Gowsk
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Gowsk's Stats
Gowsk's Stats
 
  • 4.8
    Average Rating
  • 21
    Helpfulness Votes
  • 0
    Featured Reviews
  • 4
    Review Count
  • November 25, 2016
    First Review
  • November 25, 2016
    Last Review
 
 
Gowsk's Reviews
 
 Pickup Tow Truck
Pickup Tow Truck
Pickup Tow Truck
 
Posted:November 25, 2016
Customer Avatar
Age: 25-34 years old
Customer Type:  LEGO Fan
Building Experience:  Expert LEGO builder
Overall: 
5 / 5
5 / 5
Every town needs a tow truck!
" I bought this set because it had a lot of components that I needed to replicate our old car and my new truck, but it's also a solid set.
The last vehicle set that I owned was from the '90s, when cars were 4x8 studs and had small wheels, so all of these new specialty vehicle pieces were an adjustment to me - not difficult, but just interesting in how everything goes together. Not only that, but the scale has increased - it's more realistic, but I wasn't prepared for exactly how beefy the final product would be! This truck is huge - as befits a tow truck, of course.
The truck comes with good accessories - a fire extinguisher, safety pylons, a wrench, a mallet, and indicator lights. The wheels are nice big "monster truck" wheels that can be reversed for two rim options. The tow arm is relatively accurate, although I wish it had a bit more detail than just the plain Technic piece - nothing that can't be added aftermarket though. The arm has a lever that allows for height to be adjusted for lifting and lowering vehicles.
One thing that would be nice would be a way to secure the towing claw - it's nice to have movement while towing, but on the way to and from the scene there's not really a good way to keep it from pivoting. Two workarounds are to use the lever to "pinch" the claw under the bottom of the truck, or you can just balance it on the rear bumper, but then it impacts the rear lights - neither of which are excellent fixes. It looks and functions great when in use as intended, however.
The blue car that comes with is a nice blue sedan, with spaces under the front and rear bumpers for the tow truck to hook on (these might be universal for newer vehicles, I'm not sure). It's a nice little build with a few small issues - the doors don't actually function due to windshield placement, and the tires look more like off-road tires, although I don't know if there is a good option for the large wheel hub pieces. Still, a nice basic car to add to your city that could be customized to fit your needs.
This set uses a lot of stickers. I'm a big fan of the old printed bricks, but I have a new appreciation for stickers - if you're planning on repurposing these components, it's nice to have the option to leave them blank. That being said, these stickers are nice and add some good character to the truck, especially the stamped metal for the tow truck's box.
The minifigs are nothing to write home about, but they're solid-looking citizens. I do wish that the tow truck driver had some sort of high-vis vest or jacket on, but let's be honest - those are a dime a dozen in Lego City, so it's an easy fix, and it's nice to have a different torso with blue coveralls and some hex wrenches. The driver looks like a "Joe's Garage" type of fellow. The car owner has a nice green dress shirt/sweater combo. Nothing crazy, but they'll fit in well in any city setup.
Overall, a nice solid build with some neat details. Lots of play value for the kids, and a great addition to an established city. "
I would recommend this to a friend!
 
My Product Recommendations
Service Truck
4.7 out of 5(27)
 
 
 
Van & Caravan
4.6 out of 5(37)
 
 
 
Police Pursuit
4.2 out of 5(10)
 
 
 
Service Station
3.8 out of 5(20)
 
 
 
 
 
From: Winnipeg
From:  Canada
Age: 25-34 years old
Customer Type:  LEGO Fan
Building Experience:  Expert LEGO builder
Purchased For: Self
Build Time:
20 mins
Play Experience (Optional)
4 / 5
4 / 5
Value for Money (Optional)
5 / 5
5 / 5
Level of Difficulty:
Easy
Easy
Very Easy
Very Challenging
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0of 0found this review helpful.
 
 Volcano Starter Set
Volcano Starter Set
Volcano Starter Set
 
Posted:November 25, 2016
Customer Avatar
Age: 25-34 years old
Customer Type:  LEGO Fan
Building Experience:  Expert LEGO builder
Overall: 
4 / 5
4 / 5
Awesome minifigs, but what's with the volcano?
" This set has an unusual choice of environmental add-on, but the Lego City Starter Sets are all great value for the money and this set is no exception. You get four minifigures - male and female volcano explorers in environmental protection suits, a female scientist and a male explorer. The minifigs have excellent detail, with radios, toolbelts and safety harnesses - the protective suits are outstanding, with oxygen tanks and respirator masks, and would fit in well in any fire emergency situation or even with the Space theme.
The vehicles in the Volcano Explorers line all have a beefier build than most Lego vehicles, and this extends all the way down to the ATV, which uses a 2x6 block as the chassis. It's a great look. The ATV also has a short tow chain and a radio.
The volcano is a letdown and seems like a strange choice as an addition. The lever used to make it "explode" is a classic function, but it needs to sit one plate higher, as it touches the ground before it fully rotates. The volcano itself is not a very attractive build either, and I'd be hard pressed to integrate it into an existing setup or reuse the few bricks that it is made of. I'm not sure what would have been a better option - perhaps a rocky "ramp" for the ATV over a river of lava, or a freestanding drill for boring holes in the rock - but it seems kind of slapped together.
I also don't really know what to make of the lava rocks with the crystals inside that seem to be a major part of this theme, but ten-year-old me says that glowy orange stuff is awesome, so we'll go with that.
Overall, I'd say that in spite of the volcano, this set is still great value and has some very nice minifigs that could be used for a variety of purposes. "
I would recommend this to a friend!
 
