Featured set of the day: Tow Truck
Posted by Huw,
Hollandsglorie is the first to pick a Technic model for our featured set. I only have a couple more selections to publish so, please, if you'd like to nominate one, get in touch via the contact form.
Quite a few memories and stories to quite a few sets come to mind, like the one and only time my parents were able to surprise me with a set I hadn’t asked for, when they gifted me 6890 Cosmic Cruiser after my tonsils were removed, but my favorite story will always be the one related to 8846 Tow Truck, because of those two priceless moments I will never forget involving my dad and his attempt to build it.
I do not recall exactly how old I was, but I was quite a few years younger than the recommended age for this set. It all started off with getting a train set from my parents for by birthday. As far as I remember, it had a black locomotive similar to 40370 40th Anniversary Set available as GWP recently and it ran on blue tracks.
Anyway, at that age I quickly got bored from watching the train go in circles to the point where my parents decided to bring it back to the store – a story on its own of this being the only set I ever got rid of. In exchange my parents got me my very first LEGO Technic set 8846 Tow Truck.
Because I was far too young to build this set, my dad, who had never built anything out of LEGO before as far as I can tell, decided that he would build it for me. And so he started building...
My bedtime came along, and he was still in the middle of it. He promised to wake me up when he was finished, so I could play with it for a few minutes, and he did -- at midnight! Considering our rock steady dinner time at 5:30 sharp, he must have spent 5 to 6 hours building it!
(Image from Technopedia)
My bedroom was in between my parents’ bedroom and the bathroom and my bedroom door had a window in it at eye height for adults so that they could easily check on their children.
I have always been (and still am) an early riser. When my dad got up around 6AM and passed my bedroom, the first moment happened… He looked through the window in passing and stopped in his tracks. I was sitting on the floor and had the tow truck completely disassembled. In my memory his face colour changed to something between white and green. Priceless! I will never forget!
Breakfast must have been around 7:30 or 8 in those days. My parents and my little sister were already sitting at the table when I showed up from upstairs, with the re-assembled tow truck under my arm.
Silence followed, deer in the headlights expressions on my parents’ faces. Priceless! My dad said he would never build LEGO for me again, and he has kept to his word. I love that man!
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5 comments on this article
Always wanted this one, had 8845
Funny story! Thanks for sharing
I remember my first set, 6056 Dragon Wagon. I had to have my uncle help me build it 3 times because I kept dropping it while playing and couldn't follow the instructions to save my life
Hilarious! Reminds me of a time last Christmas when my uncle did the same thing to my 6-yo cousin’s new 75248 Resistance A-Wing. I got the Ideas 21319 Central Perk and he seemed to be more interested in watching me building that than his own set!
Great article!
Seeing those old tires brings teasrs to my eyes. I have so many sets using those tires. Great story by the way.
My favourite technic set from childhood! I got this for xmas in 1984 at the age of 7. What i remember most was my older brother getting 8860 at the same time, but wanting to play with my smaller cooler model,more than his!(def is the front winch and rear tow cables that make this set godlike!) When i emerged from my dark ages in 2009,this was one of the first sets i bought.