What is your favorite Technic Set and why?

[grum64]

I’ve a few favourite sets. 

8258 Crane Truck - This was the very first Technic set I built and as such was something of a challenge to say the least. As I recall it took 20+ weeks to build but at the end of it the feeling of accomplishment was indescribable. I still get a warm fuzzy whenever I think about it.

8043 Excavator - This one was the second or third Technic set I built and my first full PF. I was completely blown away by what I saw as the complexity of its design, I certainly did some head scratching trying to fathom which gears were going to operate which function as I built. The overall building experience and its playability just made it a great set. I keep saying I’d going to rebuild it. Now it’s back in my mind maybe I will one day soon.

8880 Supercar - I'd had this set sitting on the rack for a couple of years but I always put off building it. The biggest studded set I’d built until then was the 8275 but the 8880 was in a different league altogether and was very intimidating. With so many complex shapes and structures, (especially the engine cover!), it was by far the most difficult set I’ve built and easily the most frustrating but having said that it’s those things that in the end made it absolute joy to build.

[Toastie]

@evank: Do you want to break out the real Technic, or should I?

Best,
Thorsten

[aeh5040]

8480. Incredible blend of form and function. Every part is there for a reason. Some of them for more than one reason. Also some nostalgia as it was my first complex post dark age set.

[evank]

@Toastie there were three sets that really jazzed me in my childhood (born '74): 8860 Auto Chassis; 8847 Dragster; and 8858 Engines. I was also blown away by everything in the 8888 Idea Book, especially that program-card crane and that plotter at the end.

Non-commercial plug: for anyone else into the 1970s-1980s sets, I have a Facebook group called "Square Pistons". :) https://www.facebook.com/groups/squarepistons

[Toastie]

@evank Well, then here we go ...

Born '62, my first LEGO set was #323 - the push along train (I still have). No Technic sets for me until entering my dark ages in the late 1970's - resurfaced from that period in 1996 and "found" #8485 (Control Center II) dead cheap on sale. But for me, the best Technic set of all time is #9719 (LEGO Mindstorms Robotics Invention System 1.0). It changed everything in my LEGO world.

Best,
Thorsten   

[TechnicMOCer]

Definitely Mercedes-Benz Arocs 3245 (42043). A lot of functions, great appearance (even though cab is too long and whole truck should be 19-wide (excluding cab)) and great memories with nostalgia from TV's advertising about it.

[Fuzzock]

8860 - Car Chassis - No set will ever be able to beat my childhood memories of being brought that set one cold (And I would like to think) snowy Scottish Christmas.

8448 - Super Street Sensation - A set that not only brought me out of my time in the wilderness away from Lego, but also introduced me to why studless Lego was the way forward. Also every time I rebuild it I get to choose which version I want to build!

42056 - Porsche 911 GT3 RS - Whilst it could be considered the weakest of the modern surge of 1:8th cars, I still think this is my favourite. Not just for the door that it opened for us all, but its overall build quality and style. It may not not have the bodywork style of the later cars, but when it is on display next to all the others it is always by far my favourite.

3804 - Robotics Invention System - Sue me ok!  As the 8448 brought me back to Technic, 3804 brought me into Mindstorms (Enough that it was even part of my masters degree!!)  It was always on my plans to return to Mindstorms at some point so the announcement to discontinue it a couple of years ago still feels like a stab to the heart 2 years later. But planning to return is not returning so maybe I must take part of the blame. 

Ian...

[Jay Psi]

8110 - At the time, the Unimog was exactly the distraction I needed, with what was then (to me) a complicated build and the outstanding play value; the pneumatics blew me away and brought me back into Technic.

42009 - This was the set that truly brought me out of the dark ages. From its then leading part count, to the expansive drivetrain and power distribution, right through to Jurgen's Ultimate 42009, which I still believe pushed PF to its practical limits.

[Timewhatistime]

Besides some sets that have personal relevance for me (childhood, return after dark ages etc.), I'd like to nominate the

8069 (wheel loader with backhoe)

because of the density of functions in this mid-priced set. The building process ist interesting, the playability is great, everywhere you can turn a crank or a gear for plenty of functions.

[Another Brick in the World]

For me it would have to be 42110 Land Rover defender. This may be considered as a somewhat controversial pick, but I chose it because it was for me one of the last "true" technic sets, with a gearbox, 4x4 drive, suspension and steering. Not to mention it was one of the sets that brought me from my dark ages, a couple of years ago.

