fyrmedhatt, on 01 May 2012 - 08:11 PM, said:
What I find interesting is that Lego has stuck with the red and white color scheme of ambulances and other emergency vehicles, when Europe has moved to more visible yellow and blue or yellow and green color combination.
Well,
Europe in total definitely hasn't. :) In Germany, for instance, white and red is still the most typical combination – by far. There's also bright orange sometimes replacing red, and one organization (ASB) also likes yellow and red (and a little blue). I've never seen a yellow and green combination, let alone a checkered one, here, and I guess most Germans would consider this quite a strange sight. :)
fyrmedhatt, on 01 May 2012 - 08:11 PM, said:
You are right that a red cross is often also on ambulances, but I think this is often due to ambulances having an affiliation with the International Red Cross,
Typically, yes (cf.
Wikipedia). In war and similar situations, it's used as a protection symbol, but in normal use it's indeed a kind of trademark, showing that the car/building/etc. belongs to or is affiliated with the Red Cross, so it can't be used that freely – there have even been legal problems for some people/companies using it in a place where overeager lawyers don't like it –, which may be a reason for Lego not using it anymore. Also, there's this religious controversy and thus the Red Crescent, which might be another reason not to use the cross for a company like Lego...
That being said: While I like the hospital's design with the red frame around the glass front, I agree that it's way too small, and I can't see myself buying it. The car park/garage, on the other hand, looks usable enough and the cars actually nice – I might use the gas and service station part for a small gas station and the rest for an underground parking lot. Well, not at the full price, but 20%+ discounts will certainly come again from time to time. :D