This doesn’t count as a MOC since I didn’t design the original model, but it’s still a Lego creation and worth sharing.
Here’s my color swapped recreation of Technic set 856, a Bulldozer released in 1979!
I’ve been meaning to build this model with my own pieces for a while. I realized I wouldn’t have enough yellow pieces, so I made it red instead - and I think the color suits it quite well!
The Bulldozer is a very impressive model, utilizing creative ways to control its functions with gear racks. I’m especially fascinated by the linkage for tipping the bucket:
Up/down is fairly standard. Look at the center gear rack, it’s a very creative and efficient solution since worm gears didn’t exist at this time.
Building it was a fun challenge, old Technic instructions can be quite a handful (especially if you only have a pixelated online scan). But it really paid off!
This is the original for comparison. Besides the color, I just changed some minor details like the grill.
I initially thought this’d be nothing too special, but I was really wrong. Rarely has a model ever impressed me as much as this (might sound silly, but keep in mind that the bulldozer is from 1979 and how it packs these great functions into a relatively small space). For now, it has earned a rightful place among my small but strong collection of sets from this era.
If you have the pieces, I highly recommend you build this. It’s great!
