This month marks the official release of the largest LEGO Technic around which is the LEGO Technic Liebherr R 9800 Excavator (42100). For those who are excited to have their try on this mammoth-sized LEGO set, this premium LEGO set definitely comes with all the leveled-up perks of a typical LEGO Technic set, and with a rather hefty price tag. Retailing for $449.99 USD, it’s one serious investment that any fan of the LEGO theme should seriously consider.
So it begs the question: what can you actually do with an extremely sophisticated LEGO set such as the Liebherr R 9800 Excavator (42100)? Well, if you want some straightforward but silly answer to this question then I guess watching the recent YouTube video from Sariel’s LEGO Workshop will give you a list of things to do (or not do) with this set. Its a humorous take on the many things that this set can do. However, if you are wondering how LEGO can live up with its LEGO Technic tagline of “building for real”, then I have to say that this recent promotional video from the brick company is really pushing the envelope on what LEGO Technic sets can do.
To answer the question of what a LEGO Technic set such as the Liebherr can do in real-world tasks, a group of engineers, together with Sariel’s LEGO Workshop, came up with perhaps the most ingenious way of making use of this set. Watch this.
Amazing isn’t it? Using the parts from the LEGO Technic Liebherr R 9800 Excavator (42100) set, they managed to come up with mechanical arms and legs that actually controls and operates this 800+ ton of engineering wonder. The best part of it? They actually used the LEGO Technic Control+ app to remotely control the set’s Bluetooth-controlled smart hubs which in turn operated the arms and legs that maneuvered the biggest excavator in the world. That’s one heck of a real-world application using LEGO bricks.
Here are some awe-inspiring details about the real-life Liebherr R 9800 Excavator to give you perspective on how complex this LEGO Technic project is.
- 810 tonnes, approx. 3 times more than a large passenger aircraft
- 4,000 HP (2x V16 diesel engine – 60L each – 2,000 HP each)
- Bucket size is 42m3 = 80 tonnes of material in one bucket or 300 bathtubs
- Max travel speed = 2,6 km/h
- 10 meters high – 25 meters long – 9 meters wide
- Designed to work from -50° to +50°
- 1 trackpad weighs more than a small passenger car
- 12 weeks are required to assemble a R 9800
- 28 trucks are required for the shipment of one R 9800
- The R 9800 is manufactured in the Liebherr mining equipment production site in Colmar, France
Just thinking how a LEGO set was able to interact with its larger counterpart and makes the latter operable simply blows my mind. If you’re still looking forward to having the LEGO Technic Liebherr R 9800 Excavator (42100) set, added to your collection, then you may need to be more patient since this set is currently listed for backorders at LEGO Shop@Home. Nevertheless, be sure to check with LEGO’s online shopping portal for updates on its availability.
