Subject:
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Thoughts on 8448 (compared to 8880)
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.technic
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Date:
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Tue, 4 Jan 2000 05:50:03 GMT
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Viewed:
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962 times
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I've always considered the Supercar (8880) one of the finest models TLG
has ever produced. When I first found out about the latest Technic
automobile - #8448 Super Street Sensation, I was a bit disappointed. The
'specs' on it weren't that impressive for a gear-head like me. Both
featured V8 engines and active suspension on all four wheels. However the
8880 had 4 wheel drive and 4 wheel steering. 8448: rear wheel drive,
front wheel steering. On the plus side 8448 had 5 speeds plus reverse
(compared to 8880's four speeds). 8448 also featured the new 'hydraulic'
system.
The 8448's exterior looked real sharp, but I'm typically drawn to sets for
their action or parts, not their looks. Also the packaging had me
concerned - instead of the familiar box with lots of compartments and a
tray holding the 'feature' pieces, 8448 contained 8 smaller boxes inside
it. This reminded me of the Town Jr. approach and made me wary. Could
it be that TLG dumbed down the SuperCar?
I decided to buy it anyway. After putting it together I pulled out my
8880 set and built that as well - just for a good side-by-side
comparison...
Those 8 sub-boxes in the 8448 actually turned out to be my favorite
feature of the set. Each box contains the parts for a sub-assembly of the
car itself. This has several big advantages:
* Breaking the set up into 8 mini-sets makes finding pieces a lot easier.
No more sifting through 1400 pieces, nor is it necessary to sort the
entire set before building. Each box contains a few hundred pieces, which
is quite manageable to search through as you're building.
* The 8 boxes are actually a just a side effect - the car was clearly
designed to be modular in nature: a frame, a front wheel module, a back
wheel module, the engine, etc. I like to observe and learn from the model
as I'm building it. With something like 8880 you're often building up
several features at the same time - routing axles for steering and the
drive train while attaching the front bumper. This is quite distracting
compared to the 8448 approach where you basically focus on one feature at
a time.
* For the most part, the modules are 'inserted' into the model quite
cleanly. For example, its trivial to yank out the engine and replace it
with a different one. You get the feeling that there's a basic frame for
the car (with the main drive axle in it), then the other modules are just
dropped into place and secured with a piece or two. Want to rip out that
front wheel steering and redo it? No problem. With the 8880, everything
gets pretty tightly packed together and making anything other than minor
adjustments to some portion of the car often cascades into a massive
re-work.
8880 still shines in terms of drive train complexity. The 4 wheel drive
and 4 wheel steering mean that every wheel must pivot and receive power.
With suspension added to the mix, the drive linkages to the wheels have to
be pretty clever. You also need 3 differentials to do this the right
way. Before building 8880 I couldn't envision such a construction. In
contrast, the 8448 is pretty standard stuff. Rack and pinion steering and
using a differential on the rear wheels is standard fare even on smaller
Technic cars.
The engines are pretty similar. To be honest, I find the engines to be
the most boring part of Technic car models. On the plus side, the 8448
engine uses a few extra parts to make it look cooler (although operation
is still the same as ever).
The transmission on 8448 is cooler - five speeds plus reverse compared to
the 4 speed of 8880. The basic principle is the same, but a few new gears
are used to provide extra gear ratios. There's also a special 'extender'
piece for the driving ring that facilitates the reverse gear.
The 'hydraulic' system for the 8448 (and other 1999 Technic sets) isn't
really hydraulic at all - its pneumatic. But its different from the
regular pneumatics. The basic piece is similar to a large pneumatic
cylinder, but without any connecting hoses. It is spring-loaded so that
it wants to extend fully. The pneumatic cylinder makes it very smooth
during operation. Very similar to pneumatic cylinders used on hatchbacks
or storm doors. When I first heard about these 'hydraulic' parts, I
wasn't impressed. However, they do add a nice feel to the model. I think
I'll be using them quite a bit.
