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Perfect wheels - for children of all ages

Lego Technic Mercedes-Benz Arocs 3245
Lego Technic Mercedes-Benz Arocs 3245 Lego Technic Mercedes-Benz Arocs 3245

THE maker of the world's best toy - or at least that's how it is thought of in my house... - has paired up with the manufacturer of some of the world's most complex trucks to create a model that automotive-minded children of any age would love to play with, writes William Scholes.

Lego and Mercedes-Benz have teamed up before, for their take on the off-road Unimog truck, and their latest collaboration is similarly impressive.

The model, part of Lego's Technic line, is of a Mercedes-Benz Arocs 3245 and comes complete with suspension and steering and uses a motor and pneumatic pumps to control its functions, from its crane arm to its tipper body.

The Arocs is built from 2,793 Lego elements and is a big model, measuring almost two foot long.

"It is a perfect fit for Lego Technic," says Niels Henrik Horsted from Lego.

"Our ground pillars are authenticity, functionality and challenging and engaging building.

"Whenever we design a new set, our aim is to give Technic builders a stunning model that looks as detailed as its real life version as possible."

To make sure the designers replicated as many details as possible on the Arocs 3245, Horsted and his team visited the Mercedes-Benz Trucks factory in Germany to take a closer look at the assembly line.

Andreas Gruber from Mercedes-Benz said it was important to get the Lego designers as close to the real thing as possible.

"The key priority we discussed with the Lego designers was getting the design, scale and advanced functions as similar as possible to the original Arocs 3245," says Gruber, "including adding as many iconic details in from the real Arocs to the Lego model as possible - handrail, step-up, wheel chock, etc.

"It was very important to us that everyone would immediately identify the Lego Technic model as the Mercedes-Benz Arocs 3245."

:: The Lego Technic Mercedes-Benz Arocs 3245 is available from good toy shops and costs around £165.