TLG has decided that without the app there is no way to use these components any more. And given TLG's history I have zero confidence in their long-term app support. There was no uproar at all, just a literal handful of protesters (2 or 3 if my information is correct). All the rest was totally blown out of proportion by fan base media. Actually this peace initiative had been sending protests to TLG for months about this set. TLG could have scrapped this project far earlier and long before sets had been produced and shipped to retailers. That they didn't does indeed beg the question as to why, and why now. The other play feature is the raising and lowering of the bed. This works really well, and the app has some pretty realistic sound effects to enhance the experience.

Overall, though, I am impressed and I think it's the best Technic Control+ model thus far released. Attractive, clever, and quite fun to operate, at least at first, until the novelty wears off... Again, there's a choice of manual or automatic transmission, and the centre of the circle shows a number of statistics. There's an option to specify the weight of the load you want to pretend is being carried, which presumably affects acceleration and other operations.Everything works great, although I do get a rattling noise in 3rd gear. From what I read on social media, this happens to more people, and seems to be because the gear shifter doesn't always get the shifter rings in all the way into the clutch gears. The cab assembly is connected to the rear section via a turntable and universal joint which allows it to both turn and tilt independently.

Great review. I have this set and my thoughts were fairly similar going into it. I mainly bought it for the parts and was pleasantly surprised at how good the kit is. Both the build process and the finished model are really fun. It's also amazing value compared to buying all the parts separately for my MOCs. Some of the rare or expensive parts, or stuff that just come in huge quantities include: Now that the summer Technic selection has been cut by a third there will be just two sets released on 1st August, including the Powered Up equipped 2193-piece 42114 6x6 Volvo Articulated Hauler, the largest and most expensive of the pair. With respect, that is just your opinion. Yes, if all you want to do is make a motor spin endlessly and aimlessly, then there is zero need for an app control system. Can’t argue against that, except that the functions are (currently) pretty limited. You only need a few kinds of controls. On the plus side, in the future, exciting new kinds of functions could be possible only being a software upgrade away. physical controller/buttons: the one point I concede is that the physicality of a touchscreen is less than brilliant, and for some scenarios like racing downright bad - which is where peripherials come in: at least on android, you can connect gamepads and other similar input devices to remedy that problem. granted, the official PU app doesn‘t support that (yet) but others do.A Control+ hub provides the brains, power and connectivity (via Bluetooth) to the model. It, and the XL and L motors below, were introduced last year. This is an incredible set! It looks amazing, but I didn't feel like a lot of the build time was spend just to make it look pretty, like I had with for instance the 42100-1 Liebherr. Everything feels functional. The build went smooth, but is challenging as there are multiple places where a mistake can cause a lot of re-doing. So you need to keep your attention.

Activate the double remote-controlled Power Functions motors for powerful, simultaneous driving and digging action – just like the real machine! It's as if they knew that they would scrap the launch even without these handful of protesters in Germany. Conspiracy theory ensues... " The second operation mode is accessed by swiping left and this one works much better in my opinion. Using two fingers, you drag the yellow sections of the circle out and around to control the speed and to steer. Let me preface the next bit by saying that as an electronics and software engineer this subject is right up my alley - or to put it simply: I know what I‘m talking about.rechargable energy source: Lego really should have designed all the hubs (not just Spike) around a lipo battery. This would avoid having to fiddle with or even dismantle a model when it runs out of juice, by simply plugging in any old phone charger. Oh and making this an „extra“ at a ridiculous price (100+ monies) as in the previous generation is clearly not the way to go... This circular gear housing was first used in the 42109 App-Controlled Top Gear Rally Car but this is the first time I've encountered it. It forms a very compact and sturdy differential. A fourth 12t gear is dropped into the top before clipping the red gear onto it. My choice of words could have been more appropriate in your case - apologies. I think the second part is an excellent way of looking at things, and I always welcome input from fellow engineers. The orange handrails of the prototype have been very accurately captured here and, like its use in 42053 Volvo EW160E, orange adds a welcome splash of colour to the model. The controls are intuitive, my 4-yo had no problems figuring everything out. Major downside is, that the new large angular position motor, as of writing, is not supported by the PoweredUp app, making it for now useless in MOCs. Hopefully, this will soon be updated.

In “display mode,” there is at least one nice feature to share. The engine cover can be raised and propped open using a Technic rod. As I noted earlier, the engine build is pretty sweet, and having a way to show it off is a plus.So I already talked about how you have to have the Control+ App to play with this model. As big of a minus as that requirement is, there’s very little to complain about with the app itself. I was able to get early access, and I’ll take you through a few of the key features. The Control+ app gets a new entry to handle the Volvo, obviously, using the same art as the box to identify things. Fact is they screwed up big time. Far better to blame it on some scapegoat than to admit that they were wrong in the first place. At the end of the second section, the foundations of the hauler are all in place. There are a few exposed connection points, and the motors aren’t connected to the hub, but there’s very little Technic building left to be done.