recovering_from_dark_ages Posted January 25 Posted January 25 (edited) How would you personally rank the top 5, 10, or 20 best Lego Technic sets of all time? After a Lego hiatus of 20+ years, I spent considerable hours in the past few months determining which unowned Technic sets I should buy in my limited amount of living space that can accommodate 10-12 sets at most. At first, I spent considerable time researching Technic sets, reading reviews and watching videos of them and compiling lists of their functions and other characteristics in spreadsheets. This helped me determine my own preference in Technic sets. But I wanted to determine what the objective preferences are of Lego Technic enthusiasts and how they rank all Technic sets. To that end, I started comparing ratings and reviews on multiple sites to determine which sets are considered the best. Eventually, based on this Brickset page, I created this spreadsheet showing the exact Brickset rating distribution of the top 75 or so Technic sets. My main reasons for only using Brickset for this purpose were as follows: Set ratings and reviews on Google, Amazon, and Ebay are influenced by individual purchase experiences (e.g. shipping time, condition of item, communication with seller, etc.) rather than the set itself Brickeconomy reviews seem to be influenced by investment returns on sets, and it's impossible to determine each set's rating distribution Ratings and reviews on technic-dialog.de are solely or mainly done by enthusiasts but it's very time-consuming to get each set's exact rating distribution Ratings on Brickset are solely or mainly done by enthusiasts and each set's exact rating distribution can be viewed with one click I decided to create the spreadsheet because although Brickset has a fantastic page that lets you view the top rated Lego sets among all themes and within any theme, it rounds ratings out of five stars to the nearest tenth of a star and does not precisely order ratings by hundredths, so the page does not show the sets based on the exact order of their average ratings. As seen on the spreadsheet (which also shows each set's average rating), these are the 20 best Lego Technic sets of all time according to their exact average Brickset ratings, with their year of release: 42172 Mclaren P1 (2024) 8455 Back-Hoe (2003) 8480 Space Shuttle (1996) 8880 Super Car (1994) 8485 Control Centre II (1995) 42054 CLAAS Xerion 5000 TRAC VC (2016) 42171 Mercedes-AMG F1 W14 E Performance (2024) 42030 Volvo L350F Wheel Loader (2014) 42043 Mercedes-Benz Arocs 3245 (2015) 42157 John Deere 948-L II Skidder (2023) 42009 Mobile Crane Mk II (2013) 8868 Air Tech Claw Rig (1992) 8862 Backhoe Grader (1989) 42082 Rough Terrain Crane (2018) 852 Helicopter (1977) 8443 Pneumatic Log Loader (1996) 42115 Lamborghini Sián FKP 37 (2020) 42128 Heavy-Duty Tow Truck (2021) 8458 Silver Champion (2000) 42100 Liebherr R 9800 Excavator (2019) If we ignore small sample sizes by only considering Technic sets with at least 40 Brickset ratings (somewhat arbitrarily), we get: 8455 Back-Hoe (2003) 8480 Space Shuttle (1996) 8880 Super Car (1994) 8485 Control Centre II (1995) 42054 CLAAS Xerion 5000 TRAC VC (2016) 42030 Volvo L350F Wheel Loader (2014) 42043 Mercedes-Benz Arocs 3245 (2015) 42009 Mobile Crane Mk II (2013) 8868 Air Tech Claw Rig (1992) 8862 Backhoe Grader (1989) 42082 Rough Terrain Crane (2018) 42115 Lamborghini Sián FKP 37 (2020) 42128 Heavy-Duty Tow Truck (2021) 8458 Silver Champion (2000) 42100 Liebherr R 9800 Excavator (2019) 42110 Land Rover Defender (2019) 8043 Motorized Excavator (2010) 42056 Porsche 911 GT3 RS (2016) 42131 CAT D11 Bulldozer (2021) 8110 Mercedes-Benz Unimog U 400 (2011) What do you all think of these rankings? How would you personally rank the top 5, 10, or 20 best Lego Technic sets of all time? Edited January 25 by recovering_from_dark_ages Quote
allanp Posted January 25 Posted January 25 The second list feels more accurate than the first, though in both cases, if I know us fans anyway, the 42043 Arocs should be higher and 42030 lower. I'd also put 8110 higher and swap the sliver champion for the McLaren P1. Besides that, it feels pretty accurate to me. It's nice to see 8455 getting some love and also control center 2. I really like control center 2 but didn't know it was ranked so highly among other fans, so that's nice to see. Quote