Still, I also like some older ones, like the 8860, as it was pretty much the first supercar (besides 853), and also the first one with a differential. Overall a very nice set in spite the somewhat crude looks.

[TeamThrifty]

On 3/1/2024 at 6:28 PM, evank said:

8888 Idea Book,

[Lipko]

Interesting that there's only one mentioning of 8110 Unimog. It was by far the most desired set for me as an adult, it basically has the function of AROCS (or whatever the order of the letters), but I didn't quite like the latter. I know everyone loves it, but the whole chassis felt soft and the chassis looked a bit messy for me. The 8110 worked and looked awesome probably because the real Unimog also looks kind of toyish, and I prefer Lego models with a bit of toyish looks. It was also a very good parts pack with the wheels.

8109 Flatbed truck and 8396 helicopter were also very good sets. I admit I haven't bough a set since at least 6 years.

 

Edited April 18, 2024 by Lipko

[Alex Ilea]

It's a tie for me, 9398 for the playability, 42069 because it is just awesome, Sian was also incredibly good. Can't really pick only one.

[tonych]

I like 42115 Lamborghini Sian. I think that's the better ultima set for MOCs: I built from it five different MOCs (yes, my own, not purchased instruction).

[anyUser]

Currently this would have to be 42079, 42108, and 42112. All of them weren't perfect in my opinion:

42079

- insufficent lifting height
- steering not from top of cabin (as usual)
> this set is quite easily mod-able because it has some sort of modular structure.

42108

- The carrier might be stable but the steering and outriggers are really (really) bad.

- The superstructure ist light = very basic and clear. It comes with the long version of linear actuator.

42112

- Again the steering angle of the truck is huge.

- The drum is turning in the wrong direction when the truck is pushed in backward direction.

- The truck is missing a funnel to (re)fill the drum.

For these three sets I spent the most time trying to improve the functions of the the stock version.

 

On the other side I consider Tractor 851 as the set with best functions:

- sleek steering setup

- PTO-like transmission to - even different - attachments

- excellent working lifting mechanism of tools done by a lever

- good looking (from available parts at that time)

[Jobo]

I cannot give you the exact names so forgive me.

1. The spider type robots from the COMPETITION theme in the 90s. I never owned this set, but whenever I looked at the pictures in the catalogue I always thought it was so cool that the designers had managed to make a spider like movement using technic. I'm pretty sure in reality, it was nothing of the sort (I think it just vibrated), but a kid's imagination is oft to get carried away.

 

2. The Submarine set from the 90s. Was mostly yellow, featured a blue air tank, a full sized Technic fig, pneumatics and a CD. I'm not sure why Ive listed this. Maybe just nostalgia from that CD intro.

 

3. The Robotics Invention Kit (2.0 I believe). When I was a thirteen year old kid, back when the internet didn't exist, this set was my life for about a year. Easily the best Christmas present Ive ever received. I cannot tell you just how many hours of joy this gave me.

[Timorzelorzworz]

On 2/27/2024 at 9:49 PM, Lego Tom said:

1). 42146 Leibherr Crawler Crane 
This is my favorite because of it's features, use/play-ability and easy expansion/modification. Yes, it's pricey - but no one is being forced to purchase it.

I agree with you, this set is love or just hate. The way the App works and interacts with the model is top-notch, showing all the possibilies for Control+ on its limit. I decided to be in love with that set and build my copy again.

[Axadder]

42043 - Mercedes Arocs: so many times mentioned above, and agreed to all the reasons. The only "meh" is the steering system, still seems quite clumsy to me, and the basculant rear suspension, which would have been superb if individual.

8880 - Super Car: it made me come back from my Dark Ages directly into a shopping spree. Due to it, nowadays I own three of them. Superb design, mechanisms, parts and playability. The only "meh" is that I have no more white rims, but yellowish ones.

8862 - Backhoe loader: not only the A model, which gave me lots of playing and building hours, but also the B model is a true set by its own. The first set with pneumatic for me, it was mesmerizing to watch the cylinders going up and down.

8835 - Forklift: it was just my first Technic model, a ton of nostalgia on it.

[aeh5040]

On 4/20/2024 at 10:17 AM, anyUser said:

I consider Tractor 851 as the set with best functions:- 

For me even the excitement of owning *four* 40t gears was almost too much at the time! 

[msk6003]

For me, 42145 Airbus H175 is best to me. It has lots of gears, levers, and good detail.

[2GodBDGlory]

17 minutes ago, msk6003 said:

For me, 42145 Airbus H175 is best to me. It has lots of gears, levers, and good detail.

