Review: 42215 Volvo EC500 Hybrid
Posted by Huw,
Of the five Technic sets that are being released on Friday, 42215 Volvo EC500 Hybrid was the one that caused the most excitement when they were revealed a month or so ago.
However, that initial enthusiasm was quickly dampened once its astronomical price became apparent. Can it really be worth $430?
Summary
42215 Volvo EC500 Hybrid Excavator, 2,359 pieces.
£349.99 / $429.99 / €399.99 | 14.8p/18.2c/17.0c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
This is a good looking and functional model of a common machine, but the price is ridiculous.
- Bears a close resemblance to the real thing
- Functions work well, albeit slowly
- Prohibitively expensive
- Motor does not drive tracks or turntable
- Mechanisms run at a snail's pace
- Annoyingly noisy
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
Parts and stickers
Licenced Technic sets require stickers to add the manufacturer's branding and this one is no different. It also provides symbols to label the vehicle's controls.
Other than a new excavator bucket that is suitably sized for the vehicle, the only other new part is this 3x3 triangular panel which has axle holes on its sides and a pinhole in the corner. Six yellow and six black are used on the model.
The prototype
Used in quarries and mines across the world, the EC500 is one of Volvo's most popular machines of this type. The hybrid version does not contain batteries and electric motors to power the vehicle but instead uses the energy generated by the down motion of the excavator’s boom to supercharge the engine system.
The completed model
I suspect that when the designers approached the model initially they would have had to decide whether to utilise the pneumatic system, whether to make it remote-controlled, or simply battery-powered with a motor and gearbox to switch between functions. Perhaps unfortunately, they chose the latter.
For a model costing £349.99 / $429.99 you might reasonably expect it to be packed full electronics, but that is not the case at all. It contains just one medium motor and a Powered-Up battery box. It therefore compares very unfavourably price-wise with 42100 Liebherr R 9800, which has seven motors and two control boxes in it, but costs just £50/$20 more!
Putting value for money to one side for a moment, the model actually looks pretty good, and remarkably similar to the real thing. The positions of the linear actuators that power the boom are exactly where the hydraulic cylinders on the real one are, which is not always the case.
Furthermore, the livery is quite accurate, thanks to the new triangular panels, and the orange safety rails help make the model pop.
The width across the tracks is about 25 cm, and when the boom is in this mid-position, the model is 60cm long and 40cm high. The exact length and height varies, of course, when the boom is moved. So, it's a good size and has presence on display.
The model has a unique feature among Technic plant models: interchangeable tools. It comes with both a shovel and a hammer attachment that can be swapped easily.
Operation
A door on the side swings open to access a lever attached to the on-off switch on the battery box and flipping it left starts the motor. Unfortunately, because it's coupled to several gears even when the machine is idle, it makes a terrible racket.
The battery box and motor are held in with red pins and the former can be accessed and removed to swap out batteries fairly easily by detaching the panel assembly on the back of the vehicle. This picture was taken during construction.
The motor does not power the tracks, or rotate the body; it only powers the boom, which is controlled from a gearbox on the top of the vehicle.
To select the function to power, the red lever is moved left or right to one of four positions, then up or down, depending on which direction you want the corresponding mechanism to move.
The positions are labelled with diagrams showing which one does what. The far left one tilts the boom, the centre left tilts the shovel, the centre right locks and releases the tool, and the far right one raises and lowers the boom.
All the functions work well but with one significant caveat: everything operates at a snail's pace! It takes an age to raise on lower the boom and I quickly got bored waiting for things to happen. The slow speed can be explained by the use of linear actuators which take many rotations to move from one end to the other. This is not a problem in models that use pneumatics: they can be operated at something approaching a realistic speed.
Several clutches have been placed inline in the drive trains to prevent motor burnout when the linear actuators reach their limits, but despite them the motor still strains before they start to slip.
Here the boom is at its highest position.
And here, fully stretched out. If it were not on a flat table, the bucket could be moved below ground level.
