I bought this set 2 weeksago for very good price with box, books, extra parts. After i build it i was a lil bit disappointed cos i tought the crane is higher, but now i satisfied with it. The building is easy by following the instructions, it took me 10-12 hour to finish it, nothing special, but very enjoyable and good. I think this set is one of the best set ever, its very complex with tons of parts, and the size of the mobile crane is very impressive. To tell the trut i cant say any bad about this set cos its ***** good. Only negative thing is the high price , fortunately i bought it very cheap.

Pros: 6 wheel steering
differential
v6
size and tons of parts

Cons:VERY high price! but its a must have :D

With such a simplistic task, this model certainly lives up to the challenge

Box/Instructions

it came well packaged, nothing special here

Parts

a lot of technic parts (what do you expect??) there is a friction gear, die-cast hook, battery box, 1 electric motor, 8 tires, and those funky 4 toothed gears (that i remember from the pit droid set, they allow gears to be at angles between 0 and 90 degrees, inclusive)

The build

took me a solid day to complete. its great to see a model like this being built so you can see how the 3 axle steering works (which, for being lego, was solidly made and calibrated)

The completed model

the support in the front sometimes gets "bent" out of the way

Summary

Pick this up for the future mechanical engineer!

I got this set recently, just a month after getting back into Lego Technic after 16 years. I had to get it because it looks great, and it has the most pieces of any Technic set.

Pros
- Looks great
- Very solid construction
- Lots of hours of building fun
- Dual telescoping broom
- The outriggers lock

Cons
- The wheels sometimes touch each other when turning
- The pneumatics don't offer a lot of control
- No winch for turning the crane on the carrier
- The string that's included is a bit too stiff and the hook isn't heavy enough. This is a problem because the hook doesn't lower evenly or even at all when trying to lower it.
- The building instructions weren't always entirely clear. They also didn't indicate where it was important to have axles at a certain angle. Annoying.

All in all a great set!

I was wondering if there is a proper B-Model for this one? I don't have the original instructions, and I can't seem to find any B-Model instructions on the net. I suppose the alternate crane is considered the B-Model...

All Terrain Crane best set ever by far. 8053 doesn't reach this one in terms of functions even though it gets close.

Box/Instructions

Huge rectangular box not yet eco-friendly. Wrnkled instructions not yet with cardboard sheet.

Parts

This set puts together Pneumatics with motorized functions with clutch. The good 62.4x20 wheels are present 8x here (www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=32020c01). Not yet Power Functions elements but still Motor RC Race Buggy (www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=5292). Also Pneumatics to raise the boom.

The build

Great building experience.

The completed model

Crane boom functions is the key strength of the set. 3 sections telescopic motorized boom is great. Also RC motor coupled with a clutch to handle 2 functions appreciable. Pneumatics to raise the boom, not working smoothly though when lowering it, this being the only weakness of the set. 4 stabilizers and dummy motor as well. Finally, the 3 axles steering system.

Design is very good and realistic. In this point 8053 is slightly better and more modern due to the use of curved Technic panels.

Summary

All in all a great set, with very high levels of functions, playability and design. The best Technic Crane set ever, even though 8288 (www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?S=8288-1) is another must being a different kind of crane (Crawler Crane) with different functionalities.

This has got to be the best every set from lego technic. it took me a good 10 hours to build, i enjoy every minute of it. a great set which has sadly been discontinued! looking around the internet you can pick up a good second handed one for around £150 to £300. i have also seen the set is selling for £450 plus (brand new), which i think is alot for the money for any set, but it is a master piece.

If you dont own one, you just dont appreciate how good the set looks.