TBs TechTalk 04 - Designing set 8043, Motorized Excavator (Part II)

[Part I], [Part III]


The second part of the interview with Anders Gasendal (AG) and Ricco Krog (RK), about the design of the 8043 Motorized Excavator, has been waiting for you! ...or is it the other way around...
And so it continues...

TBs: Apart from the models mentioned in the introduction of this interview (8291 and 8043), are there any other released Technic models you have designed before, or which had a significant participation from you? Which ones?

AG: I also designed the 8263 Snow Groomer, and of course a very cool model for the 2011 assortment, but I can’t reveal that now.

Any other set from the 2010 assortment? ...This if we can expect you to still have some spare time on top of 8043 development...

I also did the Alternative model for the 8049 Tractor with Log loader, I had a lot of fun designing that model and it is always nice to get a break from the development of the big models.

TBs: Is the 8043 B-model also your creation, or was it designed by another Technic Designer?

AG: The alternative model was designed by me as well. We don’t always do both the main model and the alternative model for a set, but often we do it for the bigger models. The designer of the main models is the one that knows the element volume the best and often has a good idea of what kind of model the elements can be used for.

TBs: Which is your favourite TECHNIC element from the current assortment? Why?

AG: My favorite current element is the new little 3x3 frame 87408 for making angle gears. I think it’s great because it makes a strong angle gear, and it’s very simple to use even for our youngest target group.

TBs: Now that Ricco is not listening to us… if you could suggest a new part to be produced today, can you describe what you would suggest?

AG: I would be reluctant to answer this, as I don’t want to give you any false hopes for a specific element.


TBs: Which is your favourite LEGO TECHNIC set, ever? Why?
Is there any old TECHNIC set that you like so much, it makes you wish you had designed it?

AG: The Motorized Excavator 8043 of course has a special place in my heart. Among the older sets my favourite set is the old 8868 Airtech Claw Rig. Compared to what we can build today it’s of course not the most complex or realistic model. But I remembered that I really liked that set when it came out, it was a truck and it had a cool new compressor and a ‘huge’ crane you could play with for hours.

TBs: If you had the option to choose an old TECHNIC set to return as a Legend, considering all the required parts were still in production, which one would be your choice?

AG: That would be the 8868 Airtech Claw Rig as this I one of my favorite sets.


TBs: How long does it take you guys to design a new set? Do you have a fixed allocation to a project or does it decrease over the year as you hand models over to the next season?
Do you have one year span development cycles or shorter, i.e. do you initiate the development of 1H and 2H sets simultaneously or do you develop them in shorter spans, for each date in your releases calendar?
Specifically looking at the Excavator example, from the assignment until the ready-for-production milestone, how long did it take to develop?

RK: It normally takes about 6-9 months to develop the flagship model, on top of this comes the development of the building instruction and packaging. That means that in order to deliver new models every year, we need to start up both 1H and 2H simultaneously.


TBs: When this model was considered, was it decided from the beginning to be the flagship (the largest and main model in the year’s assortment), or is this something that may change along the process?
For instance, do you predefine the model boundaries, like the price and part count targets? When do you set the constraints, like the maximum number and type of motors to use, for instance?

RK: After testing a number of different models, where the 8043 motorized excavator came out as a test winner, we of course decided that that model should be the 2010 flagship.

The model boundaries are predefined after the building of the first concept model is build, at that time we know if the model is possible or not. There is no maximum or limits on the number or types of elements, what sets the boundaries are both model costs, but also complexity in accordance with age markings, and a certain level of functionalities depending on the model size.


TBs: If you had no such compromises to face, how would the model differ from the retail version?

AG: Functional wise the model has it all, but it would have been nice to add more details, like lights, handles, mirrors, etc.


TBs: With six main remote functions, there could have been several ways to implement them on this model and a different number of motors to be used.
Could you please describe other technical solutions that were considered regarding how to structure the Power Functions motors vs. functionalities? For example, did you consider using XL motors, or putting two motors in the drive train below the turntable?

