Quick look: 42218 John Deere 1470H Wheeled Harvester
Posted by Huw,
Of the eleven 2026 Technic sets that have so far been revealed, 42218 John Deere 1470H Wheeled Harvester is the cheapest boxed one and also arguably the most interesting vehicle in the lineup.
It's a shame, then, that it is so small.
Summary
42218 John Deere 1470H Wheeled Harvester, 117 pieces.
£8.99 / $9.99 / €9.99 | 7.7p / 8.5c / 8.5c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
A good introduction to Technic but a much larger one would have been preferable
- Plenty of play features despite its dimunutive size
- Did not really need to be licensed
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
Despite its diminutive size, the vehicle is both recognisable and functional. There's no 'remote control' of the functions that operate the boom and claw, but then it would be unreasonable to expect them in a model comprising just 117 pieces.
The boom rotates on a single pin, and more easily than I would like. It's raised and lowered by turning the axle jointer above the worm gear, and the far end of it tilted using the lever poking out of the back of it.
The jaws can be angled using the axle joiner above them and are opened and closed manually. A 1x2 rubber connector helps secure the load, which is a 1x11 brown beam -- something of a rarity having never appeared in a Technic set until now.
Stickers are provided to brand the engine cowling at the back with the manufacturer's logos but I did not apply them.
The boom would have looked better had the 1x3 beam half-way along been black rather than grey but that is really my only complaint about its aesthetics.
It is unfortunate that the vehicle was not afforded a slot further up the range because it's an interesting type of plant that deserves to be a 1,000+ piece model. The last time a similar vehicle was made was 2018, the 1,003-piece 42080 Forest Harvester, so an updated one is long overdue.
That said, this is a neat little model, one of the best at this price point. It offers young builders an excellent introduction to Technic construction and plenty of playability once they've finished building it.
66 likes
19 comments on this article
Comes with software that render the model un-deconstructable unless you pay a licensing fee to LEGO.
Very reminiscent of 42080 Forest Harvester. That was actually quite a good set. Interesting functions.
@WokePope said:
"Comes with software that render the model un-deconstructable unless you pay a licensing fee to LEGO."
Fortunately, TLG isn't that great about supporting their apps, so all you need to do is wait a few years, and that's assuming you even have compatible hardware to begin with.
Easily the best Technic set of 2026 so far. Packed with functions and looks rather accurate.
My favourite function, funnily enough, isn't mentioned in the review - the harvester has rocker suspension on the front wheels that can be tested using the log!
@EtudeTheBadger said:
"Easily the best Technic set of 2026 so far. Packed with functions and looks rather accurate.
My favourite function, funnily enough, isn't mentioned in the review - it has rocker suspension on the front wheels that can be tested using the log!"
Certainly the only one I'll be getting. I love those little Technic sets.
I’m not really a Technic fan, but I do love the little $10 boxed sets, and size and functions seem pretty great. Might be picking this up along with a crowded January 1 order.
@Huw 's review said:
"The jaws are opened and closed by rotating the axle joiner above them..."
Maybe I'm being extremely thick, but how is that possible? I see no way to transfer power from the axle joiner to the jaws. Certainly rotating the axle joiner would rotate the jaw mechanism, but surely the jaws themselves must be opened/closed manually?
Otherwise, good review, good set. I do agree this could've made a decent mid-sized set, probably at double the scale of this model.
Would certainly have been interesting at the scale of 42136 & 42168, the previous mid-scale (Minifig scale?) machinery.
I only discovered this set today and, honestly, this feels like the weakest of the £9 Technic builds for some years. It looks so fragile and weak, with all the play features feeling like they clutter the silhouette.
This should probably have been the subject for a mid to high range model.
@BLProductions said:
" @Huw 's review said:
"The jaws are opened and closed by rotating the axle joiner above them..."
Maybe I'm being extremely thick, but how is that possible? I see no way to transfer power from the axle joiner to the jaws. Certainly rotating the axle joiner would rotate the jaw mechanism, but surely the jaws themselves must be opened/closed manually?
