REVIEW: 4642 Fishing Boat

[Captain Blockbeard]

Originally, I had no intention of buying any of the new City harbor sets, but this one is starting to capture my attention - and your review certainly helped it further! I have the original Cabin Cruiser, and while it is better than this new set, I need more civilian boats in my harbor.

[LEGO Guy Bri]

Great review 'Brickster'. I'm glad TLG is more or less remaking classic sets. This one looks average, not to much going on but, none the less I will definitely get one

[WesternOutlaw]

Thanks fellas! Glad you like the review.

Er, there is clearly a sonar display in one of your pictures. It sounds like you're confusing sonar with radar. Sonar doesn't use a rotating dish, it uses transponders that are in the water, either suspended beneath/behind the boat or attached to the hull beneath the waterline.

Thank you for the explanation, but Peeron refers to the slope as a "radar screen". Regardless, I was envisioning a father in the garage tinkering with a rusty Fishing Sonar system (not the sloped brick included, but something more like a portable 1x2 brick). You know how we as dads like to tinker in the garage.

[meyerc13]

I'd like to add one more point about this set - my 3 year old daughter loves it! We were at Toys R Us last night looking for a LEGO set for her to spend her Easter money on, and when she saw this set she had to have it.

It's great fun watching her role play with just this set. One sample exchange (minifigs talking to each other): "Help Daddy! The shark is going to eat me." "I throw you tube to save you!"

Until LEGO gives us a new theme for girls, sets like this and the Creator Log Cabin will have to fill the gap, and I think they'll do just that. I just wish they had more sets at the sub $20 price range. For boys you can find so many sets in that price range, but for girls it is harder... they like animals and civilian mini-figs, and those are both all too rare.

Edited May 1, 2011 by meyerc13

[Aanchir]

$17 and only 64 pieces is sad any way you slice it.

Bring back the brick built boats! (unintentional alliteration)

Ummm... there have hardly ever been brick-built boats of this size. Most boats besides smaller speedboats have used so-called "<insert that tiresome argument>" pieces since near the beginning, and for a reason that persists to this day: a brick-built boat simply is not seaworthy. The reason for "<insert that tiresome argument>" hull pieces isn't to make the build easier, but to make it so the set can actually float.

Consider this set from 1973, one of the earliest sets a search for "boat" brings up on a Brickset search. Sure enough, it relies on "<insert that tiresome argument>" hull pieces. The only one older is indeed brick-built (besides this ridiculously over-specialized baseplate used for its hull), but I find it hard to imagine that you find this set from 1968 the ideal boat set.

Overall, I find this set spectacular especially since my brother and I each had a copy of set 4011 back when we were kids. Our dad made name stickers for us with a label-printer he had.

[Legoist]

Thanks for the review!

For me it's a 2. The overall look is great, but building value and parts selection is not that good, so IMHO it's a solid set to have as-is in a town diorama but not much else.

[Blondie-Wan]

I think this looks like a great set. Despite the high price per piece, it seems entirely reasonable to me given that one of those pieces is a good-sized floating hull piece, and that the other parts include two human minifigures and an articulated animal figure.

I haven't yet gotten either of the current / recent, larger boat sets with floating hulls (the police boat and fire boat); I've been interested if simply for those hulls, but otherwise... more cops and firefighters? I'm just not sure my LEGO City needs so many more emergency responders. This, though, is all stuff I can't get enough of (well, maybe not that many more of the plaid shirt, but still)... Really, the hull and the shark alone are enough to make this a desirable set for me.

I think the first and (so far) only LEGO boat set I've ever had that actually floated was this one from my pre-dark-ages childhood (around the very beginning of my initial LEGO passion, in fact). I believe 4642 is going to be my second one ever (but hopefully not my last!).

[LEGO AFOL]

Average ship but can add series 3,4 or upcoming series 5 fishermans figurines to the ship.

The eskimo,fisherman and lawn gnome fisherman.

[FabuFabu]

This set is so cute, i think i will be almost all from the new town/marina line ^o^

[LEGO AFOL]

I like the 2008 coast gaurd series. Habour theme amazes me too.