The bucket is attached to the boom much like it would be on the real machine, and it's impressive that the locking and release mechanism is motorised. You can probably work out how it works from the picture below. I suspect it would be extremely difficult to attach the shovel without the 'hand of God', though, but it may well be possible.
The alternative tool locks in place in the same way and the hammer itself is operated by twisting the gear on the side. There's an elastic band and ratchet mechanism inside that 'thumps' the hammer down as you turn it.
The only other 'function' is the opening door on the cab.
Construction
I'm not going to dwell on construction, but it is worth highlighting the gearbox which is built between two stacks of beams. It's both complex and compact, delivering rotational motion from the motor to one of four output axles in either direction.
Verdict
This is a great-looking model of a ubiquitous type of plant. It's not just a pretty model, though: there's plenty of the functionality that Technic aficionados crave, all neatly housed within the realistic bodywork and boom. The complex motorised gearbox powers linear actuators that move the boom pretty much just like the real thing. The motorised tool-changing mechanism is unique among Technic models, and overall it all works well.
Unfortunately, that's where my positivity ends. The motor is so noisy to the point of being very annoying, and I could not wait to switch it off once I'd finished posing the boom for the photos.
That might not bother everyone, of course, but I suspect the speed of operation will. It's so slow it's like watching paint dry. It takes 40 seconds for the linear actuator that bends the boom to move from one extreme to the other. The novelty, and desire to play with it, soon wears off when you have to wait that long while listening to the high-pitched whine of the motor.
Now I must discuss the price. Quite simply, $429.99 / £349.99 / €399.99 is ridiculous for the size and sophistication of the model. I know what little electronics there are in it have inflated the price somewhat, but the battery box and motor cost just £60 / $75 for the pair at LEGO.com, and I am not seeing £280 / $350's worth of value in the rest of it.
Technic seems to be priced to be discounted by the major retailers nowadays, and once it drops by at least 30% it will be worth considering, but until then there is better value to be had in some of the smaller models released this year.
It's a shame, then, that what first appeared to be an appealing model is let down by the choice of technology and its astronomical price. I suspect a pneumatic version would have been so much more fun to play with, and probably cheaper, too.
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47 comments on this article
Incredible pricetag and it's not even RC. I'd like to see it side by side an older, more capable model like 8043. This appears to be a bit larger and the swappable implement feature is interesting but for $430??? Yikes.
Thanks for the review. I am happy with my 8043. Now, I can spend money on other stuff!
When 42055 came out, it was revolutionarily large, and really pushed what a Technic model could be & do. It wasn't even THAT expensive! Yes, it's slow, and finicky, and needs frequent tuning, but it is genuinely different & arresting on display, and, most importantly, kids LOVE playing with it (even if what they enjoy doing is scooping & conveying Minifigure body parts...)
And now THIS thing comes along, with fewer pieces, for much more money, and it doesn't even GO ALONG!!!
42042 was a THIRD of the price and even that managed to travel under its own steam.
"Can it really be worth $430?"
No.
Way too expensive!
Looks good... but I think I'll stick with 42121 Heavy Duty Excavator which cost me £16.69 from Tesco!
Did 42100 have motors to control the turntable and tracks? The fact that this functionality is missing kind of a big let down and lost opportunity on Lego's part.
@Huw's technic reviews are some of my favorite here, even though they are often beyond my capabilities. :o) Excellent review and a fantastic looking model. Too bad about the price and choice to go non-pneumatic.
@shaase said:
"Did 42100 have motors to control the turntable and tracks? The fact that this functionality is missing kind of a big let down and lost opportunity on Lego's part."
It had 7 motors: 3 for the boom, 1 for the bucket, 1 for rotating the upperstructure and 2 for the tracks. And this came with 2 hubs. That was almost €350 worth of electronic parts only.