As for appearance, that's where 8448 really shines. When I first built
8880 I thought it looked very cool. Today on the table next to 8448, the
8880 looks almost pitiful. The hard angular edged of the 8880 have given
way to smooth sleek curves of the 8448. Its also clear that TLG took some
styling cues from real automobiles - the 8448 rides much lower to the
ground (typical for the type of sports car its supposed to be). 8880 is
so high it almost looks ready for some off-roading.
In my own Technic creations I almost always emphasis function over form.
I think it was that the hard edged of using beams for defining form always
looked too harsh. Now, however, I think I will start paying attention to
form. 8448 is a great demonstration of conveying surface and shape
without hiding the inner workings of a model. It does this smoothly and
gracefully. I almost think of it as 'sculpting' with Lego.
8880 came with instructions for two different cars (the Supercar itself
and a Formula-1 racer).
8448 takes a different approach to multiple models. There are only
instructions for one chassis, but there are 5 different bodies (six if you
count the convertible variation) you can wrap around the chassis. This
ties in very well with the modular approach of the car itself. The
instructions for motorizing 8448 are trivial - the basic chassis already
has a spot reserved for a motor. There's even proper support for the
motor and appropriate gearing. You need to add a total of three pieces
(motor, 16-tooth gear, 2x4 technic plate) and you're done. There are even
instructions on the lego website showing how to add multiple motors for
additional power, or adding power steering.
There are other small improvements as well:
* Several steps in 8880 were somewhat awkward or forced. 8448 assembles a
bit easier.
* Most of the 8880 decals span multiple pieces. Very annoying. All of
the 8448 decals go on individual pieces.
* The 'hatch' on 8448 is much smoother than 8880. No annoying 'arm' to
hold it up either.
Two things missing from 8448 that were present on 8880:
* no flip-up headlights
* 8880 had a second 'steering wheel' placed near the top of the car. This
made it a lot easier to steer and push around. Reaching into the interior
of the car to turn the real steering wheel is awkward.
As for parts, the 8448 is pretty good. Not many beams and plates, but
lots of 'newer' parts such as angle beams, angle bricks, and of course
those new body plates and flexible axles. There's also a decent
assortment of gears, including a couple of the new 20-tooth bevel gears
and some 'double-bevel' gears.
Final verdict...
8448 is a worthy successor to the 8880 Supercar. Although its drive train
and steering are simpler, it adds several new dimensions including
hydraulics, a transmission with reverse, and some really nice
'sculpting'. I'm very pleased with the set, and am even considering
buying a second one for parts.
Dave Baum
--
reply to: dbaum at enteract dot com
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Message has 4 Replies:
 | | Re: Thoughts on 8448 (compared to 8880)
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| Dave Baum wrote in message ... (...) I did a very similar comparison to you, Dave. I agree with you! I am lucky enough to own all of the auto chassis, and can honestly say they have always come up with a worthy successor to the previous one. Great (...) (25 years ago, 4-Jan-00, to lugnet.technic)
| | | Re: Thoughts on 8448 (compared to 8880)
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| (...) Yeah, it's about as high off the ground as a real Diablo *without* accounting for scale. However, IIRC, totally compressing the springs brings the tires right up to the edge of the wheel wells... I took pictures of my modified version in grass (...) (25 years ago, 5-Jan-00, to lugnet.technic)
| | | Re: Thoughts on 8448 (compared to 8880)
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| Dave, In lugnet.technic, Dave Baum writes: [...] (...) [...] How do you plan to store this model once you take it apart? I prefer keeping models in their original boxes, and it's a real pain with this one. -Tim (25 years ago, 5-Jan-00, to lugnet.technic)
| | | Re: Thoughts on 8448 (compared to 8880)
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| On Tue, 4 Jan 2000 05:50:03 GMT, dbaum@spambgoneenteract.com (Dave Baum) wrote: After building the 8448 I decided I just had to have the 8880, so I got one and I also like the technical workings of it much better. I like the overall look of the 8448 (...) (25 years ago, 5-Jan-00, to lugnet.technic)
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