Review: 42128 Heavy-Duty Tow Truck
Posted by Huw,
Two large Technic sets are due for release on August 1st. 42128 Heavy-Duty Tow Truck, the subject of this review, and 42129 4x4 Mercedes-Benz Zetros Trial Truck, which I'll take a look at early next week.
Both contain around 2000 pieces. This one contains pneumatics, the other a Control+ hub and motors. One is half the price of the other.
The pneumatic system makes a welcome return in this model: it's not been used in a Technic set since 2018.
Parts
There is one part in the set that has not appeared before now: an 11-long version of the beam with perpendicular holes, 71710 BEAM 15 MODULE, W/ 4.85 HOLE, NO. 1, which was seen in models released earlier this year.
Its element number is 6330585.
There are also a number of re-colours, most notably the gear rack housing in blue.
Stickers
I'm sorry to say that I omitted to photograph the sticker sheet before applied some of them. It contains around 30 stickers, some or which are purely cosmetic and others which label the various controls scattered around the model. I elected not to apply most of the former as I felt they were a bit unrealistic and childish.
Construction
Parts are provided in bags numbered one to four, so construction is divided accordingly.
Although the models features pneumatics there are a number of mechanical functions in it as well which require some fairly dense and complex mechanisms buried within the chassis. The rear end is constructed initially using parts in bags #1, which includes most of them.
Bags #2 complete the back of the vehicle, which includes the pneumatic controls and the towing fork at the rear.
Unlike in the olden days (the 1990s!), the flex tubes are all cut to length: there's no need to do so yourself. The tubes are mostly routed internally so are largely hidden away when the model is complete.
A 6-cylinder engine is positioned above the front axle which is linked to the rear wheels.
After the parts in bags #3 are exhausted the vehicle's cab and the front of the chassis have been competed.
Parts in bags #4 finish the model off by adding the bonnet and towing arm.
The completed model
The truck is bigger than I expected it to be: it's about 60cm long and 15cm wide. The orange, white and blue colour scheme is attractive although without the stickers applied the white panel behind the cab does not look good. It's relatively easy to fix that, though, as I will show below.
The vehicle is equipped with a towing fork and an extending crane arm, which should enable it to recover just about anything.
As I mentioned, I did not apply most of the cosmetic stickers, but did attach those relating to the operation of the model: without them, it would be guessing game!
A minor flaw in the design concerns the wing mirrors: they do not protrude far enough for the driver to be able to see beyond the exhaust stacks.
The other thing that bugs me is the gap at the front of the front wheel arches. It's particularly noticeable in this picture. Try as I might, I have not found a satisfactory solution and I guess the designers could not come up with one either.
Other than that, I am satisfied with its appearance and thankful that the use of System parts to improve aesthetics has been kept to a minimum.
Controls and functionality
A model of this type and size needs to do a lot more than look good, though, and this one does not disappoint.
Starting with the basic mechanical functions, the front wheels can be steered using the gear on the top of the cab, the bonnet opens to reveal the 6-cylinder engine, which 'works' as the vehicle is pushed, and the cab doors can be opened as well.
All other functions are operated using controls on the sides. On the left, a single pneumatic switch raises and lowers the towing fork while the two gears above the wheels tilt the fork and raise/lower the third rear axle.
On the right-hand side, the pneumatic controls raise and lower the crane arm, and extend/retract it. The two gears operate the outriggers and rotate the crane arm.
This is the first Technic model to feature an axle which can be raised and lowered. Typically, vehicles run with all wheels on the road under heavy load but raise the axle to reduce friction and thus fuel usage when it's not needed.
Raised:
Lowered:
The outriggers at the sides are neatly contained within the bodywork. They, and two more at the back, are lowered and retracted by means of small linear actuators by turning the gear on the right-hand side of the vehicle.
Here, the crane arm is fully raised and extended, the towing fork has been lowered and raised off the road, as it would be when towing. The pneumatic cylinder for pressurising the system can be seen just behind cab.
The vehicle in 42098 Car Transporter and also the 42093 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, both released during 2019, look to be to scale with the truck and in fact the lugs on the towing fork mate with a hole in the chassis of the former which enables it to be towed securely.
The final function I have not mentioned yet is the crane hook, or hooks, as there are two independently operated ones, which can be pressed into service when recovering cars from ditches.
Improving its appearance
Without the stickers the white panel behind the cab sticks out like a sore thumb, but it can be replaced with orange and white beams to continue the split colour scheme. The exhaust stacks attach to it, which complicates it slightly, but it was easily done, and I think it looks better than the stickered version, and certainly better than with the plain white panel.
