Best Ideas or Concepts in Technic or Model Team

[Kumbbl]

Hi all,

i'm wondering what is your opinion about the most ingenious solution in an official lego technic set a Technic Lego set or MOC?

I will start with one:

The nifty door opening/locking-solution of the 4x4 off-roader 8466 is IMHO truely ingenious - i mean the meachnism which is based on pushing/releasing this cute little part:

which in turn locks or releases the car-door...

With one word: astonishing - the designer should be proud of this solution.

[Alasdair Ryan]

I like the design of the grab on the 42006 excavator,it is a very simple but effective design.

[Blakbird]

The 8232 helicopter has a really cool ratcheting system to allow you to swoosh it and continually drive the rotors with one hand. Very well done.

The way 8421 pays out the cable as the boom is being extended is really well done, especially since you can also decouple them and drive the cable drum separately as well.

The linkages to lift the buckets of both 8292 and 8289 are fantastic.

The way the forks on 8416 are cable driven to move twice the distance of the boom is really cool.

The gripper on the front of 8479 is great. Using only a single rotating axle, it both grips the tire and then lifts it in sequence.

If you have never looked at the suspension of 8428, you are missing out. It has two different ride heights which can be accessed by flipping a linkage over center. It both cases the linkage is locked and uses the same shocks. So cool.

My favorite of all though, is the 856 bulldozer from 1979. The way it keeps the bucket level when raising but also automatically lifts it when lowering the boom using only rack gears is incredible. Hard to appreciate how awesome it is unless you try it.

[Anio]

8109, you forgot 8109.

Definitely not my favorite model. But defnitely the model that impressed me the most in the past 10 years.

I would never have expected this model to be that innovative !

[Zerobricks]

The 8232 helicopter has a really cool ratcheting system to allow you to swoosh it and continually drive the rotors with one hand. Very well done.

The way 8421 pays out the cable as the boom is being extended is really well done, especially since you can also decouple them and drive the cable drum separately as well.

The linkages to lift the buckets of both 8292 and 8289 are fantastic.

The way the forks on 8416 are cable driven to move twice the distance of the boom is really cool.

The gripper on the front of 8479 is great. Using only a single rotating axle, it both grips the tire and then lifts it in sequence.

If you have never looked at the suspension of 8428, you are missing out. It has two different ride heights which can be accessed by flipping a linkage over center. It both cases the linkage is locked and uses the same shocks. So cool.

My favorite of all though, is the 852 bulldozer from 1979. The way it keeps the bucket level when raising but also automatically lifts it when lowering the boom using only rack gears is incredible. Hard to appreciate how awesome it is unless you try it.

852? You sure?

[Kronos]

If you have never looked at the suspension of 8428, you are missing out. It has two different ride heights which can be accessed by flipping a linkage over center. It both cases the linkage is locked and uses the same shocks. So cool.

This is the first "car" i bought after my dark ages. I have to agree, very impressive. So cool, so true.

[Balrog]

852? You sure?

951 probaby.

[The_Skirrid]

Yeah, he meant 951, AKA 856 for Europe.

[Chilly]

The opening and closing of the jaws in the pick'n'place robot of 8094, and the last model of that set, not sure what to call it, but it also has a clever feature that changes when you reverse the motor.

And the cable car reverse function from the Ideas book 8891. I can sit and watch it reverse itself all-day-long.

[D3K]

From the olden days, I would like to mention the slewing function of the 8868 Air Tech Claw Rig, and the front loader on the 8862 Backhoe Grader.

From the later years, I must adree with the 8109! The lowering rear wheels as the bed is driven back, completely blew me away. Was NOT expecting it, even as I was building it! Also, the towing fork is a really clever design in a minimum of space!

I also liked the adjustable suspension on the 8297! Not extremely innovative, but something unusual and cool!

Also agree with the cable car reverse function you mentioned Chilly!

Edited June 6, 2013 by D3K

[SNIPE]

Come on it has to be the gullwing door spring and latch mechanism on the lego 8448, it uses a small technic pin that isn't even connected to anything but a lever pushes it in which pushes on the spring forcing it out of its 'locking point' and it has a lever to do this , but you have to push the doors shut manually though.

Pretty clever, no specialized parts.

The roof is quite clever too on the 8448 it is also pneumatic and folds up and down but I have no idea how it stays down, its some sort of clasp but un clips when you press down on a button.

The above images are a studless version of how it works but uses basically the same design

Edited June 6, 2013 by SNIPE

[Blakbird]

8109, you forgot 8109.

Doh! I actually meant to list this one but then forgot about it when my list got long. You are absolutely right.

From the later years, I must adree with the 8109! The lowering rear wheels as the bed is driven back, completely blew me away. Was NOT expecting it, even as I was building it! Also, the towing fork is a really clever design in a minimum of space!

Exactly right, I had the same reaction. I figure it would be a simple tilt function, but the "kneeling" was unexpected. The two stage deployment of the tow fork is also clever.

852? You sure?

