A little disappointed by the lack of functions on the jet relative to its size (and, more importantly, price), but the telehandler looks nifty.

I kinda like the Jet, though as a whole not to excited for the first half of the year - I have faith though that just like 2016, theres going to be a lot of cool Technic for the second half of the year

New 1L wormgear in the Handler

I'm not one for the smallest sets but I kind of like that telehandler. I suppose many aren't impressed but we still have the largest sets to come so we shall see.

Are the 2017 sets sofar worthy of the 40 year milestone? No. Sofar 2017 looks like a big disappointment after the great year for Technic that is 2016.
The jet just looks wrong; boxy body, wings too small and all panels hiding what little mechanics there are inside. And if it's 40 years, then why does it have number 41 on its wings?
Mind you, at least they remembered this birthday, unlike 50 years of trains which was completely ignored.

The jet looks awesome and who really cares about a useless milestone? It's just cool to have neat sets every year.

I was just thinking I've never seen an official Lego Telehandler....

I'm not massively inspired by the 2017 sets so far. I prefer the smaller Red swept wing jet to this one.

The alternative plane on the box is better than the 'main' jet. How did that happen? Nice wide wings and rear engines on there, with some sort of power function for the latter

I'm intrigued by the "Try building digitally!" label on the Telehandler. A sign of things to come? No more printed instructions?

@SiconGiavonni I feel like that's been on a lot of Technic sets for a while now.

It has, as a Technic app you can download. Usually only has instructions for a few small to medium sets per year though.

I was never a big fan of Technic like my brother was, but I can surely say that Technic has changed a lot since the 80s. These look like Technic and Znap had a baby.

The new worm gear on the Telehandler is smart!. Really needed something like that on the telescopic bars from the Arocs.

As for the plane, so bad to see it in baby blue. Boy I would have loved to see all these panels in light bluish grey. Far more generic.

Guess I'm going to build a swinging baby-crib MOC as 42061-C build and post it on Rebrickable.

Really loathe the fancy-pants colour use of Technic lately.

I have also spotted 31054 and 31055 there as well.

I prefer the second model for the jet, the wings of the first one look wrong

The airplane appears to have functions similar to tiny 42044. What about the proportions? Those wings are far too small to lift that bulky fuselage. The B model is better.

2016 was a great Technic year but so far, everything about 2017 has been surprisingly disappointing. Given the anniversary you'd expect the opposite. Have the senior designers quit their jobs perhaps? Good for my wallet though.

Technic sets used to be about showing how things work, seeing the parts move, but now everything is covered in and it's more about how the model looks and less about functionality.
I'm hoping with the second wave of sets we see something really special to mark 40 years, as I've seen nothing yet.

It is clear from these photos, and implied by the "40th anniversary" branding, that they are taking Technic in a new direction in 2017. Sets like this Plane and the Ocean Explorer are more system-like in design, features and playability, rather than focusing on the mechanical possibilities of Technic.

It would not be that hard to imagine a greater divergence between system and Technic, with more and more panels and other decorative elements added to Technic, eliminating the need to use system parts for detailing.

I look forward to some new elements, and I very much appreciate diverse building techniques being expressed in official sets, but I'm not convinced that this feels like a good direction overall; I worry it will create confusion in retail and a dilution of their product offerings.

Why celebrate 40th anniversary of the LEGO Technic range?
Kids do not care at all and most dads do not like to be reminded that 40 years have passed. Or?

I love that jet. Not as much as the boat though. And I do like all the different colours.

Pssst....Lego, your not fooling anybody. That "air race jet" is a model of the F-35 Lightening II Joint Striker Fighter detailed down to the trust-vectoring system of the Marine Corps "B" Model. Let's have a little truth in advertising shall we.

I quite like both of them... I don't really understand why there are so many people complaining that new sets LOOK very good, unless it's taking away from the functionality somehow.
The plane sort of resembles the B-Model of 42040, but much cleaner-looking, bigger, and with more functions. The telehandler is small but very well done, with a lot of cool pieces I haven't got... I look forward to getting some of these new sets.