I could have continued the blue line across it too, although blue 5l half-beams are like rocking-horse droppings, and it might have looked odd ending abruptly where it meets the white line across the top of the rear bodywork.
Official image of the stickered version for comparison:
Verdict
For those that prefer their Technic 'old-school', with lots of functionality but not a motor in sight, this is pretty much the perfect model. It packs in a lot of mechanical and pneumatic functions into a colourful and attractive vehicle. Everything works as it should and there's something very satisfying and tactile about operating the pneumatics, which is sorely missing from the non-haptic smartphone interface of the Control+ system.
I'm not over enamoured with the stickers, or the reliance on them to address the white panel cosmetic issue but, this being LEGO, the model can be modified as I have done should you wish. The only cosmetic issue that's not easily resolved is the hole by the front wheel arches. It's very unsightly, but not a show-stopper.
Value-wise, I think £140 and in particular $150 is a fair price for model of this size and features. However, if past precedent is anything to go by, it'll be reduced down to £99 at Amazon before Christmas, which of course will make it an even better buy.
Thanks to LEGO for providing the set for review. All opinions expressed are my own.
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53 comments on this article
Oh yes to the non-stickered conversion! Good work.
This might be my most anticipated set this year, and this review has cemented that...
Really love your improvement regarding replacing the white panel.
Like you said, come Christmas this will be available for around 100 Euro, at which point I will certainly be getting it.
As for that gap at the front, I am not that bothered by it. After all, when I got into Technic, every such set had more holes than body panels anyway, and I really like the look.
Great looking set, cool review. Thank you
Great review. I was a bit ho-hum about this before, but looks like it'll have to go on the want list. Like your mods very much, too.
I see the problem for the wheel arch gap at the front. Trying a quick couple of solutions, the shape of the inside of the arch really prevents adding anything in the gap.
Great review for an awesome set!
I liked the look & colour-scheme of this truck the moment I laid eyes on it with the pre-release leak, even with all the stickers (a bit of overkill).
I’m amazed with how many features are packed into this one medium-large set!
I’m no expert on the subject, but can anyone think of a Technic set with more working features?….
@lemish34 : many, especially older Technic sets had lots of functions.
It's only in recent years that Technic sets had gradually lost functionality versus "better" looks. I am very glad that this set proves there is still life in the theme and that LEGO hasn't completely forgotten what Technic is really about.
@lemish34 : 42098 has a bunch of functions (lifting cab, similar engine, doors, 2 lowering decks & 2 loading platforms)., but nothing as sophisticated as this.
I like the fact that this is in scale with 42098, too.
What a cool set. I used to be into Technic and this would have been right in my wheelhouse. Reasonable realism, a bunch of functions (pneumatics!), and a great price. This is everything a mid-large scale Technic set should be.
@Huw, I just noticed that you've not attached the orange panel on the left side of the bonnet correctly: I was wondering why the bonnet appeared to tilt forward slightly.
Looks great without stickers! Beautiful review, Huw, thanks.
One thing I need to complain about is the fugly 6 cylinder motor, this needed to be on old school V6.
Great review! Brilliant set!!
My Lego journey 40 years ago started with Technic, but I’ve not bothered with it for years, too busy in modular and UCS land! But lately I’ve been looking again at this corner of the Lego world and this set might just be the one to tempt me back in!!
Its so good to see Pneumatics back again, hope there is more in the future!
I have a hope for large JCB with electric pump actuation to!
Adding some kind of lights over the gaps at the front might work..
This is technically not the first Technic set to have a lowering axle, as the B model for 9397 has this feature as well.
Nice model, wish it's in the same scale as the flagship trucks though. This one has the smaller wheels than the typical flagship trucks (8258, 8285, 9397, 42043).
What a great looking set, and an equally great review. Thank you!
Great review. Exciting set.
I’m not too put off by the stickers…here in the states many drivers who tend to spend a good portion of time with their trucks tend to deco the hell out of them with auto bling, including a ton of graphics. It’s what they’re enthusiastic about, so it works. But I also understand the viewpoint of the AFOL No-Sticker Coalition. :)
Thanks, Huw. When I came out of my dark age, I would buy every Technic set that was released. These days I'm a bit more picky, but this looks great.
@DoonsterBuildsLego said:
" @Huw, I just noticed that you've not attached the orange panel on the left side of the bonnet correctly: I was wondering why the bonnet appeared to tilt forward slightly."
It probably came loose when man-handling it opening the bonnet...
I'm all for extensive stickering on some models, but those included here are too much for this truck. I could see some basic lettering on the bonnet sides, a simple logo on that side panel, but the lightning and so on is too busy and cartoony. It's a much more impressive and substantive model plain. Though I would be all for that monster-crushing-car graphic on a City sized vehicle or City building/billboard.
