Not a fan of Technic, but I'm so glad they have more sophisticated parts now. This looks like a plastic Erector Set

I used to sit on the aisle floor in Woolies just staring at this one (and the red crane that came out at the same time). There wasn't a hope in hells chance that my parents could afford it but they did eventually get me one a few years later from a second hand store, had to wait a couple of months for my birthday to build it but I loved it and it always had pride of place. Unfortunately had to sell it along with every other technic set I had about 10 years ago.

Cool set, but never got it.

I remember a custom-made poster of a render of this set's B-model hanging in my old CAD school class room :D

One of my all time favorites. I remember building and playing it for weeks while camping. Does anyone know how much it cost back in the days?

Great set. The second generation of pneumartics worked better than the first generation. But by the price of fiddling two hoses to each cylinder.
And back then. I was a little bit annoyed because of the yellow color, because many technic sets were yellow. But from today's point of view, it looks clean and straightforward.

@Hollandsglorie said:
"This one was the biggest surprise I ever got for Sinterklaas back in the day! My dad went out of his way to make it difficult to unpack - it was in a nailed wooden box and the challenge for me was to not use tools. Easily one of my fondest memories!"

How did you do it?

@merman said:
"It is bloody time for a new Technic backhoe!"

According to leaks, we're getting a 140-part set in January.

Great set. The image used here is even more crisp than normal it seems!

@WizardOfOss said:
"One of the all time greats! Unfortunately a bit too much for my pocket money, so had to make do with the 8853 . Also good and also very yellow, but just not quite the same level of greatness....

@Gamlebilrokker . We don't. And neither do we know how many kids did have trouble with it. All we know is that based on the ratings many people that actually did build it seem to like it. And in general it seems that most who lived through that era as a kid have fond memories of Technic in general."
Absolutely.
The problem with many kids these days is that they seem to need instant gratification.
It's apparently not limited to kids either. Many people nowadays have no patience anymore.
Guess one has to have grown up playing games on a C64 (waiting endlessly for them to load), waiting for a week (or weeks) for new episodes of TV shows (since, you know, old linear TV and no streaming), or waiting for websites to load, or an hour for a download of a couple of Megabyte on your 14.4 modem. Or waiting weeks for a letter or parcel to arrive. And so on and so on.

Takeaway: we rarely got instant gratification and so we didn't get frustrated with LEGO sets either when something didn't work out perfectly immediately.
How I wish modern kids could appreciate the benefits of "slowness" in these ever more hectic times - and unnecessarily so I might add. Nothing needs to be instantaneous or as fast as many think things need be.

Incidently, I bought this very set on ebay just recently, with its original box in as new condition, for a great price. Those are the happy moments I currently enjoy when buying LEGO, not the modern sets.

@Carrera124 said:
"And back then. I was a little bit annoyed because of the yellow color, because many technic sets were yellow. But from today's point of view, it looks clean and straightforward."

I kinda have mixed thoughts on that. On the one hand, sure, the endless variety of colors we have nowadays is great. But for a kid, who'll likely only have a handful of sets and probably not the huge ones, it can be quite a challenge to amass good amounts of pieces in certain colors, as some are only used as a main color in a single set. Everthing they build will be BOLOCs not by choice but by necessity.

Back in the late 80s, I only ever got 5 Technic sets. And considering I started with 8020 and 8055 , it only made sense I focused on red and yellow. That was also the main reason I bought 8853 . Anything blue? Didn't have much to begin with, so didn't care. But to be fair, looking at the 1989 catalog, apart from the (white) Polar subtheme, it was basically all red and yellow indeed (with grey and black as supporting colors). While blue very much was one of the main colors a few years earlier, by then it was almost gone.

@AustinPowers, I am truly glad though some of that slowness is a thing of past though :-)

I think it's more like kids back then in general were challenged more to figure things out. I mean, if you think Technic instructions of the 80s were complicated, just have a look at Meccano instructions, or even better (or should I say worse?), its East German counterpart Constructo. Build a big tractor from just 4 or 5 photographs, and you'll have to figure out which exact parts and screws you had to use. But you'd just make it work, one way or another. And to be fair, Lego did kinda the same with the Idea books or even the alternate builds shown on the box. Unthinkable nowadays.

Other popular hobbies at the time were model railways and plastic model kits. Which also required skill and understanding, with quite a learning curve. But those are considered old men hobbies now.

And you mentioned computers, back then it was all still very new, you had to figure out everything yourself or, by lack of the internet, go to the library for books (and hope someone else didn't snatch the one you needed). And don't expect your parents to be able to help, as if they would understand ;-)
(though honestly, probably not that much has changed here....)

@EtudeTheBadger said:
" @merman said:
"It is bloody time for a new Technic backhoe!"

According to leaks, we're getting a 140-part set in January."

