I still have the figures and probably a lot of the bits from the 8660 at my mum’s. I remember taking the figures and their skis to school in primary 5 or 6.
My wee boy has been buzzing with a police helicopter and running around like crazy with it for a week now.
Edit: and I can remember building the 8832 as well
While we’re on the subject of older classic sets, I rebuilt my whole collection a few years ago with the kids. Have added a few more recent Technic sets since then!
I have a boxed 8862 Pneumatic digger one, in storage at my parents’. I can’t get it at the moment. Will it be worth a fortune when I can find it?
I’ve had a quick google of the vintage sets. I’m sure I had most of them from the late 80s/early 90s. I guess there weren’t so many sets to choose from.
I vividly remember this one (8865). It had pop-up headlights that you activated from the cabin. How 80s is that??
It’s interesting that Lego Technic these days very seldom has studs anywhere. Modern stuff is all smooth beams rather than studded bars – far easier to build with!
I got started on Technic lego about 35 years ago now, really liked the pneumatic stuff, and seeing how differentials worked etc. My dad posted a large box of my old leg down to me, about 2 cubic feet of it, and it never arrived, courier lost it. The £100 it was insured for was a fraction of what it was worth I’m sure 🙁
My 6 year old has just finished his Christmas Lego – cat for scale
I had many of those too! 8660, 8851, 8841 and 8845.
My mate had the giant car (with the reclining seats) – 8860. I remember being saddened that they had made an amendment / adjustment to the original model and the ‘new’ version updated the suspension shocks from DIY axle pieces with springs threaded over them to the dedicated suspension shock units.
Ever the purist, I thought Lego were cheating by creating such specialist parts. <<Shakes head in disbelief>>
I remember being saddened that they had made an amendment / adjustment to the original model and the ‘new’ version updated the suspension shocks from DIY axle pieces with springs threaded over them to the dedicated suspension shock units.
Oh god, I’d forgotten all about that. Pretty sure my mate had the original design where they’re built from a few separate parts, I’ve half a memory that they had a tendency to ping apart so that might’ve been a fix?
I’ve half a memory that they had a tendency to ping apart so that might’ve been a fix?
Oh yeah, I’m sure various kids were blinded by the original struts coming apart and the resulting flying springs entering their corneas.
In those days, the kids would have just got a clip round the ear for being ungrateful if they complained to their parents about being blinded. No litigation in those (good old) days. So what were Lego thinking of, making single piece parts when 10 components would so the same job? 😉 😉 😉
I remember having one ‘big’ technics set when I was young. Took me a while to work out it was the 8859 tractor, as I only remember building the alternative off-road truck thing from the same set.
Rack and Pinion steering blew my boyhood mind and pushed me down the path towards engineering.
About 20 year later I was hanging about in Schiphol waiting for a flight back to UK after 2 miserable weeks in a various Chinese paper mills thanks to my career choice and said something to the bloke sat next to me that my trip was due to a childhood toy… turned out he was Lego’s Educational Manager.
The 8859 tractor was the first Technic kit I got. It needed little rubber bands for the plow, which mostly broke thanks to my being pretty young and heavy handed with it when I got it.
My mum got me the 8860 for Christmas when I was about 8 or 9. I remember enthusing over it in the model shop and being ushered out by my elder brother and really hoping it would end up as my ‘main’ present. When the day came, my brother helped me build it and then presented me with a motor (probably 870). Within minutes he got it up and running and suddenly the car was going up and down the living room. This was proper next level stuff to me and I was over the moon, but I also had a huge tantrum by accusing him of wearing out the batteries before I could have a play!
Strangely, I can still remember the foamy feel of those mahoosive tyres… and being fascinated by the working pistons, the rack and pinion steering, the suspension…
Here’s roughly how it would have looked on that day:
EDIT: I’m sure we had a remote control too, but I might be imagining that.
I remember buying 8860 from Redgates (mahoosive toy shop) in Sheffield. I had to do a deal on it with my parents which strangely I remember being an £7.99 contribution to a £17 birthday present (yup – sticker price £24.99). Proper big deal – can you imagine my face hauling that box out of the shop.
It’s in the loft with the box, alas some of the ‘swappable’ pieces have been replaced but the wheels, diff, springs and all the bits that make it what it is are still there.
I miss my old lego collection, presents from my childhood. I was short of cash when me and the Mrs got married, so I built them all up, sourced missing bits from bricklink and, along with the recent gifts I sold them. They are mega bucks now to get them back.
I’ve had a first attempt at building a Supermarine Spitfire.
The design is influenced by the Brickmania style and uses some of the approaches that were used in the Brickmania instructions for my Mosquito build. I’ve also used the undercarriage design from their spitfire model. Other inspirations were from original photographs of actual aircraft.
The Countach is built from a single set, the Porsche. I think it’s better than the original model (and better than the one Lego has just leaked as an upcoming set in the Speed series).
The Countach is built from a single set, the Porsche. I think it’s better than the original model (and better than the one Lego has just leaked as an upcoming set in the Speed series).
I’m even more tempted to buy the 911 set now. That Countach is great!
There’s another. Build a Mustang out of a Mustang.
Now I don’t dislike the new Mustang (which is fortunate as there are thousands of them around the place) but I’m definitely siding with @milko9000 here and going with the original.
That countach is phenomenal… Making it as an alternative build better still. I don’t have the collection to build MOCs from “stock” and buying the blocks for a build is so expensive but this I think will get my money
It sits behind me while I work (hence the dust!).
Rubber bands have perished but everything else is good. Rebuilt it several years ago with Thump / Thud over several wet weekends.