Recently I had the opportunity to buy this nice oldie.
It is the 1989 Technic flagship set, 25 years old, but still in great condition
Many Technic fans will still remember this set from their childhood. I've never had it, it was too expensive :)
So for me it's the first time building it.

The box front and rear:
Compared with the currently used boxes for the big sets, this is rather a small box.
Despite it's age, it is still in very good state.

The parts:
This set comes with a total of 671 parts.
Not a huge amount of pieces, but it does have a good variety. A lot of beams, plates, gears, axles and of course pneumatics.
Also some special parts: I've never seen that big black brick before. It's really heavy and is used as a counterweight in front of this machine. Another not so common part is the threaded shaft.

What immediately stands out is that instructions are more difficult than today. A lot more pieces are added in each single step.
Building is going really fast forward, and it's much easier to forget something. You'll see in the pics below, how fast it goes.
I have to say, I like that! The sets of these days I often find too easy.

After 4 steps:

Step 5:

At step 10:

Step 13:

Step 15:

Step 18:

Step 20: a lot of pneumatic hoses

Step 22:

Step 24:

Step 26: finished the back boom.

Step 27: this is already the last step. The complete front bucket is build in this last step :)

Finished:
First let's compared it to it's newer brother, the Technic set 8455.

As you can see the 8862 is a bit larger.  Also the difference between studded and non-studded is clearly visible here, but both has it's charms.
Also their functioning varies quite a bit. The newer 8455 is completely pneumatic, while the 8862 has only a pneumatic back bucket. The turning of the back bucket, the complete front bucket system and the outriggers are all operated mechanical.

Some parts in this old set have already an improved version. For example the bevel gears. The old ones (left) just are not as good as the new ones are (right). Sometimes they just pop off the shaft, and they do not run as smoothly as the new version does.

Conclusion
Personally, I like the 8455 a little bit more, but this set is also highly recommended!

Pros
Lots of functions (8 in total)
Great playability
High nostalgia factor
Big model
Scale and looks are good
Interesting B model

Cons
Front scope is a bit weak
The bevel gears

Eight new Lego Technic sets will be released soon. As you can see they are very colorful.
I'm curious what new pieces will come with these sets.

The building instructions have already been released, you can view them on Link

Click on the pics to enlarge.

42020 Twin-rotor Helicopter  (B-Model - Helicopter)

42021 Snowmobile (B-Model - Snowbike)

42022  Hot Rod  (B-Model - Sports Car)

42023  Construction Crew

42024  Container Truck (B-Model - Road Grader)

42025  Cargo Plane (B-Model - Hovercraft)

42026  Black Champion Racer

42027  Desert Racer

42026 + 42027  combi model: Race Truck

I think everyone knows the Lego Technic set 8043. Although it is a very very nice set, I still love the pneumatic operated models more. So I decided to start building my own excavator.
Except for driving and rotating,all functions will be done pneumatically.
Equipped with built-in compressor and valves.
The intention is that everything gets IR controlled.
There will also be building instructions. I try to make them simultaneously while building the model.

It is not intended to make a exact copy of an real life excavator brand or model.

Currently I'm working on the base, it's a bit inspired by the 8043, but different and a bit bigger :)

This is a rather small set, but nevertheless a really good looking one.
In the box you'll find 199 pieces together with 2 manuals and a stickersheet.
The build will take around 1 hour and is very enjoyable.
As most of the technic cars and trucks start roughly all a bit in the same way, by building a rectangular structure as frame. This set brings a welcome change. The frame is almost completely build up by liftarms in many different directions.
When finished it will look very close to an actual quad. Also its functions are close to reality. There is front and rear suspension, steering front wheels and a chain that drives the fake motor.

Cons
The steering is a bit Imprecise.

Pros
Good looking A model.
Many special parts for a small model (suspension, balloon wheels, chain, and some panels)
Fun to build.
Interesting price for what you get.

Although this is a complex model, the building instructions are fairly simple. In my opinion it should have been a bit more difficult, adding more parts per step.
There are in total 6 instruction books included, all of them are for the A model.
It will take you approximately 10 hours to build it.

When you're finished building, you'll see a massive vehicle in front of you, very rewarding after many hours building. It really is an impressive machine!
As a comparison, see the picture below, my 42009 in front of some other yellow technic sets.

Time to test its functions!
This model includes only one PF L-motor, but it drives multiple functions.
    - Outriggers horizontal
    - Outriggers vertical
    - Lifting the boom arm
    - Extending the boom arm
    - And of course Lowering and raising the hook
There are also some manual functions:
    - Steering, is done by a Hand Of God wheel at the back.The varying wheel angles for 8 of the wheels are               making turning smooth and easy.
    - 360° rotation of the upper half of the crane, even when the motor is on.
    - A working fake engine when you drive the crane

It's good to see so many functions, but but not all of them work properly, there is room for improvement.

Cons
I think the motor should have been a bit stronger, maybe an XL motor had been a better choice for this model?
Movements are all quite slow. Perhaps this is done intentionally, in order to develop more torque.
The outrigger system is quite nice, but sadly isn't strong enough to lift the vehicle.
I was expecting the boom more extendable and a bit stronger.

So, there are some negative points, but do not let them scare you off.

Pros
It is a great looking model, with lot's of functions.
Offers a lot of building fun, plenty of interesting mechanisms.
There is also a good looking B model, but i haven't builded it yet.
A lot of pieces, ideal to start your technic collection.
Great value for money.

    The B model, also an attractive model.

Our first new Lego purchases after the dark ages were the 9390 Mini Tow Truck and 8065 Mini Container Truck.
They are some of the smallest Technic sets you can buy. Ideal to rediscovering the joys of building Lego sets.
The thing that struck right away is that Lego Technic is studless now! A big change!!

First the 9390 Mini Tow Truck:
Pros
This must be the miniature version of set 8110 Mercedes-Benz Unimog. (fantastic flagship set)
It offers 2 functions, for a mini set that's really good. The front wheels steer and the crane hook raises and lowers.
Good price

Cons
Nothing really worth mentioning

8065 Mini Container Truck
Pros
A very clever design and one that is really entertaining for its simplicity and effectiveness.
Loading and unloading the bucket is done by a realistic and precise mechanism.
Good price

Cons
A second function would have been nice, but probably difficult to add in this compact model.
As a part, the bucket is not very useful to implement in MOC's.