This is the last of the great Technic sets from the 90s and one of my all time favorites overall. It is basically a universal set on steroids boasting no less than four superb models and a unique programmable control brick. The brick was the first controller that was small enough to be able to integrate within a mobile model. This was also the last Technic-branded model that had a control brick. It was the first set to feature the new angled axle connectors. And finally, it sports a beautiful and rare green color scheme.

The main model is massive with an impressive drive mechanism. It's very rugged and solid, much like the other trucks from the 90s. The claw is built with the flex system and has a built-in touch sensor. The power from the motor can be directed through a transmission into lifting the loading bucket (a nice example of gearing down and converting to linear motion). The transmission itself has a sensor, which enables the control brick to react to the manual changing of the gear. The motor can also drive the whole truck back and forward through a differential. There is even a timing wheel that allows the control brick to measure the speed of the truck through its light sensor and hum nicely as you drive faster. The steering is a bit sluggish, but it's not too bad and allows for a good steering radius. There are some other nice details to this truck - the cockpit wheel is linked to the steering and actually steers with the hand-of-god knob, the back of the loading bucket flips open just like on a real truck, the rear wheels recline to adjust to non-flat terrain. The other three models are also interesting and well worth building (walking robot, test car, moon transporter).

In terms of durability, I don't think that this set has any major issues. I own two of these and they both work flawlessly. I have quite a few of the 9V motors like the one used in this model and I am yet to see one fail. I also have a number of the same touch sensors and haven't had failures with them. I believe that as long as these components are not stored in an overly humid environment or stored depressed, they will keep working fine. The control brick is also rather simple and well build. Both of mine work like new. All there is inside the brick is a simple circuit board. The only thing that could potentially fail there is the LED needed for the light sensor, but with a general life expectancy of an LED of 50,000 hrs I doubt that I will see one of these fail in my lifetime. Just remember to remove the batteries before storage (especially alkaline) to avoid acid leaks and you should be fine.

The only component that is not built to last are the wires. For some reason the shielding of these wires produced in 1997 is from some sort of polymer which breaks down over time. In my sets the wire shielding is cracking and generally falling apart 10+ years later. Not much of a concern though, because it's easy to find new wires or simply repair the oxidized ones with new wiring. The LEGO wires from 2000 or so on are made from better materials and will last much longer, so it's worth spending a few dollars to get the newer versions . The 47L wire needs to be carefully routed, because otherwise the action of the claw will keep tugging on it and trying to rip it off its base.

The bottom line is that this is one of the finest Technic sets of all times that is really impressive in many ways. The bracode brick is unique and the four models are a joy to build and play with. The main electric components are built to last and the wires are easily replaceable.

This was my first Technic Set and I baught it back in 2000.

When I built it the first time I thought wow technic is quite cmplicated but at the same time I was very impressed with the methots used especially in the Chassis and the gearing system.

I have built also the other models in the set, but the main model is my favourite.

Even after nearly 10 years it still works and still looks impressive.

The only issue I have now and the reason for posting this review is the small ring shaped bricks with the small teath on one side - I niticed they have started spittingfrom the small teath, so I will not break this one down again.

Anyway, it's a great model - good job LEGO

After reading the other reviews of builders whose motors and sensors stopped working, I decided to build my truck for the first time in about 9 years. I finished it a week ago, and the motor and sensors all still work fine on my set.

I had forgotten about this set when I reviewed set 8838. The level of difficulty is about the same on both sets, but there are a lot more steps with the bar code truck. Be prepared to spend at least 5 or 6 hours building this monster. Be careful to follow each step correctly and not leave out any pieces. If you make a mistake in the first 20 steps or so, you'll have to take practically the whole truck apart to correct one mistake.

Programming the scanner is pretty neat. You can either scan codes off of the placemat-looking card, or you can program it by recording a series of moves as you make the truck run, kind of like recording a macro on a spreadsheet. You can program the truck to operate at different speeds, 4 actually, if you count the "varying speed" scan code. You can also record several different motorlike sounds and one octave of musical notes. One sensor brick on the scanner operates the sensor, and the other sensor brick operates the motor. You have to make sure you hook up the sensor and/or motor to the correct sensor on the scanner.

A separate instruction booklet explains how to record programs. My set also came with a little service booklet dated 1998 listing several parts like the motor, gears, and wired sensors that this set uses. I don't think these "sets" are available at S@H anymore, though. I typed 5225 (set # for the motor) into LEGO's web site, and no matches came up. The main instruction booklet contains detailed instructions for building 3 other models.

Interestingly, no where does the box indicate how many pieces this set contains, nor do I see the name "Bar Code Multi Set" anywhere. I bought this set from a LEGO catalog. I don't think these were widely available in the US because the service booklet doesn't list the US at all, but it lists countries such as Hungary, Spain, and New Zealand.

If you can find a set with a working motor and sensors, it's a nice set to have.

I love this one! I remember getting it for my birthday, I was in my room the whole day building it, with my parents complaining at the bottom of the stairs that I didn't meet the visitors for my birthday.... A friend of mine got one to, but he never finished it ! He found it to technical....
So know I have two! This set is in my eyes the last -real- technic set! After this one I shifted to systemscale legos, Only got the red supercar of the technic line...
The crane thingy upfront!!! I had somuch trouble with building that thing! and I loved the fact that you can shove in 2 technic engines, without modifiying it!
this one is the bomb!

this set is a green rubish truck.it is called code pilot because it has a barcode chart with it and a barcode scanner.you can scan it to make diffrent sounds andit has a claw in front of it so you can lift up a wheel and put it in the back and then empty the back which is like a sort of skip.the arm and skip is controlled by a engine which slots in tidyly in the side.On the minus side the steering can become loose or brake after a while but apart from that this set is excellent and defently is a must have!it even has aternative models which are a car a moon buggy and a robot.:)