Technic

Liebherr Crawler Crane LR 13000

The biggest Technic set ever built, and yes, it actually lifts things.

3.9/5

Set 42146 · 2023

Pieces2,883

Minifigsn/a

Year2023

Set number42146

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The verdict

If you want the single largest LEGO Technic model ever made and you have the shelf space plus the budget to match, this one delivers a real sense of scale.

Six motors, two Control+ hubs, and load-sensing app functions make it a proper machine, not just a display piece. Just know going in that at $699.99 it launched as the most expensive Technic set of all time, and plenty of builders felt the value and the slightly unfinished look didn't quite justify that. It's a flagship for people who really want the crown jewel, not a casual pickup.

Best for: Hardcore Technic fans who want the ultimate mega-machine centerpiece

The full review

What it is

Let me tell you about the big one. The Liebherr Crawler Crane LR 13000 (set 42146) is, at 2,883 pieces, the largest LEGO® set Technic has ever put out, and standing next to it is genuinely a moment. Finished, it's about 100cm tall and 111cm wide, which is well over three feet in every direction that matters. This isn't a shelf model you glance at. It's a machine that dominates a room, and 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. For anyone who grew up wanting a working crane, this scratches an itch that smaller sets just can't reach.

The catch

Now the honest part, because that's what mates are for. This launched at $699.99, which made it the most expensive Technic set LEGO had ever sold, and a lot of reviewers came away feeling the value wasn't really there. Yes, you're paying for six motors and two hubs, but even accounting for those the per-piece cost stings, and the build is surprisingly simple for a flagship this size. It also isn't as detailed as the price tag implies. Some of the panels around the superstructure motors are left open on one side, so the back looks a bit unfinished when you get close. There's a real mechanical quirk too. The winch that controls the hook height can keep retracting after it hits the top, which folds the boom and jib in on themselves if you're not paying attention. And the sheer footprint means you need serious dedicated space to display it, which not everyone has.

Who it's for

So who's this for. If you're a committed Technic fan who wants the absolute biggest mega-machine LEGO makes, and you've got the room and the budget, this is the trophy. It scored a respectable 3.9 out of 5 on Brickset, which tells you people mostly enjoyed it while still flagging the cost. If you're new to Technic, or you want the best value per piece, or you just don't have a spare corner the size of a coffee table, skip this and grab one of the mid-size cranes or diggers instead. It retired in December 2025, so if you did want it, the sealed-box hunt is officially on. This is a set you buy because you want the crown, not because it's sensible. And sometimes that's a perfectly good reason.

The parts story

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

Building this is less a marathon and more a series 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. Because so much of the frame is built from large panel and beam elements, it actually comes together faster than you'd expect for a set this size, and a fair few builders called it surprisingly simple for a flagship. The catch is that the interlocking frame demands your full attention. One wrong beam early on and undoing that woven structure is a real headache, so this is a set you build calm and unhurried rather than late at night half asleep.

On the parts front there's proper stuff here. LEGO tooled up new molds for this set, including a large support girder, and the tracks are the star of the parts bin. You get 150 of the reinforced wide tread links (the same 7L wide type introduced with the Cat D11T Bulldozer), which is 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 shown 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 math 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.