Each year, LEGO releases a new edition of CITY themed sets. For me, most of the City sets are ultimately forgettable. However, occasionally a set is released that jumps to the top of my "must have" list. The Logging Truck (set #60059) was one such set.
The Logging Truck was officially released in December 2013. The set contains 228 pieces and is rated for ages 5-12. The set includes a pair of minifigures, two small pine trees, and two large tree trunks (in addition to the logging truck).
The real question is: Does the set live up to my (admittedly) high expectations or will this come crashing down in a yell of "timmmmmbbbeeerrrrrr"?
Before getting to the set, let's take a quick look at the box itself. I ended up buying the set online so I didn't see the official box until it arrived in my mailbox!
The front of the box does a fine job at showing off the main features of the set. I don't think it's the most exciting box front that I've ever seen - but I will admit that the green of the truck does stand out when compared to some of the other City sets from the same release period. I can't help but wonder why this set wasn't released back when the Forest Police subtheme was in vogue though.
While the front of the box was sort of tame, the back of the box does its best to kick the action up a notch.
Unfortunately for the box art designers, the Logging Truck simply doesn't have a lot of action (besides the articulating logging claw). I guess when in doubt you can always slap on an advertisement for other City sets! If you look at the top panel, you'll see that the set comes with two plastic bags (numbered) in order to make putting the set together a snap. This is good since the age range begins at five years old!
Other contents in the box include an instruction manual and a sticker sheet. The set uses a total of six stickers - which isn't as bad as some City sets but it's still too many for me. I HATE stickers so I'd love to see the day when I no longer have to open a box and pull out a sticker sheet. As for the instruction manual, you only get one but it weighs in at a whopping 80 pages!! That's crazy given the relatively small size of the set...but I guess that was LEGO's way of making the box heavier...
As I mentioned already, the set comes with two minifigures which should be the bare minimum for a $20 set. In this case, I don't think a third minifigure would have added much so I'm satisfied.
Both minifigures are different takes on the classic lumberjack. The figure on the left is an older gentleman who is shown operating the large logging crane in most of the set's official photos. The other lumberjack is noticeably younger - and he gets a brick built chainsaw which is quite nice.
In addition to the two small pine trees, you also get to build a pair of larger tree trunks.
For me, I think the set definitely needed one more log. I also would have liked to see a bit more in the way of greenery to add to the trees (and then use the chainsaw to "cut off" the extra branches).
Moving on to the main build of the Logging Truck, you get to start the main chassis of the truck with the first bag of pieces.
From there, it's on to the second and final bag to actually complete the truck.
I love the color scheme of the Logging Truck. The green looks good - and the bright yellow for the claw works really well. Even the two grey chains fit perfectly in terms of making the truck look fairly lifelike.
The claw and seat portion of the truck can be rotated 360 degrees. In addition, the hanging claw itself can also be rotated completely around. Finally, there are three points of additional articulation within the arm of the claw which allows for high levels of playability.
Unfortunately, when you begin stacking the two included logs in the truck, you can quickly see that one more included log would have been so much more ideal!
The finished set does include a fair number of small extra pieces (including an extra pair of the relatively new ear protector/headphones which is a nice inclusion). The downside is that the one lumberjack's helmet is not compatible with the new ear protector/headphone piece.
The bottom line:
Fun: 8
Play Value: 8
Kid Value: 8
Adult Value: 8
Overall: 8
Overall, I gave the set an 8 across the board. For everything the set does right, there's a tiny bit more that could have been done to push the set over the top. The two minifigures are nice but if you are going to include an extra set of ear protectors, why not use two hats that are compatible? If you are going to make the truck hold three logs with ease, why not include three? If you are going to include special pieces to mimic branches, why not include some actual greenery to attach to those branches?
The one thing that cracks me up is the two small pine trees. I guess that was LEGO's way of saying "hey, we support the environment so replant what you cut." Also, I didn't mention it yet but if you were worried: Yes, the set comes with a single red coffee mug. You'd hate for this to be the one city set without the requisite coffee mug!