AG: We did consider a lot of different solutions to make the functions of this model remote controlled. To start from the end, we wanted to keep all the motors in the superstructure to make it possible to spin around and around without destroying any wires through the turntable.

We also considered XL motors, and also a solution where each function had its own motor.
In the end, the current solution offers a good mix of design, size, maneuverability and function.
We also hope that this way of building 6 functions with only 4 motors inspires some of you to build fantastic models on your own.


To be continued...

TBs TechTalk 04 - Designing set 8043, Motorized Excavator (Part III)

[Part I], [Part II]


Today the last part of the interview with Anders Gasendal (AG) and Ricco Krog (RK), about the design of the 8043 Motorized Excavator.
And so it continues...

TBs: How many different prototypes did the excavator go through before the final design was chosen? And how much has it changed from the original concept model?

AG: It’s a little hard to answer clear, because some prototypes were developed only partly to improve certain parts. These parts were then later on build in a model with all improvements incorporated. Giving a rough estimate, at least 30 significantly different models has been developed. But in between them, a lot of smaller prototypes on parts of the model were developed.

These are a couple of never seen pictures from the very first 8043 Motorized Excavator model.* On the left: The very first sketch of the excavator and what convinced the Design team members that such a model was possible to develop as product. On the right: The first prototype of the idea with the way the remote controlled gearbox works.

TBs: Is there any element you'd like to exist, that would have helped in the design of the Excavator? If so, how would it improve the model?

AG: It would have been nice to make a specific shovel for this model, but it would only have helped the A model, then we would have to make another B-model, so its always a compromise when you are designing LEGO models, whether it’s System or Technic, keeping elements in a system to make them useful for many different models.


TBs: What limitations do you have regarding the design of new parts? Is there a maximum number of new parts per year or is there a set budget? For instance you have used the same bucket usually used on the large Technic Front Loaders. Did you choose a B-model that justifies this choice intentionally and thus limiting the development costs of a new bucket, more suitable for large Excavators?

RK: Every year during our concept faze we come up with a long list of new possible elements; we then evaluate which elements would be best for the models we are launching in that year. These elements are then presented to the management and they hopefully approve them.

Regarding the bucket, you are absolutely right, we did choose a B-model that justifies using a bucket from a front loader. I think this was the best compromise, had we done an excavator bucket we would have had trouble finding a right B-model.


TBs: When/how do you decide which color a specific model is going to have? Who decides it?

RK: I try to find a color that fits a specific model the best and a color that you would typically find on the same model in the “real World”. The decision it made before we test the concept models. As the Design Manager it’s my decision what color a model has.

TBs: In these videos [1, 2] Markus described the design process behind the 8275 Motorized Bulldozer. This is also the process we often hear about, where kids are involved in tests and where the models are stressed to the limits. He also describes the LEGO Technic design principles of "Authenticity, Functionality, and Challenging Building." We are pretty sure that TLG continues to enforce these principles, the development process and even fosters their continuous improvement. But… how come? Was the Functionality of the 8043 and elements durability properly tested? Are you intrigued that the LA issue off was not noticed during in-house tests. What happened to TLG's own design review procedures? Did the huge complexity of this model somehow cause project delays, and lead you to lower your guard on some basic development principles?

RK: Since the 8275 Motorized Bulldozer, our process has been improved even further. Our model quality is of highest importance for us, we do extensive testing on all our models. The 8043 Motorized Bulldozer is no exception to this. When we were contacted by our consumer service about the problem, it defiantly came as a surprise as none of our models had shown any problems during the tests. I immediately took contact to a couple of fans; they were very helpful and borrowed us their models to look into. When playing with these models, it was clear that the actuators had an internal friction problem which we had not seen before. We right away started up the process of producing new actuators that did not have this friction problem. The new actuators have now been shipped out to everyone that has contacted the LEGO® consumer Service. All sets with the faulty actuators are no longer on the market. The LEGO Technic team is very sorry for any inconvenience this problem has caused.

