Throwback Thursday: Technic 1978-79
Posted by FlagsNZ,
Following on from the last Throwback Thursday article that I posted at the end of last year, here is an article about the 1978 and 1979 LEGO Technical Sets, as they were then still known.
In among these sets were the LEGO Technical Sets my father purchased when his ship, the NZ Government research vessel GRV Tangaroa, sailed to Norfolk Island, an Australian external territory where LEGO was reported as being the cheapest in the world.
Read on as I showcase my original, and much loved, Technical sets as well as the other sets released in 1978 and 1979.
The LEGO Technical Sets were for experienced LEGO builders who liked the challenge of technical problems, and the construction of detailed working models. The full instructions were included for at least two different models from each set.
I have taken these images from the 1978 Technical flyer and 1979 Catalogue which are available from the Brickset catalogue archive.
854 Go-Kart
This little Go-Kart has a brick-built air-cooled engine with one square cylinder. The piston is driven from the left-hand rear wheel only. The Technical system did not yet have a differential available.
It used simple parallel steering geometry and the turning knuckles were made using small blue turntables.
The single seat has been reinforced with black 1x2 slopes which makes it slightly stronger than the earlier versions found in 853 Car Chassis.
The 17x43 small black tyres are doubled up on the rear axle so the set has six such wheels.
The Go-Kart came in a medium sized box which was lined with expanded polystyrene and had a clear plastic sorting tray. The instructions were found in a pocket in the lid of the box.
I have the original unused '9' sticker. This is the only sticker found on the early Technical sets.
855 Mobile Crane
This is the Mk I yellow (and red) Mobile Crane in the Technic system. I received this set for my twelfth birthday.
The crane has three controls: the hand wheel on the left extends the blue boom section, the hand wheels on the right side pays in and out the string and luffs up the crane boom. There is a simple ratchet on the luffing mechanism so the boom doesn't come down with a rush.
The crane can slew around on a regular (for the 1970s) 4x4 turntable. The slew bearing is made up using 2x2 yellow tiles on 2x2 yellow plates.
The crane has four very simple outriggers and legs. The outrigger pads are stowed in the two lockers between the wheels. The legs are brick-built from red and white 1x1 round bricks.
There is no way to turn the crane base: the wheels are locked straight ahead.
Possibly the weakest component of the crane is the block or 'hook'. This has been assembled using four axle-pin connectors and axles. It can lift cargo up but must rely on LEGO clutch power.
856 Bulldozer
The yellow Bulldozer is a very ingenious build. Long before linear actuators were thought about, the Bulldozer has two brick-built linear actuators.
The two bulldozer blade controls are at the rear of the chassis: the left-hand wheel tilts the blade while the right-hand wheel lifts the blade up and down.
The brick-built actuators slide back and forth through the chassis and two rubber bands provide a small amount of resistance.
The Bulldozer runs on two tracks made with black link treads.
This Bulldozer is the first of a long line of yellow Technic earth-moving machinery. It is surprisingly simple in design but works very effectively.
857 Motorbike with Sidecar
The Motorbike with Sidecar is my first, and one of my favourite, LEGO Technic sets. I received the set when my father returned from the sea voyage to Norfolk Island - two days before my twelfth birthday.
I can still remember starting to build it while sitting in his cabin in the ship; I can remember being overwhelmed by the technical parts and I started building the model from step 14 which is where the more conventional building skills were needed. Step 14 and onwards is where the mud guards, fuel tank, seat and sidecar are built with studded parts.
When I got home, I was able to concentrate fully and worked through the first stages and build the chassis and engine.
This is a very asymmetrical model with the sidecar attached to the bike's frame on the right hand side. As with most LEGO models, this motorcycle sidecar is set up for driving on the right hand side of the road as the sidecar should be on the near side.
I am no motorbike expert, but anyone sitting in the sidecar would be at risk of getting tangled with the unguarded wheel. The other two wheels have mudguards.
The rear wheel is chain driven and there is a kick start on the left hand side of the chassis. The rubber band is original. The motorbike has a single cylinder air-cooled engine. Like the Go-Kart, the cooling fins on the engine block are brick-built.
I have always preferred to remove the sidecar and rear mudguard to make the model look more like a trail bike.
Parts
Four new parts were introduced during these two years:
All these parts are still in the Technic system although the 16-tooth gear was redesigned in 2007.
What I didn't realise until I built 10246 Detective Office was that the link treads fit inside a 1x4 brick or tile. These parts were used to make the wooden cladding of the water tank on that modular building.
872 Two Gear Blocks
LEGO introduced Two Gear Blocks in 1978. These two blocks gear down the 4.5V Technic motor by a ratio of 20:1.