That is a very good set! I recently acquired it, and it has excellent complexity in both flight control linkages, and in the transmission.

Recently I've been studying helicopter aerodynamics in college, though, and discovered a somewhat significant flaw in the cyclic pitch mechanism. In the Lego design, you pull the stick forward, tilting the swashplate forward, and increasing the pitch on the rear rotor blade. This makes a lot of sense--you'd think that increasing pitch in the rear of the helicopter would result in tilting forward. However, real-life helicopters have to compensate for gyroscopic precession (https://www.copters.com/aero/gyro.html), which essentially means that in order to make the rear of the helicopter lift, you actually have to increase pitch on the blade on the left (for CCW-rotating systems) in order for the increased lift to actually come into effect 90 degrees later. So, for a 5-bladed rotor system like the Airbus's, the swashplate should actually be tilting at a different angle than the control stick. (Two-bladed rotors can just offset the pitch linkage mounting points by 90 degrees) I can understand Lego not including it, since it's counterintuitive and might just confuse rather than educate audiences, and because it would be more complicated to implement, but I thought it was interesting that it was unrealistic in that way.

[Plumber]

You never forget your first time :-)

Gotta be 850 (950) I opened on my seventh birthday, life changing.  Have your clunky Meccano back dad and I no longer cared that my lil' bruv had chewed all the lugs on my Fischer Technik this was the future and the future was bright. (Yellow)

853 the following year just confirmed the delight and provided enough parts to fuel my imagination for years of MOCing until was old enough for paper round to finance more 'Technical Lego' (8846 tow truck deserves honourable mention for a small set PACKED  with functions)

The 8888 ideas book was almost as exciting as a new set, I remember delighting my Grandmother during her final months in hospital with the walking, nodding dog (she was the source of the birthday largess!) 

The truck suspension with springs from a pin, three 3651 axle and pin connectors and a no 6 axle made good use of the elastic bands from my hated orthodontic braces and still demonstrate how ingenuity gives so much more satisfaction than single use parts.

And the programmable crane and pen trace shows just why Lego is best enjoyed without a smart phone!  Am I showing my age??

[lcvisser]

8868 Air Tech Claw Rig. I loved the main model, it’s very much an ancestor of the Arocs (which I like a lot too). The B-model however just blew my mind. Couldn’t wrap my head around it as a kid. If definitely got me hooked on Technic. 

[Carsten Svendsen]

8482 and 8450 - Cybermaster and the expansion, The Mission

I got 8482 Cybermaster as a christmas present, and oh boy did I use that set a lot. The case it comes in was awesome, and the playability was through the roof with the PC game.

The instructions were super clear and it was just so fun to play with.
Then I got the 8450 The Mission set a year later I think, and it added a lot of playability as well. 
I think these sets are the only ones that I've *actually* played with, and not just built to take apart again. It was a blast.
These days, you'd need to get the serial ports up and running for it to work, and the operating system must be Win98 maximum. XP could be tricky to get to work. And forget about a VM, that will never work. 

So I'm basically never seeing the real value of these sets ever again, realistically. You can still access the building instructions and cutscenes, as they are .MOV files on the CD-roms. But it itsn't the same without the interaction.

[Toastie]

@Carsten Svendsen

oh, I can see that so clearly; the Cybermaster PBrick, even without all the bricks and builds, is a true blast! And Technic Gold.

I never had any Cybermaster sets back then, but recently got hold of a couple of CM PBricks and RF towers; they sell for next to nothing on BL, which I do not understand. Well, actually I speculate that these $5 prices are caused by the often faulty motors, where the disk magnets inside were corroding; the same issue some 9V Technic motors had, even with Chromium plated magnet surfaces. I bought about 8 CM units and could assemble two fully working PBricks. Changing the motors is, due to the wonderfully designed circuit board, really easy. And on each faulty unit, you still have the third motor output (9V 2x2) working!

Now, with regard to VMs, serial ports, and so on: If you want to program these beauties, just install the BricxCC suite on any modern (Win11, 64 bit - works) computer, get an USB2Serial adapter, plug that in, run device manager, find the COM port number of that adapter, edit the address to < COM 8 (if necessary, simply move anything modern occupying the low COM port address space to port numbers > 8), run BricxCC, choose CM, choose the COM port of your adapter and then program, remotely control, monitor ... your CM PBrick.

It is really cool - and does not need any line of sight. I have so much fun with these!

All the best,
Thorsten