Review: 42146 Liebherr Crawler Crane LR 13000
Posted by Huw,
42146 Liebherr Crawler Crane LR 13000 is the largest and most expensive Technic set ever produced. Consequently, it's been scrutinised and criticised more than most, especially as it does not appear to be an accurate rendition of the crane it's named after.
I therefore did not have high expectations for it, especially as it is reliant on the much derided Control+ app to operate it, but, well, read on to find out what I think of it now I've built and played with it...
Summary
42146 Liebherr Crawler Crane LR 13000, 2,883 pieces.
£579.99 / $699.99 / €679.99 | 20.1p/24.3c/23.6c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
An incredible model that's sturdy and works flawlessly
- It's massive and built like a tank
- Fun to operate
- Does not resemble a Liebherr LR 13000
- Prohibitively expensive for many
- Threading the string requires a lot of patience
- Inconsistent colour scheme
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
Packaging and new parts
I examined the box and parts in my first look article that was published last week. Please have a read if you've not already done so.
The prototype
According to the manufacturer the LR 13000 is the most powerful conventional crawler crane in the world. It can lift loads of up to 3,000 tonnes and has a maximum hoist height of 236 metres. The PDF data sheet is definitely worth a read.
Although the crane can be purchased in various configurations, the LEGO model bears little resemblance any of them, in terms of the lengths of the main boom and jib, the width of the crawler tracks in relation to the body, and the arrangement of the counterweight ballast.
The completed model
However, the thing is still absolutely massive and far larger than I can handle on my photography table as you can see below, which is why some of the photos below are not up to our usual standard. To give you a sense of scale, my lights are 70cm tall and the table 1.5m wide.
With the backdrop removed I just about managed to photograph it against the almost neutral grey wall on a white table. Yes, the paint was chosen deliberately :)
With the main boom raised to its highest position it's about 1 metre tall and well over a metre wide
The bottom part of the crane -- the superstructure -- is about 60cm in length and the wheels that drive the caterpillar tracks are about 35cm apart.
The operator's cab and engine/winch room are positioned on the left-hand-side of the machine, which is where the three of the six motors are housed, those that wind in and let out the strings that move the various parts of the crane.
One of the two Technic hubs is housed between the caterpillar tracks and the second one can be seen in the photo below. Its weight is used to take some of the strain of heavy loads, via a spring-loaded rack gear in the sand blue housing.
The real crane has counterweight ballast on the main superstructure and, in some configurations, a lot more suspended from the end of the Derrick (rear) boom. The arrangement here seems to be something of a cross between the two.
What the real machine definitely does not have, though, are wheels or rollers underneath the ballast. They are presumably necessary here to avoid straining parts with the weight of the new ballast pieces which, you will recall from my previous article about the crane, have a combined weight of about 1Kg.
Three motors hidden under the grey panels operate the winches. Two motorcycle struts hold the Derrick boom in position while providing some backwards movement, although I'm not entirely sure why it's needed.
The lifting block is fairly heavy, so keeps the strings taut. It incorporates a turntable to enable the hook to be turned if needed to line up with the load.
The red frames at the ends add a splash of colour and look alright, but it's a mystery why the new triangular frame pieces which are so prominent on the model are not yellow to match the others, especially as they've been made for this set. It just looks odd, and as Sariel aptly says in his review, it has the appearance of a MOC you're making out of pieces you have at hand while you wait for those of the right colour to be delivered in a BrickLink order.
Operation
The Control+ app has now been updated with the August releases so this and the Audi appear as options on the home screen.
The control interface is intuitive and other than the usual problem of a lack of haptic feedback, it works well.
The curved slider at the top left rotates the body of crane, while the two small ones at the bottom drive the tracks forward and back. The left-hand joystick moves the jib and boom while that on the right raises and lowers the hook. These can be swapped over if you prefer.
The diagram of the arm in the centre of the screen moves in synchronisation with the model
The crane moves back and forth a fairly slowly but probably much faster than the real one does. The tracks make a lot of noise as it traverses hard surfaces, though, on account of the weight of it.
The crane body rotates far too quickly, unless you go easy on the controls, causing the load to swing from side to side.
It's about to lift a 440ml can of 4% ABV session IPA brewed in Cornwall and purchased in Lidi, in a speciality constructed cradle, a total weight of about 500g.
As the crane lifts the green indicator on the load shows that it's not too heavy.
It certainly has no problem with 500g, although the back end rises off the table slightly, causing the rollers to lose contact with it. All of the load is thus transferred through the slewing ring (turntable) between the body and crawler chassis.
Here the boom and jib are fully extended with the load dangling below ground level, There is considerable strain on the strings and structure, but it remains rock-solid and handles it admirably.
500g was easy, what about a 1 litre bottle, weighing 1Kg? Surprisingly it can handle that, too, although as you can see the body tips somewhat precariously when the jib and boom are in an extended position.
The app warns that you in the 'tipping zone' and the load indicator changes to red. I think 1Kg must be about the limit, which makes sense given the weight of the counterweight is about that.
Additional screens in the app show the current centre of gravity of the model and statistics for how long you've been playing with it.