I also didn't realize from the initial reveal how many functions this has, namely the wheel lowering and the mechanically deploying stabilizers (as opposed to just pulling them down).
Between demonstrating the functions and showing what it looks like without the non-functional stickers, this review has pretty much sold me on this truck. At $100US it'd be a steal, at $150US it seems perfectly reasonable. Thanks for the writeup, Huw!
Can the fork also lift a truck?
For comparison:
8462 could lift 8436
42008 coudn't lift 8436 (if I remember correctly)
8285 - can't remember (would need to re-do)
I'd like to see a tow attempt on 42098 or 42078.
@Huw
Here is a link for mods on the front
https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Flive.staticflickr.com%2F65535%2F51063058732_af2365240e_c.jpg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eurobricks.com%2Fforum%2Findex.php%3F%2Fforums%2Ftopic%2F184252-mod-42128-tow-truck-mods-and-improvements%2F&tbnid=7krxxs85SVaY4M&vet=12ahUKEwjM46b7--fxAhXJPt8KHW_KDEMQMygGegUIARC0AQ..i&docid=wpWIyYzn-Sg-kM&w=800&h=450&q=lego%2042128%20front%20modifications&client=ubuntu&ved=2ahUKEwjM46b7--fxAhXJPt8KHW_KDEMQMygGegUIARC0AQ
There are quite a few changes made but I think the moccer did a fantastic job.
Nah, the fully-stickered version without so-called “improvement” of white section is MUCH netter. More solid and cool.
But is Iou want to keep it plain job-rated, you can mod the white section and apply the minimum os stickers.
I'm absolutely not a LEGO Technic guy, but I have to admit this is a really cool set.
This may become my first non-System set I buy, probably going to be a rabbit hole if I start buying Technic....
@hobbes, thanks. That is a good solution. Looks like he's replaced the bent beam with a straight one to give more room.
How do LEGO pneumatics work? Do you put one of the tubes in your mouth and blow? Some explanation would be nice. Not all of us have had pneumatic sets before.
^ Good point!
This LEGO Education document explains all: https://education.lego.com/v3/assets/blt293eea581807678a/blt1413437ed9f36f41/5f8804fe631d5a2165df41a8/what-is-pneumatics.pdf
@Nytmare said:
"How do LEGO pneumatics work?"
Locate the black object in the open triangle behind the cab & ahead of the turntable and make like Elvis Costello:
"Pump it up!"
(In all seriousness, a video is your best bet.)
@Huw said:
" @hobbes, thanks. That is a good solution. Looks like he's replaced the bent beam with a straight one to give more room."
The moccer also completely changed the grill and also widened the bonnet by one stud which gives a much better coverage. The bumper is also one stud higher
@Huw said:
"^ Good point!
This LEGO Education document explains all: https://education.lego.com/v3/assets/blt293eea581807678a/blt1413437ed9f36f41/5f8804fe631d5a2165df41a8/what-is-pneumatics.pdf"
Thanks for that, I always thought it worked with an accumulator that you pumped up, then got a continuous flow of air.
Huh, this actually sounds pretty neat. Blue pins seem less out of place here, due to the color scheme, but I'd still prefer them to not be a thing.
Is that orange guy in the main sticker The Thing from Fantastic Four?
I think the overall look is excellent.
However I'm not over keen on the pneumatics. It would have been good if it had an air reservoir that you initially pumped to pressurise, and then could use the functions smoothly. But having to pump continuously to make anything work seems a bit futile.
I don't mind stickers when they're tasteful, but........those are NOT tasteful. Ugh.
^ one of the best ever Technic sets of old was the 8868 Air Tech Claw Rig, somewhat similar to this one, and it had a battery powered motor connected to a small pump, which was used to pressurise the pneumatic system. No manual pumping needed!
With regards to those front wheel arches, has anyone experimented with replacing that curved arch piece with a more classic angular set of beams to form the wheel arch?
@sjr60 ; They used to have an air tank in some sets (such as 8250, the only set with a pneumatic function I own) but this was less to ensure smooth operation (since as @LegoMike says, one push is enough), but to allow you to use the function over and over without pumping again. Although you did have to pump about thirty times to fill the tank in the first place...
That truck's grill makes me think of Model Team tractor-trailers.
Re: feeling like the stickers you chose not to apply were "unrealistic and childish" I think you might be surprised to see the types of cartoonish graphics/mascots some American towing companies have. Often the nicer/more expensive the truck, the more money the towing company has to invest in over the top wraps and decals—flames, flags, chains, you name it. All of that is to say that if I saw a tow truck with graphics like the "standard" version of this set on the road, I probably wouldn't bat an eye. I'd encourage you to look up "tow truck wraps" on Google sometime for a taste of the kind of excess you can be graced with on American roadways.