Otherwise, good review, good set. I do agree this could've made a decent mid-sized set, probably at double the scale of this model. "
The review didn't say "opened and closed," it said "raised and lowered." Unless it said that originally and @Huw edited it after realizing his error.
@TheOtherMike said:
" @BLProductions said:
" @Huw 's review said:
"The jaws are opened and closed by rotating the axle joiner above them..."
Maybe I'm being extremely thick, but how is that possible? I see no way to transfer power from the axle joiner to the jaws. Certainly rotating the axle joiner would rotate the jaw mechanism, but surely the jaws themselves must be opened/closed manually?
Otherwise, good review, good set. I do agree this could've made a decent mid-sized set, probably at double the scale of this model. "
The review didn't say "opened and closed," it said "raised and lowered." Unless it said that originally and @Huw edited it after realizing his error."
Nope, it says "opened and closed" in the paragraph with the link for the brown beam. Looking more closely at the images, it appears turning that axle joiner only rotates the claw assembly, and doesn't do anything regarding the claw itself. The axle joiner you're thinking of is located over the base of the boom, and turns a worm gear that engages with an 8-tooth gear that's connected to the lower end of the boom.
@BLProductions said:
" @Huw 's review said:
"The jaws are opened and closed by rotating the axle joiner above them..."
Maybe I'm being extremely thick, but how is that possible? I see no way to transfer power from the axle joiner to the jaws. Certainly rotating the axle joiner would rotate the jaw mechanism, but surely the jaws themselves must be opened/closed manually? "
Sorry, my mistake. You are correct. It's been a while since I built it!
Based on both looks and functions, I can't help but feel this was initially designed as a polybag or at best the B-model of something better, but turned out too big and got promoted to a €10 set. They can do better than this, even at this price point.
Looks more like a forwarder than a harvester unless the cutting function is on the other side that is not shown.
It's really sad that this is one of best (because its actually playable) technic model in recent years.
Ten euro technic models are the best ones IMHO. Yes, a 1000 piece one would look better, have more complex functions etc. But at the end of the day, we have a vehicle here that does a lot of physical stuff through mechanisms, which is what Technic is supposed to be about. Not the shaping or the cowling. I too hope a bigger one will be released eventually because this type of model does a lot more than your now-ubiquitous fast car, but that doesn't take away that this little model does a lot of technic stuff for its size.
I just wish it wasn't John Deere. But you can't have everything I suppose. And fortunately Technic has produced a lot of sets over the years, so personally I would just hunt for older sets for my own tastes anyway.
Nice idea for a set. Reasonable rendition and functions for a set that size and price point. I would just only add: 8443, no need for 1000s of parts (but I'll take it if they decide to do it properly - not like 42215). 8443 has all the desired functions (steering, pneumatic lift, pneumatic grab, rocking suspension) at just 327 parts. This is one of the sets that brought me back from my dark ages - very (very) well done and quite fun to play with (the b model is also very nice).
Edit: it would have been very easy (with existing Technic parts) to make the claws working in tandem while keeping the claw rotation.
@HOBBES said:
"Edit: it would have been very easy (with existing Technic parts) to make the claws working in tandem while keeping the claw rotation."
Uh...yeah. Two part changes and two additional parts is all it would take. Make the axles that form the hinge points for the claw one stud longer, and put 8-tooth gears on the extra length. They won't be perfectly in synch, but they will co-actuate. If that's what you mean by "working in tandem".
@PurpleDave said:
" @HOBBES said:
"Edit: it would have been very easy (with existing Technic parts) to make the claws working in tandem while keeping the claw rotation."
Uh...yeah. Two part changes and two additional parts is all it would take. Make the axles that form the hinge points for the claw one stud longer, and put 8-tooth gears on the extra length. They won't be perfectly in synch, but they will co-actuate. If that's what you mean by "working in tandem"."
Exactly. And it also can be made to always be 'level' = while the current setup is hinged at the top. the grabber seems to be always at an angle, which make for weird movements when you rotate it. It is true that the 'claws' won't be at the exact same angle with the two small 8-tooth gears but in the current case, that does not matter one bit.