It is said to have 104 pieces, not 140, though I hope that 104 is just a typo.

I got this as a kid and remember winning some sort of prize at school as I was 7 and way below the target age.

@R0Sch said:
"Fun fact, this large set only needed 25 pages per model, so a 50 page instruction booklet for A + B model. And it was marketed at kids 11-16 and still didn't need rainbow colored pins, axles and gears to make it buildable by them. Yellow, black and grey is all you need to see on a construction vehicle."

Color-coding is useful sometimes. I'm specifically thinking of axle lengths. I remember building 8538 and being so frustrated at trying to find the one black 6L black axle for each one among all the 5L black axles.

@AusinPowers said:"Nothing needs to be instantaneous or as fast as many think things need be."

I'm assuming you're leaving medical procedures out of that "nothing." "Oh, his heart's stopped, but it no rush..."

@TheOtherMike said:
"Color-coding is useful sometimes. I'm specifically thinking of axle lengths. I remember building 8538 and being so frustrated at trying to find the one black 6L black axle for each one among all the 5L black axles."
You got me puzzled there for a moment, since the parts list of that set doesn't show any 5L axles at all.....but the one on Bricklink does. Two 6L versus 21 5l. I can see that. But then again, just sort the pieces beforehand....

I could probably live with black axles for even and grey for uneven lenghts. I mean, did anyone ever care about black and grey for the different kinds of pins? Probably not because back then we had very other reasons to detest those black pins... It's more all the blue, red, yellow, brown and beige that's so annoying.
(Okay, in case of 8862, yellow axles would be totally fine...)

@merman said:
"It is bloody time for a new Technic backhoe!"

Found the real backhoe grader!

@TheOtherMike said:
"
@AusinPowers said:
"Nothing needs to be instantaneous or as fast as many think things need be."

I'm assuming you're leaving medical procedures out of that "nothing." "Oh, his heart's stopped, but it no rush...""
Obviously. I was talking about the things that have changed in that regard.
Like when people get in a tantrum because the product they ordered online isn't delivered within hours instead of days. Or people who faint because their online connection is down for a couple of minutes and they can't binge their favorite TV show.

@WizardOfOss said:
" @TheOtherMike said:
"Color-coding is useful sometimes. I'm specifically thinking of axle lengths. I remember building 8538 and being so frustrated at trying to find the one black 6L black axle for each one among all the 5L black axles."
You got me puzzled there for a moment, since the parts list of that set doesn't show any 5L axles at all.....but the one on Bricklink does. Two 6L versus 21 5l. I can see that. But then again, just sort the pieces beforehand....

I could probably live with black axles for even and grey for uneven lenghts. I mean, did anyone ever care about black and grey for the different kinds of pins? Probably not because back then we had very other reasons to detest those black pins... It's more all the blue, red, yellow, brown and beige that's so annoying.
(Okay, in case of 8862, yellow axles would be totally fine...)"

As far as I remember, Muaka & Kane-Ra at least had the length measurement on the page the part was needed - Sets prior to 2000 only had a single comparison chart at one of the first pages!

@PurpleDave said:
"And LEGO was still a niche market at the time."
Maybe in the US, but not in Europe and especially not in Germany, where LEGO has been one of the most popular toys since at least the early Seventies. Remember, Germany was LEGO's largest market for decades, basically until Star Wars as a theme debuted in 1999.

When I was a kid there were basically two main toys: LEGO and Playmobil. This was rounded out by the omnipresent model railroads, Carrera slot car sets, Matchbox/Siku/Corgi die cast vehicles, and model kits of all kinds. Add to that dolls and teddy bears and you get a typical toy store's offerings back in the day.

Action figures weren't a thing here until Masters of the Universe arrived in the mid to late Eighties.

@PurpleDave said:

" @HOBBES :
It's important to remember that the instructions of today that many of us consider to be devoid of any challenge really are still challenging to many kids. I usually do around 15 shows per year, and one of the most common comments from parents is that it must take a ton of patience to build the stuff we display. Just this year I've had a parent tell me their kid got started on a set, quickly gave up, and the parent had to finish building it for them. If kids are still having this experience today, you can bet it was worse 35 years ago.

I would NEVER EVER (and never did) completed a set for a kid because he/she had difficulties with it. I am more than happy to provide assistance but the work has to be done by the kid. To me, Lego teaches math, patience, persistence and perseverance and that is why it is the only toys I buy for kids in my family. I am myself extremely patient and I can easily defuse a tired kid tantrum. In the end, the kid will finish the model in his/her own. Other people mileages may vary...

