Tag Archives: Control+

Remember to consult the owner’s manual before off-road driving

But seriously, why else would they give you a copy of the owner’s manual with your new car? I guess Stas Revin has carefully studied his copy of the book, as his latest Ford Bronco R is an outstanding LEGO Technic replica of the future Ford truck. Copying the style and livery of the smaller System build from LEGO Speed Champions 76905 Ford GT Heritage Edition and Bronco R, this beast looks a bit insidious. Only after a closer look did I figure out the actual size and scale of this Technic model. With a scale of 1:10, it is powered with four Control+ motors, which is a lot for this model.

If you liked the body and the exterior, you would surely fall in love with the chassis. Powered by four independent countors of tubes, this Bronco can adapt its suspension however you like. It’s a shame Stass opted for third-party tires, but, you know, they say that the tires are 50% of the car’s look. So…

Seahorse truck with snazzy colours

It’s no secret that I love teal. Most people do as well, for its wonderful blend of blue and green and The LEGO colour’s interesting history – which you’d rather not have me ramble about it here. Maybe some other time. But another colour that does it for me is vibrant coral. Introduced in 2019 with The LEGO Movie 2 sets, it was an odd but pretty colour. Many LEGO builders struggled to put it to good use, especially with other colours so that they don’t clash. Seasoned Technic builder Peer Kreuger (mahjqa) uses both colours as a racing highlight on a dark blue American-style semi-truck. And the colour combo of all three is just *chef’s kiss*.

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The smooth and colourful exterior of the truck hides the Control+ motor system allowing it to be driven from a smartphone. Peer has decades of experience with motorised and remote-controlled Technic builds, and each time he builds a new one I’m still impressed. This time, the real icing on the cake is the vibrant coral coloured seahorse adorning the hood of the truck. I never thought I’d see an accessory from LEGO Friends on a Technic build…

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LEGO Technic 42114 6×6 Volvo Articulated Hauler [Review]

With the cancellation and controversy around the Technic 42113 Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey, the Technic Summer 2020 wave has taken a bit of hit. The skies may be empty now, but on the ground, there’s still plenty to talk about. The 42114 Technic 6×6 Volvo Articulated Hauler will be available September 1, 2020 from the  LEGO Shop Online for US $249.99 | CAN $319.99 | UK £229.99 It’s part of the “Control+” line, LEGO’s next generation of remote-controlled vehicles. That sounds pretty cool on the surface, but is it really? We take a look at this hefty 2193 piece set from multiple angles to see what sort of “construction” we’re dealing with.

Click to read the full hands-on review

LEGO and the BBC reveal Technic 42109 App-Controlled Top Gear Rally Car [News]

Today at the LA Auto Show, LEGO revealed a brand new Technic set co-designed with the BBC’s Top Gear team, 42109 App-Controlled Top Gear Rally Car. The set was teased back in September when the partnership between LEGO and BBC’s Top Gear motoring show was first announced. The model depicts a GT Rally car that can be remote controlled through the LEGO Technic CONTROL+ app which will enable driving challenges and other achievements (similar to the App-Controlled Batmobile we reviewed last year).

42109 App-Controlled Top Gear Rally Car comes with 463 pieces including one large motor, one XL motor and a Bluetooth-controlled smart hub. The set will be available starting December 26 and will retail for US $129.00 | UK £124,99.

The full press release, more photos and available product info are included after the jump.

Click to see more info about the new LEGO Technic BBC Top Gear Rally Car

Moving mountains with the new LEGO Technic 42100 Liebherr R 9800 Excavator [Review]

While assembling the latest and the biggest LEGO Technic set ever, I came up with countless versions of the introductory paragraph for this review. However, once I turned this thing on and spend some time operating it, it became clear that none of my paragraphs work better than raw facts about the set which speak for themselves. So, here is LEGO Technic 42100 Liebherr R 9800 Excavator, the biggest LEGO Technic set ever with 4,108 pieces, among which are 7 Powered Up motors and 2 smart-hub. The finished model weighs around 6 kg / 13.2 lbs (including the weight of 12 AA cells). This is a fully motorized copy that can be controlled via a smartphone or a tablet and it is all as good as it sounds. With impressive numbers comes an impressive price tag; the set is available for US $449.99 | CAN $549.99 | UK £399.99. And here comes the most important question: is the set worth the money? Let’s build it, test it and find out.

Click here to read the review…

A little dirt never hurt: LEGO Technic 42099 4×4 X-treme Off-Roader [Review]

Here is a simple truth: these days LEGO remains one of those few common activities that give you a rest from a smartphone. For me and for many of our readers, building with LEGO has always been a pastime that requires no downloads, installing or updates; you open a box and the play begins. Obviously, winning over modern-day kids who love digital entertainment and touchscreens is a tough challenge for a toy manufacturer. They say if you can’t beat them, join them, but LEGO thinks differently: if you can’t beat them, build them into the play experience. Along comes LEGO Technic Powered Up — the first generation of LEGO Technic electric elements that bring smartphones and tablets into play. With a whole lot of sensors and features, the new smart hub and motors are among the most advanced LEGO pieces ever produced. LEGO Technic 42099 4×4 X-treme Off-Roader introduces the new play system. The set includes just 958 pieces, but the new expensive electric elements are to blame for the price tag of US $249.99 | CAN $299.99 | UK £199.99. It is available starting today, so we are building and testing the model in an attempt to discover the limits of the new Powered Up system and Control+ smart app.

Click here to see our impressions…