LEGO Liebherr Crawler Crane LR 13000 (42146)
The biggest Technic set ever made, and it really does lift things.
Brick Rated Score
Set 42146 · 2023
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I have a soft spot for machines that actually work, and this one does, so I wanted to love it more than I ultimately did.
Six motors, two Control+ hubs, and load-sensing app functions make it a proper working crane, and standing next to something a metre tall is a genuine thrill. But I'll be straight with you: at $699.99 it launched as the priciest Technic set LEGO had ever sold, the per-piece value stings, and up close it looks a touch unfinished. I'd only send you toward this if you specifically want the crown, not the smartest buy.
Best for: Committed Technic fans chasing the ultimate mega-machine centrepiece
What it is
This is the big one, and I mean that literally. The Liebherr Crawler Crane LR 13000 (set 42146) packs 2,883 pieces into the largest LEGO® set Technic has ever put out, and the first time I stood next to a finished one I just grinned. It comes in at about 100cm tall and 111cm wide, which is well over three feet in every direction that matters, so this isn't a model you glance at on a shelf. It dominates a room, and better yet, it moves. Six motors and two Control+ hubs let you drive the tracks with tank steering, spin the turntable, raise the luffing jib, run the winch, and even sense the load on the hook through the app. If you grew up wanting a working crane, this reaches an itch the smaller sets simply can't.
The catch
Here is where my heart cools a little. It launched at $699.99, which made it the most expensive Technic set LEGO had ever sold, and I came away feeling the same way most reviewers did, that the value just isn't quite there. You're paying for six motors and two hubs, sure, but even accounting for those the per-piece cost is rough, and the build is surprisingly plain for a flagship this size. It isn't as detailed as the price implies, either. Some of the panels around the superstructure motors are left open on one side, so the back looks unfinished when you lean in close. There's a mechanical quirk that caught me out too: the winch controlling the hook height can keep retracting after it reaches the top, which folds the boom and jib in on themselves if you aren't paying attention. And the footprint is enormous, so you need a seriously dedicated spot to display it.
Who it's for
So this is a set I'd point you toward only if you already know you want it. If you're a committed Technic fan with the room and the budget and a hankering for the absolute biggest machine LEGO makes, this is your trophy, and it scored a respectable 3.9 out of 5 on Brickset from people who mostly enjoyed it while still flagging the cost. But if you're newer to Technic, or you care about value per piece, or you simply don't have a corner the size of a coffee table going spare, one of the mid-size cranes or diggers will make you happier for far less. It retired in December 2025, so the sealed-box hunt is officially on. You buy this because you want the crown, and honestly, sometimes that's reason enough.
The parts story
What the build is actually like, and the pieces worth knowing about.
Building this felt less like a marathon and more like a run of big, satisfying chunks. You start with the crawler base and the two track units, then work up through the superstructure, the counterweights, the massive derrick, and finally the boom and jib that go on last. So much of the frame is built from large panel and beam elements that it actually comes together faster than you'd expect for something this size, and plenty of builders called it surprisingly simple for a flagship. The catch is that the interlocking frame wants your full attention. One wrong beam early on and unpicking that woven structure is a real headache, so this is a build to do calm and unhurried, not half-asleep at midnight.
The parts bin is where I perked back up. LEGO tooled new moulds for this set, including a large support girder, and the tracks are the stars. You get 150 of the reinforced wide tread links (the same 7L wide type introduced with the Cat D11T Bulldozer), a record haul in one box, plus 24 of the long Technic 1x16 links in light bluish grey, also a record count. The brains are two Powered Up 4-port Control+ hubs in the screw-opening version, a hub that had only turned up in the App-Controlled Transformation Vehicle before this. Add six large motors and you've got a serious harvest of electronics and functional Technic elements, even if the raw per-piece maths never quite feels generous.
Fun facts
- 01The real Liebherr LR 13000 is billed by its maker as the most powerful conventional crawler crane in the world, able to lift up to 3,000 tonnes and hoist to a height of 236 metres.
- 02At roughly 100cm tall and 111cm wide this is the single largest LEGO Technic model ever produced, and it launched as the most expensive Technic set of all time at $699.99.
- 03The set packs 150 reinforced wide tread links, a record quantity for one set, using the 7L wide tread type first introduced with the 42131 Cat D11T Bulldozer.
- 04Through the CONTROL+ app the crane does load sensing on the hook, so it can actually respond to how heavy the object it's lifting is.
What other builders say
This write-up is grounded in real reviews and builder discussion, not just one opinion. A few worth reading:
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