TBs: Do you have an estimate about what percentage of those that buy Technic are AFOLs? How much influence does the AFOL community actually have on what you guys bring out?

RK: Our estimate is 10% to 15% but mainly in the higher price points. The AFOL community have a lot of influence as we are listening to all the discussions and comments on the different forums. We try to take as much in consideration as possible and at the same time develop models that are cool and attractive to our main target group; the 7 to 16 years old kids.

TBs: Is there anything you can tell us at this moment about what we can expect for next year (besides obviously that we're going to get plenty of good stuff)?

Unfortunately, Ricco did not answer this question! Perhaps he missed it...


Thank you very much for your time Anders and Ricco, we wish you many great ideas for the 2012 sets and beyond. And thank you for the great Excavator! Also congratulations to the entire team, who have brought so many other great sets in 2010.

*) Images published with the authorization of the LEGO Group.
If you use these images, please always link to this post, so that the contextual information isn't lost.

Still about the 8043, Motorized Excavator - Repack

According to the latest information that TLG made available to the LEGO Ambassadors, about the 8043 Motorized Excavator set, "the LEGO Group has decided to call back all not sold stock from the retailers to repack the sets - there is no safety issue but mainly a quality issue - the expierence for the consumer with the only slow moving excavator arm is not good enough. The replacement/solution will likely be ready before Christmas Sales."

Edit:
Meanwhile Ricco Krog (LEGO Technic Design Manager) wrote at technic.LEGO.com blog the message below with some information about the current status.

Linear actuators on 8043 Motorized Excavator to be modified

Just a few days after we launched 8043 Motorized Excavator, some of our LEGO® Technic fans told us about a problem with the model. This problem was unfortunately not discovered during the extensive testing we always do before launching a new product, so we had to run some tests on models provided by our fans.

During the testing we isolated the issue to the linear actuators, which were not moving as smoothly as originally intended. The solution was to modify them and place the new linear actuators in all new sets that we will produce.

We are also making the modified linear actuators available to all existing owners of 8043 Motorized Excavator. If you have experienced problems with the digging arm, please do not hesitate to call LEGO Consumer Service 1-800-838-9647.
 

Thank you Hans, for the heads-up.

Last Update: 2010.Jan.10 01:24 CET

The 8043 Boomerang ;)

As you may have already noticed, the new LEGO Technic Motorized Excavator (8043) has been unlisted from Shop.LEGO.com in every country where it is present.
It happens in the sequence of some user complains to the LEGO Customer Service, about issues with the performance of this model. Namely performance issues with boom lifting of the digging arm.

Because I've been in contact with the LEGO Technic product team about this topic, I got a communication to share with the LEGO Technic fans community.

"The LEGO group and the LEGO Technic product team is aware that a number of consumers are experiencing problems with their 8043 motorized excavator.
It's really important to us that our products are of the highest quality and we are currently doing everything we can to solve this issue. As soon as we heard about this, we immediately got in contact with some of these consumers to learn from their models.
These models are right now being tested and investigated in any possible way.
We are working very hard to come up with a solution, which we will communicate as soon as possible.

Best regards
The LEGO Technic product team"

Because TLG has an excellent track record dealing with their customers issues, we just can rest confident and expect that a solution will be provided upon the required time.



In the meantime lets enjoy the promotional video produced for the Excavator, and some amazing renders for each new set in the 2H, that the Technic team has published in the Technic.LEGO.com website.

8043 - Motorized Excavator (Promotional Video)



8043 - Motorized Excavator



8051 - Motorbike



8052 - Container Truck



8053 - Mobile Crane

Stunning!

Is it my 8043 wearing into dust?