recovering_from_dark_ages Posted January 25 Author Posted January 25 (edited) 31 minutes ago, allanp said: The second list feels more accurate than the first, though in both cases, if I know us fans anyway, the 42043 Arocs should be higher and 42030 lower. I'd also put 8110 higher and swap the sliver champion for the McLaren P1. Besides that, it feels pretty accurate to me. It's nice to see 8455 getting some love and also control center 2. I really like control center 2 but didn't know it was ranked so highly among other fans, so that's nice to see. Agreed. I also find it fascinating that the average ratings show that Lego's newer sets only sometimes outperform their closely related predecessors. 8455 outperforms 8862, 42100 (barely) outperforms 8043, 42043 outperforms 8868, 42131 outperforms 8275, and (if we allow its limited sample size) 42171 outperforms 8458. However, 8880 still substantially outperforms every supercar made for 30 years afterwards, except maybe 42172. And 8868 outperforms 8110 while 42009 barely outperforms 42082. Personally, I don't fully understand the obsession with 8880. I had 8448 as a kid and always wanted 8880. When I first started researching Lego Technic a few months ago after 20+ years, 8880 was the first set on my mind. But when I saw the newer supercar sets like 42115 (with its greater number of functions), I completely lost interest in 8880. Basically its only functional advantage over the newer supercars is that it has 4-wheel steering, and it seems functionally less advanced in every other respect. 42054 has more complex steering, as does 42009 and debatably 41999 and 42030. Edited January 25 by recovering_from_dark_ages Quote
Toastie Posted January 25 Posted January 25 This is funny - I simply don't care - none whatsoever - what falls out of rankings. There are not only way too many nowadays - they are always biased, with no exception. So I leave that behind (me) and ... here are (and no one cares, I know, so be it, it is my life after all) my very personal TOP Technic Sets: Mindstorms - RCX/SCOUT/Spybotics/MicroScout that is, all sets (1998 onwards) LEGO Technic Control, all sets (1996 onwards, Interface A) Control Centre I/II LEGO ControlLab LEGO CodePilot Best, Thorsten Quote
Jurss Posted January 26 Posted January 26 Second list really seems more correct. Don't get it, what Sian is doing in both lists. OK, maybe it is best looking supercar from all technic sets. Quote
anyUser Posted January 26 Posted January 26 Just a remark: for me, a high rating number does not correlate with the term good / better / best set. I believe that there is a lot of personal feelings going into the star-rating at brickset. Plus, few people dare to put a low rating (< 3 stars). Consider 8295 for example: Many of the (written) reviews are rather negative on the set. However, it currently has 3.6 stars (from 46 ratings). Quote
thekoRngear Posted January 26 Posted January 26 The 2nd list seems pretty convincing to me though I am kind of amused that the 42145 Rescue Helicoptre is not there. From technical marvel to popularity it should have been there. Well, maybe as 21st! Quote
recovering_from_dark_ages Posted January 26 Author Posted January 26 (edited) 5 hours ago, thekoRngear said: The 2nd list seems pretty convincing to me though I am kind of amused that the 42145 Rescue Helicoptre is not there. From technical marvel to popularity it should have been there. Well, maybe as 21st! I agree. I was surprised not to see 42145 in the top 20. Imo it's the best Technic aircraft set ever made, with the possible exception of 42113 (and assuming 8480 is excluded as a spacecraft). 9 hours ago, anyUser said: Just a remark: for me, a high rating number does not correlate with the term good / better / best set. I believe that there is a lot of personal feelings going into the star-rating at brickset. Plus, few people dare to put a low rating (< 3 stars). Consider 8295 for example: Many of the (written) reviews are rather negative on the set. However, it currently has 3.6 stars (from 46 ratings). Are you saying that you think 8295 should have a lower average rating than 3.6, or a higher one? The number of ratings is important in addition to the average rating number itself. I didn't bother analyzing standard deviation of ratings in order to determine a statistically significant minimum number of ratings per set. I arbitrarily decided on 40 as the minimum sample size in the second list but it could well be higher. 