42146 - Liebherr LR13000

[aminnich]

6 minutes ago, Unbrickme said:

That would not be a problem on the real crane since the real one does not have those white ball stabilizers

You are wildly missing my point. 

@Danil thanks for the clarification. That is what I thought, I just did not want to speak from zero on-site experience. 
 

[Mikdun]

15 hours ago, R0Sch said:

 Another explanation for the big price tag is that TLG had to purchase a new larger molding machine to be able to produce those thick ABS slabs and for all the frame-struts smaller ones. Or it could be because they know this set is a failure, that couldn't be fixed even with a year delay, and to compensate the losses some genius from finance suggested to increase the price by 50% and reach the same sales as selling more copies for cheaper would yield.

You don't need special injection machines, those parts are small and does not require fancy process.

Sure the cost of new tooling must be compensated at the beginning, but it's the same for all parts. This set is just overpriced.

[Good old Lego builder]

I like the model, not it’s price. One question: how can you control the model in say 10 years, when the app is no longer supported. Has Lego a fix for those future issues? For me it is very un-Lego to offer something you cannot use anymore in a few years, unlike my 40 uears old bricks my kids can still use.

[Maaboo the Witch]

6 hours ago, Unbrickme said:

That would not be a problem on the real crane since the real one does not have those white ball stabilizers

It would be a mahoosive problem if one tried to drive a Liebherr LR 13000 over a giant rock.

[JaBaCaDaBra]

15 hours ago, Unbrickme said:

I strike again! Personally I think it's a phenomenal set. Its proportions don't bother me at all. However, it has other REAL problems, like those supporting white balls, the tracks snapping off while turning around, and those counterweights not being attached at all to the crane.

 

I wonder if the real cranes are also driven through rivers and rockbeds

[Jockos]

I have a feeling that it's a "tester" set as how it performs not only in pricing but in functionality/stability, too, as we can see it could easily have thrice the amount of weights. And, of course, it's just a matter of time now to see an official Technic tower crane.

[Bartybum]

58 minutes ago, JaBaCaDaBra said:

I wonder if the real cranes are also driven through rivers and rockbeds

Not with that attitude

[allanp]

1 hour ago, Jockos said:

I have a feeling that it's a "tester" set as how it performs not only in pricing but in functionality/stability, too, as we can see it could easily have thrice the amount of weights. And, of course, it's just a matter of time now to see an official Technic tower crane.

It could certainly take more weight by the looks of it, but I hope it isn't a tester set for pricing, although it likely is TBH. I don't get the feeling that this set is aimed at casuals like other 18+ sets but for the more hardcore Technic fan with some cash to spend on a big Technic set. I could be wrong about that but if I'm right, I'm not sure this is a fair test because I am a hardcore Technic fan with some cash to spend, but I'm not paying full price for this. If it had a PlayStation/Xbox like physical remote with more buttons and proportional joysticks and d-pads than 99% of MOCs could ever need, heavier counterweights and no concerns over the longevity of the control+/powered up system then it would have been a day one purchase at full price.

 

[Milan]

Several off-topic posts have been hidden.

Let's stick to the LR13000.

[howitzer]

I'm actually kind of starting to think that the looks isn't as bad as I initially thought. I mean, the proportions are of course way off relative to the real crane, but that feels more and more like a necessary compromise to achieve enough strength and stability. It's not like 42042 which many here have praised in comparison, was in any way realistic either even when you ignore that it wasn't a licensed set. The colour scheme isn't unrealistic either, and many have pointed out that the configuration is true to some real versions.

At the moment my main problem with this set lies with its price: I guess could pay perhaps 400€ for it but 546€ (current lowest price in Finland) is too much for myself to justify.

But now I kinda want this kind of a large scale crawler crane. Perhaps I should attempt to build myself one?

[Davidz90]

2 hours ago, howitzer said:

But now I kinda want this kind of a large scale crawler crane. Perhaps I should attempt to build myself one?

Haha, you can count me in the "making my own crane out of disappointment with the set" club as well. Working on something right now :)

crane by David_Z1, on Flickr

Back on topic, I'm surprised how fast all the functions work; they still apparently have plenty of power, but I expected the motors to be more geared down, for a more realistic speed.

Edited July 27, 2023 by Davidz90

[der_luda]

Surprisingly, the set was already delivered today, ordered from a sub dealer for € 490.-

First of all, from my point of view there have been clearly catastrophic sets from Lego in recent years 
In this case, the construction is due to reasonable statics.... and with all the right criticism of Lego, for me it is finally a tree rail set again, where I can build a few evenings just for fun and joy  

And then add a few upgrades at the end.

