[Roanoke]

I think I'll forgoe of stuff (save the Brittax) and try for the old school JCB....

If you're talking about the Technic one, 8862, I will actually be selling one of those soon, along with several other sets I recently got at a local garage sale. I tend to be extremely picky about the part conditions and most of the sets are a little too playworn for my liking, but most people aren't so concerned about that and I figured I could make a decent profit on them.

That being said, you might want to get the newer one (8455) instead. I have both and this is one of the rare cases where the newer version is easily the superior one, even though the original was already an excellent set.

Nah. The newer version seems to fetch a premium and I'm not paying £80 ($160 approx) for Lego. Besides, this is just a nostalgia trip for me and 8862 was the top model when Roanoke was in short pants. I believe it was top of the tree untill the first fullsize test car was released, then model team a couple of years later.

[CP5670]

Interesting, you're right. I think it may be because the 8455 is much more recent and most of the copies being sold are still unopened, while the 8862s sold are almost all used at this point. I would have expected the older one to still go for more.

You can't go wrong with either one anyway. The 8862 was the only model with eight distinct functions for almost 15 years and is about 26" long when fully extended. It actually came out in 1989 though, a year after the Test Car.

Try to get a 1990 version of the set instead of the original 1989 version. You can ask the seller to look near the back of the instructions to see which it is; the '89 version says 8862+8700 at the top of the motorization section while the '90 version says 8862+8720. In 1989, Lego was still using an older design for the basic black friction pins and these are an absolute PITA to use. They came out with a newer type of pin in 1990 that is much easier to work with and is still in use today, so you want to try and get a set with those.

I'm glad the smaller Technic sets at the time used only the gray connector pins. If I had to work with those old friction pins when I was younger, I would have been turned off by Technic and would never have bought another set again.

[Roanoke]

Little over an hour to go for the Brattax and 8862. Keep yer fingers crossed doodes.

I'm watching 8853 too , incidentally. The last model I bought before it dawned on me to keep the bloody instructions!! (ie not bin them).


edit: Meh, didn't get the brattax 

Ordered one from Bricklink instead

[CP5670]

Did you get the 8862 backhoe?

For ebay, you want to place your bid in the last 20 seconds or so. That minimizes the chances of someone else getting into a bidding war with you.

The stock configuration of the Battrax only allows for one Blacktron guy to sit inside, but it's very easy to modify it to fit two people.

[Colonol Dekker]

It's like an alien language..................

[Roanoke]

Did you get the 8862 backhoe?

For ebay, you want to place your bid in the last 20 seconds or so. That minimizes the chances of someone else getting into a bidding war with you.

The stock configuration of the Battrax only allows for one Blacktron guy to sit inside, but it's very easy to modify it to fit two people.

No, I didn't get 8862, but I wasn't trying especially hard for it.  edit: oh it's still ongoing......
Currently on dial up so ebay is a pain at the moment. Plus I was asleep at the time 
I'm going to see how the BrickLink transaction goes before I start bidding and going mad.

Incidentally, my BL wish list 

8868
8862
8853
8841
6989

God knows what people will say when they see my room full of lego again.....

[CP5670]

Pretty good selection. I would recommend a few more things from that time period, but those five will keep you busy for a while.

You should get your Battrax quickly if you bought it from a local seller. The Bricklink set prices are generally quite a bit higher than ebay though, so I typically use Bricklink for parts and stick with ebay for sets.

God knows what people will say when they see my room full of lego again.....

A handful of models on display look pretty nice to have around. On the other hand, you might get some stares if your room becomes anything like mine has:

http://home.comcast.net/~cp5670/room1.jpg
http://home.comcast.net/~cp5670/room2.jpg
(these pictures are a few months old but not much has changed)

This is actually only about half of my collection. The other sets are still in storage since I don't have space to build everything in my room right now, and I'm going to be moving soon anyway.

[Roanoke]

I've found them to be fairly consistant and without the hassle of going through an auction.  I got the Brattax for circa $45 (£23 approx) which was the same as ebay, though I'm not fussy about having a box etc.

Pretty good selection. I would recommend a few more things from that time period, but those five will keep you busy for a while.

You should get your Battrax quickly if you bought it from a local seller. The Bricklink set prices are generally quite a bit higher than ebay though, so I typically use Bricklink for parts and stick with ebay for sets.

God knows what people will say when they see my room full of lego again.....

