8292 Cherry Picker

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I wasn't very interested in this set at first. It seemed to be just a nice looking truck with a small motor... but when I found out it had a transmission I changed my mind!		Here is the transmission. It allows the single motor to be used for two functions. This system has been around for a while, and Lego seem to be using it more and more. The Transmission Driving Ring alone (the red circle) goes for $5-15 USD on BrickLink, and you also need the Catch and Clutch Gear so I have been buying sets that have them instead. I now have enough parts to make a Supercar gearbox. (I bet a new supercar comes out next year now...)
This is the gear that rotates the arm. Note the colour of the 24 tooth gear; it seems to be a new gear trend.		A lot of work has been put into this truck looking real. Personally I think they went too far as he truck seems to have been designed for a tilting cab, but it seems to be disabled to prevent breaking the front.
Bottom of the transmission. The bottom shaft lifts the arm. Note that there are more dark grey gears. The motor fits in very well also.		The bottom of the arm. I was surprised by the usage of a 12 Tooth Bevel to link with the 36 Tooth Double Bevel as I had never seen that done before. As you can see there is no room for any drive train.
Standard steering for a recent technic truck. There is a hand-of-god at the cab top that links via two Knob Wheels.		It looks good from the back. You can also see the white Clutch that connects the transmission to the motor to avoid burnouts.
It goes decently high, and can go a bit higher if you use the crane arm.		Compared to last years fire truck. (If I didn't buy the fire truck for half price I would have been annoyed that Lego brought out what is almost a motorised version of the same set.)
Functions: Cherry Picker Arm: Motorised rotate and lift that links to a motor via a transmission and anti-burnout clutch. Steering: Rack and pinion controlled via a hand-of-god linked by Knob Wheels. Doors: Open and close. Good functionality that works well, but I wish they made the cab lift and I'm a bit sick of the lame fairing door trick. 7/10 Parts: Motor, battery box, transmission, clutch, practical wheels, only two fairings, compact turntable... this is a great parts set. 10/10 Price: At $99.99 AUD for 726 parts it's OK value when you consider what you are getting. The US price is $60.00 which is better, but still not great. I bought mine for $80 AUD which was good however, and I suspect that the price is designed for easy sale... 8/10 Looks: I'd buy this for the looks alone! 9/10 Fudge: The functions work well and I llked it more than I thought I would. Oddly mine seemed to be missing a Axle Pin with Friction, but since it includes extra parts for the alternate model I didn't mind using one of my spares. On the subject of the alternate model, it is a dump truck which is made out to be a total re-build, but it isn't. It could have easily been done like Super Street Sensation was, but Lego have probably determined that instructions like that confuse people. 8/10 Overall: Recommended. 8/10
Last updated 2 Jul 09