LEGO Technic Backhoe Loader 8069

In the last several weeks, I bought a couple of different Lego Creator series sets for wife 2.0's grandson to enjoy building when he comes over to his grandma's house. He really enjoys playing with Lego and has proven time and again that the age range recommendations on the packages that would seem to be too advanced for his age level to be seen as loose guidelines, if that. For example, in building the LEGO Star Wars R2D2 set, he was right there with me in following the directions and getting things assembled correctly, despite some fairly complex assembly requirements for that set.While I was browsing through those Lego creator 3-in-1 sets this Lego Technic Backhoe Loader showed up as a suggestion and I was instantly drawn to it. It was immediately destined to be mine. Seeing the pictures of the assembled set, I marveled at how much it looks like the device it is modeled after. It looks about as good as I think any Lego model of a Backhoe would ever possibly look with the added bonus that this Lego Technic set includes built-in controls that mechanize the finished model to some extent. There are cranks that make the bucket swing left to right and forward and back, as well as cranks that make the front bucket move similarly. Throw in a control that steers the wheels left or right as desired and you've got a very nice toy to play with once you've completed the assembly of this set.For me, this set obviously brought back memories of playing with Lego during my younger days (yeah, I know, this is where readers say "D'uh!"), but it went well beyond that in giving me the opportunity to build the Backhoe tractor that I remember one of the major figures of my youth using regularly in his business. In that area, this one goes above and beyond and is why the title of this review trails off in that "... or should I say I got it for..." Rather than give away too much personal info, let me just note that I got this for the memories.Assembly time, following along with the instructions in the 2 books that were included, was in the 4 hour range (for this now upper middle-aged individual). I did encounter some minor frustration in trying to determine what pieces were shown in a couple of the pictures and would also note that a couple of the pictures shown in the instruction books were done at angles that made it a little tough to see exactly how some things were supposed to line up. Additionally, I wish that this set used the same approach that the LEGO Creator Sopwith Camel that I built with some help from daughter used -- one where the bags were separated into "major build steps" so that it wasn't necessary to rip into all of the bags at once and one where it was less likely to be confusing about which pieces were to be used where/when. That approach is one that I think should be used in as many of Lego's sets as possible since it keeps the chances of losing pieces and/or mixing up pieces to a minimum, especially for those that might have a touch of colorblindness and/or might have difficulties determining which of two very similar pieces is to be used where and when.Highly recommended for Lego enthusiasts or people that want a model Backhoe to play with.

It was good for my collection

I enjoy all of the Lego models in the Technic line, but this is a great one with lots of mobility and functions. The front loader works and dumps. The rear arm work well and actually scoops, The front wheels will steer, too. A lot of value for the money with this set. Enjoy!

Overall this is a great looking toy and very playable. It's quite durable so you can even play with it out in the sand. The functions are also great but turning the small knobs can be quite difficult. It would be great too if there was some way to easily motorize the function.

A very high quality kit, parts go together easily and the instructions are simple and extremely easy to follow. Extremely well done by Lego.Any kid, or any adult for that matter looking to waste a few hours assembling a realistic looking piece of construction equipment would love this backhoe.No parts were missing and the finished model looked identical to the box art.

Purchased for a child who adores and collects Lego sets! He and his dad spend many hours together with LEGO brand sets. A nice addition to his LEGO collection. He spends hours playing with all of them.

This Lego toy, although, not quite as many parts as the more expensive trains, was quite a challenge for my 14 year old son, but, all moving parts work well and he never really needed any help--all and all, a great Lego for the price.

I found the model a little squat for an actual backhoe, but it comes with four small linear actuators, which are hard to find in large numbers. A good set for bolstering a collection.