LEGO 42136 Articulated Dumper

I have never made an alternative model, until now!

The popularity of alternative models has been increasing in the past couple of years as Rebrickable has allowed for an easy way for people to see what they can make from the sets they own. I tend to be more interested in making the machines I want, but I figured I should learn how to do an alternative model at some point, and this summer I was ready for a little challenge.

LEGO set 42136 is a decent little set with some simple functions and an accessible cost. After I purchased the set, and put it together, I thought about what I could turn it into. Making an alternative model means you need to think right away about the special parts you have how they could be used in another MOC. For me, the important parts were the yellow panels, the turntable, and the wheels/tires. I wanted to keep the yellow and green well integrated, otherwise the build would look messy. Going through my Pinterest account, I came across the Hydrema Dumper, and I immediately knew it would work. I got to work.

I made a draft with the tires, bed, and major panels placed. Then it was just build, rebuild, rebuild to make sure all the parts were well supported and color matched with the parts available. Sometimes I just wanted another simple connector, and I had a use another solution with the parts I had left. Looking over the remaining parts, I wish I would have used the gears, and the little tires from the trailer. The tractor finished with steering and a tipping bed, and a cute little face.

I was happy to finally do an alternative build. This one looked clean, and the functions worked well. There has been some interest in the MOC, as some people have already built it themselves. You can too! It was a fun little challenge, so I’ll make some more alternative builds in the future.

Until then, happy building.