Another screen provides shortcuts for moving to the highest, farthest, lowest and closest positions.
The app is not bogged down with games and challenges, there is no attempt to gamify it, which I think is a good thing.
Construction and setup
The app is required during construction to test and calibrate the various motorised functions, and it all worked flawlessly, starting with updating the hubs' firmware.
Construction begins with the slewing ring (turntable) which makes use of banana gears and I suspect it's similar to that in 42082 Rough Terrain Crane (although I've still not built mine!)
The crawler chassis incorporates one of the two hubs and three motors that independently drive the tracks and rotate the crane's body.
Two motors are positioned at the front of the tracks and are geared down both through conventional gears and geared wheel hubs. The caterpillar track pieces, 75 per side, have been around for years, but here they've been manufacturered with a different plastic: existing ones are quite shiny and hard, these are matte and slightly softer.
The second checkpoint of the build tests that everything is working so far.
Parts are divided into five bags and the first three contain those for the crawler and superstructure frame where all of the complexity lies.
Stage four involves building the booms and jib and the model soon grows in size, beyond that which I could easily photograph on my table, hence the lack of pictures of this part of the process.
The only thing I will mention about it is that it requires threading three very long strings -- 6.5m in one case -- through numerous pulleys on the booms, and it's very fiddly. You need good eyesight and a steady hand. Videos in the app show how to do it, but it still tests the patience of a saint...
Once construction is complete the model needs to be calibrated which involves the strings being wound until the motors stall so that the app can calculate and remember the limits of movement.
Verdict
There is no doubt that this absolutely huge model is awesome and very imposing. It's an impressive feat of Technic engineering which functions flawlessly. It can handle surprisingly heavy loads, and it's great fun to play with. It also has some educational merit, ably demonstrating how such machines work.
I am not usually a fan of app-controlled models, especially those that require dexterity to control, but because everything moves slowly on this model it's easy to operate, and I have no complaints about it. The question of what happens in 20 years when the app is no longer supported is of course a concern given the machine can't even be built without it, but let's cross that bridge if and when we come to it.
Some bizarre aesthetic decisions were made which impair its appearance somewhat but other than that there is only one negative thing I can say about it, and that concerns the name of it.
It's supposed to be a Liebherr LR 13000, so that obviously invites us to compare the model with the real crane. However, doing so reveals that it falls short in many areas and its configuration does not match any of those shown in the manufacturer's brochure.
Had it been marketed as simply as a crawler crane there could be no criticism, but as it is the best that can be said is that it is 'inspired by' the LR 13000. It's a shame that attaching the licence and name has marred what is otherwise an exceptional model.
I wonder therefore whether the initial intention was to build it larger and more accurately but the alleged stability issues that delayed the set's release for a year resulted it having to be scaled down.
It's a hard model to judge for value for money. Costing £579.99 / $699.99 / €679.99 it's the fourth most expensive set of all time and for the same price you could buy a pretty decent television, a fridge or some other appliance. It is unquestionably a considerable outlay and a heck of a lot to spend on a toy. However, if you can afford it you will not be disappointed. You will be in awe of its size and functionality, as I am.
After all the negative commentary and initial reviews I thought that I was going to dislike it but far from it, it's one of my favourite sets of the year.
Something you need to consider before buying it is where you're going to keep it. It's not something that will fit on the sideboard or shelf!
Video reviews
Text and pictures really do not the machine justice, so I recommend taking a look at RacingBrick's and Sariel's video reviews, although note that the latter one is quite negative and won't let me embed it in the page for some reason.
121 likes
87 comments on this article
Were the Goats not available for scale photos?
@namekuji said:
"Were the Goats not available for scale photos?"
They're there! This thing is just so large they can't be seen anymore!
In all seriousness though: 'They were so busy thinking about if they could, they never stopped to think if they should.'
I think that they made this work is marvelous, but at the cost of 700 euro and with a build that can only be completed as long as the app remains functional. Again, marvelous that this can be purchased and built right now, but at a very high cost (literally and figuratively).
I'm not really interested in Technic, but I think this is an incredible set!
I would imagine a sense of achievement just to have built it. Thanks for the reviews and insights.
Thanks for the review.
I wonder if it would be able to lift more than 1 kg if you would put heavier counterweights. Maybe the app has a predefined limit to prevent one from trying this out.
@Huw Liebherr is German-Swiss, rather than entirely German.
I'm assuming it's 2x as large as a modular. Seriously,this thing is off the walls crazy.
@honbushu said:
"Thanks for the review.
I wonder if it would be able to lift more than 1 kg if you would put heavier counterweights. Maybe the app has a predefined limit to prevent one from trying this out. "
If you watch the RacingBrick video, you'll see exactly that. Balazs did experiment with increased counterweights. Although for that you would need the part 2 video - only part 1 is embedded in the article here.
@honbushu said:
"Thanks for the review.
I wonder if it would be able to lift more than 1 kg if you would put heavier counterweights. Maybe the app has a predefined limit to prevent one from trying this out. "
You should watch racingbricks video, he tested the limits of weight and counterweight thoroughly. It's linked at the end of the review.