A handful of models on display look pretty nice to have around. On the other hand, you might get some stares if your room becomes anything like mine has:

http://home.comcast.net/~cp5670/room1.jpg
http://home.comcast.net/~cp5670/room2.jpg
(these pictures are a few months old but not much has changed)

This is actually only about half of my collection. The other sets are still in storage since I don't have space to build everything in my room right now, and I'm going to be moving soon anyway.

I don't have the excuse of being a maths wizard though....

[karajorma]

By the way, check this out. It will probably go over a grand by the time it's over.

I actually have that ship. I'd say that it was a pity I took it out of the box but I had a whale of a time with it as it was the first lego set I ever owned.

[CP5670]

I've found them to be fairly consistant and without the hassle of going through an auction.  I got the Brattax for circa $45 (£23 approx) which was the same as ebay, though I'm not fussy about having a box etc.

That's true, Bricklink is certainly more convenient in that respect. The ebay auctions basically require you to be there at the end (or place a higher bid earlier on, which often kills the savings).

Did you receive the Battrax yet?

I'm currently looking at a couple of auctions myself: a Super Nova II (the only Blacktron 2 set I'm missing), a Trauma Team and a Mobile Rocket Transport. I'll need to keep an eye on those ending times. I'm also watching a few others just for fun, like an unopened Futuron monorail auction that came up yesterday. The last one in that condition went for $715.

I actually have that ship. I'd say that it was a pity I took it out of the box but I had a whale of a time with it as it was the first lego set I ever owned.

If that was your first set, you can count yourself very lucky. I only got the smaller sets for many years, starting with this when I was 1. I started getting larger stuff only around 1995 or so, although I picked up everything I had missed on ebay several years later.

[Roanoke]

I think this was my first. Or maybe this

Pretty good selection. I would recommend a few more things from that time period, but those five will keep you busy for a while.

what would you suggest ? 

[CP5670]

Looks great. If you want to see the mods I made to mine, I can take closer pictures of it.

These are some notable Space and Technic sets I can think of between 1987 and 1992, keeping the current prices in mind:

Invader: Excellent small set, goes for about $10 used. It splits into three sections that can each combine with the three Battrax components.
SP Striker: You need some good guys to counter that Battrax. This is actually my favorite space set of all time. The main guns and a computer inside have flashing lights. Like all SP sets, it comes with a Blacktron prisoner. It seems to be rare on Bricklink, but is typically about $30 on ebay.
Stellar Recon Voyager: Surprisingly cheap on ebay for its size (often under $10), but less so on Bricklink. Contains a lot of equipment for the guys.
Whirlwind Rescue: Again, cheaper than you would think given its 20" size, both on ebay and Bricklink. I paid $75 for a new one in 2002 and used ones can still be had under $40 easily. Still the biggest and best helicopter ever.
Universal flex cable set The crane is very cool. The Bricklink prices for this are too high, but if you find one around $30 or so on ebay, it's worth a look.

There are some others I had in mind, but they're all relatively expensive ($70+) these days even for used copies. Let me know if you would like me to list them as well. I think the only one from that time period that is really worth it for a casual collector is the 8868 Airtech Claw Rig you already mentioned. That one is simply spectacular to build and watch in action.

By the way, this site has scans of the instructions for all of the Lego sets ever produced, except for some of the very recent ones. You may want to flip through some of them when deciding what to buy.

[Shade]

By the way, this site has scans of the instructions for all of the Lego sets ever produced, except for some of the very recent ones. You may want to flip through some of them when deciding what to buy.

Whoa, you just made "hero of the week" for that link I've lost about half my instructions due to negligence or bad luck, and I'd love to build some of that stuff again.

[Roanoke]

Looks great. If you want to see the mods I made to mine, I can take closer pictures of it.....

.....There are some others I had in mind, but they're all relatively expensive ($70+) these days even for used copies. Let me know if you would like me to list them as well. I think the only one from that time period that is really worth it for a casual collector is the 8868 Airtech Claw Rig you already mentioned. That one is simply spectacular to build and watch in action....

Go for it. Top end budget would be $100, unless it's something really special.

Not a huge fan of Non-Technic generally. I got the Battrax because I never got it even though I really wanted it. I can't remember why. Maybe I could never find it. 