I have a feeling Lego is getting overpriced because they know normal retailers bring down the prices by 25-30% so Lego just raises the prices by that percentage…
Also 70% of Technic sets these days are licensed.
POS sets like this are the perfect embodiment of everything that's wrong with Technic these days.
I am so glad that I came back into LEGO at a time when Technic was at its peak. 8043 imho is the best Technic set of the "new era", i. e. the Technic beam era. Maybe even the best Technic set ever, only tied with 8880.
Until about 2017 there were so many awesome sets, and none of them had such ridiculous prices.
Technic these days for me means alternate brands like CaDa, period. LEGO has lost me in that theme forever.
Would have been a decent €200 set, and throw in a 30% discount to make it actually attractive. But as it is? No, this is just pure insanity.....
@merman said:
" @shaase said:
"Did 42100 have motors to control the turntable and tracks? The fact that this functionality is missing kind of a big let down and lost opportunity on Lego's part."
It had 7 motors: 3 for the boom, 1 for the bucket, 1 for rotating the upperstructure and 2 for the tracks. And this came with 2 hubs. That was almost €350 worth of electronic parts only.
I have a feeling Lego is getting overpriced because they know normal retailers bring down the prices by 25-30% so Lego just raises the prices by that percentage…
Also 70% of Technic sets these days are licensed. "
Thanks for the info. That confirms this set definitely not worth it. 42100 was $550 CAD (4108 pcs including 9 Power functions), whereas 42215 is $500 CAD (2359 pcs including 2 Power functions). Its only been 3 and half years since 42100 was available. Sadly I prefer the look of 42215 over 42100.
Is this secretly a Star Wars excavator?
At least it is priced as a LSW set. Bonkers.
@merman said:
"Also 70% of Technic sets these days are licensed. "
This made me curious. https://brickset.com/sets/year-2025/theme-Technic 25 Technic sets released in 2025, counting 4 magazine gifts. So 21 mass-market sets. Of that 21, 15 are licensed.
You nailed it. 71.42% of Technic sets are licensed. I'm guessing that plays a major part in the price spikes.
30 sets in 2024, minus another 4 magazine gifts. 20/26, or 76.92%, are licensed.
Is this the same scale as 42114? I've seen a few real life pictures of the EC500 and A60H, so they would go well together if it is.
This absurd initial pricing is likely to capitalize on adults unfamiliar with Lego and its typical pricing to send as gifts, before the inevitable heavy discounts for more typical customers where they sell higher volume but at lower margins. There is a possibility that the market for big technic machinery is so small that they are experimenting with this tactic. Not a good look for the future of technic.
If you have US$430 burning your pockets:
1) Go to Brickset or Lego and get the parts list for 8043
2) Buy all those parts from Lego and/or Bricklink or any other suppliers
3) Build that. (there is also a modified version on the net with 7 motors to control everything independently)
4) Alternatively, you can get a new one from Bricklink for about US$550.
It also has linear actuators and move rather swiftly. Even 42100 moves at an ok-ish speed - which is probably close to the real thing.
Excavators not your thing? Consider 8110, 42043 (really good) or 42128. (Even second-hand they are well worth it)
I don't understand this: the Lego motors can rotate in both direction, why not using that capability instead of doubling the transmission complexity (and friction) to provide both direction with gears.
I had high hopes for this. I was saddened by the obscure one motor choice but I figured the mechanics could still be nice. The slowness of it (a problem that also plagued 42082) just cancelled this set for me. That's fine, my wanted list of other themes is so big anyway! My latest Technic sets are 42181 and 42182 and I'm pleased with them - because Space! :-)
I completely agree Hobbes. In recent years, I’ve picked up a lot of retired sets via bricklink and eBay where they often have very reasonable prices even long after retirement. Most technic sets do not appreciate the same way certain Star Wars sets do. It’s made more sense to fill gaps in my collection rather than chasing the newest thing and overpaying the msrp for it.
As many have pointed out above, this new version isn't fit to even scrape off the dirt and gravel from 8043 's tracks.
