Not really used to writing reviews. I love reading them though.

But here goes.

I love LEGO, I always have. I was born in 1979 so my first years of collecting consisted mainly of the classic Space sets from the 80s. Which I still have and love. Pics of some of my collection can be found here → https://www.rcgalleri.dk/fotoalbum/off-topic/39345-klassisk_rum_lego

I have a few Town and Castle sets as well, but I have not come around to setting it up like I did with some of my Space sets.

Anyway in 1988 where I got the Technic Test Car 8865 for Christmas. I didn't assemble it my self, my dad did, and he enjoyed it. Still have it, and it's never been taken apart since it was built so many years ago.

A few years later in 1992 also Christmas, where I got the Technic Air Tech Claw Rig 8868. My first pneumatic set and I loved building it and still love it. From then on I just loved the world of pneumatic.

Fast forwarding to today 2021, for many years I have not really collected much Lego. I have on occasion built the Lego sets my nephew have been given for Christmas. But nothing major and no Technic set at all.

My love and passion for Lego never went away, just had other priorities.

I have been on the hunt for this set 8455 for a while, but it's proven difficult to find one where all parts are present, no pieces damaged by sunlight and have both assembly books included without you have to sell a kidney to afford it.

But I was in luck. I got one that's 100% complete, no sun damage to any parts and both assembly booklets were present and in good condition, the set was included in a lot with a few other Technic sets, among them the first Gen Mindstorms NXT, not sure if that's 100% complete or not. Time will tell, once I get to sorting it all.

Anyway on to this set, the 8455 Back-Hoe.

It's a very cool set to assemble, but for someone who has not done any serious Technic assembling for years, it took a long time, mainly because the set was mixed in with all the other sets. So I often had to spend a lot of time looking through all the pieces to find the right one, especially if the piece was special. Still, I had a lot of fun.

Many others have written this before me, this set is the king of Technic pneumatic sets. We are talking 10 pistons, 7 switches, 13 T-pieces and a whole lot of tubing. It's pretty impressive to have all that crammed into a model of this size. There's no room for much extra. Again as many others mention an air tank would have been a big plus, not sure where those who have implemented one into their builds have put it? But if I had one, I think I would swap out the engine block in favour of the air tank. It would look somewhat silly to have it located in the cab.

The set has a lot of playability once assembled. It's a bit rear heavy, so a weight brick out in front would have been welcome. The various movement and actions done by the pistons are smooth and precise. When, you push down on the pumps it's clear that the entire structure of the vehicle is under a lot of strain or pressure if you like. It's not that the model feels flimsy, not at all. It's just obvious when utilising the pumps, the model bends slightly below where the axis point of the pumps are located.

Even with the few flaws the set has its still a super cool set, and well worth the money if you can get one at a good price. Bargains where it's included is far apart. But if you see it, along with other sets or on its own, and it's complete then hurry up and grab it before your neighbour does.

The most extensive pneumatics set TLG will ever make. Such an amazing set with an absolutely amazing use of such a limited number of parts. One of the most playable sets ever developed by LEGO

Finding the 8455 Backhoe in a nice condition can be time consuming or expensive. Big chance you already have nearly all the needed bricks if you own some more recent Technic like the similar but non-pneumatic 8069 Back Hoe.

Rebrickable is picky when it comes to colours, and on the loose-colour settings it might be too loose, replacing yellow pieces by tan-coloured bricks for example. We need a setting on that website to ignore warmish grey from old sets and allow blueish grey as exact replacement. If you ignore the warmish old grey, there is not many special blocks left on the 8455. So check the part list in the instructions by hand, and come to the conclusion that you already own most needed bricks.

I did, ordered a hand full of missing bricks on Bricklink and built this king of pneumatics

Box/Instructions

The instructions are between old-style and new style. In some rare occasions, the viewpoint is awkward and you need to look very good how to put a piece in place. The tube-routing is assisted with colour codes, but these codes don't show up on the tubes themselves. Lego did not use the 3-colour system they use now: blue for connecting the compressor to the switches, grey and black for up and down of the cylinders. Since I have no old 2-tone grey tubes, I decided to use the Unimog and Acros tubes instead. I ended op ordering 3 extra tubes to cut in shorter lenghts in the 6-9cm range. This model needs a lot of those.

