Random set of the day: Pneumatic Front-End Loader
Posted by Huwbot,
Today's random set is 8464 Pneumatic Front-End Loader, released during 2001. It's one of 9 Technic sets produced that year. It contains 591 pieces, and its retail price was US$70.
It's owned by 455 Brickset members. If you want to add it to your collection you should find it for sale at BrickLink, where new ones sell for around $420.60, or eBay.
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19 comments on this article
Dude this thing even comes with a big gas tank! That's awesome.
Sets with pneumatic functions are cool, regardless of it's design.
Front-end loader. Picture shows of back end. Makes sense.
One of the best Technic set ever produced (IMO)(obviously not the best, but way up there). The picture on the box is bad but this set looks the part. The design is very compact and efficient. You can see all the mechanisms without detracting from the good look of the model. Everything is smooth and works just like the real thing (except this one is 'hand' powered). Plus it has an air tank! - I'd love to see them again in the not too distant future. (was non-licensed so it was correctly priced)
My son had this set, of course I build it to a couple of times.
This was right on the verge of them deciding Technic and Duplo weren’t really themes, and didn’t need to exist anymore.
The air tank was one of the best Technic inventions ever imho. Unfortunately it came in too few sets. I never had any of them at the time, but managed to find one on ebay at a reasonable price.
By the way, is anyone else having trouble accessing Bricklink at the moment? All I get is the error message they used a while ago when they were hacked.
Bricklink also not working for me in Canada at the moment.
What a wonderful mix of form & function, and a heady confusion of bricks & liftarms.
They really don't make Technic sets like this anymore...
@AustinPowers said:
"By the way, is anyone else having trouble accessing Bricklink at the moment? All I get is the error message they used a while ago when they were hacked. "
It was posted on the Bricklink forum that it would be down for extended maintenance. Should be back in 30 minutes.
Looks like a lot of fun with the bucket tipping as well as lifting. There is a front view on Bricklink (working fine for me) which looks more impressive, maybe this is shown on the back of the box. The airtank was a clever idea to save you having to pump each time you wanted movement, only appeared in 9 sets to 2004, then 2 to 2014, but can find in over 100 Mocs on Rebrickable with a price of around $20 so clearly still popular.
@paulvdb said:
" @AustinPowers said:
"By the way, is anyone else having trouble accessing Bricklink at the moment? All I get is the error message they used a while ago when they were hacked. "
It was posted on the Bricklink forum that it would be down for extended maintenance. Should be back in 30 minutes."
Ah, thank you for the heads up. I hadn't seen that.
I have this one! I got after returning from my dark ages a couple of years ago and lusting for it since I was little. I never had any pneumatic sets until then, and boy was I not disappointed. It is by far my favourite Technic set, ahead of well known classics like the 8880 or 8868 .
I just love front loaders and pneumatics, and this set combines everything in a great fashion: pneumatics with air tank, articulated steering, V6 engine, four wheel drive with two differentials, all in a compact and playable package. If this is not enough, it has a great build quality. Zero flexing and quite heavy despite its medium size, this thing is built like a tank, nothing like today's studless sets. To me it is not a coincidence that this set was released three times, as 8459 , 8464 and 8439 . By 2001-2002 it almost looked that Technic was dead, and it was rereleases of great sets like this or 8460 that kept the theme alive.
Its distinctive feature, the air tank, is an absolute joy to use. Eventually I got to own all three Technic sets that have it, along with the 8250 Search Sub and 8462 Tow Truck, and they are all great. I think there was also a Pneumatic addon set that had it but I wouldn't consider it a standalone set. I never understood why Lego discontinued them, it doesn't look like that complicated a piece, and they are still popular for a reason.
This was one of a group that could be counted on two hands of Technic sets released that year. Not counting the Bionicle theme, which was also branded Technic at first.
In 2002 things would be down to just three sets, all reissues. The rest was taken in by other themes such as Racers.
I've never owned it but it seems like a great set. It's a reissue of a great set with great parts like the bucket and air tank. Its design is late 90s, which is one of my favourite technic eras in terms of the build experience. So overall a winner!
Even the box art was reused for this set - it was first used for 8446. Guess that means both machines work at the same facility!
The part loadout for this release was more or less identical to 8459, only with smooth half-bushings rather than the original toothed versions.
I wish I had this set. I have couple of pneumatic sets and they are so much fun.
I built my first Technic set with pneumatic functions yesterday, 42128 Heavy-Duty Tow Truck. I find the pneumatic functions and parts much more interesting than the electric motors. I hope to see these return in some sets next year.
my gf sometimes refers to me as a pneumatic front-end loader and I keep asking her what she means but she never responds.
Not sponsored by Volvo.