Anyway, since there are already many reviews on this, I thought about posting a tip which I came up earlier to make the hinge on the bed chassis stronger while retaining the original tilting capability. While others have complained about the bed which comes off easily, I personally haven't had that problem, well because I mostly display my Lego set, being a 'sensible' AFOL. :) But I do play with it when my wife isn't around hahaha..

Anyway here it is:



Replace the stock hinges with these:
- 1x2 Brick with two Technic holes (x2)
- 1x2 brick (x1)
- 2x2 plate (x2)
- 2x4 tile (x1)

This should made the hinge on the chassis much sturdier since there are now 8 studs holding it instead of just 4. The downside is the bed will be moved 1/2 stud back. If you have these parts laying around, you should give it a try.

After looking at my City Construction set (7633) and the wonderful crane and small excavator that came with it, my idea for a large construction section to my city came to mind. First, the front loader (7630) made its appearance on the scene. Then, I needed something for it to transfer cargo (bricks) to. In comes this heavy-duty dump truck. Just like the rock dumps seen in large construction sites, this is a beautiful example with a hinged joint in the middle for steering for better maneuverability.

The color scheme goes well with the remainder of the construction subtheme, so well done LEGO. Sticker use is minimal and most go on the accessories. Accessories? Yes, a lot! Shovel, boulders, barricade and a warning sign. Not sure why a dump driver came with a shovel, but I am not complaining. As SRoode wrote in his review, I am not sure why the small orange lights weren't included for the top of the barricade like the other sets do. It would add more to the uniformity.

This set was really a lot of fun to build. With some great SNOT techniques not seen in most models, it was unique. The joint that allows the bed to dump is nicely designed, but should have used another two or four lugs to make a better connection. It falls off unless you dump very carefully. Lots of Technic components make it unique, too. The instructions are simple enough to follow - my 5yo daughter built it with no problem.

The only drawback is that I found my loader bucket doesn't hinge enough to allow loading of this truck since it's so high. It's not really a problem for this kit, but is something that LEGO should be considering when creating the subtheme.

Since we found it after it went out of production, the price was considerably over original retail price, but I am glad we have it. A few more unopened boxes in my living room will soon complete my construction area. :)

What impresses me about this set is the amount of extra stuff that comes with it. Two boulders, two cones, a shovel, a traffic sign and a fence. Most sets just come with a vehicle and a minifig and maybe one accessory but that's it. The front-end loader, for example, doesn't have anything to front-end load. The small builder set with the concrete mixer doesn't come with a shovel.

So that's why I'm giving this set five stars. I also like the way the truck pivots in the middle, but all construction vehicles have that ability to steer. There are stickers, but you don't have to apply stickers if you don't want to - I really don't understand why people don't like them.

In the end, this is one of the few sets that enables you to make a story by itself.

I picked this set up today and it was quite fun to build. I like the wheels, included boulders and the dumping back end is cool.

However, I would of liked to see the mirrors a chrome colour rather than just yellow to add a 'tad' more realism.

This was a very fun set to build, and even more fun to play with. It's extremely rugged, steers great, and the dumping action is nice too. In many ways, I feel it is a superior set to the Dozer set (7685) since it is 1/2 the price, and more rugged. The boulders are very nice too. Being a dad who builds the sets, and having a 5 year old who plays with them, I always appreciate a set that is fun to build (for me), and fun to play with (for him). It's just a great set for the price. The only minus, if I have to be nit-picky, is that the barrier does not have lights on top, while set 7685 includes lights on top of the barrier. I know I could take them off the cones, but they look funny when you do that. Those 2 extra pieces should have been included in the set.

Pros:
Very fun to build
Very rugged and fun to play with
Smooth riding (great tires!) and nice steering
Great boulders

Cons:
The barrier should have included 2 lights