[Roanoke]

wooo! 8862 secured (postage/ebay seller not being a t**t pending)! £35 in total (circa $70 IIRC)

damn, CP, I could really have done without another drain on my limited funds 

Updated wanted list:

8868
8853
8438 - I'm thinking this is ripe for modifying
8858
8074
8891

I always figured 8868 was a little odd. Not the model but the concept. Why would there be a grab crane on a truck chassis ? The crane looks too small to really reach anything.

[CP5670]

Go for it. Top end budget would be $100, unless it's something really special.

The main ones I had in mind were two of the three mid-90s big guns: (you may need to look on ebay to get a sub-$100 price)

8880: The best of the seven large-scale cars they've made by some distance, with steering, drive and suspension on all four wheels and a transmission system.
8480: This one probably has the most complex gearing of any model ever. It has two motors and the old FOS lighting system. Unlike most sets, the alternate model is also very good. It used to be very common on ebay and Bricklink two or three years ago; it's less so now but can still be found for about $100 on ebay.

I would have also recommended the third one, the 8479 Barcode Truck, but the Brickset reviews indicate that there may have been some bad QC with the controller unit. I ran into some problems with mine last year, although I was able to fix it. It's amazing to watch in action though.

There are also the two Control Center sets, 8094 and 8485. They're cool, but expensive and worth getting more for the parts than the models. You are better off buying the above stuff first. There is also the 8466 4x4 Off Roader, a newer set that has the 8880's functionality in a monster truck frame. I actually have an extra unopened one of these (got it for free in 2001 due a freak error on Lego S@H's part) that I will be selling soon.

If you're interested in other things that aren't road vehicles, the 8839 Supply Ship and 8425 Black Hawk are also very nice sets for about $40-50 each.

wooo! 8862 secured (postage/ebay seller not being a t**t pending)! £35 in total (circa $70 IIRC)

damn, CP, I could really have done without another drain on my limited funds

Excellent. You might be surprised at how large this is. It's much bigger than it looks in the box/manual pictures.

I don't want to think about how much I've spent on this stuff over the years.

8438 - I'm thinking this is ripe for modifying

This is actually a second reissue of an older set, the 8460 Pneumatic Crane Truck. I have the original one. It's a great set, but note that the newer crane, 8421, is quite a bit better. The 8421 is a current set and priced a bit over your range at $150, but it's available at many retail stores and you may be able to find it on sale somewhere.

8891

This contains some cool ideas, but you can read the whole thing on that site I linked to earlier, so it's probably not worth buying separately. All of the models use pieces from sets around 1990, mainly 8862 and 8094.

I always figured 8868 was a little odd. Not the model but the concept. Why would there be a grab crane on a truck chassis ? The crane looks too small to really reach anything.

I'm not exactly sure what it's supposed to be, but I have seen things like it in real life. I think they're used for lifting tree logs.

[Turey]

I've got a couple of from-scratch/heavily modded spaceships I'll have to get pics of, including a cross between and A-wing and a podracer that I'm constantly modifying.

[Dough with Fish]

Why dont they make Space sets anymore? They were so awesome back in the day.. Ice Planet, M-Tron, Blacktron, the Aquanauts, Space Police... They all kicked ass. The should totally make more scifi ones.

[CP5670]

I think that legos could be better because the frigging blocks are so holo they should fill it up to about 75 full.That way it would look better from the bottom of it, and it wouldn't break as much.Oh and those are really old sets, 8880 is older than i am.

The individual pieces are very durable. They may get worn or discolored over time (although even that can be largely avoided if you work with them properly), but I have had only a handful of pieces actually break and those were from when I was much younger.

The Super Car is actually a little on the recent side by my standards. I guess it all depends on what was around when you grew up. "Really old" to me means things like the 6990 Futuron monorail or the 8865 Test Car, which I used to stare at in catalogs all day when I was two or three.

The period from about 1994 to 1997 probably saw the best years for Technic though. Many of the top sets were released during that period.

Why dont they make Space sets anymore? They were so awesome back in the day.. Ice Planet, M-Tron, Blacktron, the Aquanauts, Space Police... They all kicked ass. The should totally make more scifi ones.

They came out with the Star Wars line in 1999 and stopped making Space at that point to avoid competing with it. Now that the SW movies are all out, they were supposed to go back to space with this year's Mars Mission lineup, but none of the sets look particularly appealing.

The last genuine space lineup was Insectoids in 1998, and it wasn't very good either. The last good one was probably UFO the previous year.

[Roanoke]

Oh noes! I'm starting to recognise sets by their serial numbers!