LEGO Unimog U400: The Oppo Review

"WhiskeyGolf" (whiskeygolf) 12/16/2014 at 09:45 • Filed to: LEGO, Unimog, OppoReviews

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Sometimes you just have to treat yo' self. With Christmas approaching, I found a little something extra and bought one of the greatest sets to ever come out of the LEGO lab, the Mercedes-Benz U400 Unimog. Should you get one before they're all gone?

Yes. Yes you should.

Packaging

LEGO knows how to do it right, and the packaging on this set is fantastic. You get a giant flip-up box that shows the standard form, along with the many different versions you can create with the same pieces. There's the winch on the front and crane at the back, but if you choose you can instead create an articulated snowplow. Inside you find many different bags of semi-organized pieces. I say semi organized because while they're numbered up to 5, those numbers don't seem to be related to the instruction booklet and the pieces themselves aren't really sorted beyond overall size.

I tend to hang on to nice packaging material (I probably have my first Apple laptop box buried somewhere) so this one will be sticking around.

Assembly

Like a good road trip, LEGO isn't about the destination but the journey. In the case of the 'Mog, that means 2000+ parts in 5 different instruction manuals. Originally I wanted to do a timelapse of the construction, but after about 900 photos I realized this is not a simple Sunday afternoon project and scrapped the idea. I spread the job over a couple days and probably spent 6-8 hours total. Having an age range on the box is basically pointless; I'm a 26 year old mechanical engineer!

Following the instructions is more about attention to detail than anything else, but mostly what I learned is that I'm rather bad at placing stickers correctly.

Complexity

I tip my hat to the team of people responsible for creating this thing because it is seriously capable. It has 3 differentials, 4 possible gear selections for controlling the power take off and an arm with 4 degrees of freedom. Going through the different instruction booklets and examining all of the individual parts is a great way to learn more about standard mechanical components like u-joints, portal axles and gear ratios. The greatest part about it all is that once it's assembled, everything works!

When I was about 13, I talked my way into getting a LEGO Mindstorms kit as a birthday gift by explaining how it would help to build engineering skills. During my last year of school, I used similar kits more than I had before! Find someone you know who might be considering a STEM education and build it with them. If they realize it's not for them, keep it for yourself!

Functions

Now to the good stuff. After spending hours putting it together, it's time to show it off. Like the Unimog it's based on, this thing is all utility. Powered by a 9V battery pack, the motor drives shafts that can be switched between the front and rear power take offs and driving the pneumatic pump. Despite having 3 diffs, it doesn't look like the motor itself can drive the vehicle forward but spinning a gear manually you can still see all 4 wheels rotate together.

Move the yellow lever up and the motor drives the PTO. The red lever controls whether that power is sent front or rear. With the current setup, that means either the winch or rotating the crane base. Shifting the yellow lever down instead redirects power to a pneumatic cylinder that provides air to the crane system. The red lever to the right of the controls is able to redirect that air front or rear, so you can even move the entire crane assembly to the front if you want to get crazy.

The air coming to the back is split into these 3 valves that open and close the pneumatic cylinders. Slide the lever up and the arm extends. Bring it back and the arm retracts. It happens pretty fast so it takes quite a bit of finesse to get it smooth.

There are 3 different pneumatic cylinders provided in the kit, with the 2 largest units powering the first and second stages of the arm. I didn't test for full capacity but it was able to pick up my Hot Wheels Aventador pretty easily.

The gripper can be either open or closed and with the rubber clamps, holds things pretty securely.

The front wheels can also be steered by a gear on the top of the cab but that's mostly an afterthought. There's a lot of slop thanks to the 90 degree gear connection at the bottom of the cab and since the kit is pretty heavy, there is quite a bit of resistance through the tires. You might say it "understeers at the limit".

Collectibility

The U400 Unimog was only in production for a short time but thanks to its awesomeness, it's in high demand. I bought it on eBay, where prices ranged from about $300-600 USD. With shipping and duties to the Great White North, I came in at the lower end of that range. There seem to be a lot of new in box examples available so hopefully more will get into the hands of Jalops soon!

Conclusion

Christmas is coming, and there aren't many gifts for that Jalop in your life like the LEGO U400 Unimog. It's got motors, gears, a crane, a winch and compressed air! It's as much fun to put together as it is to pick up smaller, inferior toys. Get one before they're gone!

Photos by me.

