QMan City Tow Truck Set 1809

Qman's City Tow Truck is an 8-in-1 set with enough parts to build all eight small vehicles at the same time, or one large tow truck carrying a yellow car. Age 6+.

Eight at once, which is not what 8-in-1 usually means

In most multi-build sets the number counts instructions, not models: one set of parts, several sets of instructions, and you build one at a time.

This set is the other kind. There are enough parts for all eight small machines to exist simultaneously, so a child can build them over several sittings and keep every one. That is a materially different product from a 3-in-1, and it is worth knowing which you are buying.

Why tow trucks became flatbeds

The classic tow truck lifted one end of a car with a hook and chain and dragged it along on its other two wheels. Almost nobody does that any more, and the reason is what happened to cars.

An all-wheel-drive car cannot be towed with two wheels turning — the drivetrain is destroyed within a few kilometres. An automatic gearbox without the engine running has no oil pump, so the same applies. Low front bumpers and plastic body kits tear off on the hook. And electric cars cannot be towed on their driving wheels at all, because turning them generates current with nowhere to go.

So the industry moved to flatbeds, where the whole car is winched onto a tilting deck and nothing turns. It is slower, the vehicle is larger and more expensive, and it is now the only method that works for most of what is on the road.

The hook-and-chain survives for one job: pulling a car out of somewhere a flatbed cannot reach.

Specifications

Eight sub-models buildable simultaneously, or one large tow truck · Series: Qman · Age: 6+
Box dimensions: 25.5 × 18.6 × 8.9 cm