Brickthus
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Brickthus's Stats
Brickthus's Stats
 
  • 3.5
    Average Rating
  • 99
    Helpfulness Votes
  • 0
    Featured Reviews
  • 2
    Review Count
  • August 31, 2019
    First Review
  • August 31, 2019
    Last Review
 
 
Brickthus's Reviews
 
Posted:August 31, 2019
Customer Avatar
Age: 45-54 years old
Customer Type:  LEGO Fan
Building Experience:  Expert LEGO builder
Overall: 
3 / 5
3 / 5
I hoped for better but I still hope
" In single use the light works well enough, either in the passenger train set (though it has difficulty in the cargo train) or in an alternative train such as a monorail. There are 10 levels of brightness compared to 7 for Power Functions. You can make a flashing light by putting a 24mm pulley in front of each LED and rotating the pulleys, with round plates 1x1 in the holes, using a pattern of translucent and opaque colours. That can be fun in the dark.
This light brick duplicates the functionality of the previous Power Functions light brick 8870 but is more limited because only one light brick can be plugged into one port of a Powered-Up hub at a time. I made a lantern with 12 Power Functions light bricks 8870 but I could not do the same with this one because the PU plugs cannot be stacked. If you want to light both ends of a train locomotive then it will cost you another hub once port A drives the motor and port B drives the front light. This simple light function is one area where the new Powered-Up system is lacking; it does complexity but struggles to duplicate the basic simple stuff that introduces young people to extra functionality of the LEGO system.
I was disappointed that this light brick is 64% more expensive than the Power Functions light brick for the same functionality and extra limitations. The two extra wire cores serve to identify the light brick to the hub when it is plugged in, but otherwise it costs more for no benefit to the user. For lighting a whole LEGO City, compare this light brick with the cost of 100 white LED Christmas lights; about the same at normal price but half the cost of this light brick in a post-Christmas sale. With the new Powered-Up hub functionality and 6 wires rather than 4 I would expect the hub to be able to flash the lights alternately for a police car, or set them in fixed alternation for a railway signal (like 12V signal 7860), or have them flash together.
I am tempted to use this light brick as the easiest way to break into the electrical system, since I can understand the protocols to make lights switch with the direction of the train and stay on when the train stops. I wonder whether such functions will be developed in the Powered-Up system eventually? A scale model train locomotive needs to be able to use 2 train motors and 6 light bricks to do marker lights, tail lights, headlight and cab illumination. This has to run from a single Powered-Up hub with a LiPo battery. There is much work to do to bring the light functions up to the standard of the new motors.
So I would recommend this item as a single light for the train, or as an entry point for experimentation with the electronics of the Powered-Up system. Any recommendation in multiple is on hold pending development of the Powered-Up system. For multiple lights, the Power Functions light brick 8870 is better; get them while you can.
"
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I would recommend this to a friend!
From:  United Kingdom
Age: 45-54 years old
Customer Type:  LEGO Fan
Building Experience:  Expert LEGO builder
Purchased For: Self
Build Time:
01 mins
Play Experience (Optional)
3 / 5
3 / 5
Value for Money (Optional)
2 / 5
2 / 5
Level of Difficulty:
Very Easy
Very Easy
Very Easy
Very Challenging
I would recommend this to a friend!
+31points
42of 53found this review helpful.
 
Posted:August 31, 2019
Customer Avatar
Age: 45-54 years old
Customer Type:  LEGO Fan
Building Experience:  Expert LEGO builder
Overall: 
4 / 5
4 / 5
Off to the Showroom!
" This set has great play value. The truck, trailer and separate car, each with a few functions, combine to provide fun for longer. Since the truck uses many long pieces, the model is big compared to the volume of pieces. One of the best features of this set is the ability to add more vehicles, such as 42093 Corvette. However, the extra vehicles need to engage with the arresting features of the platforms so that they don't roll off! The underside engagement location for 42093 is further forward than that of the supplied blue car, so it can be a challenge to fit the vehicles on without scraping the paintwork!
I like the medium truck wheels (6 supplied) as they are like the super-wide front tyres on modern European trucks. The car wheels are great too; we have waited too long to get them as a replacement for the older Model Team wheels. What is needed is a new piece of a truck-diameter tyre for the narrower car wheel hub, so that we can make the authentic double rear wheels of trucks easily.
The geometry of the truck loading functions seems to work well, 2 lifts and 2 ramps, though 42093 struggles to fit downstairs on the trailer. The single differential gear is authentic, since only heavy haulage truck have twin drive axles, though narrower rear wheels on the truck would be more realistic for a rear-steer or lifting tag axle. The new engine format, V-engines extending the straight-6 concept in Mack Anthem 42078, is great for smaller vehicles; with the irony that the car has a bigger engine than the Car Transporter truck. This keeps the previous engine blocks with larger pistons for ships and construction equipment.
In the cars I would like to see opening doors in future; both the supplied car and 42093 are a bit short of functions. The steering rake could be better but this is normal for LEGO set vehicles. Perhaps the designers have a wide space to turn round in, rather than the confines of a populated house.
The railing pieces, 27965 "Flex Tube 21 Module w/3.2 Hole", are new to the Technic theme. These may have possibilities in a remote control mechanism, though they would not have significant pushing torque. Pulling against a spring or belt would work. This may be a useful equivalent of the old flex system, with the advantage that a pulley could allow tighter turns than the previous flex elements and tubes; I would not recommend scraping through a beam hole for guidance, though pinching the end allows it to go through a beam hole. It looks like an 18mm or 24mm pulley would work well for turns but the smaller ones might be too tight to avoid deformation of the flex tube.
I was also happy that the box was full when I opened it; 2/3 full was usual before. Using less cardboard is better for the environment and also allows limited shelf space in shops to be better stocked. As a further environmental improvement, I would like to see an alternative for the type 4 and 5 small plastic bags that are not recyclable in the UK. Could recycled Type-2 bottle materials be used? Those can be formed into a reel of material now.
A real car transporter could carry up to 13 cars. This would have been interesting to build but it would not have added to the play value of the set and would have needed better car-holding features, so what we have is about right for the 11+ age group. Perhaps Adult Fans of LEGO will try building a bigger one?
"
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I would recommend this to a friend!
From:  United Kingdom
Age: 45-54 years old
Customer Type:  LEGO Fan
Building Experience:  Expert LEGO builder
Purchased For: Self
Build Time:
06 hrs
Play Experience (Optional)
4 / 5
4 / 5
Value for Money (Optional)
4 / 5
4 / 5
Level of Difficulty:
Easy
Easy
Very Easy
Very Challenging
I would recommend this to a friend!
+50points
57of 64found this review helpful.