As a comment on the price, in the USA you can buy every single Dreamzzz set for just as much money.
Technically it is not a very challenging build. The motors on the upper structure are directly linked to their functions and basically only drive 3 spools with wire…
Have to disagree, I would expect a set of this size to lift a lot more than 1kg, even for a Lego set.
I learned a new word today: "prohibitively". :)
In anticipation of my Liebherr arriving, I have watched many YouTube videos on this type of crane (for context and information). There was one particular setup that was a little like the set that Lego have given us. It had the yellow, grey, and red boom frames (shortish lengths as well), but I believe it was a demonstration or training crane at the Liebherr factory.
Thanks for the PDF link Huw, much appreciated. :-)
For £579.99 / $699.99 / €679.99 I'll also lift anything below 1 kg. ;-)
Cool and impressive build, but I wonder what you'd really be doing with it after completion and testing its functions?
@Huw - the way you’ve described the track pieces on this set, they sound like they are the same ones as on the Liebherr R9800 (Set 42100). They are a softer, matte grey coloured construction compared to the hard glossy black tracks in sets like the Rough Terrain Crane and the Bucket Wheel Excavator.
@ToysFromTheAttic said:
"For £579.99 / $699.99 / €679.99 I'll also lift anything below 1 kg. ;-)
Cool and impressive build, but I wonder what you'd really be doing with it after completion and testing its functions?"
You could use it to bring you your coffee you've left on the coffee table. That wouldn't even need any counterweight modding.
'Ok. So it's big.... there's always a way to destroy these things.'
@DavoDestroyer said:
" @Huw - the way you’ve described the track pieces on this set, they sound like they are the same ones as on the Liebherr R9800 (Set 42100). They are a softer, matte grey coloured construction compared to the hard glossy black tracks in sets like the Rough Terrain Crane and the Bucket Wheel Excavator."
They are the first time I've encountered them. My Liebherr digger has been spilt for pieces and they are the old type. Perhaps they were changed in later production runs.
This is one of those sets, that I would absolutely love to build, but have no desire to own.
Difficult to believe how large and expensive this is. This will probably be a rare set in the future because I doubt very many will be made and sold - you'd need to be pretty financially well off in order to buy this without hesitation, and you'd need a pretty big house to have room to display and "play" with the thing!
Watch them pull app support in a ridiculously short timeframe, like a few years lol.
@TheNameWasTaken said:
" @ToysFromTheAttic said:
"For £579.99 / $699.99 / €679.99 I'll also lift anything below 1 kg. ;-)
Cool and impressive build, but I wonder what you'd really be doing with it after completion and testing its functions?"
You could use it to bring you your coffee you've left on the coffee table. That wouldn't even need any counterweight modding."
If it can do tea too, I might have to consider a purchase...
I just don't get who this set is really for. No doubt it is fun for 30 minutes, but how many people are going to have the room to store such a huge toy and if they do, surely there are better things to fill that space with.
I'll go on lifting my cans of beer by myself.
I'd like to re-use the tracks to make a MOC crawler for the apollo rocket.
Fun fact: out of the 121 4+ sets, only 34 have a worse price per piece than this set
@CCC, yes the size and space requirements should not be underestimated! It is huge and takes up a massive area. more than most people would have spare, I'd suggest.
I have a LEGO room, a LEGO office and a LEGO photography room and I still don't know where I'm going to put it. It's not like the Titanic which you can probably persuade your spouse to have on display in a public room (as I have)!
@PeterT_AFOL said:
"I'd like to re-use the tracks to make a MOC crawler for the apollo rocket."
The track parts are dirt cheap on Bricklink. Don't blow $700 on this set just for the tracks :-)
"What the real machine definitely does not have, though, are wheels or rollers underneath the ballast."
Well this is not completely true. Considering the counterweight hybrid nature, the real one uses a Ballast Wagon to be able to swing and move the superstructure without removing the ballast: https://youtu.be/Kez8qyBWHEw?t=441
I pity your bank account.
As an earlier poster said, this seems like one of those “could vs should”. They wanted to see if they could make this monster of a set, but didn’t think if they really should.
I wish these sets came with a "no electronics" option. I calculated it out and all the equipment to make it do its motor functions is half the price of the set. This wouldn't be an awful 300-350$ set, but because of the obligatory motor controls most people will use one time, the price is simply out of reach.
@EtudeTheBadger said:
" @Huw Liebherr is German-Swiss, rather than entirely German."
Liebherr is a German company that has moved their headquarters to Switzerland purely for tax reasons.
It's a disgusting way to evade assuming responsibility and I hate such companies guts.
As for the set, I like the capabilities it appears to have, and I like the educational aspect, because that was one of the reasons why Technic was introduced in the first place.
But I don't like the Licence, the price, the looks, and above all, Control+
So thanks but no thanks. I'm out.
I think the various grey components actually make it look better, and a bit less Tonka Toy like than if it had been all yellow. There are a few pictures online of the real thing with some fairly random bits grey (and orange).
That string gives me nightmares of how often the one short piece in 643-2 got tangled up and how long it took untangling it!
