9398 - Lego Technic 4x4 Crawler

[nicjasno]

The new parts are welcome, but i've seen MOC crawlers by other people on brickshelf, that are much better than this.

[DLuders]

The prices for the 9398 set are coming down on some of the German sources. If you wanted to pre-order one and get it at the end of July, here is a possibility (in English)....

Edited July 1, 2012 by DLuders

[davidmull]

The new parts are welcome, but i've seen MOC crawlers by other people on brickshelf, that are much better than this.

I haven't ! This looks great and look authentic , Lego do a great job, mocs always look like mocs plain and simple.

[jorgeopesi]

I haven't ! This looks great and look authentic , Lego do a great job, mocs always look like mocs plain and simple.

MOCs are more authentic, realistic and complicated, but it depends what MOCs you are seeing... Look for Sheepo, Sariel, Niko72, Designer Han MOCs and many more others and tell me that LEGO build better ones, sure LEGO could built them but it doesn´t be a big business because of high prices.

[allanp]

TBH, the chassis of the "crawler" also looks like it came straight out of a MOC, plain and simple!

[davidmull]

TBH, the chassis of the "crawler" also looks like it came straight out of a MOC, plain and simple!

I get the impression u don't like this model?..

[nicjasno]

I get the impression u don't like this model?..

Neither do i. When i first saw it i thought this is a bad unimog based moc.

[allanp]

I have mixed feelings on it. I'm very glad for the new servos, i've been asking for them for a long time and now they are here it's great and I am very greatful! However the model itself is just too inauthentic mechanicly. Whoever heard of a 4x4 like this having an engine mounted inside the axle itself. The motors should be under the hood (we could have also had a fake engine). And because of this the axles are huge, almost the same diameter of the tyre, and so the rolling chassis neither works or looks authentic (also for the poor geometry pointed out by nicjasno. At least in the unimog it was mechnicily similar to real life). The body looks cool but also like nothing special and too busy. A set like 8880 just gave you all the lines of a supercar and so there was nothing to destract your eye from the beautifully sculpted lines (impressively done with just studded beams and hinge plates). In 9398 however your eyes are drawn all over the place. The seats look like child booster seats and again no working steering wheel (a flip up body is no excuse ). I've said this before but when I look at sets like 8880 and 8480 I really do get the feeling that the designers are not given as much time as they used to get to design these sets, and so i'm not blaming the designers, it's higher up I think.

[nicjasno]

I have mixed feelings on it. I'm very glad for the new servos, i've been asking for them for a long time and now they are here it's great and I am very greatful! However the model itself is just too inauthentic mechanicly. Whoever heard of a 4x4 like this having an engine mounted inside the axle itself. The motors should be under the hood (we could have also had a fake engine). And because of this the axles are huge, almost the same diameter of the tyre, and so the rolling chassis neither works or looks authentic (also for the poor geometry pointed out by nicjasno. At least in the unimog it was mechnicily similar to real life). The body looks cool but also like nothing special and too busy. A set like 8880 just gave you all the lines of a supercar and so there was nothing to destract your eye from the beautifully sculpted lines (impressively done with just studded beams and hinge plates). In 9398 however your eyes are drawn all over the place. The seats look like child booster seats and again no working steering wheel (a flip up body is no excuse ). I've said this before but when I look at sets like 8880 and 8480 I really do get the feeling that the designers are not given as much time as they used to get to design these sets, and so i'm not blaming the designers, it's higher up I think.

That and the fact that i have seen some MOC crawlers that are much much more impressive than this and probably work much better as crawlers.

[dhc6twinotter]

EDIT: Sorry, posted in the wrong thread.

Edited July 1, 2012 by dhc6twinotter

[Anio]

From The Scooter Guy's Flickr photostream, there are these images showing how the "flip-up" body shell can be easily removed and replaced with your own (custom) body shell. This is similar to the Lexan body shells that are sold for RC Monster Trucks -- you can easily change the "look" of your model by simply exchanging the shell:

[...]

It is kind surprising how some people think that other people's photos are theirs...

Well. That's not a big deal.

edit : of course, I am not saying this for you, David. ;)

Edited July 1, 2012 by Anio

[mrklaw]

I have mixed feelings on it. I'm very glad for the new servos, i've been asking for them for a long time and now they are here it's great and I am very greatful! However the model itself is just too inauthentic mechanicly. Whoever heard of a 4x4 like this having an engine mounted inside the axle itself. The motors should be under the hood (we could have also had a fake engine). And because of this the axles are huge, almost the same diameter of the tyre, and so the rolling chassis neither works or looks authentic (also for the poor geometry pointed out by nicjasno. At least in the unimog it was mechnicily similar to real life). The body looks cool but also like nothing special and too busy. A set like 8880 just gave you all the lines of a supercar and so there was nothing to destract your eye from the beautifully sculpted lines (impressively done with just studded beams and hinge plates). In 9398 however your eyes are drawn all over the place. The seats look like child booster seats and again no working steering wheel (a flip up body is no excuse ). I've said this before but when I look at sets like 8880 and 8480 I really do get the feeling that the designers are not given as much time as they used to get to design these sets, and so i'm not blaming the designers, it's higher up I think.

It's a crawler. I'm happy to see a motor on axle approach,that *is* authentic to the model crawlers they are trying to replicate in Lego. Likewise with the body - the way it unhooks to give easy access to the battery box, and the B model basically being a replacement shell again suggests they are looking at RC models rather than real cars for inspiration. It isn't trying to be a real car, so doesnt need an engine under the hood.

[bricky300]

I have made an vimeo video on me building the Crawler.