Specs

Pieces 2048

Price whatever you're willing to spend

Age range you're never too old for LEGO

Motor 9V

Differentials 3

Pneumatic cylinders 3

Portal axles YES

Steering numb

Capacity for fun unlimited

ttyymmnn > WhiskeyGolf 12/16/2014 at 10:05

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I'd love to have that, but I can't justify the gelt for that right now. You're fortunate; it looks like you have a place to spread out the pieces and leave it that way until you're done. I have to empty bags into plastic containers and put things away between building sessions, since I have to use our kitchen table. Our house is just not big enough for a dedicated work space. Which is also why I've given up on scale modeling, at least for now.

WhiskeyGolf > ttyymmnn 12/16/2014 at 10:10

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I cleared the table to take the photos, as normally it's covered in computer parts, Arduinos and soldering tools. I think I could build it within a pretty small area by keeping parts in their bags but yes, space certainly makes it easier.

ttyymmnn > WhiskeyGolf 12/16/2014 at 10:18

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I've found that getting a small stack of plastic containers (Tupperware) and using one for each bag is very helpful. Then, if you have to move your work, you can simply stack the bowls. I'm digging your GIF, too. Nice job.

Luc - The Acadian Oppo > WhiskeyGolf 12/16/2014 at 10:32

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I'm digging this Lego set. but I still have a few Lego sets I haven't assembled yet. I just moved into a new house and time is not something I have an abundance of at the moment.

I still have the BTTF set and the Mini Cooper set to assemble.

I did however find time to build the VW Bus and the Ghostbusters set .

Kake Bake > WhiskeyGolf 12/16/2014 at 10:38

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Here's a fix for the steering issues. Great set and post.

pdx107 > ttyymmnn 12/16/2014 at 10:52

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agreed, that does work well, Or the multi pack of tupperware containers of various sizes from IKEA if one is close

sketchcat > WhiskeyGolf 12/16/2014 at 13:46

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Details on the axles please. are they really portals?

doodon2whls > WhiskeyGolf 12/17/2014 at 23:40

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Nice write-up. I got the U400 shortly after it came out, and I am glad I did. It's a great kit. This year I am taking on the transport plane.

Frank Grimes > WhiskeyGolf 12/17/2014 at 23:54

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lego elvis loves this

Tinfoil Hat in a thunderstorm, now with added diecast > WhiskeyGolf 12/17/2014 at 23:55

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Very cool, Takes me back, as I teenager (25 yrs ago)I had a heap of lego technic. The kit that I loved the most was a huge tracked excavator that I belive was the first pneumatic kit, it had a hand operated pump and not the fancy driven pump you have. I was silly enough at the time to want to experiment with converting the pneumatics to hydraulics using vegetable oil! It didn't work with oil and sadly never worked with air again. I wished I hadn't done it about straight away and still regret it. The unimog is still on shelves here in AUS, didn't know it is a limited run, might have to go shopping.

WhiskeyGolf > doodon2whls 12/18/2014 at 00:06

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My early 30's engineer friend is opening up the mobile crane on Christmas morning and we're going to lift this one up with that haha

doodon2whls > WhiskeyGolf 12/18/2014 at 00:21

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Cool. You should do a little review on that, too for us AFOL's.

The lift capacity is limited on the cranes... I have the Mark I Mobile Crane (8421) and it lifts much less than I thought it could. It is still cool nonetheless... A welcome addition to the collection.

TheRaceTrackIsMyChurch > WhiskeyGolf 12/18/2014 at 15:30

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schrodingers > Kake Bake 12/18/2014 at 15:38

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Modding a LEGO Unimog for better handling is a thing that exists.

thebigbossyboss > WhiskeyGolf 12/18/2014 at 15:45

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Is the leafs in the background? BOooo! :)

Pending Approval > WhiskeyGolf 12/18/2014 at 15:47

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whiteballence does wonders.

thebigbossyboss > WhiskeyGolf 12/18/2014 at 15:48

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Wow Whiskey Golf, that thing looks awesome!!

Also congratulations on your FP!

CarCrazy > WhiskeyGolf 12/18/2014 at 15:52

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Oh man! I so want this right now. But justifying the $330 for it is hard! :(

Qwagmire > WhiskeyGolf 12/18/2014 at 16:06

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Wife got me a Unimog for Christmas last year, it was awesome! I did not expect to take it that long, and there were a few times I took stuff back apart and put it back together enjoying the sheer creativity used to make it work.