Overall it feels like it's just big for the sake of being big, and if I had space for that I'd go with the Eiffel Tower!
@Huw said:
"It's not like the Titanic which you can probably persuade your spouse to have on display in a public room (as I have)!"
Also the Titanic doesn't need to take up any previously used space at all, since it's ideal shelf shape, and there's usually wall space somewhere to put up a 4'6" shelf even in the smallest house.
Woah, another BIGGEST TECHNIC EVER that is a joke and fails to deliver.
Lego, big doesn't mean good. LEARN IT.
I can’t wait to see what Lego will top this set with next summer!
@GothamConstructionCo said:
"I can’t wait to see what Lego will top this set with next summer!"
Has the technic flagship ever gotten cheaper or smaller? I genuinely can’t think of how they could justify the next flagship being 700€ and of this size.
I think it’s one of those things that…if you have the type of income and budget where buying this in addition to other sets you really like isn’t a stretch, it will be easier to fall in love with it. For those of us who are having to be extremely selective now about what we’re going to get, odds are that this won’t make the cut for some.
If it, at retail, in some other perhaps less massive config, started at half of 700, that conversation might change. But that’s not reality. This isn’t some renowned monument, famous sailing vessel or a beloved starship…it’s a construction crane that frankly doesn’t even require this level of maxed out design and size.
I hope this isn’t coming across as neg, I don’t mean for it too. I don’t think it’s fugly or anything. It certainly looks like a nifty set. I guess I just wonder if it’s going to do very well?
@AustinPowers said:
" @EtudeTheBadger said:
" @Huw Liebherr is German-Swiss, rather than entirely German."
Liebherr is a German company that has moved their headquarters to Switzerland purely for tax reasons.
It's a disgusting way to evade assuming responsibility and I hate such companies guts.
As for the set, I like the capabilities it appears to have, and I like the educational aspect, because that was one of the reasons why Technic was introduced in the first place.
But I don't like the Licence, the price, the looks, and above all, Control+
So thanks but no thanks. I'm out. "
Considering they are a business designed to make money, it’s very smart for them to do that. They aren’t avoiding responsibility. And I assume then you hate most every company’s guts if that’s your opinion.
@GothamConstructionCo said:
"I can’t wait to see what Lego will top this set with next summer!"
Hopefully a full-size garden room to expand our Lego rooms!
@ToysFromTheAttic said:
" @TheNameWasTaken said:
" @ToysFromTheAttic said:
"For £579.99 / $699.99 / €679.99 I'll also lift anything below 1 kg. ;-)
Cool and impressive build, but I wonder what you'd really be doing with it after completion and testing its functions?"
You could use it to bring you your coffee you've left on the coffee table. That wouldn't even need any counterweight modding."
If it can do tea too, I might have to consider a purchase..."
Ah guys, I’ve got a horrible feeling your drinks may be cold by the time they arrive.
Would be fun though :-)
@monkyby87 said:
"Considering they are a business designed to make money, it’s very smart for them to do that. They aren’t avoiding responsibility. And I assume then you hate most every company’s guts if that’s your opinion. "
Making money and acknowledging responsibility isn't mutually exclusive you know.
Most companies in Germany are well aware of that and act accordingly.
In fact the positive aspects of the "soziale Marktwirtschaft" (social market economy) we have in Germany is one of the reasons a country like ours, comparatively small and without many natural resources, has managed to become and stay one of the economic powerhouses in the world. Especially the companies of the so called "Mittelstand" (medium sized companies, often family owned and led) contribute a lot to this.
True, the American way of radical capitalism might have some advantages, but I know I prefer our system any day of the week.
So no, I don't hate "most every company", because it's actually very few that act like Liebherr. There's plenty of money to be made here even without resorting to blatant tax evasion.
@LegoMike said:
" @ToysFromTheAttic said:
" @TheNameWasTaken said:
" @ToysFromTheAttic said:
"For £579.99 / $699.99 / €679.99 I'll also lift anything below 1 kg. ;-)
Cool and impressive build, but I wonder what you'd really be doing with it after completion and testing its functions?"
You could use it to bring you your coffee you've left on the coffee table. That wouldn't even need any counterweight modding."
If it can do tea too, I might have to consider a purchase..."
Ah guys, I’ve got a horrible feeling your drinks may be cold by the time they arrive.
Would be fun though :-)"
Now LEGO has to come up with something to keep our drinks hot. :-)
Great review!
In many ways it is a great set: Huge, looks impressive and functions very well. And dare I say this is easily the best implementation of the dreaded Control+ system to date?
Without the license and at a more reasonable price point (how about €450?) this could have been an instant classic. But instead Lego made a few baffling decisions that kinda ruin it.
Apart from the criticisms already mentioned in the review, one thing that annoys me is that hub in plain sight. Was it really to much to ask (in a €680 set!) to cover that up a bit?
Also, considering the real thing comes in different configurations, couldn't they have tried to replicate some of those as alternate builds? Not exactly a B-model, but better than nothing....
@WizardOfOss said:
"And dare I say this is easily the best implementation of the dreaded Control+ system to date? "
Yes I would agree with that.