[Jockos]

I'm curious if we ever get some insights or designer interview to get some answers concerning the shortcomings.

[Mikdun]

I watched the Unbrickme review and... Man, that's a lot of frames! 

For sure this crane was not meant to be used while building dam this way. 

[kbalage]

8 hours ago, Jockos said:

I'm curious if we ever get some insights or designer interview to get some answers concerning the shortcomings.

Technic designers haven't really liked stepping into the spotlight in recent years. Aside from the video for the Ferrari Daytona SP3, I think Milan was the only one to make regular appearances with his creations. And of course, no one would talk about the challenges and anything they had to change or give up to bring this set to market.

[R0Sch]

"Woudn't" and "not allowed" are two different things. Of course they don't like stepping into the spotlight if they have to churn out one licensed model after the next in record time, instead of machinery where they could let their creativity flow. I wouldn't either if at the end all I'd get is criticism on all possible channels and get blamed for corporate cost-savings. Technic Designers used to be proud to put their initials on the stickers and I really loved watching the Designer Workshop videos.

Btw, you can get the 41.2g mass of the counterweight elements with a higher density plastic. My guess is they are not made of ABS (since lacking the typical LEGO shine) but made of PA or PC.

[Anio]

3 hours ago, R0Sch said:

Btw, you can get the 41.2g mass of the counterweight elements with a higher density plastic. My guess is they are not made of ABS (since lacking the typical LEGO shine) but made of PA or PC.

Compared to regular Lego parts, they also have poor quality.
If you look closely, you will see some misalignment when they are stacked.

This makes me believe that the production of these counterweight parts might be outsourced. Pretty much like electric motors (PF, PU).

Edited July 28, 2023 by Milan
Removed quoted image and some text.

[R0Sch]

Here's another well written and informative review I found while browsing:
https://brickarchitect.com/2023/review-lego-technic-42146-liebherr-crawler-crane-lr-13000/

And a comparison to Big Red from brickfanatics's review:

[Ngoc Nguyen]

Quote

If you stacked $700 in US quarters, you would have a stack that is nearly 5 meters tall (and would weigh nearly 16 kilograms). By contrast, this set is just one meter tall.

LOL

[kbalage]

It's interesting to see that big price / weight chart without the really outstanding other Technic sets like the 1:8 scale supercars. 

[zoo]

2 hours ago, kbalage said:

It's interesting to see that big price / weight chart without the really outstanding other Technic sets like the 1:8 scale supercars. 

I find that chart quite lackluster. What is the point in including so many sets yet not a single set from the techinc range?

[R0Sch]

2 hours ago, kbalage said:

It's interesting to see that big price / weight chart without the really outstanding other Technic sets like the 1:8 scale supercars. 

Here is a quick and dirty summary of price/gramm for all Technic sets from 42000 to 42158 based on the part weights taken from brickmerge (don't know how accurate those are).

and after LEGO's MSRP increases:


and the sets sorted from worst to best ratio:

[johnnytifosi]

I am all for counting price per gram, price per piece is misleading considering how Lego has been increasing tiny pieces like Technic pins and 1x1 tiles. I weighed the two most recent Technic sets I had at hand in order to have some reference:

42102 Mini claas Xerion (2020): 10 euros, 112 grams, 0.089 euros per gram.

8049 Pneumatic Log loader (2010): 65 euros, 589 grams, 0.109 euros per gram.

So the price per gram of the Liebherr is not as outrageous as the price per piece compared to the other sets given the electronics, but then one would expect better value per weight in larger sets.

[Danke]

7 hours ago, R0Sch said:

And a comparison to Big Red from brickfanatics's review:

So the weight of this set, without the ballast, is 4kg, which is nearly the same as the previous Control flagships?

Edit: Sorry, those are ~500g lighter.

Edited July 28, 2023 by Milan
Removed quoted image and text.

[Danke]

40 minutes ago, johnnytifosi said:

I am all for counting price per gram, price per piece is misleading considering how Lego has been increasing tiny pieces like Technic pins and 1x1 tiles. I weighed the two most recent Technic sets I had at hand in order to have some reference:

42102 Mini claas Xerion (2020): 10 euros, 112 grams, 0.089 euros per gram.

8049 Pneumatic Log loader (2010): 65 euros, 589 grams, 0.109 euros per gram.

So the price per gram of the Liebherr is not as outrageous as the price per piece compared to the other sets given the electronics, but then one would expect better value per weight in larger sets.

0.133 is with ballast, without it’s 0.165 which would put it right behind the BMW bike. I don’t think the weights are especially vital to the build, as they can be replaced by pretty much anything, and the parts themselves do not look especially expensive to produce given theu are made of lower quality plastic with much higher tolerances.