Like most of the Lego sets I’ve been featuring on my blog, the Compact Crawler Crane (number 42097) is another set I picked up a while ago, but I never got around to assembling and photographing it until way later, and even then it took a little while longer to do the write up and get it posted.

When the COVID-19 lockdowns forced so many events to shut down I actually saw it as a blessing because it meant I could photograph some of the toys and collectibles that I’ve been sitting on, as well as knockout the write ups on them without having to stop and shift my focus on cranking out write ups for any conventions or art shows.

Unfortunately for me, the COVID-19 lockdowns also gave me time to think about things. In case, you haven’t realized it, I’m one of those people who really shouldn’t be allowed to be given free-reign on any open-ended project because I’m have tendency to come up with all kinds of ideas, and when that happens, I’ll want to figure out how to execute those ideas. I took a good look at my website, my web presence, my social media reach, and I started thinking up ways on to improve them which is how I got the idea to start building a portfolio page and YouTube channel.

As for that giant pile of collectibles and toys I’ve been sitting on, it got bigger because while I was working on all that other stuff I wanted to improve, retail places opened up and I saw a few other toys and collectibles I thought would be awesome for my site and I went out and bought those.

I’m actually glad I got sidetracked instead of working my way through my pile of toys and collectibles. Aside from trying to figure out how to expand on all that stuff I mentioned earlier I also learned a few photography tricks and came up with a few ideas that I really wanted to try out.

So the Compact Crawler Crane is my first foray into the world of Lego Technic sets, and while I knew Technic sets were supposed to be more complex and advanced than regular Lego, I had no idea how different they would be from regular Lego sets. In fact, Technic sets produced after the year 2000 rely on the “studless construction” method to assemble them, which means that they’re pretty much almost all beams and pins rather than the traditional construction method of Lego stacking where the studs are what hold the pieces together. This is why that even though this set is only 920 pieces it became one of the more tedious sets I’ve put together up to this point.

Here’s the front of the box. For a while I kind of stared at this and wondered what made me get it since it’s so different compared to the other Lego sets I’ve picked up over the years. Looking back at it now I think the reason I got this was because I’ve always had a bit of a fascination with heavy machinery since they would remind me of science fiction robots and vehicles.

Back of the box showing the Compact Crawler Crane in action as well as its alternate form as a Compact Tower Crane. When I first started looking at Technic sets I thought it would be an easy way to get content for my blog since I could do 2 build stories per Technic set, however once I realized that the instructions for the second form don’t come in the box and also realized that trying to disassemble a Technic set is going to be a pain in the ass and I would more than likely break a few axles in the process, I decided I’m better off just doing 1 form unless I really wanted to buy a duplicate set to build.

Here’s the parts bags, since they weren’t numbered I thought this would be a piece of cake to do. Oh how wrong I was with that.

Instruction manual with the stickers. I’m sure I’m not the only person who hates dealing with stickers since they tend to fade, peel, and rip over time,

Instruction manual with a Triple-A battery for a reference on how thick the manual is.

Here’s the first phase of the build, it’s the bare frame for the Crawler Crane. I really wish I paid more attention to this, that way I would have seen that this thing is all just pegs and beams. I think I was just thrown off by this because I’ve had several sets in the past that started this way, the only difference is with those sets you’re using beams that have studs on them so eventually you’ll start snapping bricks onto them.

Here’s the top half of the frame which includes all the basic gears to get the boom of the crane rotated.

And here’s the finished centerpiece/frame.

This gear set here is for one of the legs.

You’ll assemble two sets first.

Safety bars and beams attached to the cranes. I was really amazed how they made sure to include safety and warning stickers just like on a real crane.

The first of the second pair of gears for the legs.

The last gear set is different than the other three because it also has an extra piece that is supposed to be the crane’s control panel that folds in and out.

Next you put on the wheels…

…before putting on the treads.

Flip it over and now you’re working on the crane’s boom. This center mechanism is what folds the cranes arm up and down to make it more compact for storage and transport just like on a real crane.

Now you’re working on the boom of the crane. First thing you put on is the main boom’s cylinders which help keep it supported when the crane is fully unfolded and extended.

Next you work on the main boom. Note how it’s hollow on the inside. This is where an insert goes in that extends the boom.

Here’s the inner boom, this is the telescopic part of the crane that folds out when you need some extra height on the job. Looking back, I’m pretty sure this was the only piece that involved stacking pieces together.

A close up on the gear mechanism that extends and retracts the boom.

The winding drum for the crane.

The hook and jib.

And here is the main boom folded up but fully assembled before it gets put on the crane.

Here’s the boom installed on the rest of the crane.

Next you put on the legs. There really wasn’t too much to assembling the legs. I feel Lego cheated a bit here since they used a few custom pieces that made up about 50% of the legs.

A set of safety cones because what’s a piece of construction equipment without those.

The load the crane lifts and lowers.

And here is the crane all finished up.

Here’s the crane with the boom and legs all unfolded.

I’m really blown away on how the legs not only fold out but are also telescopic like on a real crane.

Close up on boom’s main cylinder fully extended.

Here’s the hook and its load.

The winding drum. Notice how there’s a lock that you fold up or down to hold loads in place.

Here’s the inner boom fully extended.

One thing I was really impressed with this set is that unlike most kids’ toys where you just fold out things yourself, you don’t do that here. Instead there are knobs that turn gears to make everything move for you.

A close up on the gears that operate the legs.

And finally, here’s the faux control panel for the crane.

So there it is, my first journey into the world of Lego Technic. Looking back this was kind of insane to do considering it’s like 90% pegs and beams. It was actually kind of nice to do something a bit different. There are a few more Technic sets in my pile of Lego sets that need putting together so don’t assume that this won’t be my last Technic set.