That B-Model for the race jet is just begging to be modified to an A-10 Warthog - nose mounted PF Avenger cannon and all!

I like the Telehandler, especially the 1M worm and the piece next to it, which looks like a 1M beam with 2 axles at 180 degrees and would be great with the axle joints. The worm would go well with 20T and 36T cogs as well as racks. 260pcs so probably £19.99.
For the Jet, an F-35B is a valiant effort. The rear thrust vectoring mechanism seems to have two moving parts compared to the real plane's 3. The rudders are controlled, better than the helicopter 42052. The 7-blade propellers shown on the 2nd model will be inside for the 1st model, perhaps as the LiftFan components. Hope the jet engine inside is a reasonable representation; some cogs as compressor and turbine discs would help to balance out the wealth of panels and keep it "Technic". I would have preferred light bley to baby blue; have to think of a new application for that colour. It took a bit of studying the pictures at the source site to find some of the goodness there; if it's not shown on the box then that might affect sales. 1151pcs with motor so probably £99.99.
After a really good 2016 range, these two sets are not a let-down now that I've had a good look at them. Expectations of further excellence have been raised and the 2H sets have a lot to live up to; I'm hoping for more pneumatics; something has to have a 1/11 cylinder to take over from the retiring 42043 because 42053 doesn't have one.
The new parts keep us buying; I'm glad to see the continued investment in Technic that used to be lacking. Technic has many shades of blue panels compared to other colours; with a high proportion of panels in the price of some sets it needs beams of the same colour to support rebuilding as the means of justifying the purchase. It was easier for the white sets 42025, 42040 and 42044. Generic colours are likely to get more repeat purchases.

@ecmo47: This comment piqued my curiosity since I always find it interesting to learn what LEGO sets are based on. But looking at the F-35 Lightning II on Wikipedia, it looks pretty substantially different. The new Technic plane has a wing that extends all the way to the back of the fuselage, with no separate horizontal stabilizer like the Lightning II has. So honestly it's more truthful for them NOT to identify it as an aircraft it's not accurate to.

Overall, I'm quite impressed with next year's Technic sets. They may not be as functionally intricate as some previous sets, but I am really impressed with the sheer variety and creativity they offer. Seriously, the Technic theme hasn't had a ship as an A-model since http://brickset.com/sets/8839-1/Supply-Ship in 1992!

Here is what I would expect for the 40th anniversary of Lego Technic. All hopes are now on the second half of the year as the first wave is somewhat underwhelming - that said, I might get the Jet if the reviews are reasonably positive. As Mark Bellis pointed out above, new pieces will dictate the attractiveness of these sets. Here goes: Set 40850, a fork lift, mostly yellow with the new long pneumatic and chains as lifting mechanism. Some sort of a cross between 8416 and 8843. Set 40851 a tractor, mostly red with a pneumatic plug to operate the attachment like in 8110. This set would have to come with many attachments that use pneumatic to some degree. Set 40852 an helicopter with complete collective and cyclic and also the collective for the tail rotor. Most likely bringing back the flex system! A version with three blades would be a bonus (I am thinking Hughes/Schweizer 300). Set 40853 a car chassis with all that we would now expect in a car plus multiple seat adjustments and all the bells and whistles. An engine with cams (double overhead maybe). Could also be a front wheel drive with homocentric joints and/or Macpherson strut. As back in the days, it would also be nice to have a few extra pages at the end of each instruction booklets to see what can be done by combining these 4 sets. I am already preparing myself to be massively disappointed...

There's no way that jet would ever get off the ground, it's missing its main wings. Those little stubby things in back look more like the horizontal stabilizers for the tail.

Is that...
MEDIUM BLUE?!?!
:)

They look pretty cool in themselves, but I do prefer the older style of Technic and I agree with @henrysunset that it's not an ideal direction for them to be taking.