"Apart from the criticisms already mentioned in the review, one thing that annoys me is that hub in plain sight. Was it really to much to ask (in a €680 set!) to cover that up a bit?"
I must admit I was not too bothered by that, but now you mention it... It's mounted on a hinged mechanism so it probably would have been difficult to do.
"Also, considering the real thing comes in different configurations, couldn't they have tried to replicate some of those as alternate builds? Not exactly a B-model, but better than nothing...."
Yes, good point.
@blogzilly said:
"I don’t think it’s fugly or anything. It certainly looks like a nifty set. I guess I just wonder if it’s going to do very well?"
I think it's doing fine. 70 owned by members after only 2 days, compared with 133 for the very vocally liked Tranquil Gardens. Not bad for a set costing over 6 times as much! (Even if probably around 20 of those are freebies)
Non exclusives that will get cheaper, and at a time with poor GWPs.
@AustinPowers said:
" @monkyby87 said:
"Considering they are a business designed to make money, it’s very smart for them to do that. They aren’t avoiding responsibility. And I assume then you hate most every company’s guts if that’s your opinion. "
Making money and acknowledging responsibility isn't mutually exclusive you know.
Most companies in Germany are well aware of that and act accordingly.
In fact the positive aspects of the "soziale Marktwirtschaft" (social market economy) we have in Germany is one of the reasons a country like ours, comparatively small and without many natural resources, has managed to become and stay one of the economic powerhouses in the world. Especially the companies of the so called "Mittelstand" (medium sized companies, often family owned and led) contribute a lot to this.
True, the American way of radical capitalism might have some advantages, but I know I prefer our system any day of the week.
So no, I don't hate "most every company", because it's actually very few that act like Liebherr. There's plenty of money to be made here even without resorting to blatant tax evasion. "
I never thought I'd say that, but I wholeheartedly agree with @AustinPowers on that one.
@honbushu said:
"Thanks for the review.
I wonder if it would be able to lift more than 1 kg if you would put heavier counterweights. Maybe the app has a predefined limit to prevent one from trying this out. "
Check Racingbrick's videos on Youtube. He has tested this with better counterweights (which did help).
@Huw I am curious if TLG collects the "total play time" and other statistics and therefore know that most customers will play an hour or so with the models after which they end up on the shelf anyway. Hence the explanation why the Powered Up system received so little love and hardware upgrades over the last 5 years.
Thanks for the review btw. For this price this crane should have included more counterweight options and different boom variants, like the good old 8288. The real LR 13000 is modular after all.
Perhaps it is similar to 8288 which was an unexpected favorite for me: Virtually no gears at all, but it is still a very, very good technic set. Amazing functionality for such a relatively small crane set.
@Lemerbrix06 said:
"Fun fact: out of the 121 4+ sets, only 34 have a worse price per piece than this set"
I don't think its fair to judge this set based on price to part in any way. So many of the pieces on it are huge and it has 6 XL motors and 2 control hubs. Mindstorms hovered around 350$ for the electronics and what i would call 80$ worth of technic.
@ToysFromTheAttic said:
" @LegoMike said:
" @ToysFromTheAttic said:
" @TheNameWasTaken said:
" @ToysFromTheAttic said:
"For £579.99 / $699.99 / €679.99 I'll also lift anything below 1 kg. ;-)
Cool and impressive build, but I wonder what you'd really be doing with it after completion and testing its functions?"
You could use it to bring you your coffee you've left on the coffee table. That wouldn't even need any counterweight modding."
If it can do tea too, I might have to consider a purchase..."
Ah guys, I’ve got a horrible feeling your drinks may be cold by the time they arrive.
Would be fun though :-)"
Now LEGO has to come up with something to keep our drinks hot. :-)"
I hate to say this, but y'all are forgetting that, in order to pick up the coffee, the crane has to pick it up by the cup handle...
Now, having been a physics major (and also just kinda knowing from experience how gravity works), I don't think that cup is staying in the right orientation for you to have a particularly full cup of coffee/tea by the time it gets to you, much less off the table...
@NoOneOfImportance173 said:
" @ToysFromTheAttic said:
" @LegoMike said:
" @ToysFromTheAttic said:
" @TheNameWasTaken said:
" @ToysFromTheAttic said:
"For £579.99 / $699.99 / €679.99 I'll also lift anything below 1 kg. ;-)
Cool and impressive build, but I wonder what you'd really be doing with it after completion and testing its functions?"
You could use it to bring you your coffee you've left on the coffee table. That wouldn't even need any counterweight modding."
If it can do tea too, I might have to consider a purchase..."
Ah guys, I’ve got a horrible feeling your drinks may be cold by the time they arrive.
Would be fun though :-)"
Now LEGO has to come up with something to keep our drinks hot. :-)"
I hate to say this, but y'all are forgetting that, in order to pick up the coffee, the crane has to pick it up by the cup handle...
Now, having been a physics major (and also just kinda knowing from experience how gravity works), I don't think that cup is staying in the right orientation for you to have a particularly full cup of coffee/tea by the time it gets to you, much less off the table... "
Who ever said the cup would be lifted by the handle? @Huw showed in the review how to move drinks around, and that method does not involve cup handles at all.