...virtually any LEGO set with moving parts, is wearing into dust over time (a very long time hopefully). But this one maybe into an accelerated path.

When the first LEGO Linear Actuators (LAs) were released back in 2008, I opened one for a couple of review here at TBs [1] [2]. Fortunately I still have it with me and decided to make a test.

Like a blade, it looks the rod screw is sharp enough to cut the sleeve into pairings, if submitted above a certain pressure. Some manual tests confirmed it right away.
Whether this can be the root cause of the problems that many experienced with the 8043 Motorized Excavator, is still requiring confirmation, but nevertheless I thought worthwhile to show it in the video below.

Sorry for the video darkness, but it was filmed at late night with a compact camera and poor lightning conditions.
Yes, the video is almost one month old and it has been kept unlisted at YouTube, but I just didn't want to release it before.

However after the first idea and tests, something was still not making sense for me...
Because the steel rod has a right-handed screw, damage could happen while retracting the LA under compression (pushing strong the rod), or extending the LA under negative compression (pulling strong the rod).
The Excavator shows major problems in a different situation - While extending the LAs under compression (pushing the rods heavily, under the boom weight).
But why should this become an issue? Why the damage could not be happening whenever the Boom descends under the stress of its weight, instead of when it raises?
I think this could be exactly what it is happening.


It was to demonstrate this effect that I've prepared the video above, where you can see the sleeve (guess it might be Teflon) to discard into parings.
The remains are so thin that you can't see them directly on the video, but just on the final snapshots taken with macro mode.

Again, I don't know if this is the cause of the problems, but it could perfectly be at least part of it.
It may not explain all the observations, but when it comes to failures, many events could be happening and triggering other side effects or secondary failures. Furthermore, multiple failures are the hardest ones to understand.

Notice this video was produced with an LA from 2008, so it can't have any relation with an eventual problem with a recent production batch. Thus if it has any relation with the boom problems of 8043, it may affect every LA produced since ever. Furthermore at the Designers blog it is written "The solution was to modify them and place the new linear actuators in all new sets that we will produce").
I don't know which process does the TLG subcontractor uses to produce the steel rods with terminal screw (machining doesn't look to be, injection or press molding maybe), but even if this doesn't explains it all, it looks the screw finishing may need some improvements in order to avoid wearing the sleeve under heavy loads.

Of course, with the limited technical resources that I have access, there is no way to compare the force I'm doing in the video, with that caused by the excavator digging arm over the LAs. So the video can't be taken as an evidence of what's going on inside 8043 LAs.


Despite my curiosity, I have not yet decided to break and open another LA from those running in my excavator arm, to see what's going on inside. Also because the casing parts are glued together and it wouldn't be easy to open one with a saw, without contaminating the interior with some sawdust, regardless if there is already some dust inside or not. Thus making it difficult to become conclusive.

But one thing is for sure, once I get some of the LAs in my hand, I must open one trying see how they differ from the initial ones.

---

Meanwhile more information coming from TLG, provides answers to some questions previously raised at several forums:

• There will be no immediate difference between the old and the new Linear Actuator, thus a different color coding is not going to be used.
  However it will be possible to see the difference by checking the production code on the actuator. It's located just below the orange cross hole (code yet to be known).
  This way it will be possible to avoid mixing old and new LAs, preventing you to use the wrong ones at your 8043 again.
  
  
• The Service Bag will contain 4 new Linear Actuators and a few extra parts to fix the track problem..

TBs TechTalk 04 - Designing set 8043, Motorized Excavator (Part I)

[Part II], [Part III]


Today we start presenting the interview with Anders Gasendal (AG) and Ricco Krog (RK), for which we asked your participation with questions, sometime ago.
Anders is the LEGO Designer behind 8043 Motorized Excavator, the 2010 biggest LEGO Technic set and probably the most awesome Technic flagship, that TLG produced to date. Ricco you also know, he his the LEGO Technic Design Lead.

