Throwback Thursday 1992 - 8868 Air Tech Claw Rig
Posted by FlagsNZ,
LEGO Technic introduced pneumatic sets in 1984 although in 1983 there was a service pack that included a pump cylinder. The pneumatic systems in all these early sets were manually pressurised with a hand pump.
8868 Air Tech Claw Rig of 1992 marked a significant improvement in the pneumatic system: the set included a 9V motor which powered a motor-driven pneumatic pump.
Technic sets from the early 1990s marked the end of brick-built Technic engineering. As we celebrate 40 years of Technic, see how motorised pneumatics were developed 25 years ago.
Read on as I review a set that has been identified by many Brickset members as one of their favourite Technic sets of all time.
Box and instructions
Like other Technic sets of the era, 8868 Air Tech Claw Rig comes in a box with an image of the set superimposed over a blue print showing the dimensions of the model. There is a thumbnail image of the new pneumatic compressor.
Technic sets in the 1990s came with a sorting tray. All the various parts had particular stowage spots in the tray.
This is the last Technic set that used the 20x30 tyre. This was a smaller version of the traditional tyre found in the earliest flagship Technic sets that had been retired in 1989. They had been based on the tyres found in Classic Town sets.
The instructions come as one 60 page book. Here is an image of the B Model, Materials Handler.
The build
By step 16 the main chassis has been assembled. The pneumatic hoses have been threaded through the attached Air Tech Claw turntable in preparation for joining them to the arm's pneumatic cylinders.
The white tanks on each side of the chassis represent diesel fuel tanks.
Here you can see the pair of reciprocating pneumatic cylindres that slew the Air Tech Claw turntable.
This is the first Technic truck to have two rear drive-axles. As a result the set comes with two differentials. This differential part first appeared in 8860 Car Chassis. The 14-tooth bevel gear was a weak design but remained in the Technic system until 2002.
It is also possible to see how the pneumatic hoses are neatly aligned to and from the four pneumatic control valves.
Note how each differential must be aligned on opposite sides of the chassis for them to work properly.
By step 27 the V6 engine has been added under the hood, the driver's cab is beginning to take shape and the Air Tech Claw cab has been completed.
The smaller, circular pistons and engine blocks appeared in 1990. The Air Tech Claw Rig has a V6 engine. A rubber band will eventually connect the drive shaft to the crank shaft. The gearing is such that the pistons really wiz when the truck is driven around.
This is the second V6 engine in a Technic set. The first V6 engine appeared in 8850 Rally Support Truck in 1990. Note how the engine ends are brick-built.
The completed model
When the model is completed, there is a brick-built engine exhaust muffler on each side of the cab, two horns on the cab's roof and a hand-of-god steering mechanism that is camouflaged as the yellow hazard light.
The two pneumatic control valves on the left side control the slewing of the turntable and the first stage, lifting the arm up and down.
White bull-bars have been added at the front of the truck. These are protecting the four printed headlamps. The yellow engine fan has also been added and two brick-built air filters are on either side of the cab.
The hose layout is very neat. Here the three pairs of pneumatic hoses are supplying the three pneumatic cylinders on the Air Tech Claw Rig arm.
I was surprised to find that the truck does not have a steering wheel.
Here is the Air Tech Claw arm extended to the rear of the truck.
There could have been some 1x1 round transparent plates in red and orange colour on the back bumper to give the truck some more detail.
The two pneumatic control valves on the right side control the claw and the second stage of the arm, extending the arm out further.
Air Tech Claw Rig
Here is a close-up view of the Air Tech Claw arm. The pneumatics are made up of three cylinders: two pneumatic cylinders similar to the ones that slew the turntable and a smaller pneumatic cylinder that opens and closes the Air Tech Claw.
Overall opinion
Given that this set is 25 years old, it is appropriate that it stands as a flagship set in Technic theme:
- When it was released it had the most sophisticated pneumatics functions in the Technic range.
- A power operated pneumatic pump allows the pneumatic system to remain pressurised while operating.
- The Air Claw arm is easy to operate and functions well.
- The V6 engine has a very satisfactory sound as the truck is pushed along.
In 2015, LEGO released the 42043 Mercedes Benz Arocs 3245 with a newer version of Pneumatic Functions V2. Whilst Mercedes Benz Arocs 3245 is a much bigger set, the earlier pneumatic pedigree can be seen when the sets are viewed side by side. 23 years separate these two models.
I would like to thank Rocket Man for supplying me with the images of the box and Paul Bricktrain for critiquing the technical aspects of the truck and pneumatics.
42 likes
26 comments on this article
Great memories! Thanks FlagsNZ
Happy memories! One of my favourite Christmas presents, although I was never really a fan of the reciprocating pneumatic ram mechanism for slewing the turntable, as it resulted in very clumsy and jerky movements. It felt like they were just there for the sake of having something else that the compressor could control.
The set that brought me out of my dark ages!
^^ I have started using spray silicon on the gearing of sets that I display often. At shows I usually have an 852 Helicopter and 853 car Chassis running all day. Add to that my Mindstorms Rubics Cube Mindcub3r solver. The silicons makes the gears run smoother and the cube's faces easier to twist.