Regarding the wide variety of tires found on backhoes, depending on both budget and usage, you might want to read this:

https://monstertires.com/buying-backhoe-tires/ "

Patience is indeed a virtue and it is sorely lacking nowadays. A few years(3-4) ago I started building a MOC - this MOC is now nearing 20k parts. When I started, there were quite a few parts that did not existed in the Lego realm (they had never been produced in the desired colour). I started the MOC anyway and was buying the parts in the nearest colour (replacing them when Lego would produce it in the right colour - every time a new sets is announced, I look to see if the parts I need in some colour are now available - every themes are good to me somehow). Three, four or five times a year I place a large order through Pick-a-Brick. this takes quite a bit of time because I receive the best seller immediately but the rest coming from Billund takes over a month and I cannot start building until I receive all the parts. Assuming Lego release about 4-5 parts I need per year, I assume this MOC will be finished in about 5 years. This, is patience. This also gives me plenty of time to revise and improve my model as I go along.

I understand that there are many options for tires depending on the need (and budget) but usually, the ratio of width to height makes the tire somewhat narrow compared to its total height. I still like 8455 a lot despite this very small nitpick. I would love to see a new flagship backhoe (I would prefer a CAT or CASE IP over JCB - I don't like the stabiliser back legs of the JCB - my opinion only - I would buy a good JCB if this is all I can get!). The upcoming 104 parts model will probably be somewhat cute and all but not quite the level that is fun to play with. I would like a model with electric motor and pneumatic pump like the Mercedes Arocs.

@PurpleDave said:
" @AustinPowers said:
" @PurpleDave said:
"And LEGO was still a niche market at the time."
Maybe in the US, but not in Europe and especially not in Germany, where LEGO has been one of the most popular toys since at least the early Seventies. Remember, Germany was LEGO's largest market for decades, basically until Star Wars as a theme debuted in 1999."

That has less to do with the toy itself and more the simple fact that Germany’s industrial capacity was in shambles post-WWII, and no other foreign toy company was willing to do business in Germany. TLG was basically the only company that recognized that it was a problem to punish the children for the actions of their parents and grandparents. When an entire generation grows up with no other options but LEGO sets to play with, what do you think they’re going to buy for their own kids someday?"
Never heard of the Wirtschaftswunder?

Also, it was basically the same here, even when back in those days not everyone had forgotten the war yet. Lego just has been big in Europe for quite a long time. I haven't been around that long myself, but from what I know they have been a pretty dominant force in the European toy world since at least the 60s onwards.

@HOBBES said:
"Patience is indeed a virtue and it is sorely lacking nowadays."

Always was. I was the kid who, if presented with a couple M&M's, and told I could have those, or a whole bag if I could wait five minutes, would have wolfed them down before I realized someone was even talking to me. But that's not really relevant to most LEGO experiences. The only time my hobby requires patience is waiting for parts to arrive, or waiting for sets to release. What I'm seeing here instead is a lot of people arguing that kids need to conform to the LEGO experience they grew up with, when the opposite is true. TLG figured out that they need the LEGO experience to conform to the customers, and customers don't all fit the same profile. Therefore, the LEGO experience can't just cater to a small group of people anymore and exclude anyone who doesn't fit the same mold.

@WizardOfOss said:
"Never heard of the Wirtschaftswunder?"

No? I'm still not sure I have. Is that actually a thing?

"Also, it was basically the same here, even when back in those days not everyone had forgotten the war yet. Lego just has been big in Europe for quite a long time. I haven't been around that long myself, but from what I know they have been a pretty dominant force in the European toy world since at least the 60s onwards."

Yeah, they've been big in Western Europe in general, but not to the same level as Germany. Granted, it's the most populous member of the EU, but other EU nations also had a wider variety of toy options available for kids to choose from. There's a reason why LEGO set aesthetics catered to German tastes for so long.

@PurpleDave said:
" @WizardOfOss said:
"Never heard of the Wirtschaftswunder?"

No? I'm still not sure I have. Is that actually a thing?"
The TL;DR version: Already in the 50s the West-German economy and industry had recovered from the war and was stronger than ever. And that very much included their toy industry, which always had been huge.

Kinda similar to what happened in Japan after the US occupation.

"Yeah, they've been big in Western Europe in general, but not to the same level as Germany. Granted, it's the most populous member of the EU, but other EU nations also had a wider variety of toy options available for kids to choose from. There's a reason why LEGO set aesthetics catered to German tastes for so long."
Any numbers to back that up? And sure, Lego wasn't the only thing we got (neither was it in Germany, as a lot of the competition was actually German), but still clearly the biggest player of them all. And most others have disappeared or at best declined to a marginal role decades ago. Plamobil was the one big survivor, but they too are in pretty bad weather now....

Also I wouldn't necessarily consider those aesthetics distincly German, but more a general (north)western European style.

@WizardOfOss said:
"Any numbers to back that up?"

Are you calling @AustinPowers a liar? He's where I got a lot of that information from. The rest mostly came from Simon Liu.