I've built many a technics set, but was only recently I managed to grab this set at a good price - and boy, I love it.

Parts

Nothing special about the parts themselves - lots of curved panels add some good shape to the model, and an interesting use of 'gem stones' for the headlights

The build

Again, there is nothing notable about the build - pretty standard technics affair - though nice to see a model with seats (my daughter was very upset her minifigures wouldn't fit though haha!

The completed model

Now we're talking! I'm not generally one to 'play' with the sets - I tend to build, display for a few days / couple of weeks then take apart to start on the next one. However there's something about this set that I can't quite put my hands on - it's just fun to play with. I find it a not more nimble than it looks like it should be with it's 6-wheel steering on chunky tyres. The features are simple - opening for the engine, the doors & the hose, but it's just so much fun to drive around.

it's been a couple of months, and this one is still built whilst others have been built and taken apart in that time - but, isn't that was LEGO is all about? Playing with it?

Overall opinion

Whether it's the build, the play, the parts - LEGO is all about fun, and that's what you get with this set, even if it isn't the most advanced set out there. Perhaps it's because it looks much different to other sets (it's a lot less boxy), but whatever it is, I'd love to see something similar in the future.

Well, not quite yesteryear, but it has been almost a decade since this set was first released. I had been looking to score this set for a while and finally found an essentially new copy (no box, but all parts in their original bags) for a little over $40 -- which is a steal, considering that it sold for $70 in 2003.

In any case, the 8454 Rescue Truck is an excellent mid-size Technic set and would be a good buy even at its original price. For starters, it has an impressive set of functions for a set of around 600 pieces:

• A working V6 engine that is driven off the 3rd axle (which has a differential).
• Steering of 6 of the 8 wheels (the 1st, 2nd, and 4th axles) via a HOG knob located on the top near the rear of the truck.
• A water cannon that may be remotely elevated and turned via another HOG knob/joystick on the top of the truck.
• A rear hood that may be released via a small button on the top. A shock absorber opens the hood once it is released.
• Doors on each side that may be released by sliding a catch from side to side (only one door may be opened at a time). Once again, a shock absorber opens the door once it is released.

Building this set took me about two and a half hours. The complexity of the build is pretty good for a set of this size -- it includes a number of reasonably significant sub-assemblies. A few specific notes on the build:

• The instructions for the water cannon assembly seem to be slightly incorrect. If the instructions are followed exactly, the flex rod that forms the hose appears to be attached too far forward, and it forces the cannon to point downward. Moving the attachment point back a few studs solves this problem completely.
• The gear casing at the rear of the engine block is little too tight on the 12T gear that drives the crankshaft. If the triangular liftarm at the rear of this assembly is forced all the way down onto the gear, it adds a lot of friction to the drive train. It's best to back this piece off a millimeter or two.

When the build is complete, the result is one great looking truck, even if the modest number of stickers are not applied. The design makes good use of curved panels to give the truck a steamlined, futuristic look that is fairly unique among all of the Technic sets.

The playability is also very good. The 6-wheel steering works very well. By comparison, the 8053 Mobile Crane, which also has 8 wheels (all of which are steered), is not nearly as maneuverable as the 8454 Rescue Truck. The water cannon joystick mechanism also works very well, even if it is a little simplistic. The automatically opening doors are a very cool feature. The only negative there is that the catch mechanism that holds the side doors closed is a little clunky and prevents (unnecessarily, I think) both doors from being opened simultaneously.

For someone who has recently returned to Legos, this set is a treasure trove of parts. It contains a large number of pieces that have been virtually discontinued for the last 5 or 6 years -- clear cylinder blocks, red panels of all shapes and sizes, black 2L axles, and the 56x30 balloon tires, which are much more rugged than the 56x26 tires used on the 8053 Mobile Crane.

In summary, I give this set very high marks all around. It is well designed, fun to build, fun to play with, and it can still be found for a very reasonable price.

I just got this set and it is amazing! It has so many cool things such as the Technic Shock Absorbers that opens the back and the doors on each side of the truck. The steering is great and I love this set!!!!

This set is, allthought rather small (compared to some of my other sets), a great set. The design needs acreditation on its own, it is a very good use of little space to create such detail in this model. then there is the technical stuff in this model, let me just say the vehicle is steered on six of the eight wheels, and that said it is with the fact in mind that not all wheels have the same angle of approch to the center of the turning arc. In short clear words, GOOD MODEL FOR CHEAP MONEY.