Review: 42062 Container Yard
Posted by Huw,
42062 Container Yard contains the latest in a long line of Technic telehandlers but it's the first to be designed for operation with containers. Such vehicles are called, I am told, reach stackers. I'm not sure that 'Container Yard' is a particularly descriptive name for the set but I guess 'reach stacker and articulated lorry' might have been a bit of a mouthful.
Whatever, it's a neat set that works well and offers a lot of playability but it's not without a few cosmetic issues...
Tractor unit and flatbed trailer
The blue-and-white 7-wide European-style tractor unit is nothing to get too excited about to be honest, although it's perfectly functional, with steering and opening cab doors.
I can't say I like they way the steering column projects at an angle through the cab and out of the roof, though.
The steering mechanism is probably just about as small as it's possible to achieve in a Technic model. It relies on the play between adjacent beams to provide side-by-side movement, which is a technique I've not seen before although I've not been buying many of the small Technic sets released the last couple of years so it may not be new.
The trailer is long enough to sit the two supplied containers upon although the first cosmetic issue I will pull the set up on is that they are 5-wide and the trailer 7-wide which, if you've ever seen a real container lorry, you'll know is not accurate: they should be the same width.
Containers
Not much to say about them other than they are open at both ends.
Telehandler/Reach stacker
I suspect the main attraction of the set, and the reason most AFOLs will buy it, is the telehandler. The orange makes a welcome change from yellow that we've become accustomed to for models of machines like this. Hopefully we'll see a lot more of it in the future, thanks to last year's Porsche introducing many new parts in the colour.
It has rear-wheel steering, using a mechanism like that above but cleverer, and an arm that can be raised and lowered using the top black gear at the back, and extended using a mechanism that's explained below.
The arm housing was first seen in 42043 Mercedes-Benz Arocs 3245 in 2015, in red (6114965 Housing 2X15X3M F/Gear Rack).
The arm fully extended:
Turning the grey piece on the right pulls the end of the arm into its housing...
...until it's fully contracted.
The method of attaching to the containers is very clever and works well. First you move the arm to be above the container.
Align the pins with the holes on the top of it and lower it down. Turning the grey handle on the left clockwise causes the pins on either side to mate with holes in the side of the container, thus securing it to the arm.
With the arm fully extended and in its lowest position the vehicle is perfectly balanced and does not topple forwards
The completed model
There's hours of fun to be had loading and unloading the containers from the lorry!
Verdict
The mechanisms are clever and work flawlessly. Aesthetically the individual models are great, particularly the telehandler. There are a few areas where there's room for improvement, though:
- The flatbed trailer and containers should be the same width
- The angled steering mechanism looks odd
- The telehandler looks awesome in orange but would have looked better if the grey arm housing was orange to match
- Finally, real containers that comply with ISO standards have holes for handling and securing them at the corners, not in the middle of the top or sides. Reach stackers typically have mechanisms that extend to the ends of containers and lugs that mate with the holes at the tops of the sides but I guess that would have been too complicated for this scale of model. It would, however, be an interesting exercise to rework it to operate like that.
To be honest, I'm really just nitpicking for the sake of it and these faults do not really detract from the appeal of the set. Perhaps the price will, though: £54.99 / €49.99. It's not yet available at shop.LEGO.com in North America so I've no idea of the price there. I don't know why the large 1H2017 Technic sets have been delayed there but let's hope they come out sooner rather than later.
You can order it here: UK | Germany | France.
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17 comments on this article
The Telehandler is a Reach-Stacker, maybe that would be fit better :)
This wave of Technic sets seem somewhat overpriced for the size.
^^I've not heard that term before but I'll update the article, thanks.
^ you are not wrong there...
Container yard trailers have an overwidth design to accommodate the raves which make the loading of containers easier than loading road bound trailers as they negate the use of twist locks.
https://m.alibaba.com/product/60256902787/2015-Chinese-Terminal-Trailer-Container-Yard.html?subject=2015--Chinese--Terminal--Trailer--Container--Yard&type=product&detailId=60256902787&redirect=1
I am however mithed as to why the tractor unit has a king pin rather than a fifth wheel plate.
As a set though it is refreshing to see something other than a scaled down crane or excavator.
^ Thanks, I've learned something else!
You are nitpicking Huw. Clearly the flatbed is wider than the containers so that there is somewhere to fix the parts that will prevent the containers from sliding off the flatbed during 'play'.
Great set and great review. The Reach Stacker has quite a large turning circle which is not accurate. These vehicles can turn in tight spots. I really like the way in which the spreader connects to the container.
^^ I know I admitted that in the review. The containers could have been 7 wide and the trailer fitted with pins on which they sat.
^^^ I neglected to say great review by the way Huw.
I used to build technic Lorries of similar design back before studless beams existed and discovered early on that using a vertical steering column would cause the tractor unit to tip forward when being pushed or steered but when I put an angle in the colum it reduced the issue of tipping.
Nice review and an inventive use to steer the wheels.
That's interesting about the steering columns... I figured there was some kind of mechanical reason for it, but I don't understand much of the physics of these things when I build sets in LDD.
Thanks for the review! This is the set that most appeals to me from this year's Technic theme (semis, steering, play-ability) and I was excited to see it reviewed here. The steering of the front cab looks great, as I enjoy [attempting to add...] minimized steering for Creator and Speed Champion styled vehicles.
The price seems a bit steep (assuming....$50?), thought I'll probably still pick it up.
Technic sets almost always come out first in Europe. I suspect March 1st at $49.99 for the States.
That really is a bit much, price-wise, though the reach stacker is very attractive.
Great review, I find myself more ans more drawn towards technic sets. Perhaps an odd question, but is there a single brick size where the stickers would fit on to? For example 1x8?
Those on the sides of the containers? No. They are taller than a brick.
It does have nearly 600 pieces. Half dedicated to truck and trailer, half dedicated to reach stacker.