This supplementary pack had three significant parts:
- Technic Gearbox 2x4x3
- Technic Gear Reduction Block 20:1, 3x4x2 1/3
- Electric Motor 4.5V Housing 4x4x3
It's a shame that similar supplementary packs no longer available; they were a cheap way to add specialist parts to your inventory.
Here is a photo taken in 1980 with my Technical Sets partially assembled on my bedroom floor. The two boxes and sorting trays are there. I have no idea where they are now!
My LEGO building experience was transformed forever in 1980 after I received these two Technical sets.
My next historical review could be either the 8860 Car Chassis or 8868 Air Tech Claw Rig. Let me know which set you would prefer me to write about first.
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24 comments on this article
I love these throwbacks. Do set 8868 next please. It's awesome to see from what Technic evolved.
Very nice and interesting article. I missed all those Technic sets because, i'm 40 years old, my all time favorite theme is classic space.... I bought recently the 8860 chassis which is marvelous so i would prefer you to write an article on it please.
Thanks again.
Born at the wrong time. I love these sets and I would buy the hell out of them today. Thanks for the article.
I was lucky enough to be the right age when Technic was introduced and I had about half of the early sets. I always loved that bulldozer! So much functionality in a small space.
The tread links fitting into plates was shown in the first Technic Ideas book:
http://www.peeron.com/scans/8888-1/96/
I love that brick-built scoop on the bulldozer. The large prefab ones just don't do it for me.
The Go Kart was my first technical set - swiftly followed by the tractor and fork-lift seen in the catalogue image. All pieces still present and correct apart from that sticker.
Awesome throwback! I wish there were still some brick based Technic sets today. I'd probably be more interested in them than the current ones.
Please do 8868 next.
854 Go Kart was where it all started for me!
Had the yellow forklift 850 & the 8860 Car chassis as I think a 10th birthday present. Only one more of the early technic sets is 8848 that I owned. I did managed to pick up a 8868 a few years from a work collegue for a steal, but recently The Claas Xerion & Volvo EW160 has re-lit my technic flame!
I have most of the sets show here as I was just old enough to get into them when they came out. I really miss Technic sets with studs like these. While I enjoy some modern Technic sets I really have a hard time classifying them as Lego since the pieces are so different from the standard studded pieces. To me, modern Technic are more like plastic Erector sets instead of Lego.
There's nothing like those old Technic sets! I love how the catalogue marketing tantalises kids about how you have to be an expert to build that ship, too...
What a great article,850 forklift was my first technic set. More throwback thursdays please!!
I had the Go Cart. Loved that kit as my introduction to Technic sets. The steering was pretty flimsy, IIRC, and fell apart at the slightest oversteer.
8868 please! One of my favorite sets from childhood. I just cleaned it and rebuilt it. The air compressor was amazing at the time
Thanks for all the comments, and I like it that I take people back to their childhood memories.
8868 Air Tech Claw Rig will be my next historic review.
That 398 Constellation set is impressive. Jamie Berard mentions it though in his 'Stressing The Elements' PowerPoint slide show. It has been built with many techniques that are, today, considered illegal.
http://bramlambrecht.com/tmp/jamieberard-brickstress-bf06.pdf
Nice article.
For me, everything started with the Fork lift and the tractor. But later few of those sets here i got.
I recently got the Bulldozer but miss the Bike.
Another nice trip down memory lane. Went nuts with set 871 and kept going :)
Another great Article! I just remember wishing I had the 6390 Main street as a kid
Love these articles, takes me straight back to my youth. My first set being 852 of Christmas 1977 because my parents couldn't get hold of the 853 as everyone wanted that. Anyway a February birthday soon sorted that problem.
I was born at the right time to. My first set was the tractor set 851 my second set was the bulldozer,I also had the car 853. My friends had the forklift the crane and the motorbike. We traded sets (not to keep) so we had a chance to build the other sets. I build the go kart just from the one picture in the catalogue
Very nice read! I was immediately transported back to my 8th birthday when I received the auto chassis model 953, from the Expert Builder series as it was called in the US. I built it with my dad's help. Although the I did not understand at the time the shortcomings of the model, it was an exciting set to have. It followed with the go-kart, tractor, helicopter, bulldozer, mobile crane, and forklift sets later. I did eventually get the newer auto chassis (8860) and have built and rebuilt that over the years; probably the best set ever produced in my humble opinion. One thing I do miss with the current crop of technic sets is the lack of additional building ideas (pictures and instructions) that came with each set. It was always a challenge to see if you could build the extra models pictured with or without the instructions and just let one's imagination flow. I see that as really difficult with today's sets. Ah, yes the good old days!
The 854 kart was one of the early sets I rebuilt on coming out of the dark ages. It now sits proudly next to 390 and 395 as a reminder of those happy 1970s days. A nice article that brings back many memories.
I loved my dozer & kart.
Thanks for the memories :)