The Logging Truck was officially released in December 2013. The set contains 228 pieces and is rated for ages 5-12. The set includes a pair of minifigures, two small pine trees, and two large tree trunks (in addition to the logging truck).
The real question is: Does the set live up to my (admittedly) high expectations or will this come crashing down in a yell of "timmmmmbbbeeerrrrrr"?
Before getting to the set, let's take a quick look at the box itself. I ended up buying the set online so I didn't see the official box until it arrived in my mailbox!
The front of the box does a fine job at showing off the main features of the set. I don't think it's the most exciting box front that I've ever seen - but I will admit that the green of the truck does stand out when compared to some of the other City sets from the same release period. I can't help but wonder why this set wasn't released back when the Forest Police subtheme was in vogue though.
While the front of the box was sort of tame, the back of the box does its best to kick the action up a notch.
Unfortunately for the box art designers, the Logging Truck simply doesn't have a lot of action (besides the articulating logging claw). I guess when in doubt you can always slap on an advertisement for other City sets! If you look at the top panel, you'll see that the set comes with two plastic bags (numbered) in order to make putting the set together a snap. This is good since the age range begins at five years old!
Other contents in the box include an instruction manual and a sticker sheet. The set uses a total of six stickers - which isn't as bad as some City sets but it's still too many for me. I HATE stickers so I'd love to see the day when I no longer have to open a box and pull out a sticker sheet. As for the instruction manual, you only get one but it weighs in at a whopping 80 pages!! That's crazy given the relatively small size of the set...but I guess that was LEGO's way of making the box heavier...
As I mentioned already, the set comes with two minifigures which should be the bare minimum for a $20 set. In this case, I don't think a third minifigure would have added much so I'm satisfied.
Both minifigures are different takes on the classic lumberjack. The figure on the left is an older gentleman who is shown operating the large logging crane in most of the set's official photos. The other lumberjack is noticeably younger - and he gets a brick built chainsaw which is quite nice.
In addition to the two small pine trees, you also get to build a pair of larger tree trunks.
For me, I think the set definitely needed one more log. I also would have liked to see a bit more in the way of greenery to add to the trees (and then use the chainsaw to "cut off" the extra branches).
Moving on to the main build of the Logging Truck, you get to start the main chassis of the truck with the first bag of pieces.
From there, it's on to the second and final bag to actually complete the truck.
I love the color scheme of the Logging Truck. The green looks good - and the bright yellow for the claw works really well. Even the two grey chains fit perfectly in terms of making the truck look fairly lifelike.
The claw and seat portion of the truck can be rotated 360 degrees. In addition, the hanging claw itself can also be rotated completely around. Finally, there are three points of additional articulation within the arm of the claw which allows for high levels of playability.
Unfortunately, when you begin stacking the two included logs in the truck, you can quickly see that one more included log would have been so much more ideal!
The finished set does include a fair number of small extra pieces (including an extra pair of the relatively new ear protector/headphones which is a nice inclusion). The downside is that the one lumberjack's helmet is not compatible with the new ear protector/headphone piece.
The bottom line:
Fun: 8
Play Value: 8
Kid Value: 8
Adult Value: 8
Overall: 8
Overall, I gave the set an 8 across the board. For everything the set does right, there's a tiny bit more that could have been done to push the set over the top. The two minifigures are nice but if you are going to include an extra set of ear protectors, why not use two hats that are compatible? If you are going to make the truck hold three logs with ease, why not include three? If you are going to include special pieces to mimic branches, why not include some actual greenery to attach to those branches?
The one thing that cracks me up is the two small pine trees. I guess that was LEGO's way of saying "hey, we support the environment so replant what you cut." Also, I didn't mention it yet but if you were worried: Yes, the set comes with a single red coffee mug. You'd hate for this to be the one city set without the requisite coffee mug!
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