Sorry, should have been 856.

One more I forgot to mention is the 8052 container truck. I love the way you can switch between dumping and loading.

[dhc6twinotter]

My vote goes to the following:

8868 Air Tech Claw Rig--The pneumatic slew is a unique feature.

852 Helicopter--Probably the most realistic helicopter LEGO has ever built.

8002 Destroyer Droid--This has some pretty interesting unfolding mechanisms.

8480 Space Shuttle--The gearbox operating the different functions was pretty innovative for the time. Much more common now.

8837 Pneumatic Excavator--It's pretty neat how the HOG steering knob also works the slew.

8109 Truck--The lowering suspension was a really nice surprise. The dual action forks were nice as well.

And whatever set that was that used gear racks as a sort of "program" to operate different features of a model. I was unsuccessful in finding the model.

[rener]

I really like the way the handles of 8848 (unimog "avant la lettre") operate the lifting of the bucket in front and tilting of the bed in the rear, both in unusual and (especially for that time) innovative ways.

[Kumbbl]

I really like the way the handles of 8848 (unimog "avant la lettre") operate the lifting of the bucket in front and tilting of the bed in the rear, both in unusual and (especially for that time) innovative ways.

yes, fully agree - very smart selflocking linkage

and i also agree with the linkage of the 856 bulldozer...

One more: the complete mechanics of the forklift of the universal set 8082 - IMHO absolutely incredible cool....

@SNIPE: 8466 uses more or less the same principle for its doors but IMHO with a even more elaborated linkage...

[Erik Leppen]

The outriggers of 8460. Simple but elegant.

Edit: Lovely topic, by the way :)

Edited June 7, 2013 by Erik Leppen

[Kumbbl]

One more: The gearbox of the 8880 supercar - even though only 4 speed it has by far far far the best gear changer - all gearboxes in the style of 8448 are somehow clumsy to switch... the 8880 allows gear switching nearly as with a real car... very smart solution

[chorlton]

Another vote for 8109. Also agree about it being a surprise.

I tried to explain to my girlfriend how clever it was but she seemed less impressed.

[bord4kop]

Gullwing doors plus the way it 's made so sturdy on the 8446 8466 (Big Wheeled Offroader)

The tilt/unhook feature on the 8052 (little container truck)

the 3 motors and 6 functions, and the way it all fits together, on the 8043 (Motorized Excavator)

(My favorite set of all time)

The folding crane on the 8258 (truck) although it 's too fidlly to actually do something with it

(i can only remark on the set I actually own)

Edited June 7, 2013 by bord4kop

[Kumbbl]

Gullwing doors plus the way it 's made so sturdy on the 8446 (Big Wheeled Offroader)

you mean 8466 - right?

[LegoGBC]

Not sure if it counts,but the 8043 gearbox and drivetrain is truly ingenious.

Edited June 7, 2013 by LegoGBC

[Chilly]

And whatever set that was that used gear racks as a sort of "program" to operate different features of a model. I was unsuccessful in finding the model.

That was one of the Ideas books - 8888/89/90/91 (I'm on the train and about to run out of battery.......)

One more: The gearbox of the 8880 supercar - even though only 4 speed it has by far far far the best gear changer - all gearboxes in the style of 8448 are somehow clumsy to switch... the 8880 allows gear switching nearly as with a real car... very smart solution

You mean all the others don't use this gear changer. It's so slick why didn't they keep re-using it?

[SNIPE]

You mean all the others don't use this gear changer. It's so slick why didn't they keep re-using it?

It uses a ball joint so instead of pulling down then left then back up you can just go diagonal and there is no slots for it to go into like on the 8448 and that is hard to do with 6 speeds unless theirs a guide plate like on the 8448

Edited June 7, 2013 by SNIPE

[Kumbbl]

You mean all the others don't use this gear changer. It's so slick why didn't they keep re-using it?

probably because they waht to have more speeds than just 4 in the gearboxes an this would be hard with the 8880-ball-"bearing"-stick...s.b.

It uses a ball joint so instead of pulling down then left then back up you can just go diagonal and there is no slots for it to go into like on the 8448 and that is hard to do with 6 speeds unless theirs a guide plate like on the 8448

hmm, no you can not go diagonal - you still have to go left/right then back/forward but because the lever does not slide on an axle but is guided by "ball-bearing" there is no need to twiddle the lever into the correct lane ... but i admit: this very realistic and smart changer would hardly work with more than 4 speeds - at least not with current dimensioned driving rings...

But nevertheless: IMHO a just 4 speed gearbox with the ball-based-stick is more preferable to the 6-speed boxes with this clumsy axle guided stick

well, but our topic here is not named "Gearbox"... ;-)

[Blakbird]

And whatever set that was that used gear racks as a sort of "program" to operate different features of a model. I was unsuccessful in finding the model.

That was a crane model in the 8888 idea book. You can see a picture of it below. It is indeed a marvelous model. 4 motorized, programmable functions all with one little 4.5V motor and no electronics!