8043 remains (IMHO) at the very apex of the Technic range for functionality / price point.
I'm not sure pneumatics would have been the answer as the model is quite big. LEGO Pneumatics struggles with weight. You often end up pumping for a while and then suddenly the thing moves from one extreme of its motion to the other.
They obviously got the gearing wrong on this. I saw RacingBrick's video. He speeds the video up to 10x speed to show the motion, and that looks ok... This year's other Volvo set, 42209, suffers from the same problem. It's not motorised, but you have to turn the wheels on the back an awful lot to move the arm and bucket.
You didn't mention that the tracks don't have the rubber traction studs, so it'll mostly slide on a smooth surface.
It's a shame, I was looking forward to this set.
With only one function running at any time you cannot perform a 'natural' digging motion. This is obvious from 8294 and 8043. I found 42100 much more playable.
I appreciate the gearbox to distribute the power. However, it should be possible to use more than one function at a time. But then you would need a more powerful motor... (which could be a justification for the price?)
HAHAHAHAHA
I looked again at the price.
AHAHAHAHAHAHA
AU$599.99 they want for this here. Thankfully already seeing 20% off at other retailers. So will only get cheaper at some point. It’s a set I want to get eventually but no rush.
Think this is the first time I've read a Brickset review essentially say "wait for discounts".
Kinda ironic that the jackhammer attachment says "LOW NOISE" while the rest of the set makes a racket. :)
Looks great but ridiculous price so will pass.
Now that I think of it: It think part of the ridiculous price can be explained by the fact that this is actually hybrid powered: Electric power for the boom, Human power for everything else! A lot of R&D went into dveloping that Hybrid system!
@Lvl said:
"This absurd initial pricing is likely to capitalize on adults unfamiliar with Lego and its typical pricing to send as gifts, before the inevitable heavy discounts for more typical customers where they sell higher volume but at lower margins."
The problem is that LEGO always has the same margins, no matter how much discount the retailer gives you. Because the discount is swallowed by the retailer and thus by cannibalizing his margins. Plenty of small independent toy stores have gone bust in recent years because they simply couldn't match the discounts offered by the likes of Amazon etc.
LEGO are the last to care about that since they make their profit no matter what.
And their profits are gigantic.
Just look at what you get for far less money from companies like CaDa, who, surprise surprise are not selling at a loss either.
Contrary to what LEGO leads us to believe, electronic components like motors, hubs etc. are dirt cheap and no reason for a set to be particularly expensive. They are not handcrafted by artisans in Denmark, they are mass-produced by the millions in China for literally pennies, yet LEGO wants us to believe they are worth their weight in gold.
@AustinPowers said:
" @Lvl said:
"This absurd initial pricing is likely to capitalize on adults unfamiliar with Lego and its typical pricing to send as gifts, before the inevitable heavy discounts for more typical customers where they sell higher volume but at lower margins."
The problem is that LEGO always has the same margins, no matter how much discount the retailer gives you. Because the discount is swallowed by the retailer and thus by cannibalizing his margins. Plenty of small independent toy stores have gone bust in recent years because they simply couldn't match the discounts offered by the likes of Amazon etc.
LEGO are the last to care about that since they make their profit no matter what.
And their profits are gigantic.
Just look at what you get for far less money from companies like CaDa, who, surprise surprise are not selling at a loss either.
Contrary to what LEGO leads us to believe, electronic components like motors, hubs etc. are dirt cheap and no reason for a set to be particularly expensive. They are not handcrafted by artisans in Denmark, they are mass-produced by the millions in China for literally pennies, yet LEGO wants us to believe they are worth their weight in gold. "
I agree, the actual cost of the ABS and electronics amounts to pennies. Most of what we pay for is the R&D, employee salaries, marketing etc. Not a single set is worth its weight in plastic. That said, there are some extremely well crafted designs that obviously took a lot of time and experimentation, and I think those are still worth buying.