App support is a valid question. Third party apps can be used to operate the power functions, but they won't at this point have build and calibrate instructions included. Perhaps the app as it keeps adding new sets goes into an evergreen support model.
@ToysFromTheAttic said:
" @LegoMike said:
" @ToysFromTheAttic said:
" @TheNameWasTaken said:
" @ToysFromTheAttic said:
"For £579.99 / $699.99 / €679.99 I'll also lift anything below 1 kg. ;-)
Cool and impressive build, but I wonder what you'd really be doing with it after completion and testing its functions?"
You could use it to bring you your coffee you've left on the coffee table. That wouldn't even need any counterweight modding."
If it can do tea too, I might have to consider a purchase..."
Ah guys, I’ve got a horrible feeling your drinks may be cold by the time they arrive.
Would be fun though :-)"
Now LEGO has to come up with something to keep our drinks hot. :-)"
https://brickset.com/sets/5007622-1/LEGO-Fleece-Blanket
I knew there must be a reason I got this!
cool!!
@eiffel006 said:
" @AustinPowers said:
" @monkyby87 said:
"Considering they are a business designed to make money, it’s very smart for them to do that. They aren’t avoiding responsibility. And I assume then you hate most every company’s guts if that’s your opinion. "
Making money and acknowledging responsibility isn't mutually exclusive you know.
Most companies in Germany are well aware of that and act accordingly.
In fact the positive aspects of the "soziale Marktwirtschaft" (social market economy) we have in Germany is one of the reasons a country like ours, comparatively small and without many natural resources, has managed to become and stay one of the economic powerhouses in the world. Especially the companies of the so called "Mittelstand" (medium sized companies, often family owned and led) contribute a lot to this.
True, the American way of radical capitalism might have some advantages, but I know I prefer our system any day of the week.
So no, I don't hate "most every company", because it's actually very few that act like Liebherr. There's plenty of money to be made here even without resorting to blatant tax evasion. "
I never thought I'd say that, but I wholeheartedly agree with @AustinPowers on that one. "
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrgh!.... me too.
@ToysFromTheAttic said:
"For £579.99 / $699.99 / €679.99 I'll also lift anything below 1 kg. ;-)
Cool and impressive build, but I wonder what you'd really be doing with it after completion and testing its functions?"
I find this question to be relevant to most adult sets from the past 3 years :)
As some of the immature on here have commented to me in the past, "you dont have to buy it."
@Huw said:
" @DavoDestroyer said:
" @Huw - the way you’ve described the track pieces on this set, they sound like they are the same ones as on the Liebherr R9800 (Set 42100). They are a softer, matte grey coloured construction compared to the hard glossy black tracks in sets like the Rough Terrain Crane and the Bucket Wheel Excavator."
They are the first time I've encountered them. My Liebherr digger has been spilt for pieces and they are the old type. Perhaps they were changed in later production runs.
"
Oh right, I guess that must have been what they did as I didn’t get mine near to release so would have been a later production run. Interesting to know that they did that. I wonder if that is a common occurrence?
@StyleCounselor said:
" @eiffel006 said:
"I never thought I'd say that, but I wholeheartedly agree with @AustinPowers on that one. "
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrgh!.... me too."
I never thought I'd see the day...
;-)
Sets like this are going to be a nightmare for toy retailers who aren't LEGO - take up a vast amount of shelf space, never going to sell in volume, difficult to keep in stock (By which I mean, figuring out how many to have in stock is a difficult calculation). You dare not order one too many, but if they somehow do sell out before the retailer discontinues them, you've got to order more to fill out the space on the planogram. And worst of the lot is that anyone who really wants it will go to LEGO first to get the VIP points
@lordofdragonss said:
"Woah, another BIGGEST TECHNIC EVER that is a joke and fails to deliver.
Lego, big doesn't mean good. LEARN IT."
To be fair to LEGO designers, and marketing professionals, LEGO produces big and good in tons of sets each year. But you’re right, going for ‘biggest’ can mean that it’s not as good in other ways. Personally, I struggle to resist the biggest sets in other themes, even if I know they’re not the best in the theme. TLG knows this is what drives lots of purchases, so we can’t blame them for capitalising. Also, it’s massive sets, ground-breaking sets, licences, innovation attempts etc. which helps keep the buzz about LEGO products (good and bad), keeping the brand high-profile and relevant, which in turns allows us all to benefit from hundreds of sets each year across all budgets and tastes.
Fortunately for me, I find big Technic sets easy to resist.
@AustinPowers said:
" @StyleCounselor said:
" @eiffel006 said:
"I never thought I'd say that, but I wholeheartedly agree with @AustinPowers on that one. "
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrgh!.... me too."
I never thought I'd see the day...
;-) "
@huw Where do we submit expressions of interest in the nonfungible token for this moment?