So, here it is the first part of the interview.

Hello Anders, this is what we already know about you: You should now be about 30 and been working at TLG since 2006. First in the LEGO Technic design team, but recently you joined the LEGO MINDSTORMS development team.
Apart from the large-scale LEGO trucks you built as an AFOL, before joining TLG, you have later created some official Technic sets like the Dirt Bike (8291) and of course the Motorized Excavator (8043).

We can only thank you for having created this year’s LEGO Technic flagship model! The expectations around this set have been quite high, and I bet it will remain an icon within the Technic wall of fame, for many, many years to come.
As we know, there was a "burn-in" issue with this demanding model, but also here TLG has proven to be capable of a fast and very successful reaction. It definitely strengthens the consumers' confidence in TLG's technical capability to deal with adversities, on the Supply Chain and the Customer Service.

This time we decided to run the interview within a different setup. So, instead of TBs' editors preparing all the questions themselves, we also gave the opportunity to the other fans in the community, to contribute with their own questions.
The questions were preselected and arranged to make them consistent. This way we aim to give voice to the fan community and at the same time to let you know what they wonder about.
We have also reused some of the "standard" questions from the previous year interview with Uwe, as every designer has his own individuality, and thus different opinions and preferences are natural things that also help us understanding the thinking diversity among the Designers team.
Some other questions were intentionally left behind, as we plan to include them into a later interview, dedicated to a specific subject somehow related.


Now the questions:

TBs: How did you come into the great job of being a LEGO Designer?

AG: After displaying some of my models at fan exhibitions, I got a phone call from The LEGO® Group. They offered me a two weeks internship in the LEGO® Technic team. It went really well, I had a lot of fun and I was offered a permanent position as a Junior Designer in the team.


TBs: Before starting to work at TLG, you were known for your Large Technic Trucks. Therefore it was not a surprise to see you joining the Technic Product Line, once you became a LEGO Designer.
One of your last models as an AFOL was a large and awesome remotely controlled Excavator. Why a Motorized Excavator in the 2010 assortment? Is it something you always wanted to do at LEGO and a dream come true? Was it your proposal or was it just an assignment?

AG: It’s always a challenge to come up with the new assortment for every year. We do a lot of brainstorms and idea generation on the different models. The flagship is one of the models that are worked on the most, to make sure it’s the most attractive model for all our consumers both kids and adults. We tested a lot of different models and asked a lot of kids which model they fund most attractive, the outcome was Motorized excavator.
The model does not only have to be a cool model, it also has to have a lot of exiting functions.
The Motorized Excavator has always been a model that we would like to do as a flagship, and when the PF system and the linear actuators were developed, we had the excavator in mind.


TBs: I think this was your first Technic flagship. How did you become responsible for designing a flagship, after not so much time in the company?
Basically how do you guys decide which Designers develop each model for a season?

AG: Since I was the designer that built the very first concept sketch model for this, it was natural for me to be the one responsible for the final model as well. This was a good challenge for me to prove my design skills.

Normally it’s quite easy to decide who is developing each model, because each designer often has some personal interests in one or more models. Quite often it’s the same designer that was building the concept model, which ends up building the final model.


TBs: The 8043 is quite a complex model! What were the main challenges and compromises you faced while designing it?

AG: The main challenge in the model is definitely to make sure that all the complex functions can be built by our target group. It’s not that difficult for us to build complex functions, but making them possible to build for a 12 year old kid, is a challenge that has very high focus. As a designer I also wanted to make it as realistic as possible, so I worked hard to ensure that all the functions did not jeopardize he size/scale relations to the real machines.


TBs: This set is probably the largest one built onto a turntable. Also the robust digging arm movements should produce appreciable variations to the position of the model's center of gravity.
How did you go about ensuring the excavator was properly balanced? Was it a trial and error process?