Feel free to watch it:

[Tacker]

Cant say i like it. But ill buy it for the parts and motors like a lot of ppl will

[davidmull]

Cant say i like it. But ill buy it for the parts and motors like a lot of ppl will

I can't see people's problem? This is a great set and Lego went way beyond anyone's expectations, conchas and blakbird were overly impressed with this set and that speaks for itself,after all there two of the best lads to go by so I'm happy there happy :)

[Zerobricks]

I can't see people's problem? This is a great set and Lego went way beyond anyone's expectations, conchas and blakbird were overly impressed with this set and that speaks for itself,after all there two of the best lads to go by so I'm happy there happy :)

Totally agree, I also dunno are some people really that narrow-minded or just trolling...

[kieran]

Yep said it before will say it again, looks good to me, on the list for this year. only issue I can see is the controller, I would like to see a popper PF remote for this type of model, pistol grip or traditional up down left right both stocks with proportional control.

[allanp]

Totally agree, I also dunno are some people really that narrow-minded or just trolling...

So what are you saying? If someone disagrees with your opinion on what's good or bad they are either narrow minded or just trolling? Sounds kinda narrow minded to me

I don't like it. That does not mean I have to have a problem with people who disagree with me because I don't, so lets keep it friendly shall we?

Edited July 2, 2012 by allanp

[destructor]

[...] only issue I can see is the controller, I would like to see a popper PF remote for this type of model, pistol grip or traditional up down left right both stocks with proportional control.

Sounds like a little DIY project. Already thought about something like this, since I don't have a speed control remote, which may be nice in some situations...

Maybe something configurable to either send absolute speed commands or relative increment/decrement steps like the speed remote.

Since the PF protocol is open source it shouldn't be that much of a problem. Just some (a lot of?) time and a bit of hardware hacking/programming, ...

[5150 Lego]

I can't see people's problem? This is a great set and Lego went way beyond anyone's expectations, conchas and blakbird were overly impressed with this set and that speaks for itself,after all there two of the best lads to go by so I'm happy there happy :)

Couple things..

First, your right that Blackbird and Conchas are good people and provide good insight when it comes to many of the lego sets we love.

That being said, while there good pople, there not the hands down final say when it comes to LEGO and the products acceptance among the general population. If someone doesn't like the set for whatever reason then thats there proagative. I don't need someone else to provide my opinion for me. I'll view the material and decide on my own based on my needs, wants and expecations.

Totally agree, I also dunno are some people really that narrow-minded or just trolling...

A really grow tired of this type of attitude. Just because someone doesn't agree with the masses they just must be trolling. That to me is far more ignorant and narrow minded than disagreeing with someones opinion.

@allanp,

I too would have liked to see the motors in the traditional "under hood" position instead of the axles. I agree that it isn't as realistic and does look a bit odd and bulky. BUt i do understand the reasoning for doing so. Technic axles universal joints aren't very strong and my guess is driving all 4 tires would have caused them to snap under serious load. Yes, they could have geared down even more than they already have to compensate, but that would have made the model much slower.

One needs to remember that while we all love LEGO, at time it does have its limitations. Maybe one day we'll see some metal universal joints for speacail models like this down the line.

[Meatman]

The new parts are welcome, but i've seen MOC crawlers by other people on brickshelf, that are much better than this.

Yes, but are they built as practical as the 9398?

[Crtlego]

From what I have seen in the 9398's design and use, Lego has done an extremely nice job with this set. Regardless of how it resembles or doesn't resemble real-life machines, it performs extremely well -its axle is one of the most reinforced and braced I have ever seen, it has decent travel with its suspension, it has a "colorful" and removable body that protects the receiver, sturdy chassis that keeps battery removal in mind, and, most importantly, it can actually drive!! and its fast at it too!!! Additionally, it gave us the L-Motor and the Servo-Motor -two pieces that will change MOCs forever! I'm probably not going to have the pleasure of using or building one of these Crawlers myself because of its high cost but I plan on buying a couple of these new motors as soon as they are made available to me.

[Meatman]

I can't see people's problem? This is a great set and Lego went way beyond anyone's expectations, conchas and blakbird were overly impressed with this set and that speaks for itself,after all there two of the best lads to go by so I'm happy there happy :)

I agree, I can't believe that people are complaining about this. Obviously everyone thinks that they can build a better model. This is pretty darn impressive for having such a low part count.

[Blakbird]

First, your right that Blackbird and Conchas are good people and provide good insight when it comes to many of the lego sets we love.

That being said, while there good pople, there not the hands down final say when it comes to LEGO and the products acceptance among the general population. If someone doesn't like the set for whatever reason then thats there proagative. I don't need someone else to provide my opinion for me. I'll view the material and decide on my own based on my needs, wants and expecations.

A really grow tired of this type of attitude. Just because someone doesn't agree with the masses they just must be trolling. That to me is far more ignorant and narrow minded than disagreeing with someones opinion.

I agree with this. Reviews, like everything else posted on this site, are just opinions and everyone's opinions can legitimately differ because different people value different things. When I write a review, I try to not only offer my opinion but also the reason for my opinion. This gives people the information they need to form their own. Not only do I not have any problem with someone disagreeing with my opinion, but I actually like to hear what factors make someone think differently.

I think the only time it devolves into trolling is when someone just says something like "I don't like it" with no information. OK, why don't you like it? With nothing to back up the opinion it doesn't mean anything and only results in people arguing about the relative substance of nothing. Like just happened in this thread!

[Paul Boratko]

From what I've seen this set definitely looks like it is a step in the right direction... I am sure people will be modding it to no end... I just can't wait to watch my wife build it... I actually get more excitement watching her build than if I build something myself... I am also looking forward to chasing the dog around the house with it...