Note: I actually wrote this post a few weeks ago but it kept getting moved down thanks to the Jurassic World stuff. Now, finally, it's time for the review to shine!
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I have quite a few sets from last Christmas to review on my blog still - so let's get to one of the stranger sets (at first glance anyhow): Set 60023: LEGO City Starter Set.
The LEGO City Starter Set is designed to be (you guessed it) - a starter set full of all sorts of things that any good LEGO city would need.
You get a cop on a motorcycle and a crook for that cop to chase.
You also get an ambulance with a medic and a kid on a skateboard who presumably gets hurt quite often.
Finally, you get a firetruck with a firefighter and a small box to set on fire.
The back of the box shows off some of the play value of the set in a fun way!
While each of the individual components are alright on there own, none are particularly difficult to build (which is perfect for a starter set)...except for the stickers.
So many stickers in this set - TWENTY-THREE stickers in total. That's insane for a set of this size (and with the targeted age range). So, is the set worth your dollars? Let's take a closer look at each of the individual parts and then you can make up your mind.
I'll go in the order of the manuals. You get three manuals plus two different sticker sheets. You also get a comic book that would be fun for kids I guess (but not so much for adults).
Moving onto the actual build, the first manual and corresponding plastic bag of parts provide everything that you need for the cop and the robber portion of the set.
Here, the cop gets a nice police bike plus a pair of handcuffs (along with an extra pair). The robber gets two $100 bills, a gold bar, plus two gems. The robber actually has more look than he can possibly hold - especially if he keeps his handy red crowbar with him! Another nice touch to bag #1 was the LEGO provided a brick separator. It's nice to see that those aren't only available in the biggest, most expensive sets!
Moving on to the second manual and back, we get the ambulance plus the skateboarder.
The ambulance looks ok except for the fact that there are no doors for the driver! I don't particular care for the brick "pretending" to be a door. You do get a pair of large doors on the back of the ambulance for the stretcher to fit in. I also like the fact that the paramedic gets a black briefcase - presumably some sort of medical bag for on-the-spot treatment. The kid skateboarding is as basic as it comes - though I think he needs a dual sided head to make this scene work...the other face should be one with tears!
Finally, we get to the third bag - the fire truck!
I am pleased to report that the firetruck does have doors for the driver (unlike the ambulance) - and as such, this is definitely the better vehicle. You also get a ladder plus a section in the back for storing the firefighter's equipment. Finally, you get a single small crate plus a large flame so that the firefighter has something to do with his time!
Overall, I'd say this starter set is nearly perfect. I wish the ambulance had actual doors and I would have preferred more printed tiles rather than all the stickers (especially for the age group that this set targets). Otherwise though, it's a great set. You get five minifigures - plus plenty of accessories. The two main vehicles fit right in with similar vehicles from the City line (meaning this set would be a nice complement to a LEGO hospital set or a LEGO fire station set).
The Bottom Line (out of 10):
Fun: 10
Play Value: 10
Kid Value: 10
Adult Value: 6
Overall: 9
It's hard to find much to complain about here in terms of the ratings. The adult value is the only thing that is low since the set doesn't really come with much in the way of unique pieces - and none of the minifigures are of a rare design (though all are certainly useful figures to have)! This set is highly recommended for all!
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I have quite a few sets from last Christmas to review on my blog still - so let's get to one of the stranger sets (at first glance anyhow): Set 60023: LEGO City Starter Set.
The LEGO City Starter Set is designed to be (you guessed it) - a starter set full of all sorts of things that any good LEGO city would need.
You get a cop on a motorcycle and a crook for that cop to chase.
You also get an ambulance with a medic and a kid on a skateboard who presumably gets hurt quite often.
Finally, you get a firetruck with a firefighter and a small box to set on fire.
The back of the box shows off some of the play value of the set in a fun way!
While each of the individual components are alright on there own, none are particularly difficult to build (which is perfect for a starter set)...except for the stickers.
So many stickers in this set - TWENTY-THREE stickers in total. That's insane for a set of this size (and with the targeted age range). So, is the set worth your dollars? Let's take a closer look at each of the individual parts and then you can make up your mind.
I'll go in the order of the manuals. You get three manuals plus two different sticker sheets. You also get a comic book that would be fun for kids I guess (but not so much for adults).
Moving onto the actual build, the first manual and corresponding plastic bag of parts provide everything that you need for the cop and the robber portion of the set.
Here, the cop gets a nice police bike plus a pair of handcuffs (along with an extra pair). The robber gets two $100 bills, a gold bar, plus two gems. The robber actually has more look than he can possibly hold - especially if he keeps his handy red crowbar with him! Another nice touch to bag #1 was the LEGO provided a brick separator. It's nice to see that those aren't only available in the biggest, most expensive sets!
Moving on to the second manual and back, we get the ambulance plus the skateboarder.
The ambulance looks ok except for the fact that there are no doors for the driver! I don't particular care for the brick "pretending" to be a door. You do get a pair of large doors on the back of the ambulance for the stretcher to fit in. I also like the fact that the paramedic gets a black briefcase - presumably some sort of medical bag for on-the-spot treatment. The kid skateboarding is as basic as it comes - though I think he needs a dual sided head to make this scene work...the other face should be one with tears!
Finally, we get to the third bag - the fire truck!
I am pleased to report that the firetruck does have doors for the driver (unlike the ambulance) - and as such, this is definitely the better vehicle. You also get a ladder plus a section in the back for storing the firefighter's equipment. Finally, you get a single small crate plus a large flame so that the firefighter has something to do with his time!
Overall, I'd say this starter set is nearly perfect. I wish the ambulance had actual doors and I would have preferred more printed tiles rather than all the stickers (especially for the age group that this set targets). Otherwise though, it's a great set. You get five minifigures - plus plenty of accessories. The two main vehicles fit right in with similar vehicles from the City line (meaning this set would be a nice complement to a LEGO hospital set or a LEGO fire station set).
The Bottom Line (out of 10):
Fun: 10
Play Value: 10
Kid Value: 10
Adult Value: 6
Overall: 9
It's hard to find much to complain about here in terms of the ratings. The adult value is the only thing that is low since the set doesn't really come with much in the way of unique pieces - and none of the minifigures are of a rare design (though all are certainly useful figures to have)! This set is highly recommended for all!
I like the City sets quite a bit. The recent Swamp Police themed sets with airboats, dirtbikes, alligators, and hillbilly-looking cops and crooks are high on my wish list. It just seems like all of my LEGO budget winds up going to the flashier licensed properties like Star Wars, Marvel, and DC (and Ninjago for my kids). There is just so much cool LEGO stuff out there that I can't get it all, and unfortunately the City LEGO line never quite reaches the top of my list.
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