AG: It was mainly a trial and error process; it’s really hard to calculate these models by formulas beforehand. So during the development of the prototypes it came clear how the motors and battery box should be located to make the balance perfect in the model.

TBs: Looking at the industrial pneumatic cylinders you have used in your own excavator, we can see you are not exactly a purist, and you recognize there might be some gaps in the system…
In your Designer biography at Technic.LEGO.com you commented your biggest challenge was to convince your creative lead about the need for bigger trucks. I would swear it would have been to convince him about the need for longer cylinders...
Would you like to comment on this small provocation?

AG: I’m always trying to come up with ideas for new elements, longer cylinders is of course on my mind. Every year we make a wish list of new elements, but so far the cylinders have not been the element that would give us the most new possibilities.


TBs: If we weren't in the Power Functions era, would you have preferred to design an official Excavator model with pneumatic cylinders, instead of motor driven linear actuators?

AG: I really like the pneumatic system, it’s very realistic and you can make some fantastic functions with it. For the motorized excavator the Power Function system with the linear actuators fits better though, it gives more accurate control over the different functions.


TBs: It was a surprise for the community to know that you left the Technic team to join the MINDSTORMS development.
After a complex model like 8043 did you feel there were no more challenges for you with Technic models, or couldn't you resist the call of programmable LEGO toys?
What motivates a Technic fan to embrace a different LEGO theme?

AG: Having a background as an electronic engineer, I have always seen myself as having two obvious places in the LEGO® Group, in LEGO® Technic and in LEGO® MINDSTORMS.
I have always believed in that it’s very important to seek new challenges to develop your skills the most. So when I was offered the challenge to move to LEGO® MINDSTORMS, I took the challenge to try something new. It was not because I didn’t have any more challenges in Technic and someday I might be back in LEGO® Technic.


TBs: In his interview Uwe told us, you Designers have a lot of creative freedom and often build concept models that are saved for later use. Guess this might be also your case!?
What usually prevents those concepts from becoming official products earlier? Possible element gaps in the system that won't allow for immediate production, or something else?

AG: Part of the fun being a LEGO® Technic designer is that I get to build a lot of cool models. Some of these models will never hit the markets as they are either too big, too weird or would demand too many new elements. Some of the models are also saved for later use, simply because we have too many good ideas for a specific launch year.


To be continued...

TBs TechPoll 22 (Results) - Most popular and Best selling 2010 LEGO Technic sets

Another 2 week poll and again a very good participation from TBs readers. The polls for the "Most popular and Best selling 2010 LEGO Technic sets", came to an end and here are the respective results.

As done in the last year, we have again decided to run both polls in parallel, so that we can achieve the most consistent results.

After the Motorized Excavator (8043) initial problems and its consequent unavailability in the market for a very significant period, this set must have something really special and appreciated by the Technic fans, to still become the overwhelming winner in terms of popularity among the 2010 LEGO Technic sets. Specially for the remarkable difference to the 2nd most voted set (75% to 16%). If we compare it with the 2009 results, we should also notice the actual most favorite set won with 75% of the votes, against 58% (8258). A quite remarkable increase!

From the number of voters among the two polls, it seems not every Technic fan following TBs is actually buying the sets. Probably some still considering whether leaving their Dark Ages, or not...

Either the data here collected is not fully representative, the Motorized Excavator turned to be an absolute best-seller, or it may have eaten market to the other 2010 smaller sets.
The simple fact is, that at least in these polls, the Excavator smashed all its smaller "competitors", beating them both on favoritism and sales!

Not even the more "exclusive" sets from the 1H, like the Race Truck (8041) or the Tractor with Log Loader (8049) with its pneumatic elements, have scored a noticeable preference.

Taking the Motorized Excavator out of this equation, we see no significant variation in the number of sales per reference, among first and second halves.



So, side-by-side lets see the winners for 2010, in both categories!