13 hours ago, Jurss said: Second list really seems more correct. Don't get it, what Sian is doing in both lists. OK, maybe it is best looking supercar from all technic sets. Perhaps because it has the most functions of any Technic supercar produced so far, although some people are deeply bothered by its mismatched green brick colors 19 hours ago, Toastie said: This is funny - I simply don't care - none whatsoever - what falls out of rankings. There are not only way too many nowadays - they are always biased, with no exception. So I leave that behind (me) and ... here are (and no one cares, I know, so be it, it is my life after all) my very personal TOP Technic Sets: Mindstorms - RCX/SCOUT/Spybotics/MicroScout that is, all sets (1998 onwards) LEGO Technic Control, all sets (1996 onwards, Interface A) Control Centre I/II LEGO ControlLab LEGO CodePilot Best, Thorsten What's the distinction between 2 and 3? I wasn't aware of any Technic Control sets made after Control Centre II, aside from 8479 if it counts. I tried to create the least biased ranking possible by using average ratings by enthusiasts. I'd love to create a less biased ranking although I'm not sure how to do that given the available data. Edited January 26 by recovering_from_dark_ages Quote
Stereo Posted January 26 Posted January 26 23 hours ago, recovering_from_dark_ages said: Personally, I don't fully understand the obsession with 8880. I had 8448 as a kid and always wanted 8880. When I first started researching Lego Technic a few months ago after 20+ years, 8880 was the first set on my mind. But when I saw the newer supercar sets like 42115 (with its greater number of functions), I completely lost interest in 8880. I think for most people it's not really 'number of functions' but about the mechanisms each one uses. An opening door that's just a loose panel attached with friction pins is not an interesting mechanism, it just makes the build as a whole more floppy. The 8880 rear hatch is "one mechanism" but it consists of about 9 moving parts that are all linked together. It's the same issue people have with the modern motorized sets that just run each function with its own motor, directly driving the actuators. It's still capable, but it's not as interesting a build or mechanism, when it's compared to one of the older sets like (iirc) 8043. Quote
recovering_from_dark_ages Posted January 26 Author Posted January 26 (edited) 20 hours ago, Stereo said: I think for most people it's not really 'number of functions' but about the mechanisms each one uses. An opening door that's just a loose panel attached with friction pins is not an interesting mechanism, it just makes the build as a whole more floppy. The 8880 rear hatch is "one mechanism" but it consists of about 9 moving parts that are all linked together. It's the same issue people have with the modern motorized sets that just run each function with its own motor, directly driving the actuators. It's still capable, but it's not as interesting a build or mechanism, when it's compared to one of the older sets like (iirc) 8043. I agree that the rear hatch mechanism on 8880 is more interesting than on some of the modern supercars. And it has a center differential, which the newer 4WD supercar sets like 42115 seem to lack. So I guess those are its main advantages over the licensed 1:8 scale Technic supercars, along with its 4-wheel steering and adjustable headlights. But then 42115 has the lever-actuated scissor side doors, the adjustable lever-actuated rear spoiler, the more complex 8-speed paddle shift transmission with a separate D/N/R shifter, and pivoting side mirrors. Admittedly 42115's rear engine cover is comparatively lame; it's a removable cover with no hatch mechanism. The front hood opens using a hinge made of friction pins and two collapsing supports similar to the one on 8880's rear engine hatch. Some of the other modern supercars (e.g. 42056, 42083, and 42143) have comparatively lame side doors that pivot on a hinge. But 8880 doesn't have opening side doors, pivoting side mirrors, an opening front hood, an adjustable rear spoiler, or a separate gear shift and D/N/R shift; most or all of the licensed 1:8 scale supercars have each of those and two of them (42083 and 42115) also have 4WD. It's also worth noting that 42100, 42110, and 8043 are all separated by less than 0.01 average rating stars out of 5.0; 42100 is essentially the sequel to 8043 but they're neck in neck. I personally struggled to decide which of them to get although I discovered that 8043 has some flaws as well. The average ratings in these lists are so close that the sets are often separated by 0.01 average rating stars or less. With only 5.0 stars to distinguish 533 Technic sets, the average rating separations inevitably become miniscule. Edited January 27 by recovering_from_dark_ages Quote