I got the big yellow crane for my son who never made it, still trying to talk the wife into letting me build it.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > WhiskeyGolf 12/18/2014 at 16:09

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Look like the OppoBlog share worked again. Congrats on the front page!

http://oppositeblog.kinja.com/

Jasonsharedapostbyjason > WhiskeyGolf 12/18/2014 at 16:13

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i want either this or the 42000 technic racer. but thats sold out, so i can vie for this, or the 24 hours race car

Doctor-G-and-the-wagen > WhiskeyGolf 12/18/2014 at 16:17

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Now the challenge of seeing how quickly I can make a giant robot out of it instead.

I hoon, therefore I am > WhiskeyGolf 12/18/2014 at 16:19

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That thing costs $329. Do you know how many V6 Mustangs you could buy for that price?!

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > WhiskeyGolf 12/18/2014 at 16:27

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"Originally I wanted to do a timelapse of the construction, but after about 900 photos I realized this is not a simple Sunday afternoon project and scrapped the idea."

If you iPhone, the latest version has a time-lapse feature. I've also heard good things about an app called Hyperlapse.

bre92ser > WhiskeyGolf 12/18/2014 at 16:29

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Ive been looking at lego sets all morning as gifts for my nephew's, but have instead spent more time looking at sets like these for myself!

WhiskeyGolf > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 12/18/2014 at 16:38

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Mostly I think the problem was that I didn't have a very good match between photo intervals, so even at 30 fps it was going to be a rather long video with just a blur of hands.

WhiskeyGolf > I hoon, therefore I am 12/18/2014 at 16:39

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An oil change!

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > WhiskeyGolf 12/18/2014 at 16:43

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I assume you've seen this:

WhiskeyGolf > thebigbossyboss 12/18/2014 at 16:46

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Maaaaybe :D

WhiskeyGolf > sketchcat 12/18/2014 at 16:48

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Technically yes, as the hubs contain two gears to move the axle up relative to the wheel centre but there are enough components to strengthen the axle that there really isn't an improvement in ground clearance. I'll see if I can grab a photo later.

WhiskeyGolf > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 12/18/2014 at 16:52

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I thought about making a video like that but that's a serious time commitment.

Related, I was browsing for that same set earlier today and discovered it has 2800+ pieces and is about $500!

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > WhiskeyGolf 12/18/2014 at 17:00

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Serious.

I do my best to buy at 10 cents per piece or better.

NipperDawg > WhiskeyGolf 12/18/2014 at 17:00

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This is easily modified to take the Lego power motors to be remote controlped and chase the dog Just google it. It is made to be modified as lego skipped this to keep costs down

WhiskeyGolf > NipperDawg 12/18/2014 at 17:13

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I'll have to look into it! I also have an early model of the Mindstorms kit so that could make things even more interesting...

Satoshi "Zipang" Katsura > WhiskeyGolf 12/18/2014 at 17:33

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>$300

I think I need to go sobbing for a bit.

mhadden > WhiskeyGolf 12/18/2014 at 18:17

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I agree with everything you said in this review. It's, by far, one of the best sets to come from LEGO since set 8880. I ended up sacrificing the bed and movable arm for a snow plow (which is awesome but puts just that much more weight on the front!). But I wanted the bed to make it look right so I just spent the $35 this week and ordered the pieces for it.

And yes, the Technic seta shouldn't have an age (or maybe 12+). I'm 31 and still play (but I have given my 3 year old the LEGO bug)!

westford86 > WhiskeyGolf 12/18/2014 at 18:37

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I built one two years ago. Best lego ever. Now it hangs out on top of my desktop and I get to look at it every day.

the dude > I hoon, therefore I am 12/18/2014 at 18:40

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Approximately 10 Miatas.

WhiskeyGolf > mhadden 12/18/2014 at 19:13

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I plan on making the snow plow sometime soon.

WhiskeyGolf > Satoshi "Zipang" Katsura 12/18/2014 at 19:16

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LEGO gets expensive pretty fast. I was helped a little by my annual credit card cash back payment so realistically I spent maybe $60 to cover duties and shipping. I'd have a much harder time spending the money if it was the full price...

Kiltedpadre > WhiskeyGolf 12/18/2014 at 19:31

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I think by now we all know the "age range" on Lego sets is nothing more than a suggestion. Thankfully, I have an 8 year old that was happy to receive the Lego Ecto-1 this year for his birthday. It saved me some money, because, let's be honest, if I hadn't bought it for his birthday I was going to buy it for myself.

mattc993 > WhiskeyGolf 12/18/2014 at 20:19

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I was totally unimpressed by this from the title/image, but I'm really glad I read the whole thing.

"lol whatever legos were a thing i did when I was a kid"

"HOLY SHIT FUNCTIONING DIFFERENTIALS AND PNEUMATICS?"