My Product Recommendations
Airport Starter Set
4.9 out of 5(10)
 
 
 
Space Starter Set
4.8 out of 5(5)
 
 
 
Deep Sea Starter Set
5 out of 5
(8)
 
 
 
Fire Starter Set
4.2 out of 5(12)
 
 
 
 
 
From: Winnipeg
From:  Canada
Age: 25-34 years old
Customer Type:  LEGO Fan
Building Experience:  Expert LEGO builder
Purchased For: Self
Build Time:
10 mins
Play Experience (Optional)
4 / 5
4 / 5
Value for Money (Optional)
4 / 5
4 / 5
Level of Difficulty:
Very Easy
Very Easy
Very Easy
Very Challenging
I would recommend this to a friend!
+12points
13of 14found this review helpful.
 
 Space Starter Set
Space Starter Set
Space Starter Set
 
Posted:November 25, 2016
Customer Avatar
Age: 25-34 years old
Customer Type:  LEGO Fan
Building Experience:  Expert LEGO builder
Overall: 
5 / 5
5 / 5
Great value and an excellent standalone set
" The Lego City Starter Sets are amazing value for what you get, and this Space set is no exception. The four minifigures are well-detailed - you get a female scientist, a male flight technician with a hi-vis vest, and two astronauts in full spacesuit gear, one of which has a back-mounted camera and a rocket pack. I like the new gold plastic used for the spacesuit visors - I had the old chrome ones, and while those were more true-to-life they got scratched and flaky quite quickly. My one quibble with the minifigs is that the scientist is quite similar to the one included in the Volcano Starter Set - it would have been nice if there were more variety in face or hairstyle between the two, but that's more personal preference than anything.
The lights and camera on tripods will work well on Earth and on the moon and can both have their height adjusted which is a nice touch, and the command console has some great computer-y parts.
The moon buggy is an outstanding model that makes this my favourite Starter Set. It's a fairly true-to-life replica of the three real moon buggies used by the Apollo missions, including pieces to represent the antenna dish and video camera systems. Hours could be spent with the two astronauts exploring strange alien worlds, reporting back to the scientist on Earth.
Overall, a great little set that could easily be a standalone, with excellent play value. "
I would recommend this to a friend!
 
My Product Recommendations
Deep Sea Starter Set
5 out of 5
(8)
 
 
 
Airport Starter Set
4.9 out of 5(10)
 
 
 
Volcano Starter Set
4.3 out of 5(7)
 
 
 
Prison Island Starter Set
4.5 out of 5(2)
 
 
 
 
 
From: Winnipeg
From:  Canada
Age: 25-34 years old
Customer Type:  LEGO Fan
Building Experience:  Expert LEGO builder
Purchased For: Self
Play Experience (Optional)
5 / 5
5 / 5
Value for Money (Optional)
5 / 5
5 / 5
Level of Difficulty:
Very Easy
Very Easy
Very Easy
Very Challenging
I would recommend this to a friend!
+5points
5of 5found this review helpful.
 
 Demolition Starter Set
Demolition Starter Set
Demolition Starter Set
 
Posted:November 25, 2016
Customer Avatar
Age: 25-34 years old
Customer Type:  LEGO Fan
Building Experience:  Expert LEGO builder
Overall: 
5 / 5
5 / 5
Great bang for the buck
" The Lego Starter Sets are always a great value, and this is no exception. You get four minifigures with appropriate equipment, including a foreman and three construction workers, two male and one female. Because the female torso doesn't have a printed "waistline", by swapping body parts, you can get a nice variety of appearances to suit your taste, especially if you buy multiples of the set.
The front-end loader is pretty basic, but fun and functional - I do wish that it had a more traditional Bobcat-like design, but for the size of the set it's quite passable.
The toilet is well-done and would be a nice addition to any MOC building, and has some nice parts that could be easily repurposed in many ways, not to mention that it's always fun to demolish toilets with the variety of tools that the minifigs are carrying.
Whether you're a first-time builder or wanting an expanded construction crew in your tabletop city, this set provides an excellent bang for the buck. "
I would recommend this to a friend!
 
My Product Recommendations
Airport Starter Set
4.9 out of 5(10)
 
 
 
Fire Starter Set
4.2 out of 5(12)
 
 
 
Police Starter Set
4.6 out of 5(8)
 
 
 
 
 
From: Winnipeg
From:  Canada
Age: 25-34 years old
Customer Type:  LEGO Fan
Building Experience:  Expert LEGO builder
Purchased For: Self
Build Time:
10 mins
Play Experience (Optional)
5 / 5
5 / 5
Value for Money (Optional)
5 / 5
5 / 5
Level of Difficulty:
Very Easy
Very Easy
Very Easy
Very Challenging
I would recommend this to a friend!
+3points
3of 3found this review helpful.