Toastie Posted January 26 Posted January 26 2 hours ago, recovering_from_dark_ages said: What's the distinction between 2 and 3? My bad! It should read "Technic Control all sets (1986 onwards, Interface A)" - sorry for the typo! Best Thorsten Quote
Maaboo the Witch Posted January 26 Posted January 26 The fact that 42004 appears in neither list confirms my suspicion that both are total crap. Quote
Lego Tom Posted January 26 Posted January 26 59 minutes ago, Maaboo the Witch said: The fact that 42004 appears in neither list confirms my suspicion that both are total crap. Nor the 42055. Quote
recovering_from_dark_ages Posted January 27 Author Posted January 27 (edited) 16 hours ago, Maaboo the Witch said: The fact that 42004 appears in neither list confirms my suspicion that both are total crap. What's the point of 42004 when 8455 already exists? 42004 barely missed the top 75, so it's probably still in the top 20% of the 533 Technic sets ever made. 15 hours ago, Lego Tom said: Nor the 42055. 42055 seems like a very interesting set from a mechanical standpoint imo. It's certainly unique - no other Lego Technic bucket wheel excavator has ever been made and it's the 3rd largest Technic set ever made. I've never personally tried out 42055 but the official Brickset review says that the motor is underpowered, that it should have more motors, and that the motion of some components is shaky. It's still the 39th highest rated Technic set on Brickset out of 533 Technic sets ever made, which is a strong showing. That places it just ahead of the 42083 Bugatti Chiron, the 8285 Tow Truck, the 41999 4x4 Crawler Exclusive Edition, and the 8258 Crane Truck, among other beloved Technic sets. Edited January 27 by recovering_from_dark_ages Quote
Lego Tom Posted January 27 Posted January 27 Cars, IMHO, should be in a completely separate category. Technic is all encompassing, but cars, by their very nature, attract people from outside the normal Technic sphere. I would not be surprised to find people whose only LEGO sets are cars, either singularly or plural. Quote
Seasider Posted January 27 Posted January 27 The problem with top 10 (etc) lists is they’re always skewed/biased. Firstly it depends on who has voted on these, if you took a review of an item off somewhere like Amazon you’d see people would either vote high or low, they either love of hate it there’s hardly ever ratings in the middle as those people can’t be bothered to rate the item. The second thing that happens is recent items are fresher in your mind, often the case with film/tv/music lists. And most importantly I’ve found by having this as a hobby for so long that people like different aspects of the Technic theme so wouldn’t have the same Top Set … I don’t have many pneumatic or motor driven sets as that’s not what I’m into. But from your lists I’d say the second is a better list as it gets rid of the anomaly of the McLaren P1, personally I think the Sian is the best “UCS” Supercar so far. But I’d have liked 8860, 41999 and 42069 to have been on there. Quote
Aurorasaurus Posted January 27 Posted January 27 24 minutes ago, Seasider said: But I’d have liked 8860, 41999 and 42069 to have been on there. Why 41999 ahead of 9398? The lights and better body? Or something else? Quote
recovering_from_dark_ages Posted January 27 Author Posted January 27 (edited) 1 hour ago, Lego Tom said: Cars, IMHO, should be in a completely separate category. Technic is all encompassing, but cars, by their very nature, attract people from outside the normal Technic sphere. I would not be surprised to find people whose only LEGO sets are cars, either singularly or plural. Lego Technic cars (especially the new line of licensed UCS supercars) seem to attract a lot of first-time Lego Technic buyers, based on what I see in the Lego Technic subreddit. They are some of the most-owned Technic sets, and both Brickset and Brickeconomy show that 42083 is the most-owned Technic set. I could