I'm not sure how exactly Lego works their margins but it's likely different rates for the various vendors like amazon, walmart etc where they sell huge quantities at heavy (probably 50%+) discounts. Like you said, there is no way a mom and pop store could match those prices and stay afloat. I'm sure Lego would rather sell through their own online store at full retail but unfortunately they don't release sales figures, it would be interesting to compare to a vendor like amazon where we can see the number of units a set sold in the last month.
The Worst Flagship since 42070.
Even if I had the space and it were much cheaper, I wouldn't be buying this set, but I do like the swappable tools.
@Alemas said:"Kinda ironic that the jackhammer attachment says "LOW NOISE" while the rest of the set makes a racket. :)"
But the jackhammer isn't powered by the motor, so that part, at least, is low noise.
@chefkaspa said:
"With only one function running at any time you cannot perform a 'natural' digging motion. This is obvious from 8294 and 8043 . I found 42100 much more playable.
I appreciate the gearbox to distribute the power. However, it should be possible to use more than one function at a time. But then you would need a more powerful motor... (which could be a justification for the price?)"
You can do a real motion digging with 8043 . 8043 has 4 motors, 3 that activate parts of the model and one that switch between the two modes. In mode 1 you have control of the two tracks and the turret swivel. In mode 2 you have control of the boom, the arm and the shovel - so technically, you can move all 3 at once and do a complex digging motion - I am not quite sure if all segments move at a synchronized speed to make this realistic but it can be done.
I know that in mode 1, you can make the tracks go in opposite direction (hence turning around) and then at the same time making the turret turn on the opposite side thus keeping the boom at the same spot while having the base spinning around - it's neat!
I arbitrarily chose mode 1 and 2 (they are just 2 sets of three simultaneous functions). You can invert them if it suits your tastes better!
@deetwenty : absolutely agree, which is why I said that 8043 might be one of the best Technic sets ever. And even adjusted for inflation it didn't cost nearly as much as this new set that offers so much less. But hey, this new one comes with some stickers to pretend it's a Volvo! That has to be worth a ton because it offers so much extra value, doesn't it? *rolleyes*
No, LEGO, a smegging sticker sheet doesn't offer anything but a slap in your customers' faces!
Lose the license, return to offering B-models, and pass the savings on to the buyers!
Not interested in doing so?
No problem, plenty of other manufacturers these days offer awesome Technic sets like you did in the past. And they ask far less money for them too. See where I'm going with this?
Since competition brands offer so much more value for the price, every new release of technic set is just confirming that buying from lego now is a waste of money. Subpar products with heavily inflated prices, no thank you.
Another problem with this set is that it seems a bit redundant, given that we had a Volvo excavator recently in 42175.
@deetwenty said:
"
LEGO is on their way down. Yes, they make juicy profits but they are cannibalizing their customer base. Once these dry off and go to other brands LEGO will plummet hard and the lost customers also will not come back.
Why should they?
There is nothing left that made LEGO great: no B/C/D-models, no ideas on the box, no lighting, no sound, horrendous prices, pretty bad part quality, no imagination, much too complex builds for what they do and so on.
Why would anyone come back?"
Excellent comment. I have completely checked out of Lego Technic. The sets lack any soul, they are meant as showpieces and not toys and the prices are just absurd. I am genuinely curious who buys this BS because Lego keep churning them out.
It looks like they went on the same tour as the 42131 cat bulldozer, with the improvement that you can select the function yourself instead of have the app instruct a second motor to switch between functions.
I'll pick the set up someday when there is a good deal on it to keep my technic collection complete.
It's not special enough for me to get it instantly.
Looks like the real thing!
... But is expensive and uninteresting, particulary since we've already had excavators, great expensive sets, and great expensive sets that are also excavators.
I had high hopes for this from the moment I saw the model in an early introduction. And then I saw the price. YEE-GADS! I thought there had to be something I was missing, as this is more expensive than many previous models with much more offerings. The D11 was around this price point and its an absolute beast and very fun to play with. Lego trippin'.