The Best 2010 LEGO Technic sets		The Best Selling 2010 LEGO Technic sets *
8043, Motorized Excavator	1st Place	8043, Motorized Excavator
8053, Mobile Crane	2nd Place	8049, Tractor with Log Loader
8051, Motorbike	3rd Place	8052, Container Truck

By the end of the year, will come back with similar polls, for the 2011 sets.


*) Exclusively according to the data collected within this poll, thus not related with any TLG official figures.

Faulty Motorized Excavators (8043) - New communication

There is a new official communication [1] distributed through the LEGO Ambassadors, addressing those experiencing problems with a faulty LEGO Motorized Excavator (8043).

"The LEGO group and the LEGO Technic product team are aware that a number of consumers have been experiencing problems with the recently launched 8043 motorized excavator, which was not identified during the intensive testing of the product before launch. Consequently, we have been testing this model over again and learned that a specific element is causing the error. The LEGO Technic team has corrected the error and is now in the stage of producing a replacement part which will be distributed to those consumers, who experienced the fault with the model they have purchased. There is no safety concern regarding the faulty element! It's really important to us that our products are of the highest quality and we sincerely apologize to consumers who have had an experience with this product that does not live up to their or our expectations. We are currently doing everything we can to solve this issue as quickly as possible. As soon as new replacement parts are available, our Consumer Service will distribute a Service Bag with instructions and new elements to those consumers who experienced the problems."

Now lets wait for the service pack to become available soon, so that we can enjoy endless hours of fun, with this beauty.

A better image from the new 8043 Excavator

A French AFOL have just shown at SeTechnic forum, a new image from the new 8043 (Excavator) with much better definition.
It was taken from the 2010 Trade Catalog inner pages, in opposition to the former image taken from the end summary.

This is indeed a much clearer image, which allows to eliminate some doubts. But not that much...

• The IR remotes are indeed the same as those already used before.
• In my analysis the existence of three LBG Axle 3 sticks and one extra stick in red, is a good hint to support the 1+2x3 operation theory.
  To me the red stick looks perfect to command one motor that simultaneously switches a set of Driving Rings and thus changing between two sets of 3 functions at once (boom, dipper and bucket, or drivetrain and superstructure rotation).
  Also it seems to be written somewhere "remote controlled driving sharing and turning". Don't know exactly what does it means but it seems to support the same theory.
  

• From the gears seen in the drivetrain, it is clear the tracks are motorized but still not clear if the remote makes the drive train to skid, for those still septic about this function.
• Drivetrain uses some studed Technic parts which are always welcome these days. Also the sprocket large wheels seem now to be released in a new color (DBG or Black, despite I'm most in favor of the first option).
  

• The superstructure and arm fairing uses a lot from the new panels in yellow, which is also a good source for the panels never released before in this color. These produce also some nice looking curves to this model main body.
• At the rear-up, left side of the superstructure, we can easily distinguish the top from two PF IR-Receives as suggested before.

It is for the arm details, that things are not yet so clear...

• We can't easily distinguish any axle routing to the Linear Actuator responsible for the bucket movement, which makes some still suggesting a combined dipper/bucket control.
  Personally I don't believe it to be the case, as it would be too much disappointing for such a flagship model.
• The guy who provided the pictures, also tried to reproduce the Excavator arm from the new image, and came with one interesting question. See his reproduction from the pictures below.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Either this is an incomplete and not a functional model, still to be changed, and the double Linear Actuators in the boom with a parallel synchronous setup simply can't work, or his interpretation from the image is not enough accurate which is to me the likely case.
  You may recall some possibilities for such parallel synchronous setup, from section 5.3 at the former Linear Actuators review (Part II) here at TBs , made from the Technic parts available at the time.
  One possible solution to the mystery, could be the usage of  new 20t bevel gears with clutch (87407)!?
  
  
  

One way or another, we're getting closer to solve the 8043 mysteries.



Thanks Anio, for letting me know about the news!