definitely imagine that a significant subset of buyers wants to build a cool-looking and functional model of a Lambo or Ferrari etc but isn't interested in any other Technic sets. 44 minutes ago, Seasider said: The problem with top 10 (etc) lists is they’re always skewed/biased. Firstly it depends on who has voted on these, if you took a review of an item off somewhere like Amazon you’d see people would either vote high or low, they either love of hate it there’s hardly ever ratings in the middle as those people can’t be bothered to rate the item. The second thing that happens is recent items are fresher in your mind, often the case with film/tv/music lists. And most importantly I’ve found by having this as a hobby for so long that people like different aspects of the Technic theme so wouldn’t have the same Top Set … I don’t have many pneumatic or motor driven sets as that’s not what I’m into. But from your lists I’d say the second is a better list as it gets rid of the anomaly of the McLaren P1, personally I think the Sian is the best “UCS” Supercar so far. But I’d have liked 8860, 41999 and 42069 to have been on there. True. I also wonder if there isn't some bias that favors old classic Technic sets. As I explained in detail above, 8880 seems somewhat overrated given its scant functionality and appearance compared to the Sián, and 8862 seems vastly overrated in 10th place as well given that 8455 makes it completely superfluous.´ I agree that it's surprising not to see 41999 rated higher but I guess some don't like the fact that it moves slowly. Some also might be annoyed by the fact that its price quickly doubled because it was made in a limited run of 20,000 copies. Similarly, 42113's average Brickset rating may be dragged down by the fact that it was canceled soon after release and hence sells for ~$800 used and ~$1k new. Its major gearbox defect can be fixed relatively easily, although most may not know or want to bother. On 1/25/2025 at 6:43 PM, Toastie said: This is funny - I simply don't care - none whatsoever - what falls out of rankings. There are not only way too many nowadays - they are always biased, with no exception. So I leave that behind (me) and ... here are (and no one cares, I know, so be it, it is my life after all) my very personal TOP Technic Sets: Mindstorms - RCX/SCOUT/Spybotics/MicroScout that is, all sets (1998 onwards) LEGO Technic Control, all sets (1996 onwards, Interface A) Control Centre I/II LEGO ControlLab LEGO CodePilot Best, Thorsten I see. So by 2, you mean these sets minus 8094 and 8485, which together comprise 3? 19 minutes ago, Aurorasaurus said: Why 41999 ahead of 9398? The lights and better body? Or something else? In addition to the lights and a non-hideous body, 41999 also has a motorized winch and opening side doors, unlike 9398. Otherwise they're functionally identical afaik. I'm pretty sure that 9398 and 41999 both lack an opening hood or trunk in stock form, but I could be wrong. Edited January 27 by recovering_from_dark_ages Quote
Seasider Posted January 27 Posted January 27 20 minutes ago, Aurorasaurus said: Why 41999 ahead of 9398? The lights and better body? Or something else? It’s limited edition “halo” status Quote
Stereo Posted January 27 Posted January 27 (edited) 2 hours ago, Seasider said: And most importantly I’ve found by having this as a hobby for so long that people like different aspects of the Technic theme so wouldn’t have the same Top Set … I don’t have many pneumatic or motor driven sets as that’s not what I’m into. Yeah, I would look at ratings more as approval among people who like the set, not comparable to all Technic. If you want to buy a Licensed Supercar you could look at how the Lamborghini, Ferrari, and Bugatti are rated to decide which one to get. But if you don't want to buy a Licensed Supercar it doesn't matter what the ratings are. For me, they're too big - along with all the halo motorized sets - 42110 is the largest set I've bought, and it's already so big that I don't want to take it apart and play with it. 700-1000 piece sets give me a much better value for money cause I can actually use them as Lego. Edited January 27 by Stereo Quote
