23 replies to this topic

[Captain J]

I picked this set up at the LEGO store last week and thought that I should do a (early) review! This will be my first review, so I'm sorry if I do something wrong.  

Set Name: Forest Police Station
Set Number: 4440
Pieces: 633
Minifigs: 5

(Sorry I forgot to take a pic of the box)    

First off a birds-eye view of the whole set:


In this set you get 5 all-new Minifigs that really look great.

Fronts:


Backs:


And you also get a BEAR. This is a really nice piece and is printed on the face:




The bear's neck and hind legs are both moveable, so you can pose it as if it were climbing and such:


Now onto the actual 'set.'

Bandit ATV:



A nice little ATV, and the Dark Red looks great.

And the rock with tree ontop:


It's a nice little add-on to this set and allows for more playability.

Side view of the Police SUV:


Front view: (Notice the tile-studs for the headlights and the deerguard on the front)


Back: (Also tile-studs for the brakelights)


The opening back:

There is actually a good bit of space back there - you can almost fit a minifig!

The Police Chopper:



It's pretty nice overall, but the propeller on the top is made from two tile pieces, so it is flimsy and the tiles will break off if you try to spin it too hard.  

The Station



The office:


The radar/communications 'bridge:' (Or atleast that's what I think of when I look at it)


The large jail cell:


Summary:
I really think this a great Police Station. It is very unique and stands out from all of the other police stations we've had. Honestly, this is my favorite station of all. There are also some new pieces, such as the 'brick-brick' and tile-studs. 8.5/10!

Edited by Rick, 05 December 2011 - 08:39 PM.
Indexed

[Jay Sathe]

Nice review! Could you post a picture of the "brick-brick" though? I think we've all been dying to see it up close!

[KyleJohnson11]

I like your pictures.  The set looks great!  That is interesting about the tile circle on the SUV.  On the Police Pursuit set, that piece is non existent :/

[Legocrazy81]

Not bad first review. You take great pictures. The station looks interesting, I like the office, but the "two" cell is strange...why two doors for one cell? Also, any reason that you could see they put those 1x4 technic pieces up top instead of regular ones...

[Lord Of The Fries]

Nice review!
I was wondering what those technic bricks on the back are for?
Do they connect on to another set coming out  

[lightningtiger]

Thanks for the review 'Captain J', dam it I wasn't going to buy this....but heck I will now even just for the COOL bear.
Neat copter and sweet SUV as well....ouch, my wallet will hurt next year now.
I look forward to 2012 now for sure.

(footnote - those tech bricks on the rear could have been for an earlier design and left in....or maybe there will be an additional set to join it.)

[horizon]

Hey,

regarding the technic bricks at the back. The Ninjago Fire Temple shows this as well at the same positioning at the back.

Perhaps for two of the same sets to be attached together?

[LEGO Guy Bri]

Good review 'Cpt. J'. This is on my wanted list but, man I must say, the helicopter and front of the SUV are very disappointing... The heli reminds me of a more complex Town Jr. bird and the SUV needs at least a grill. The rear break lights also don't really work for me either. There will definitely be some mods to this for me

[lightningtiger]

Leg Godt Gud, on 29 November 2011 - 12:09 PM, said:

the SUV needs at least a grill.

The good Captain forgot to put the grille sticker on that tile.

Quote

The rear break lights also don't really work for me either.

Yep, I agree nice tiles but wrong place - square tiles would have being better.

[mostlytechnic]

I think the technic bricks in the roof are so that you can assemble the three sections different ways. The "bridge" attaches to the two sides w/ a couple pins, so by having more technic holes in the back of the sides, you could arrange them differently.

And to see the "brick-brick" just go to bricklink: http://www.bricklink...tem.asp?P=98283 There's photos of both sides of it. I've got these in both the medium dark flesh (this set) and the dark tan (two ninjago sets), and I like the dark tan much better. Just not a fan of the MDF color myself... but with 27 of the MDF in this set, vs 4 or 6 in the ninjago sets, it's a lot easier to get a bunch of the MDF version :)

[jonwil]

I think in the right color (e.g. brown or white) the other side of the new "brick-brick" will look great for e.g. weatherboard or similar.

[HighFlyer]

Great review!
I'm usually not a huge fan of Police Stations, but this set actually doesn't look too bad, I might get this.
Very much looking forward to the 1x2 Brick-Bricks and the 1x1 stud tile!
I love the SUV in this set, I think the helicopter could be bigger though.

You forget to review the dark red quad bike  

[Captain J]

Legocrazy81, on 29 November 2011 - 07:54 AM, said:

Not bad first review. You take great pictures. The station looks interesting, I like the office, but the "two" cell is strange...why two doors for one cell? Also, any reason that you could see they put those 1x4 technic pieces up top instead of regular ones...

Thanks, but it's not really me that takes great pics, it's my camera.    I use a Canon EOS Rebel T3i. And about the technic bricks, I think it's so you can arrange the station multiple ways, like the 2008 Police Station.  

