The LEGO Fire Brigade is the second adult oriented Creator line model that I've built (the first being the wonderful Pet Shop). Could the Fire Brigade possibly live up to the high bar that the Pet Shop set? Let's find out!
Like the Pet Shop, the Fire Brigade is a big set - 2231 pieces to be exact. That's actually about 200 more pieces than the Pet Shop! The Fire Brigade set is essentially two things: First, you get a small fire truck and then the meat of the set is the fire department building. However, unlike the Pet Shop, the Fire Brigade is only two stories tall (though the finished model actually is a bit higher than the Pet Shop buildings).
At the time I purchased the set, it was going for about $150 on Amazon (which is still the price at the time of the posting of this review). I can spare you a lot of words by saying that this set is definitely worth the money...but that's not an exciting review so let's look at the set in greater detail!
Another nice touch by LEGO is that they include a visual checklist of sorts on the outside of the box which shows all of the parts included in the set. It's a bit hard to see from the picture (and actually, even in person), but it's still a nice touch by LEGO.
The back of the box is also quite nice - I especially like the showcasing of some of the fun smaller builds within the set (the obvious build being the fire truck but also the various kitchen appliances and the ping pong table).
Once you actually crack open the box, you are greeted with a ton of bags full of LEGOs! If you think I'm somehow kidding, behold:
Yeah, that's a lot of little plastic bricks!
The bags are all numbered either 1 or 2 - bags 1 combine to form the bottom floor of the fire station plus the truck. Bags 2 combine to build the second story of the station and the roof (where the water tower resides). As usual, you begin the build by putting together the minifigures. This set only includes four figures (which seemed a bit stingy to me) but you do also get a fire dog (not a Dalmatian though).
I never had the chef hat piece as a kid so I was happy to get one of those in this set. That particular figure must be the one who does all the cooking in the fully equipped kitchen in the set (more on that in a bit).
After putting together the minifigures, you move on to build the fire truck.
This is basically nothing more than a simple warm-up model as there isn't much here that hasn't been done by LEGO in other City sets (though I do like the more retro look to the truck as compared to the more modern offerings in the various City fire sets).
You can see the dog isn't anything special in terms of printing - this was one area where LEGO didn't quite do all that they probably could have to make the set a perfect 10 in score (the other big thing was the relatively small number of minifigures included).
Once you've completed the fire truck, it's time to move on to the fire station itself. As with the Pet Shop, you get a fully formed sidewalk (complete with a tree and a street light though those aren't pictured quite yet).
I also like the numbering of the station in the sidewalk - very cool little touch to add a bit of variety to the street view (especially if you have three or four of the modular buildings side-by-side)!
The first floor of the fire station isn't overly exciting on the inside. There's enough room for the truck (and you do get a pole for the firemen to slide down from the second floor). I like the included garage door and the golden helmets which are used for building ornaments. As you can see from the photo below, you get three firemen plus one woman pedestrian (complete with a side handbag). The tree is nice in that you get two different shades of green for the leaves - another small but appreciated touch!
A side view of the front of the building so that you can see the brick built American flag.
Here's an overhead view of the first floor so that you can get a nice bird's eye view.
As you might be able to see, the top (via the orientation of the photo) of the station has a rack for the firemen's tools and equipment while the bottom is mostly filled up with a staircase. You can also see that the truck fits in the building nicely - there's a big door on the back of the building as well (not pictured here).
At this point, it's time to start in on the second group of bags. As you can see from the above picture, you do get a few extra parts from the #1 bags.
In my opinion, the second floor is what makes the Fire Brigade set worthwhile. For starters, there are a bunch of fun micro builds including a ping pong table, a refrigerator, a stove, couch, and a sink.
Here's an alternate angle for the kitchen - it's quite the sight to behold in LEGO scale!
Once you've finished the brick work for the walls (which can be a bit tedious quite honestly), you have two floors complete. Here's a look at the set so far (you can see the pet shop in the background):
Now, all that is needed is to complete the roof!
The bell tower is particularly nice - you even get a LEGO bat to hang in there! I also like the water tower, it fits in with the theme of the set nicely.
Finally, here's a view from the back of the building (with a cameo from my puppy too) - not the most exciting but not totally devoid of interesting bits either. For instance, the "dirt tracks" in the back which represent where the truck drives into the building are a nice touch.
At this point, the set is ready for display!
If my tone hasn't made it clear so far, I really like this set. In fact, I would have to say that the Fire Brigade set is better from start to finish than the Pet Shop. This is mostly because the Fire Brigade is more consistent - the Pet Shop has one building which is virtually empty on two floors - and that is a problem that even a spectacular first floor of the actual pet shop can't fix! The Fire Brigade, on the other hand, isn't quite as cool as that first level of the pet shop - but when you factor in the more interesting front of the building, the retro fire truck, and the fact that you get a fully equipped second floor of the fire station...well...it's hard not to say the Fire Brigade is the stronger set out of the two.
However, you truly can't go wrong with either of the two Creator sets. Will the other Creator sets maintain the high standards set by these two sets? I have one more modular set already built which I need to review (the Palace Cinema) and I just got the Grand Emporium (which I haven't even opened up yet). We'll have to see how those two sets stack up against the first two modulars that I built - it'll be a tough task to beat either the Pet Shop or the Fire Brigade set!
The Bottom Line (out of 10):
Fun: 8
Play Value: 9
Kid Value: 8
Adult Value: 9.5
Overall: 9
I ended up giving this the same overall score as the Pet Shop but between the two sets I think this one is ever-so-slightly better. That said, you can't go wrong with either!
Nice set and review (again!)
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