Technic

John Deere 948L-II Skidder

A pneumatic forestry beast in green and yellow that plays as good as it looks.

Brick Rated Score

4.1/5

Set 42157 · 2023

Pieces1,492

Minifigsn/a

Year2023

Set number42157

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The verdict

This one won me over slowly.

On the shelf it's a stocky lump of green and yellow, but once you're working the pneumatic claw and watching it grab and twist, it clicks. It's a proper Technic LEGO® set for someone who wants moving functions over a poster-piece, and I'd point farm-machine fans and pneumatics tinkerers straight at it. If you want sleek supercar lines or a fast build, look elsewhere.

Best for: Technic fans who love working pneumatics and heavy machinery

The full review

What it is

The first thing that surprised me about the John Deere 948L-II Skidder is how much personality a forestry machine can have. A skidder's whole job is dragging felled trees out of the woods, and LEGO leaned into that with a squat, muscular model that's over 21 inches long and packed with things that actually move. This is one of the licensed Technic sets built around a working pneumatic system, so instead of just building a shape and setting it down, you end up with a claw at the back that grabs, lifts and twists using real air pressure. That's the heart of the set, and it's the reason it's stuck with me more than a lot of prettier models.

The catch

I'll be straight with you about the rough bits, because there are a few. The pneumatic tubing is the big one. Routing those little air hoses is fiddly, and the instructions show them in 3D shots where it genuinely isn't clear which port a tube plugs into. You'll be zooming in with your eyes and twisting the model around trying to work it out, and because the tube diameters vary a touch, some connections feel loose until you really seat them. Once it's all built, the pneumatic control levers are tucked in a spot that's awkward to reach, so operating the claw is less smooth than you'd hope. And there's the license tax: at its 199 dollar launch price, you're paying John Deere money for 1,492 pieces, which is on the pricey side per part.

Who it's for

So who ends up happy here? If you love heavy machinery, farm and forestry vehicles, or you just get a kick out of pneumatics doing real work, this is an easy yes. It's a playable, chunky, satisfying thing to fiddle with on a desk, and the green and yellow reads as John Deere from across the room. If you're chasing display elegance, a quick relaxing build, or the best price per piece, this probably isn't your set. But for the right person it's a warm, hands-on machine that rewards you every time you make that claw close around a log.

The parts story

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

The build splits into a lower drivetrain and the upper body, and it front-loads the mechanical satisfaction. Early on you're assembling the chassis with its four-wheel drive and a little moving piston engine, which is a lovely bit of gearing to watch tick over. Then you get into the steering and the articulated joint in the middle of the body, which is how real skidders bend to turn. The back half is where the pneumatics live, and that's the section that swings between delightful and frustrating: laying in the pump, the cylinders and all that tubing takes patience, and it's the part most builders single out as the tricky stretch. Pacing-wise it's a steady few-hour build, not a marathon, but the tube routing will slow you down near the end.

On pieces, the star of the show is the pneumatic system: the pump, the cylinders and the air tubes that drive the claw's three actions, the blade and the rotating seat. It's one of only a handful of LEGO sets to use the compressed-air system, which makes those parts a genuine draw for Technic collectors. The color scheme leans on John Deere green panels and yellow accents, and there are printed elements including the John Deere logo tiles that sell the branding. You also get a good haul of the useful Technic staples, panels, gears, axles and connectors, that make this a handy parts pack if you're into MOCs. At 1,492 pieces the per-part value isn't the strongest in the theme thanks to the license, but the working functions are where the money actually goes.

Fun facts

01This is the second John Deere machine LEGO turned into a Technic model, following the 42136 tractor, and it's one of only a few licensed sets to use LEGO's compressed-air pneumatic system.
02A real 948L-II skidder is a forestry beast that drags felled trees out of the woods in a process literally called skidding, hauling them to a roadside landing.
03The model recreates the real machine's mid-body articulation, so like the actual skidder it bends in the middle to steer rather than just turning its wheels.
04The finished build stretches over 21 inches (53 cm) long and 8 inches (21 cm) tall, a genuinely hefty chunk of green and yellow for a mid-size Technic box.