Subject:
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Re: Lugnet.Underground vs Lugnet.Rockraiders
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.technic
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Date:
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Mon, 8 Nov 1999 15:42:53 GMT
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Viewed:
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740 times
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"Todd Lehman" <lehman@javanet.com> wrote in message
news:FKuGnn.7tB@lugnet.com...
> In lugnet.underground, Tom Boucher writes:
> > Todd - Should there be an 'Expert Builder' category near/around Technic?
> > I've got a few of them (like the first car, and that blue go-cart) and • box
> > says 'Expert Builder' and not Technic.
> >
> > Just wondering.
>
> I wouldn't think so, no. Expert Builder and Technic are/were the same
> product line, just different names -- synonyms for the same products.
>
> That is, what was once long ago known as "Expert Builder" was later • renamed
> to "Technic" (I forget which year exactly). In fact, IIRC, there was a
> period in the 80's when the line was called Expert Builder in the U.S. and
> Technic in Europe during the same year -- the same sets.
Yes, that is correct Todd.
And actually, from 1977 to 1982, Technic sets were known simply as
"Technical
Sets" in Europe and Asia. The Expert Builder Theme name was only used in
the
U.S. (and possibly Canada/Mexico), and although the initial sets were the
same
(a subset, actually), that theme was not started until one year later, in
1978.
Then in 1982, Lego began using the name Technic, but only in Europe and
Asia.
In this year, there were two in-box catalogs for these regions. The two
catalogs were very similar. Both featured the 8846 Tow Truck towing the
8845
Dune Buggy on the front cover. The earlier catalog, however was released
before the Technic name made it's debut, and simply said "Technical Sets" on
the front (or something similar). The latter catalog said "Technic" on the
front instead, and also featured three new sets 8030, 8050, and 8090 -- the
first ever Technic sets (and all Universal sets). Set 8090 remains a rarity
today, as it was never released in the US. In fact, the 8846 Tow Truck
mentioned earlier was also never released in the US. In some countries,
certain sets that were released before the Technic theme name became
effective, and lived a few years beyond then, were repackaged to reflect the
change. Some examples are 8860, 8859, 8848 and 8845. Sets in this
packaging
are probably somewhat rare.
In 1986, Lego began using the Technic name worldwide. Most Expert Builder
sets were discontinued by 1986. The few that did remain were never
repackaged in the US with the Technic name (I'd love to be proven wrong on
this!). The one set that I'm most curious about is set 1972. This promo
set was released in 1985, and I've never seen a US box for it. It may well
have been the first ever set with the Technic label to hit the US. If
anyone knows for sure, please let me know.
This is all somewhat confusing. I agree with Todd in creating just a single
Technic newsgroup. Adding Expert Builder would complicate things. We'd
then
need a "Technical Sets" group too, and then we'd have all sorts of confusion
when people from different countries wanted to dicuss sets that were in
production around the time of all these name changes. In fact, I'd love
to see the Lugnet set database be consolidated into a single "Technic" theme
also. Currently, as far as I can tell, a set can either be Technic or
Expert Builder but not both. Unfortunately, in actuality many sets _are_
both. Maybe it sould make sense to list them all as Technic, and then have
notes on the pages to explain things in further detail.
Mark Koesel
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