@Pavell said:
"Sets like this are going to be a nightmare for toy retailers who aren't LEGO - take up a vast amount of shelf space, never going to sell in volume, difficult to keep in stock (By which I mean, figuring out how many to have in stock is a difficult calculation). You dare not order one too many, but if they somehow do sell out before the retailer discontinues them, you've got to order more to fill out the space on the planogram. And worst of the lot is that anyone who really wants it will go to LEGO first to get the VIP points"
I’ve seen the box in the store a couple days ago and i got to say it is a fair smaller than initially expected, it’s not as massive as the other 600€ and above sets.
Can it lift other beers like lagers too?
@Jendajenda said:
"Can it lift other beers like lagers too?
"
Like.....Budweiser?
(and obviously not the Light kind....)
@WizardOfOss said:
" @Jendajenda said:
"Can it lift other beers like lagers too?
"
Like.....Budweiser?
(and obviously not the Light kind....)"
No beer.... just Irn-Bru: made from girders!
@elangab said:
" @ToysFromTheAttic said:
"For £579.99 / $699.99 / €679.99 I'll also lift anything below 1 kg. ;-)
Cool and impressive build, but I wonder what you'd really be doing with it after completion and testing its functions?"
I find this question to be relevant to most adult sets from the past 3 years :)"
I agree - as AFOL's don't actually 'play' with Lego (or don't admit to it anyway), I think most sets literally end up on a shelf, or in a room, or both, gathering dust and in the case of white pieces, slowly discolouring. The enjoyment for me is the building (of official sets) or designing / sourcing parts (for MOC's) but everything else then just ends up as admittedly very expensive display pieces.
@Jendajenda said:
"Can it lift other beers like lagers too?
"
It certainly has no problem with Czech Budweiser but but won't go near the American one.
Uh oh, this comment section is in danger of becoming accidentally political...
(runs quickly away, taking stirring spoon with me)
I do not get: "Does not resemble a Liebherr LR 13000".
The booms are shorter (for obvious reasons), but it looks good to me:
https://www.liebherr.com/shared/media/mobile-and-crawler-cranes/images/product-detail-pages/lr-cranes/lr-13000/liebherr-lr-13000-photogallery05_imgxlcampaignslider.jpg
@catfish said:
"I do not get: "Does not resemble a Liebherr LR 13000".
The booms are shorter (for obvious reasons), but it looks good to me:
https://www.liebherr.com/shared/media/mobile-and-crawler-cranes/images/product-detail-pages/lr-cranes/lr-13000/liebherr-lr-13000-photogallery05_imgxlcampaignslider.jpg"
Now Google Mould King 17015......which one looks more like a Liebherr LR 13000?
(and yes, I am aware of some not so cool business practices of Mould King, but that's not the point here)
@WizardOfOss said:
"Now Google Mould King 17015......(...)"
Wait, you're not @AustinPowers! I thought they were the only one around here to point out that other building block manufacturers (who sell great models, BTW!) are available if we just choose to be a little less fussy with what's stamped on the studs.
@bananaworld said:
"Wait, you're not @AustinPowers! I thought they were the only one around here to point out that other building block manufacturers (who sell great models, BTW!) are available if we just choose to be a little less fussy with what's stamped on the studs."
My German is good enough to follow some Youtube channels that prove there are other brands out there :-)
(though my favorite commie brick brand is Loz, which isn't even compatible as it is a bit smaller)
@sjr60 said:
" @blogzilly said:
"I don’t think it’s fugly or anything. It certainly looks like a nifty set. I guess I just wonder if it’s going to do very well?"
I think it's doing fine. 70 owned by members after only 2 days, compared with 133 for the very vocally liked Tranquil Gardens. Not bad for a set costing over 6 times as much! (Even if probably around 20 of those are freebies)
Non exclusives that will get cheaper, and at a time with poor GWPs."
I don’t follow these numbers very religiously, and I’m not trying to start anything with you, but its perhaps too soon to suggest that a retail item is doing fine after only 4 days of data (it’s 78 now). Do you really believe it’s enough information to form a statistical analysis?
@blogzilly said:
"Do you really believe it’s enough information to form a statistical analysis?"
No statistical analysis intended or posted! Just a feeling based on more being owned in the first few days than I would have expected, considering the current lack of incentives to buy.
@bananaworld said:
" @WizardOfOss said:
"Now Google Mould King 17015......(...)"
Wait, you're not @AustinPowers ! I thought they were the only one around here... "
I think you mean to say "I thought HE was the only one around here..."
What's "THEY" supposed to refer to? I might post more than several others combined, but I'm still only a single person, a male one at that, thank you very much ;-)
It looks magnificent, probably pushes the envelope of what ABS can be expected to do, and doesn't seem as massively distructive as 42055 (moving around massive loads is not comparable to reducing mountains to rubble). All the same, it strikes me as overkill. 8288 seems just as educational while offering much better value for cost, not to mention taking up much less space. I suspect, given all the various controls, it really needs something like an app to make it work smoothly; I hope this marks a new direction for TLG's development and long-term support of such things.
But, hey, they've certainly achieved something here. Exactly what they've proven is a different issue!
PS--a very entertaining comments section, surprisingly free of rancor. Thank you, everyone!
