Technic

Heavy Duty Forklift

A tidy little yellow workhorse that does more than its size suggests.

Brick Rated Score

3.8/5

Set 42079 · 2018

Pieces592

Minifigsn/a

Year2018

Set number42079

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The verdict

This is the Technic set I keep recommending to people who think they aren't Technic people yet.

At 592 pieces it stays friendly the whole way through, but you still get real mechanisms: rear steering, a two-cylinder fake engine, and forks that lift and tilt on separate controls. It is not flawless (the tilt runs too far and the lift is short), but the play value once it is built genuinely surprised me. Good for a first proper Technic build or a relaxed weekend afternoon.

Best for: someone taking their first real step into Technic gears and functions

The full review

What it is

There is something honest about a forklift. No sweeping curves to fake, no showpiece to photograph, just a stubby yellow machine that has to actually do its job, and that is exactly what got me about set 42079. It is a modest 592-piece Technic model from 2018, designed by Milan Reindl, and it packs in more working functions than its size lets on: rear-wheel steering, a two-cylinder fake engine with pistons that pump as you push it along, and a fork carriage that both lifts and tilts on two separate hand controls. There is even a little cargo barrel with a hazard label to shove around once you are done. It is the kind of set that looks unassuming on the shelf and then quietly wins you over the moment you start working the levers.

The catch

I will be straight with you about where it stumbles, because the functions are the whole point and a couple of them are fiddly. The tilt runs too far forward and is too loose to lock upright, so if you actually raise a load and then tilt, the barrel slides right off the front. The lifting mechanism, clever as it is, barely raises the forks to the height of the orange beacon you turn to operate them, which feels underwhelming for a machine built to stack things high. And the knob itself can feel rough and sticky, because one of the universal joints sits at a sharp angle and binds a little. None of this ruins the build, but it does mean the play is more charming than precise. Price is worth a word too: it launched at 69.99 dollars, and now that it retired in December 2019 the aftermarket has pushed it up toward 150, so a sealed one is no longer the casual pickup it once was.

Who it's for

If you are new to Technic and want a set that teaches you gears, axles, and linked functions without overwhelming you, this is one of the best on-ramps I know, and the tow-truck B-model doubles the value. If you are a seasoned Technic builder chasing dense engineering or motorized precision, you will find this one a bit light and a bit imprecise, though plenty of people have happily added an RC mod to it. And if you simply love work vehicles, the little yellow forklift has a personality that photos never quite capture.

The parts story

What the build is actually like, and the pieces worth knowing about.

Building it is a genuinely pleasant few hours rather than a marathon. The parts density is on the low side for a Technic set of this era, so you are never buried in a sea of identical pins, and the assembly keeps moving between the chassis, the fake engine, and the geared fork tower so it rarely feels repetitive. The nicest stretch is watching the two control paths come together, one axle running down to lift the carriage and another to tilt it, and realizing how much LEGO fit into such a compact frame. It is an ideal build for teaching yourself how Technic linkages route power around corners.

On raw parts, this is an honest box rather than a treasure chest. Reviewers noted there are no new molds and no recolors here, so bricklink hunters will not find a headline piece to chase. What you do get is a clean, useful spread of yellow and blue Technic panels, gears, universal joints, and the large tires, plus the printed hazard label on the cargo barrel for a bit of character. For a builder stocking up on functional Technic elements at a reasonable per-part cost when it was in production, it was a sensible haul, even if nothing inside will make a parts collector gasp.

Fun facts

01The set is a 2-in-1 model: the second set of instructions rebuilds the forklift into a tow truck.
02It was designed by LEGO Technic designer Milan Reindl and released in August 2018.
03It retired in December 2019 and has since climbed well above its 69.99 dollar launch price on the aftermarket.
04Despite its size it runs three separate manual functions: rear steering, a two-cylinder piston engine, and independent fork lift and tilt.