Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)8069 is an excellent design in terms of functionality. The philosophy behind this design appears to be maximum functionality with the fewest parts. 8069 may not be nearly as good looking as the LEGO TECHNIC Front Loader 8265 from 2009 or the LEGO Technic Excavator from 2008, but it has a lot of neat tricks up its sleeve.
The new compact (mini) linear actuators (mLAs) introduced with this model perform smoothly. Mechanically, these appear to be a much better fit for manually operated Technics designs. Unlike the larger fully encapsulated linear actuator designs that were introduced with the 8294, mLAs don't require you to turn the knobs forever to get a useful range of motion. You also get to see exactly what is going on in terms of mechanical coupling.
The mechanical design design for the front bucket (lift and tilt functions) is simple but it works quite well. The only complaint may be that the maximum lift for the bucket is relatively limited. There are two gear-knobs on either side of the model that can control the lift. I am not sure if this was intended for the convenience of both left-handed and right-handed builders, but it does work quite effectively to increase the speed with which the bucket can be raised by using both hands to turn alternating knobs simultaneously.
The yellow translucent 2x2 round brick on the top of the cab controls steering. The steering system works is simple but smooth with decent range of motion on turns.The two black gear-knobs on top of the rear side of the cab control the excavator arm. Probably because it is difficult to transfer rotational motion to a linear actuator on the second segment of the excavator arm for a small model, 8069 uses two linear actuators at the bottom section of the arm to drive both the arm motion and bucket motion independently. It does look a bit different from a typical excavator arm design that was used in 8455, 8294, 8043, etc., but it works well. There is third knob that controls the rotation of the excavator arm around the vertical axis. In order to support the rotation of the excavator arm, rotational motion from the gear-knobs is coupled from to the back-hoe subsystem through a pair of universal joints.
Finally, there are two support arms that can be extended and locked in place manually at the rear section to stabilize the vehicle when the excavator arm is being used. The overall build for 8069 is relatively straight forward, at least for an experienced Technics fan. There are a few steps where relatively large subassemblies come togehter and axles need to be fitted carefully. Instructions are are quite clear, though a bit too simple for my taste. There are many steps where only one or two parts are added to the model. There are a few stickers but they all go on single tiles (1x8 and 2x2).
LEGO was able to deliver a very playable and multi-functional construction vehicle with both a loading bucket and a back-hoe for under $60. They did have to leave out some nice-to-have details such as a working engine with pistons, more body panels, etc. to keep the scale small and the price of the model relatively low but IMHO this was a good trade-off. 8069 was definitely the highlight of the 2011 Technics line until the introduction of Lego 8070 Technic Super Car - though flagship Technics models (e.g. 8110 Unimog) are expected in 2H'11. 8069 will likely find it's place in the Technics hall-of-fame of medium-scale models in the near future.
Click Here to see more reviews about:
LEGO Technic Backhoe Loader 8069bMake light work of any job with the Backhoe Loader!/bDig with ease using the backhoe loaders gearactuated front bucket and back hoe. Twist them left to right! For extra demanding jobs, extend the outriggers to make sure this 4wheeled workhorse is stabilized! Rebuild into a log handler.* Raise, lower and tip the bucket and backhoe!* Extend the outriggers for extra tough jobs!* 2in1 model Rebuilds into a log handler* Grip logs with the log handlers powerful claws!* Raise, lower and rotate the log handler arm!* Backhoe Loader measures 6 tall (cm) and 18 long (cm) Warning Product Contains Small Parts. Not Intended For Children Under 4 Years of Age.
Get 17% OFF
Click here for more information about LEGO Technic Backhoe Loader 8069
