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TOOLBOX
LEGO TECHNIC
CONTAINER
TRUCK 8052
$70 lego.com
Lego’s Container Truck set lets you build a
cool and detailed model equipped with a battery pack and motor. Pull the lever and the
truck unloads the container behind it. Pull the
lever forward and it loads it back on. However,
the kit’s true potential lies in all the work Lego
has put into its Technic products, which it conceived as a way of bringing robotics to Lego.
Technic beams feature peg-style connections rather than the classic studs of System
bricks, making for stronger models that are
less likely to break apart when the motors
start spinning.
While Lego’s fabulously successful
Mindstorms NXT set uses the beams to build
its robots, Technic has its own robotics components, a line called Power Functions, that
in some ways rivals its more famous cousin.
It features a variety of DC motors, switches,
battery packs, and actuators far more diverse
than what NXT offers. These, combined with
Technic’s robust assortment of gears and
axles, make robot building a cinch.
If that weren’t enough, the Container Truck
kit features one rare and useful part: a linear
actuator. This is a rod that extends or contracts when the axle socket is spun, making
it great for robotic limbs and other projects
employing linear motion. The actuator was
released in 2008 and only nine sets feature
its goodness, giving you another reason for
grabbing this set.
—John Baichtal
158 Make: makezine.com/28
