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Comment by thro1237 | Hacker News Reader

Looks like a nice book. I have zero exposure to legos. Which lego kit should I buy to go along with the book? An amazon link would be very helpful. Thanks.

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If you're willing to go all-in, get a big technic set which has the most "power functions" components (motors, remotes, battery box). These are the parts that are harder to come-by unless you order them individually (which is more expensive).

When I looked >= 1-2 years ago, the best single set for spare parts I found was the Volvo L350F wheel loader aka. "42030" [1] (each lego set is uniquely identified by a numeric id). It had the most power functions parts I could find, and probably gives you all the beams, wheels, gears, and other parts you need.

You can supplement your collection with specific parts from places like BrickLink [2] or even the lego.com store [3].

NOTE: Be warned that LEGO is changing their Power Functions plug shape. Most current sets are still on Power Functions 1.0, and new sets will eventually become 2.0

[1] https://www.amazon.com/technic-Volvo-L350F-wheel-loader/dp/B...

[2] https://www.bricklink.com/

[3] https://shop.lego.com/

Out of curiosity, what makes 42030 better than MB Arocs (42043) or Mobile Crane II (42009)? I was just looking for a gift for myself a week ago, and 42043 looks great.

For my purposes I wanted the most parts for the money. Specifically I wanted the power functions parts, since the other parts like beams and wheels will accumulate from every other set. The 42030 had the most power functions parts included. You can see which PF parts are included on the front of the box.

42043: - contains the pneumatic pump & tubes which are less common pieces - this is the only other large technic set I've bought (and I got it mainly for the pneumatic parts)

42009: - Lots of beam parts, but not many power functions parts included.

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