@TheOtherMike said:
" @sjr60 ; They used to have an air tank in some sets (such as 8250 , the only set with a pneumatic function I own) but this was less to ensure smooth operation (since as @LegoMike says, one push is enough), but to allow you to use the function over and over without pumping again. Although you did have to pump about thirty times to fill the tank in the first place...
That truck's grill makes me think of Model Team tractor-trailers."
8459 was another great technic set with pneumatic tank
Lego Mercedes Benz Arocs 3245 (42043) is the modern equivalent of 8868 and probably one of the best Technic set ever (imho) - also with automated pump. What was neat in 8868 was that the rotation of the turret was made with pneumatic - which introduced a new tubing configuration for this function(not rocket science but the only time this configuration was used in a Lego set). 8439 is another classic, very lifelike, very compact yet you can see all the systems and worked extremely well with the tank. 8250 was neat because you had a combined function (seen elsewhere i.e. 8479 - although 8479 was not pneumatic) grab and then lift. And there is also 8455 with no less than 10 cylinders!
I am surprised no one mentioned the great and futuristic 8462 Tow Truck, the flagship set from 1998, in connection with pneumatic tanks and tow trucks. To me it is one of the best pneumatic sets to date with similar, although less functions.
42128 seems to be one of the best Technic sets in the last few years, fully packed with flawlessly working functions in a relatively small size.
@Huw - do You plan to build Mercedes Zetros without stickers as well? And by the way - superb review, as always.
^ Yes
So still no return of the airtank :-(
@Huw What is the turning circle of this thing? Steering lock on Technic cars has been crap for a long time and this thing is long with 3 fixed axles...
I love what you did with improving the white panel without stickers! Very nice and simple mod.
Definitely one of the best technic sets of the last decade! It's big, it's substantial, it has plenty of functions. I really appreciate the bold color scheme, even the stickers are proper- this is how those tow trucks look 8n the reality TV series. The price is good, the pneumatics work exactly as it should. Really, this is a proper technic set. One thing that would make it perfect would be B model instructions. But other than that- good work Lego!
Really nice set. However, I don't like the lack of a B model. First LEGO took away the B model printed instructions and now....
I understand that most B models are not very good but they teach how to build something different with the same pieces. Also a few B models are pretty good like 8053.
I really don’t like this new design fad of cam operated pistons for an engine. It’s such a cop-out. Plenty of room for the classic and more authentic crankshaft and con rod setup. I’ve already put a proper engine in my Defender and will put one in this when I buy it. And the stickers will be going in the bin.
I'll never understand the angst over not having a "B model". EVERY set has a B, C, D, E, F, ... model. Lego is teaching you to use you imagination to create it. However, for what it's worth, 42078 had great B model...better than the main model, IMO.
@DaBigE said:
"I'll never understand the angst over not having a "B model". EVERY set has a B, C, D, E, F, ... model. Lego is teaching you to use you imagination to create it. However, for what it's worth, 42078 had great B model...better than the main model, IMO."
It's not angst I guess but rather annoyance at LEGO over cheaping out on such a lot of things these days. Quality (especially colour consistency and scratches on trans-so-called-clear pieces), B-models, prints, even stuff like not using the proper engine pieces anymore. The latter is my main gripe with this set - as with all the others recently that use this new cheaper version. It even looks so cheap and insubstantial. Sure, I can buy the older pieces and mod it myself, but as a paying customer from a company whose edict is "only the best is good enough" I shouldn't have to be required to do so myself. The older engine parts looked like a proper engine (crankshaft, pistons, cylinders) and tought how a real engine moved properly. The new version doesn't, plus it doesn’t even have cylinders to begin with, just fiddly rods with bushes attached to the ends bopping up and down. What kind of an engine is that supposed to represent?
Actually, seeing those things move up and down outside the engine itself reminds me of the chimney stacks movement in the Steamboat Willie cartoon.
Imho the best Technic sets engine wise were those that came with the cylinders in trans-clear, where you could really see the actual movement of the pistons in relation to the crankshaft, like 8448, 8458 or 8466.
@lemish34 said:
"(...)
I’m amazed with how many features are packed into this one medium-large set!
I’m no expert on the subject, but can anyone think of a Technic set with more working features?…."
I can only think of 8480 Space Shuttle coming close with 7 mechanical functions (of which 5 motorised) and Fiber optic system.
Dude! Dude. What are you doing to me? I am only came on the site to check the inventory of a road set, and now you've convinced me to drop £100 on this set.