Toastie Posted January 27 Posted January 27 (edited) 5 hours ago, recovering_from_dark_ages said: I see. So by 2, you mean these sets minus 8094 and 8485, which together comprise 3? Oh no, I mean the LEGO DACTA Technic Control (TC) line of sets, 1030, 1032, 1034, 1038, 9700, 9750, 9765, 9767. This is the 4.5V system of Technic, which was computer controllable via LEGO Interface A (which was also sold outside the DACTA line as Technic set). Here is more on that: https://www.brickhacks.com/; @evank, and @alexGS know much more about the history. I am just playing with this stuff. Best, Thorsten Edited January 27 by Toastie Quote
recovering_from_dark_ages Posted January 28 Author Posted January 28 (edited) 12 hours ago, Toastie said: Oh no, I mean the LEGO DACTA Technic Control (TC) line of sets, 1030, 1032, 1034, 1038, 9700, 9750, 9765, 9767. This is the 4.5V system of Technic, which was computer controllable via LEGO Interface A (which was also sold outside the DACTA line as Technic set). Here is more on that: https://www.brickhacks.com/; @evank, and @alexGS know much more about the history. I am just playing with this stuff. Best, Thorsten Makes sense. I learned about the Lego Dacta sets only a few months ago and had never heard of them as a kid, despite having Mindstorms and competing in FLL (First Lego League) at age ~10. 12 hours ago, Stereo said: Yeah, I would look at ratings more as approval among people who like the set, not comparable to all Technic. If you want to buy a Licensed Supercar you could look at how the Lamborghini, Ferrari, and Bugatti are rated to decide which one to get. But if you don't want to buy a Licensed Supercar it doesn't matter what the ratings are. For me, they're too big - along with all the halo motorized sets - 42110 is the largest set I've bought, and it's already so big that I don't want to take it apart and play with it. 700-1000 piece sets give me a much better value for money cause I can actually use them as Lego. Agreed. I've also decided that there is no point in repeating ownership of similar sets since I only have space for 10-12 of them in total. For that reason, I only want one supercar, one excavator, one crane, one Power Functions RC set, one Control+ RC set, one aircraft set, one tractor, one spacecraft set, etc. So I don't plan to simply buy the top 12 sets by average rating. I'd end up with two cranes, two backhoes, two supercars, two pneumatic sets with a motorized pump (42043 and 8868), and two sets (42054 and 8868) with a claw crane arm. And if I buy 42100 and convert 42009 to the Ultimate 42009, 42030 becomes less interesting imo. I'd already have the Control+ and Power Functions RC sets with the most remote controlled functions at that point, although the Ultimate 42009 isn't an official set. (The Ultimate 42082 has as many functions as the Ultimate 42009 but isn't nearly as popular or widely used so I didn't want to risk it.) Edited January 28 by recovering_from_dark_ages Quote
mobi Posted January 28 Posted January 28 These rankings don't really mean much. What surprised me is the domination of older Technic sets in the ranking (the 2nd list). If you look at Lego's revenue (https://www.visualcapitalist.com/visualizing-legos-revenue-growth-2003-2023/) then it is somewhat counter intuitive that older sets are still more popular. May be ratings were made by particular generation of people (like us?) who were very active with Lego Technic in older years and now moved on with life with something else and new generation did not find similar craze in Technic sets. I feel best days of Technic are beyond us. Modern Technic sets are too complex and expensive. Building them feels more of a chore than fun (of course, my personal opinion). I am now more interested City theme or modular buildings, which are more liked by my children too. I think smaller Technic sets are still loved by kids but Lego is focusing too much on adult collectors on their latest flagship Technic sets. The Porsche was great after a long time. Then the Land Rover had too many functions which didn't work well. Then from G500 it removed most of the gearbox! All the supercars are now super complicated and not much playability. BTW, I don't own 8455 but do own 8069, same functionality without pneumatics. Quote
evank Posted January 28 Posted January 28 (edited) 13 hours ago, recovering_from_dark_ages said: had never heard of them as a kid, You wouldn't have. They are from the second half of the 1980s. My favorite childhood sets were 6383 Public Works Center and 8860 Auto Chassis. Edited January 28 by evank Quote
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