I sprayed silicon onto the pair of reciprocating pneumatic rams and they operate more smoothly now.
^ Do any real vehicles use a mechanism like that to rotate a turntable? Gears just seem like the more obvious solution...
i had a submarine with a pneumatic pump like that. It used to open and close the claws at the front. I once used it to build a Stephenson's Rocket (locomotive).
I still have that yellow parts container too.
great review. I personally think the old truck was better between it and the Mercedes one.
No matter how nice the Porsche and the other models look like.
Those were the days that you build with bricks instead of assembling parts. It was also much easier to modify with regular bricks.
That looks like a brilliant set, and I particularly like seeing it side by side with its descendant...
My most favorite Technic set. I bought it when it came in stores, I was 12 years old and really enjoyed building it and playing with it. Last year , after my dark ages, I rebuild it, and it still worked, real nostalgia.
Beautiful.
This was my first Technic set, I loved it and got me into building with Technic. I remember saving my Christmas money to buy it. Sadly due to growing up and entering my dark-ages, this set has long gone. I do wonder where my old classic sets are now.
Thanks for bringing back the memories.
The pneumatics with the big blue tanks worked the best.
One of my all time fave lego sets! I remember going to Hamleys toy store in london and having my father buy me this! I was 10! Hours and hours of playability. Truely an iconic set!
One of my favorite sets! I remember getting mine for Christmas. I still have it. Cleaned and rebuilt it to display in my collection a few years ago.
Nice review!
I have read somewhere that the material used for the old larger Technic tyres (4267 and 3740) were made from a significantly different material than the standard lego tyre rubber. Can someone confirm this?
I'm kind of curious if it's considered one of the supposedly 24 types of plastics lego uses :)
One of the best - if not THE best - Technic sets ever!
^ Yes Technic tyres 4267 and 3740 are made of a different material. It looks like it is a hard foam rubber.
I have just made a few amendments. The following universal motor sets came with a 9V motor before 1992:
https://brickset.com/sets/8054-1/Universal-Motor-Set - 1989
https://brickset.com/sets/8054-1/Universal-Motor-Set - 1990
https://brickset.com/sets/8054-1/Universal-Motor-Set - 1990
8868 Air Tech Claw Rig was the first dedicated Technic vehicle set with 9V motor included.
The model has many functions with only 954 parts. And the instructions only have about 35 steps, that's a really small number compared to current models. And the instructions for model B is available in the same book. Too bad LEGO stopped this.
Surprised to see a vintage set review featured on the frontpage. I bought this set brand-new two weeks ago and still heisitating about opening it up or not. These vintage box is like a showcase with flips, seethru windows, trays to display interesting parts etc. Much better than the newer boxes which is BORING!
@ paul_merton: to answer your question via Paul Bricktrain - some early knuckle boom cranes used rams for slewing.
https://www.google.co.nz/search?q=knuckle+boom+cranes&rlz=1C1CHMD_enNZ565NZ565&oq=knuckle+boom+cranes&aqs=chrome..69i57&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
This is the best Technic set ever made. Period.
LEGO packed so much functionality into so few pieces, it puts current sets to complete shame.
With brick Technic it was much easier to modify the sets, cosmetically and functionally. With modern Technic it's nearly impossible unless you make major skeleton changes.
This set is why I loved LEGO Technic as a teen, and why I have abandoned today's Technic as an adult.
I own a smaller technic set in the same era and that is my favorite Lego of all time. As what many have said, it's easier to modify, lots of play-ability and it encourage creativity.
With modern sets it look sleeker, and complex. But I still prefer the old days of simplicity and the down to earth way of making things.
Great memories from 1994 Christmas. Thank you for the article.
IMO the best Technic set ever made. From aesthetic point of view it has clear and beatiful design. Looks like the real thing, even sounds like the real thing. Compressor and pneumatic for the first time. Authenticity, because pneumatic design comes closest to real one's hydraulic. Challenging building. Beautiful box design and printed instructions included also for second complex model. Great MODding possibilities. This is what Technic should be all about.
I have all the Technic flagships starting with the '77 Car Chassis but 8868 is the crown jewel and the one I would keep if I had to sell my entire LEGO collection. This set has still not been surpassed.
One of my all time favourite Technic sets, along with 8880 Supercar. Today's Technic sets simply don't bring me as much building joy as the old, sturdy, studded brick sets. I wish they brought back the Technic bricks, albeit with the better designed connecting and gear elements that came since.
Ah, the good ol' claw rig! Warms my heart to see how many others think highly of this set. Technic doesn't get any better than this.
By the way, every time I look at the ranking of the Technic sets based on the user ratings on BrickSet, I scratch my head as to why 8466 comes up as the top set of all times. I dig 8275, 8043, 8480, 8868, 8880, and 8421 being many people's favorites. But 8466 just doesn't seem to cut it anywhere near the league of these sets. Probably the same, albeit to a lesser degree, could be said about 8458. Something seems rather odd in ratings land.