Parts

For most people with a large heap of modern Technic, you will need probably these parts to finish this model:

• The 2 front wheels, although they can be replaced by 20x30 standard rims and matching balloon tires. They are less wide, yet the diameter is the same.
• 2 black compressors, you could use yellow as well
• A yellow mini-scoop, black won't be a problem either.
• 4 yellow old-style panels, two small ones as mudguard, 2 tall ones on the scoop arm. Replace them with new wings as you like.
• I needed 3 extra tubes to cut into smaller pieces, roughly 70cm in total. Most tubes I used are from my Acros and Unimog sets.

Minifigures

Don't try minifigures on this one, they will be strangled by all the tubing in the seat position.

The build

The building experience is awesome. It is never repetitive. The model is kind of smallish, so you can finish it in a couple of hours. The only hard part is to route all the tubes. Especially the preferred route is not always clear in the instruction.

The completed model

The model works awesome. The idea to use the front of the cabin roof (with the spotlights) as compression-handle is genius! It allows you to build up pressure with ease. The cylinders respond quickly to your pumping, even the lower one on the rear scoop: that one has a tough job and needs the maximum pressure. I can't say it is not strong enough. Replacing it with a longer Acros cylinder and an increased arm-length would make it even better though.

The pneumatic stabilisers are fun too, although they don't go fully flat. They only touch the surface on the outer edges. They also bounce a bit if you lift the model off its wheels while pumping. True to life, the model can raise itself completely from its wheels on both scoops.

The pneumatic rotation of the rear scoop is a bit cumbersome. It reacts very quickly to the double compressors, making it hard to do subtle rotations.

I don't see the need for an air-tank. The compressor-duo has more than enough power to operate all cylinders with ease.

Overall opinion

The 8455 is a true king of pneumatics. With 10 cylinders and 2 compressors in a very compact model it is LEGO technic design at its best. I do not agree with some opinions that this is "classic" Technic. It is better described as time-less, it has absolutely no weird parts that aren't available today. You could even replace the panels and front wheels with contemporary parts without really affecting the build or the looks.

If you like LEGO pneumatic sets, look no further. This little beast packs a punch with its beautiful compressed air machinery. The designer has outdone himself in managing to fit a highly complex maze of hoses, valves, 2 manual pumps, and no less than 10 cylinders in a great looking model. The full assortment of functions is masterfully orchestrated and lots of fun to play with.

The only two non-pneumatic mechanical functions in this model are the steering and the 3-cylinder engine. Both are very well done with the steering being of a somewhat unusual design for LEGO. It is slightly wobbly, but very cool and educational with its inverse rod mechanics. The hand pumping can get a little tiresome after a while when playing with the model. But add a compressor to it in a series with 1-3 air tanks and it will spring to life.

Beyond any doubt this is the most complex and ambitious pneumatic set of all times. It is a major improvement over its predecessor 8862 and far more luxurious and complex than the more modern 8069. You will have to see it to believe it.

This was always one of the holy grails for me in the Technic line. And I finally got one MISB for a very, very good price on LEGOworld in the Netherlands. It's a fantastic set.

Box/Instructions

There are 2 box versions. A yellow one and a black one. There's a bit of mystery around them, but the black box version is newer then the yellow. And black is probably (but nobody is certain) more rare then yellow.

You get 1 thick instruction book with the set for both A and B models. It's clear and it really has to, because all the pneumatic tubes going everywhere.

Parts

This set is great for parts. You get 9 pneumatic cylinders, 2 black pumps and a lot of tubes and other Technic parts.

The build

This is a really good and challenging build. You really have to look at the instructions to see which tube has to be connected with which switch? Where does that needs to go? etc.

You also have to cut all the tubes by yourself. LEGO provided a paper to measure your tubes so you can cut them at the correct length.

This is Technic building at its best! It really feels like you've accomplisched something when you're finished building.

The completed model

The completed model is really good. Everything works fine and smoothly and it feels and looks very realistic with all the tubes. It looks a bit weird though, that the cabin is full with 2 pumps, but that's understandable with such a complex and relatively small model.

The model could've been a little bigger. It's a bit too small in my opinion.

Also, an air tank would have been enormous useful in this model, but they didn't include one.

Summary

All in all, this is a perfect Technic model. They should use more pneumatic nowadays, because it looks so much more realistic and it adds a challenge in the building process.

If you can get this model for a not too high price and you like Technic. Buy it! Don't hestitate. It's a very nice Back Hoe, I would say: the best LEGO Technic Back Hoe so far.