I see a lot of negative comments about the set pricing (and honestly, it is indeed dreadful), but I am glad the TLG went ahead and still had the courage to release it. Otherwise, we will not have the joy to build this amazing piece. Does it have huge deficiencies? Yes. But the joy I've got building it this week was just indescribable, it does look fantastic once you see it fully built.
@Huw, it looks like you don't have any logged time in the "Play time with safety off" mode. If you turn the safety off, can the crane pick up heavier things and do wheelies? ;-)
@AustinPowers said:
" @bananaworld said:
" @WizardOfOss said:
"Now Google Mould King 17015......(...)"
Wait, you're not @AustinPowers ! I thought they were the only one around here... "
I think you mean to say "I thought HE was the only one around here..."
What's "THEY" supposed to refer to? I might post more than several others combined, but I'm still only a single person, a male one at that, thank you very much ;-) "
Oh, I tried to be (admittedly subtly) complimentary about you recommending other building bricks, and this is what gets focussed on. Ho hum.
Anyway, using "they" is something I stand by; "Powers" is clearly plural ;-)
For all German speaking people here something to brighten up your day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqZ_qOQFNCc
Lego makes it just too easy for him....
@sjr60 said:
" @blogzilly said:
"Do you really believe it’s enough information to form a statistical analysis?"
No statistical analysis intended or posted! Just a feeling based on more being owned in the first few days than I would have expected, considering the current lack of incentives to buy."
I misunderstood, my apologies.
@bananaworld said:
" @AustinPowers said:
" @bananaworld said:
" @WizardOfOss said:
"Now Google Mould King 17015......(...)"
Wait, you're not @AustinPowers ! I thought they were the only one around here... "
I think you mean to say "I thought HE was the only one around here..."
What's "THEY" supposed to refer to? I might post more than several others combined, but I'm still only a single person, a male one at that, thank you very much ;-) "
Oh, I tried to be (admittedly subtly) complimentary about you recommending other building bricks, and this is what gets focussed on. Ho hum.
Anyway, using "they" is something I stand by; "Powers" is clearly plural ;-)"
I still don't understand it. Even if, Austin is singular, since Powers is clearly the surname.
I'm baffled, because I see this sometimes nowadays that someone is referred to as "they", even though their name is clearly either male or female. And in my case there isn't even any doubt - if you have read the Brickset article about me. And yes, I case you're wondering, there actually IS such a thing :-)
I used a crochet hook to help pull the threads through the structure
@danieltheo said:
" @elangab said:
" @ToysFromTheAttic said:
"For £579.99 / $699.99 / €679.99 I'll also lift anything below 1 kg. ;-)
Cool and impressive build, but I wonder what you'd really be doing with it after completion and testing its functions?"
I find this question to be relevant to most adult sets from the past 3 years :)"
I agree - as AFOL's don't actually 'play' with Lego (or don't admit to it anyway), I think most sets literally end up on a shelf, or in a room, or both, gathering dust and in the case of white pieces, slowly discolouring. The enjoyment for me is the building (of official sets) or designing / sourcing parts (for MOC's) but everything else then just ends up as admittedly very expensive display pieces."
I tend to take my display models and modify or change them. For example I’m currently motorising my 75054 AT-AT with a different approach to the walking mechanism as the official motorised AT-AT. On another topic I wonder why Lego don’t open source their powered up code for people to maintain themselves and for others?
@PolarMammoth said:
" @danieltheo said:
" @elangab said:
" @ToysFromTheAttic said:
"For £579.99 / $699.99 / €679.99 I'll also lift anything below 1 kg. ;-)
Cool and impressive build, but I wonder what you'd really be doing with it after completion and testing its functions?"
I find this question to be relevant to most adult sets from the past 3 years :)"
I agree - as AFOL's don't actually 'play' with Lego (or don't admit to it anyway), I think most sets literally end up on a shelf, or in a room, or both, gathering dust and in the case of white pieces, slowly discolouring. The enjoyment for me is the building (of official sets) or designing / sourcing parts (for MOC's) but everything else then just ends up as admittedly very expensive display pieces."
I tend to take my display models and modify or change them. For example I’m currently motorising my 75054 AT-AT with a different approach to the walking mechanism as the official motorised AT-AT. On another topic I wonder why Lego don’t open source their powered up code for people to maintain themselves and for others?"
Well, displaying sets in a particular way or having diorama's by combining sets or MOCs is still something you can enjoy daily, even if you don't physically interact with it after completing it. Whether it's a sense of accomplishment, esthetics, or plain old nostalgia. But as far as display models go, I don't think this Liebherr crane by itself is particularly attractive in that sense, partially because it's not accurate to the source material.
I just hope I'm not crane-shaming now! ':-)
Looks like it is not that hard to adjust the design with the available blocks to do look like the real deal. You should not worry about outdated apps. You want to control this via Scratch+bricklife anyway, and as Lego opened up the firmware and API, it is no problem at all to use this far in the future and with a variety of coding platforms.
The only issue is STUPID battery container regulations. Try to hamster as many old PowerUp Hubs as possible while they are cheap. They become much sought after in the future.