Lord Of The Fries, on 29 November 2011 - 07:55 AM, said:

Nice review!
I was wondering what those technic bricks on the back are for?
Do they connect on to another set coming out  

I don't think they are supposed to connect to another set, but they are so you can arrange the station different ways.

Leg Godt Gud, on 29 November 2011 - 12:09 PM, said:

Good review 'Cpt. J'. This is on my wanted list but, man I must say, the helicopter and front of the SUV are very disappointing... The heli reminds me of a more complex Town Jr. bird and the SUV needs at least a grill. The rear break lights also don't really work for me either. There will definitely be some mods to this for me

Well I meant to mention this in the review but I didn't apply the sticker to the front of the SUV. I will instead put two blue or white grill tiles on the front.

HighFlyer, on 29 November 2011 - 07:05 PM, said:

Great review!
I'm usually not a huge fan of Police Stations, but this set actually doesn't look too bad, I might get this.
Very much looking forward to the 1x2 Brick-Bricks and the 1x1 stud tile!
I love the SUV in this set, I think the helicopter could be bigger though.

You forget to review the dark red quad bike  

Yeah, it's a really good station, and the new pieces are great. Can't wait to get them in some different colors! Also, yeah, I realized that I forgot both the rock with tree ontop and the ATV about 30 mins. after I published the review, but by then the computer was already turned off.     But I edited it and added the pics.  

[lightningtiger]

Thanks now for the extra images 'Captain J', now it's the ATV along with the bear are the reasons I want this set...sweet ride !
Rock hiding place, I wonder how they would hinge rocks in real life.....well they do it in Scooby Doo !

[meyerc13]

Thanks for the great review!  I didn't realize that there were different tan torsos for the officers until I saw your pictures.  Is the one supposed to be the female torso and the other the male torso?

I love that we are getting female police officers and fire fighters and all of that, but I wish they would release a female hair/hat combo of some sort instead of only having the lipstick to tell the boys from the girls.

[LEGO Guy Bri]

lightningtiger, on 29 November 2011 - 12:35 PM, said:

The good Captain forgot to put the grille sticker on that tile.

Good lookin' 'lt'. At first I thought 'Cpt J' might have accidentally mixed the bumper assemblies up (grill tiles on the rear; solid tile front). Then I remembered TLG started using stickers for grills. Not too sure about those...   

lightningtiger, on 29 November 2011 - 12:35 PM, said:

Yep, I agree nice tiles but wrong place - square tiles would have being better.

They are nice, not as I imagined them to be. Never the less, I have been waiting for round tiles but, indeed square would look better. Maybe a complete new rear light assembly  

Captain J, on 29 November 2011 - 08:09 PM, said:

I will instead put two blue or white grill tiles on the front.

That's exactly what I have planned when I get/build this set. I'd say go for blue  

[Mariko]

Thanks for the review! I like the station, although think that it could have been much better; something about it just doesn't seem "foresty" enough. Plus, I think the minifigures are hideous.

[Piranha]

thanks for the review, I love the bear and mushroom!

[Lyichir]

meyerc13, on 29 November 2011 - 10:01 PM, said:

Thanks for the great review!  I didn't realize that there were different tan torsos for the officers until I saw your pictures.  Is the one supposed to be the female torso and the other the male torso?

I love that we are getting female police officers and fire fighters and all of that, but I wish they would release a female hair/hat combo of some sort instead of only having the lipstick to tell the boys from the girls.

Ugh, no. I hate hat/hair combos; they're so much less versatile than just standard hats and hair. Yeah, one torso is a female torso and one's a male torso, so there's more than just the lipstick to tell them apart.

And Mariko, what do you mean about the minifigs being hideous? Do you dislike newer-style minifigs, or do you just have something against rednecks?  

[Thego]

horizon, on 29 November 2011 - 09:07 AM, said:

Hey, regarding the technic bricks at the back. The Ninjago Fire Temple shows this as well at the same positioning at the back.

Perhaps for two of the same sets to be attached together?

I think it is pretty obvious then: the Police Station is meant to connect to the Fire Temple to make a Ninjago Forest Fire Station Police Temple.

Thanks for the review - been looking forward to seeing some of the new City sets reviewed.

Edited by Thego, 30 November 2011 - 07:50 PM.

[Mariko]

Lyichir, on 30 November 2011 - 07:02 PM, said:

And Mariko, what do you mean about the minifigs being hideous? Do you dislike newer-style minifigs, or do you just have something against rednecks?  

Neither.  
Certain details of these minifigures, however, just look "off" to me (specifically the police, since I'm guessing the criminals are supposed to be ugly); the bulging pockets, the face print of the guy with the sunglasses, etc.

[jeffjcc]

Awesome.  I love the whole "Forrest Ranger" feel to these sets.  I want them all!

[Mariko]

So, after looking at this review again, I decided that "hideous" is too strong a word; the minifigures are growing on me. I still wish they would have included stickers that said "Sheriff" or "Forest Rangers" or something, rather than "Police." But that's a minor gripe.
I really do like that SUV, and the station office is great--it really captures that forest/small mountain town feel very well.

[Paraskevas95]

Great set, I will definatelly buy it!