Review: 8262 Quad Bike

[Blakbird]

Headed down to my local TRU at lunch time today and was pleasantly surprised to find 4 of the 6 new 1H2009 Technic sets, no naturally I had to pick them up. This one was $39.99 USD. I'll be writing reviews on all of them in the next couple of days.

The packaging:

8262 has 308 pieces and comes in a sizable box. The images below show the front and the back.

The instructions were in good shape. Full instructions are included for both the primary and secondary model, in separate booklets. I have not built the second model but it looks verey good.

The new parts:

This set includes one of the new bley 9L axles, and 4 of the new fenders. The rear fenders are symmetric (not handed), so both sides are the same parts. The front fenders are mirror images. This means there are really 3 new fender parts here. The new fenders do not seem to be ABS, but some sort of softer plastic. They are quite maleable. These may be some of the same Chinese made parts as the PF battery box.

The tires are in the same family as those in the recent 8284 Tractor, 8274 Combine, 8295 Telehandler, and 8297 4x4, but are smaller. Taking a quick look through my collection, I don't see any others in this size (68.7x34). The tires have a 2008 copyright molded into them. Some older sets like the 8437 Future Car have the same size tire, but with a different tread pattern and made of the old rubber material instead of the newer plastic. The wheel style has been in use a long time but I'm not sure I've seen this diameter (34) before. Not sure why they make a new one when they have a 38 already.

The model:

Here are a couple of isometric shots of the completed model. It is quite good looking with a lot of attention to detail. Some of the aesthetic appeal comes from the stickers. LEGO stickers, especially in white, have been pretty poor quality over the years, so we'll see how these hold up. There is a huge amount of SNOT here. The only studs in the whole model are on the seat, and there are virtually no right angles.

The features:

These shots of the top and bottom show the basic layout. From the bottom you can see that one rear wheel is geared to the 2 cylinder engine. No 4WD here, despite the name. It would have been difficult to integrate into this bike, but it's possible, especially if yo didn't use a differential in front.

Here you can see the front suspension which uses 4 A-arms with ball joints at the ends and independent shocks. Motion and spring rate are good. You can also see the front bumper and fairing which are only attached at the very bottom and cantilevered upward. I wouldn't recommend using the bumper to run into a rock.

From this angle you can see the steering. The travel is very small since it is directly slaved to the handle bars and not geared. A 2L crank arm provides the motion through a pair of tie rods.

The rear suspension uses a central monoshock with a (almost) trailing arm. The engine is actually attached to the lower rear frame and the whole thing pivots around the upper seat frame.

The verdict:

The final result is a very nice model, and a great source of those rare white Technic parts. The completed set is much larger than I expected, as you can see by comparison to a couple of the older quad bikes.

"It is so choice. If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up."

The music:

I constructed this model whilst listening to Metallica's "Master of Puppets". It allowed me the perfect blend of a zen-like vegetative state while at the same time preventing any chance of me falling asleep. It's possible that this could be built while listening to something else, but I wouldn't recommend it. Stick with what works.

In conclusion, I'm pretty happy with LEGO's efforts on the models so far this year. This is a fine model which I'd recommend to anyone new to Technic, or a die-hard collector. I consider myself qualified to make such a determination since I have all of the other Technic sets! My only complaint would be that I'm not thrilled about the direction of going to larger and larger specialized parts like the fenders here and the panels in the new dump truck. This seems to have started with the panels in 8448. They look nice, but I'd rather see the effects built up from a larger number of smaller parts. Shows more versatility and creativity. But I'm sure there will be those who disagree.

Edited June 6, 2012 by Blakbird

[Conchas]

Hi Eric,

Yes, I'm one of those who disagree. I like the possibilities brought by the panels and the nice looking they confer to the TECHNIC models, without sacrifice from the mechanics in the model core.

Great review, as usual from you!!!

I was expecting to review also this model at TBs (probably the only one from 1H2009), now maybe I have to reconsider that.

[TechnicJuan]

I got this set last week from Toy-R-Us online for 29.99(Yes they made a mistake when they started selling them, it should have been 39.99)

It would have been nice if they used a new differential box in the rear rather than just one wheel driving the engine. The other wheel is a dummy even though it looks like it is connected. This model does look great though, but a few added pieces could have made even better. I also do not like that the engine moves when the rear suspension moves.

Also, the B-Model of this set is terrible. The rear steering barely turns to the point of being a joke. There is much potential here for a great alternate set, but we did not get it.

[cagri]

Nice review, thank you! I like the panels very much, I hope they come in red and black as well. By the way, are those tires available in any other set?

[Blakbird]

Nice review, thank you! I like the panels very much, I hope they come in red and black as well. By the way, are those tires available in any other set?

I checked all my other sets pretty carefully and I can't see these tires anywhere else. So I guess they are new!

[CP5670]

Good overview, although at $40 it's on the expensive side given what it does. I guess the prices of Lego sets in general have gone up for 2009. Are the tires made of the hard, rough plastic used on space and Mars Mission wheels? They look large enough to be the rubber/air filled type, but you referred to some sort of plastic.

I like the big panels and can see many uses for them, although I'm not a fan of the exclusively studless style that TLG has adopted in the last several years.

Looking forward to your other reviews as well, especially the dump truck if you happened to get that set.

[Blakbird]

Good overview, although at $40 it's on the expensive side given what it does. I guess the prices of Lego sets in general have gone up for 2009. Are the tires made of the hard, rough plastic used on space and Mars Mission wheels? They look large enough to be the rubber/air filled type, but you referred to some sort of plastic.

They are kind of like rubber, but kind of not. They are the same material as the balloon tires on the other recent sets including the telescopic handler. Not rigid, but not as soft as the old balloon tires.

Looking forward to your other reviews as well, especially the dump truck if you happened to get that set.

I did indeed! I am building it right now.

[CP5670]

They are kind of like rubber, but kind of not. They are the same material as the balloon tires on the other recent sets including the telescopic handler. Not rigid, but not as soft as the old balloon tires.

The recent sets I have all happen to be tracked, but I think I know what you're talking about. The 8455 Backhoe's rear wheels also used something like this. The stuff feels rougher and lower quality than the usual material.

Edited December 25, 2008 by CP5670

[5150 Lego]

Is there any way to get a close up pic of the tires? Are the treads the same as previous sets like in 4404?

[Blakbird]

Is there any way to get a close up pic of the tires? Are the treads the same as previous sets like in 4404?

I don't have 4404, but these have the same "off road" tread as Technic balloon tires have for years. Same tread as these. Not the same as these which appear to be in 4404.

[Siegfried]

Thanks for the review! This looks like a must buy... but considering the price it'll have to be on sale.

[Lasse D]

Thank you for the review.

Seeing how you compare the models, and how many you seem to have, will it be possible to make you compare it to the secondary model of 8858 Rebel Wrecker?

It is quite similar, but sports a differential as well.

[Blakbird]

Seeing how you compare the models, and how many you seem to have, will it be possible to make you compare it to the secondary model of 8858 Rebel Wrecker?

If you want to see how it compares to other similar models, look here. I don't have many secondary models listed there yet and I have not built the 8858 alternate. Based on the tire size, I think they would be similar.