LEGO is making a grave mistake releasing garbage like this. The 8043 excavator, which is 15 years old (wow) is brilliant, my favorite TECHNIC set ever. That set is the natural comparison for this one. I have no problems with the price, $430 now versus $200 then, and this new excavator is larger and better looking. Great. But its functionality should at least match that of a 15-year-old set! The 8043 uses 4 motors for a full-function RC excavator. The mechanical design is perfect, and it simply blows my mind that LEGO thinks they can release a vastly inferior product - at a flagship price - 15 years later and no one will notice. Pathetic.
Just watched Sariels review....probably his most scathing review ever. And for good reason....
@Reventon said:
"Thankfully already seeing 20% off at other retailers. ."
Which is why it's priced at AU$599.99 so the retailers can offer a discount. LOL at all the people who don't understand how Amazon/Walmart/etc. control MSRP. And the more you buy through them, the more control they have.
17.0c per technic pin!?!? - NOPE!
The main models feature is very clever gearing showing you don't need 4 expensive motors which would also make the model very large, but as mentioned can only do one feature slowly which makes it far less playable than the similarly priced 42100 which had far more motorised functions. If 42100 was a glimpse of the future with mobile app control, then this is going back to my 90's childhood tinkering with gears and a single medium motor.
For that money one can, with some (not too much) luck, buy something like a pair of 9398, and at least one of 42009/42030/42082, or a pair of 42042, off ebay, used but in good condition, plus all the possibly needed small parts that may need replacement to make them as new. I won't even bother to count how many motors, other electronic bits, and parts that would be.
@AustinPowers said:
" @Lvl said:
"This absurd initial pricing is likely to capitalize on adults unfamiliar with Lego and its typical pricing to send as gifts, before the inevitable heavy discounts for more typical customers where they sell higher volume but at lower margins."
The problem is that LEGO always has the same margins, no matter how much discount the retailer gives you. Because the discount is swallowed by the retailer and thus by cannibalizing his margins. Plenty of small independent toy stores have gone bust in recent years because they simply couldn't match the discounts offered by the likes of Amazon etc.
LEGO are the last to care about that since they make their profit no matter what.
And their profits are gigantic.
Just look at what you get for far less money from companies like CaDa, who, surprise surprise are not selling at a loss either.
Contrary to what LEGO leads us to believe, electronic components like motors, hubs etc. are dirt cheap and no reason for a set to be particularly expensive. They are not handcrafted by artisans in Denmark, they are mass-produced by the millions in China for literally pennies, yet LEGO wants us to believe they are worth their weight in gold. "
100% the truth regarding the electrical components!
This is so lazy it hurts ... Yes, Volvo may somewhen have said "it's okay now" (giving up?) and that was the green light to pack it.
This has the size and functional potential to be cool(er) as/than bucket wheel excavator, or as AROCS, and I'd pay the today's price if it was - but it's so far far off from those in both functions and price it's baffling. A pity, as this will be "the Lego technic 3xcavator" for some years now.
I don't get the mining type/Volvo branded choice. If I look on the streets, I see many modern excavators that are compact, and have 5 cyclinders, where 3 are in an X-layout on the bottom of the boom. This would add something totally new to the LEGO excavator lineup. For example the CAT M316 or a Takeuchi TB 370 CM/CV. This to give a greater freedom of movement. Especially a Takeuchi would give a refreshing colour scheme at the same time with grey/red/black.
@HOBBES said:
"If you have US$430 burning your pockets:
1) Go to Brickset or Lego and get the parts list for 8043
2) Buy all those parts from Lego and/or Bricklink or any other suppliers"
Why go to that trouble when you can get complete used examples of 8043 in as new condition on ebay for between 90 to 130 Euros easily.
Heck, even versions in box are often available there for far less than the RRP of this new Volvo one, and sometimes even MISB ones.