Back in January after the Nuremberg Toy Fair we already knew some details about the 2020 summer wave of the LEGO Technic sets. We had to wait another 6 months to have official images about them, they first appeared in the LEGO 2HY catalog and a few days later additional official images were posted by some retailers. Here is the video I made about the sets based on the photos in the catalog:
Since that video some new images were posted, so I’ll add a few thoughts based on them.
The first and most important for me is the confirmation of the Simple Technic hub:
As you see the form factor is the same as the 88012 Technic hub, but it has 2 ports instead of 4 and it has switches to control those two ports. The switches seems to have the same functionality as the previous Power Functions 8869 Control switch, providing on/off and direction control.
For the first sight I was quite disappointed to see only 2 ports, but considering the control method and the consistency with the other Technic hub it actually makes sense. Here are the benefits of this arrangement:
- The integrated switches will offer more possibilities than simple buttons would do, it is possible to use the axle hole and and axle to replace the switch
- As the hole on the top does not protrude (unlike the PF switch), there’s no need to leave additional space above the hub if the switch is controlled from the side
- Having separate physical controls for the 2 outputs will give a similar functionality like a previous Power Functions battery box with 2 separate switches
Now a few things that I don’t like with the design:
- I don’t see any option to regulate the speed of the output, it has only simple on/off and direction control. The Power Functions 8878 Rechargeable Battery Box had a speed dial on top, and it could have been very useful to see something similar on the top of this hub as well.
- There’s no polarity switch like on the Power Functions battery boxes and the first generation of the Power Functions 8869 Control Switch
- Despite the fact that the primary target audience can be GBC builders it still requires batteries for operation. Replacing the battery cartridge with a dummy that has the ability to be connected to the mains power would be very beneficial.
Now let’s see the new photos of the sets! The first one is the 42112 Concrete Mixer Truck:
There are no real novelties after the photos seen in the catalog, the truck will have HOG steering on the top and a working inline engine between the seats.
Here are the photos of the 42113 Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey set:
The different operation modes are more visible and we have a clear image of the Simple Technic hub and the usage of the Technic Large motor is confirmed. The motor is controlled by a red lever on the left side of the aircraft that is connected to the axle hole of the hub.
The last one is the 42114 Volvo 6×6 Articulated Hauler:
For this one we’re still missing a few pieces of the puzzle, but apparently instead of the simulated gearbox it has some sort of gearbox that is most probably controlled by the Technic L motor and it is powered by the Technic XL motor. This is some exciting news, can’t wait to share all the details with you as soon as possible.