Edited May 3, 2011 by LEGO AFOL

[Piranha]

Thanks for the review!

Interesting that they named the boat.

I voted average for the set. I actually like to fish in real life and so I was expecting alot more of this set.

Pros

- Classic Shark

- 2 Civilian Figs

- Fish

- it is a boat

Cons

- Price but usually with boats the hull since it is a single mold not much room for more parts

- More of a lake fishing boat to me, on a real fishing vessel the helm would never be in the rear and would be in the front to allow for more fishing room in the back

- should have had the new smaller fishing pole

- overall design is average and a bit disappointing for me

A step in the right direction I hope we see more boats of different sizes like in the Divers line with sharkcages etc

[LEGO AFOL]

Can add LEGO series 3 fisherman to this boat.

[r1chard]

Very nice review! Thanks for sharing eh.

As for my opinion about the set, I like it but not enough to buy it at the regular MSRP US$20.

I like that it will float on water. As a kid I always love a boat that you could actually play in water.

I think the current design is okay, not great, just fine and I guess TLG keep it that way for us to do the modification that pleases us. Plus point for the shark. I'll probably get this one when it goes on sale.

[Hoexbroe]

I´ve voted "Average" because of it´s great playability for kids (it floats) and it´s low price.

But as an AFOL, this set is unfortunatly useless to me...

However, the fishing-cutter in the background of the main picture looks very interessting. Is it a set¿? (ref?)

Edited May 15, 2011 by Hoexbroe

[Big Cam]

Although pricey, I like this set, the boat hulls are great pieces and as much as some people like the brick built hulls, these giant pre molded hull pieces are hard to come by.

Thanks for the review!

[jangofett]

Nice review its good to see the old sharks back again.

cheers jango

[Masked Builder]

When I saw this in the store I wondered why it was so large! Nice to know it floats. I do like those stickers.

[Bricknblue]

It looks really nice, but $20 for 64 pieces (the real price) is just insane.

[Blondie-Wan]

A set that size would probably be around $20 whether it had a one- or two-piece floating hull like the one it does, or a hull made of 100 or more "regular" pieces that didn't float. I think the price is pretty fair.

That said, I'm curious as to how well it floats. It seems like it would be top-heavy with all the bricks built into the top of it, and easily capsize without a weighted element on the bottom like the weighted keel bricks that came with some of the older boat sets like the one I mentioned earlier. I'd love it if the original poster or someone else who has the set would try actually floating it in a bathtub or something to let us know how it looks (pics would be great!).

Edited May 16, 2011 by Blondie-Wan

[dr_spock]

Are you asking us to take a bath with our Lego?

I plan on getting this set.

[legomaniac83]

This set is $24.99 CDN - and our dollar right now is worth MORE than the USD. Will definately buy it on sale, but wont pay full price. I also own 4011, so this has to be built right beside it....

The sooner I get my passport done, I am going on a Lego buying binge in New York State

[Blondie-Wan]

Are you asking us to take a bath with our Lego?

Um... sure? I mean, FOR SCIENCE!

But I imagine we'll find out soon enough, I suppose.

[WesternOutlaw]

I think there's an article related to the topic.

[Soundmanred]

Radar and port & starboard lights top the Annabell off nicely, while the addition of two binoculars puzzle me?

The binoculars in this case are used as air horns, the boat equivalent of a car horn.

Example from a random Google site:

http://www.boatersworld.com/product/MP80814520.htm?bct=%3Bcihorns

Edited May 19, 2011 by Soundmanred

[LegoCityMann]

Are you asking us to take a bath with our Lego?

I plan on getting this set.

OK, So I'll admit it. I took a bath with my boat and it floats. It stays about half a brick above the water line. However, If you get a little bit of water in the cabin area it rolls over very easily.

The speedboat however floats quite well. The rear end does stay considerably lower and swamps out the passenger area to waist deep for the minifig.

Most fun bath I've taken in some time.

~LCM