point)

My point is that sooner or later, if you get back in the Lego game you will want to modify or MOC your sets. Every one of the flaws in the set you point out are fixable. Another case in point. When 42039 came out many people stated they hated it because it was so ugly. True as that may be I would argue that it has now become one of the most popular sets for B, C, D, whatever.... models because of what people saw as far as POTENTIAL for the set and later done. Again.... think of a set NOT as it is but what can BECOME.....

Edited February 3, 2016 by nerdsforprez

[keroro]

Build it..!!:.....i think it's more exciting to build 42009 compare to the 42043....

The funny part of 42043 is the crane and the pneumatic system, other parts are quite standard.....42009 is more exciting, there aren't tedious part like the cabin of 42043....

[dr_spock]

Keeping it MSIB and waiting a few years to sell it is another option.

[Major_Ton]

Thanks for all the reactions so far! Although I need to make up my own mind about it, I appreciate your opinions very much. In the meanwhile I couldn't help myself and bought a secondhand 9398 4x4 crawler and modded it with some parts I ordered through Bricklink :-)

Not very original, but great fun none the less.

I guess I'll start building the 42009 next week! The 42042 and 42043 will follow shortly. The 42030 will be bought as an investment to earn some money back ;-) Thanks again!

[Gabi_BC]

The 42042 is great fun, just built it yesterday

[SJW2511]

I thought this set was brilliant, in fact I found the end result more pleasing than the MB Arocs

[cehtunger]

The 42030 will be bought as an investment to earn some money back ;-) Thanks again!

Not sure this is a good idea, unless you can find it on at least 50% discount. This set is good as a PF donor, but i doubt it's price

will go much higher once it retires, and judging by this year, we can expect pretty amazing sets in the years to follow, so interest for

this "generation" could drop significantly.

[keroro]

Yes....42042 is very good....and also with few parts you can have a very big crane...(yes you lost stability and lift)

[nerdsforprez]

Not sure this is a good idea, unless you can find it on at least 50% discount. This set is good as a PF donor, but i doubt it's price

will go much higher once it retires, and judging by this year, we can expect pretty amazing sets in the years to follow, so interest for

this "generation" could drop significantly.

Very much agree. Although this is not a post regarding investing.... it does deal with the OP's comment about potentially holding onto a set and then reselling. I would very much discourage this regarding anything Technic. Yes, there are some sets in the past that have made great gains (Tow truck, Excavator) - but the thing is they never match the gains of other more popular genres. I have invested in many sets. Technic, but mostly large creator buildings and SW UCS sets. Unimog, Towtruck, Excavator, none of these have matched the gains of those sets.

IF.... you buy them with the intention to build but later decide to sell, that is another story and good on ya You will still make a good return. However, IMO, NEVER buy a Technic set with the premeditated intention of selling to fund your hobby. Not that you will loose money it is just that they don't do as well as other genres.....

[Techno]

The crawler crane can be found for well under £100 buy it! and do the Catweazel conversion to 6 motors! brilliant

[cloud]

I'm in a similar position. Last set was the pneumatic crane truck from '92. Last fall I got and built two 4x4 crawlers and the volvo loader. Now I'm working on the crane and a volvo a40f moc(got two container trucks for parts).

So much fun. All of the sets have offered varied techniques and parts.

In the end they get taken apart to build a MOC of one form or another so no set is ever really a waste.

Gotta love this stuff.

[neoconagenda]

Build it because it is one of the most enjoyable builds IMO. The Arocs is also entertaining but in a different way. You can hold on to it for resale if you want but silver might be a better investment now-a-days since brickvesting is no longer a big secret... The crawler crane is neat but underwhelming. The Volvo loader is also a great build to consider...

[Major_Ton]

Well guys you'll convinced me into opening the box of this bad boy and guess what? I got the version where there is one BIG instruction book instead of 6 separate ones. And holy crapper-di-crap... There sure is alot of Lego in that cramped box! So no investments, I'm here to build! I once had a 10179 Millennium Falcon, 10134 Y-Wing, 10178 motorized AT-AT and a 10174 AT-ST and sold them for the regualr Retail price MISB. That was one stupid mistake. I take comfort in the fact that the sets where sold to children who actually built the sets instead of fortune seekers. But just in case... I do have some Star Wars UCS sets stored to gain back some of my Lego investments ;-) ;-) :-) No it's time to build me a Mobile Crane MKII. Back from the dark ages for sure!