WhiskeyGolf > mattc993 12/18/2014 at 20:23

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Thanks for reading!

bre92ser > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 12/18/2014 at 20:28

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this is mesmerizing!

NipperDawg > WhiskeyGolf 12/18/2014 at 20:30

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Sorry for the poor typing, i was using my phone. There are pages and pages dedicated to the Unimog on the web, including making a snow blower, snow plow and making it a power dump truck. Here are the pages for adding remote control http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.ph…

Brickman > WhiskeyGolf 12/18/2014 at 20:47

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You know I have a LEGO Unimog :D

WhiskeyGolf > sketchcat 12/18/2014 at 20:57

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Here's probably the best photo I could grab and it shows the front axle pretty well. Each side has two gears and you even see the front diff.

WhiskeyGolf > Brickman 12/18/2014 at 20:59

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What else do you have in the warehouse?

Brickman > WhiskeyGolf 12/18/2014 at 21:07

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Mobile crane, car hauler, bulldozer, back hoe, lots of city vehicles, etc.

I hoon, therefore I am > the dude 12/18/2014 at 21:10

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I hoon, therefore I am > WhiskeyGolf 12/18/2014 at 21:11

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Seriously though, that thing is awesome (the LEGO Mog, not a V6 Mustang).

BMWJLRTECH > WhiskeyGolf 12/18/2014 at 22:24

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Took me a solid 8 hours straight to finish mine. So bad ass.

Eric the RC guy > WhiskeyGolf 12/18/2014 at 22:33

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This is awesome, thanks for sharing.

We actually had an entire semester in my high school technology class where we got to play with Mindstorms sets. Ever since I have wanted one, I'm hoping some day I can be ahead on bills for once and have the disposable money to invest in a kit. It got me interested in robotics at a young(ish) age, and I'd really like to give my son the same experience, just earlier in life.

Also, now I want to do some stop motion. I need to get a tripod mount for my phone.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > bre92ser 12/18/2014 at 22:51

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Can't imagine how long it took...

WhiskeyGolf > Eric the RC guy 12/18/2014 at 22:54

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We are similar then! My 4th year of university had multiple classes with the newer kits and I definitely had an advantage after using one before. I really hope you're able to get one for your son, as it may be just the thing necessary to get him on his way!

kschang > WhiskeyGolf 12/18/2014 at 22:55

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Hyperlapse, man... Hyperlapse. (or the Android equivalent)

Eric the RC guy > WhiskeyGolf 12/18/2014 at 23:34

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Thank you :)

theloudmouth > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 12/19/2014 at 06:42

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Mother of god that's insane.

bobrayner > sketchcat 12/19/2014 at 08:16

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Yes.

Being lego, you have a couple of options for which gears you install top/bottom inside the "portal" axle module; so you can change your final drive ratio.

In a Mini; let them mock me as My Mini Countryman is higher than you > WhiskeyGolf 12/19/2014 at 08:29

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Can you do an OPPO review for THE Lego F1 car. I still haven't finished building it's transmission (IT HAS ONE, the Trans has 8 "gears").

WhiskeyGolf > In a Mini; let them mock me as My Mini Countryman is higher than you 12/19/2014 at 09:05

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There are other models I'd love to add to the automobile collection but it'll have to wait for me to save some pennies!

Shiarlis > WhiskeyGolf 12/19/2014 at 19:29

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Had one since a few years ago. Jacked it as far up as the diffs would go, and wrecked the suspension. Took all that and more out, the wheels now sit higher than the lowest point on the frame. Slammed, 90% stock Lego Unimog. Sacrilige, yes, but fun to do.

rocknroll_jeph > WhiskeyGolf 12/20/2014 at 00:44

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I bought this set for myself last Christmas. I totally agree with this write up. It was an amazing experience to build and a real treat to get to assemble all of the mechanisms then see it all come to life. I am 32, and a kindergarten teacher. I brought this into my class (instantly become one of the coolest teachers ever) and let my kids try it out. To my surprise the girls were most interested in the power functions and got better than me at picking stuff up and putting it in the truck. Maybe 5 year old girls have more patience than I do...

I bought it at the Lego store just outside of Chicago for just over 300$. Over summer I treated myself to the Technic crane... that was equally as challenging and rewarding.

sketchcat > WhiskeyGolf 12/22/2014 at 00:28

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looks like those knuckles are a special design part.

nice that they at least attempted to keep with the 'mog DNA.

sketchcat > bobrayner 12/22/2014 at 00:28

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awesome.