27 replies to this topic

[TheBrickster]

Public Works Center

Set #: 6383
Year Released: 1981 (U.S. only according to Brickset)
Piece Count: 395
Minifigs: 4
List Price: approx. $30

One of my personal all-time classic town sets is this set, 6383 Public Works.  The set is an excellent gravel yard scene complete with a garage, two very nice construction vehicles, a gravel sifter, construction building, and working crane.

Starting with the instructions:



A closer view of the front:



And how about these for alternate models pictured on the backside of the instructions:





The set includes four construction workers, all with the same uniform:



Moving on to the vehicles, the first one is a front-end loader:



The back of the vehicle has a construction decal and a bar to hold some tools:



The set includes a great two-section dump truck.  I love the big wheels used on both vehicles:



A little office provides the workers a place to check in and get out of the sun:



Inside is a desk and chair:



On the outside of the building is a clock decal:



Outside is a quarry for white 1x1 bricks.  You'll also notice some tools nearby:



One of the fun parts of the set is a crane that slides back and forth (from the sifter to the quarry) that has a working claw:



Here's a close-up:



I love the blue sifter which one can easily poor 1x1 bricks inside:



A mechanism in the back slides out allowing for the bricks to fall from the sifter:



And the garage holds two vehicles with red sliding garage doors.  The garage sign is a decal:



Here's a shot of the entire set:



And the set pictured in Tabletown:



I was not aware that this set was only available in the U.S. until seeing it on Brickset.  I'm not sure if Europe had a similar set with another set #.  If so, I was not able to find one.  In any case, I hope you enjoyed this review of a great classic town set.

[rriggs]

We never had this set in Europe (welll in the UK at least!) which is a shame as it has some nice features.  I also like the fact that you get two road plates with it.  We had similar vehicles available separately though.

Thanks for this review as it's great to see some sets that we don't otherwise get to see.

Cheers

Rog

[Holodoc]

Nice review again, Brickster!

This set is a disappointment for me, I rated it "2".
For those reasons:
* The cars included in that set are ugly, plain ugly. There´s nothing nice about them. Too small, no nice extras, just the few bricks to make it almost look like a car. In my opinion teh whole set deserved to be bigger than what we see.
* Stickers!   I do not like stickers, but placing them across several bricks is a NO GO!
* The set was only available in the US? No business idea I agree to.

[welcomestranger]

I never saw this set in Australia either... and looking from the pictures, that office wouldn't be the best place to rest and relax with that big crane rumbling about overhead...  

[TheBrickster]

rriggs, on Jul 21 2008, 11:28 PM, said:

Thanks for this review as it's great to see some sets that we don't otherwise get to see.

My pleasure Rriggs.  It really is a lot of fun to restore these old sets.  I'm glad I've done so, because I plan to store the pieces separately now by set in case I ever want to build them again - perhaps in another 10-20 years.

Holodoc, on Jul 22 2008, 02:22 AM, said:

This set is a disappointment for me, I rated it "2".
For those reasons:
* The cars included in that set are ugly, plain ugly. There´s nothing nice about them. Too small, no nice extras, just the few bricks to make it almost look like a car. In my opinion teh whole set deserved to be bigger than what we see.
* Stickers!   I do not like stickers, but placing them across several bricks is a NO GO!
* The set was only available in the US? No business idea I agree to.

Ouch!  I'm starting to see a trend here Holodoc.  Are there any classic/vintage town sets that you like?
The cars were simple, but we're talking early 80s.  Everything was more simpler then.  I actually like the cars, even today.
I agree with you in regard to the stickers.  A few of the town sets in the 80s did this.  It always made taking the pieces apart very difficult.
I didn't realize that this was a US set only.  This is the kinda stuff you don't know about as a kid.

welcomestranger, on Jul 22 2008, 07:27 AM, said:

that office wouldn't be the best place to rest and relax with that big crane rumbling about overhead...

I never thought about that.   But then again, it is a construction site.

[Pencoin]

great review.
the digger is VERY similar to the small digger set that was realized recently

[ClubNinja]

Also a personal favorite of mine!  This set definitely falls into the "they don't make 'em like they used to" category.  (Though some might say "thank goodness for that!")  I think it goes very well with the Cargo Center of a few years later nearby.

[Lockt]

Thank you again for this review. As mentioned indeed this set was not to be found in europe, although the vehicles where all released seperately. I own both of them.

First of all, I liked from this time the addition of road-plates. I think it adds a lot of playability to the set as a stand-alone AND it easily makes you a city by combining a few sets.

The office is not much, which is ashame, but still, the entire lay-out doesnt feel "empty" which is a very good thing.

For me an excellent set to be combined with several others from its time with a very classic feeling.

[Klaus-Dieter]

Again great poll/review, TheBrickster!

I gave this set a 3:

From the architecture it's perfect - but the design and the additional stuff is a bit   .
But I really hope that TLG will release somthing like that in the near future!


Klaus-Dieter

[bullet8542]

Brickster I can't say it enough Thanks for the reviews and the trip down memory lane    I loved this set I still wish I had it I still have the box.....Not that it would help much.

I really liked the fact the Lego supplied the set with base plates and a "Playable set" right out of the box, I understand the economics of the whole thing but base plates would be a nice addition to the newer sets.  

[TheBrickster]

bullet8542, on Jul 29 2008, 12:38 PM, said:

Brickster I can't say it enough Thanks for the reviews and the trip down memory lane.  I loved this set I still wish I had it I still have the box.....Not that it would help much.

Thanks Bullet.  I appreciate you saying that.  It took a lot of work to find all the pieces; but well worth it, esp. after the set is restored in its original condition.  I plan to bag the pieces and label them very well - I don't have most of the boxes either (at least for these early 80s sets).

bullet8542, on Jul 29 2008, 12:38 PM, said:

I really liked the fact the Lego supplied the set with base plates and a "Playable set" right out of the box, I understand the economics of the whole thing but base plates would be a nice addition to the newer sets.

Yes.  That's a very good point.  As a kid, I had mixed feelings about the inclusion of roadplates.  I never thought they looked good as stand alone sets, and having those first initial sets with roadplates made me want to go out and buy more to add to them.  I suppose that was a good marketing ploy by Lego (either intentional or unintentional).  In addition, Lego catalogues had great town pictures with roadplates.  If I can come across some pictures, perhaps I'll post.

[bullet8542]

TheBrickster, on Aug 5 2008, 09:11 AM, said:

Thanks Bullet.  I appreciate you saying that.  It took a lot of work to find all the pieces; but well worth it, esp. after the set is restored in its original condition.  I plan to bag the pieces and label them very well - I don't have most of the boxes either (at least for these early 80s sets).


Yes.  That's a very good point.  As a kid, I had mixed feelings about the inclusion of roadplates.  I never thought they looked good as stand alone sets, and having those first initial sets with roadplates made me want to go out and buy more to add to them.  I suppose that was a good marketing ploy by Lego (either intentional or unintentional).  In addition, Lego catalogues had great town pictures with roadplates.  If I can come across some pictures, perhaps I'll post.

Well you bring up another one of my peeves about the newer sets were is the catalog, Heck I likes the catalog as much as the set itself I liked drooling over the space sets, New town sets images of a Lego town idea's for creating your own town......

I really miss back when.

[WhiteFang]

I thought I had commented this review long ago. Too much of Brickster's reviews.  

Public Works Center certainly sounds quite nice to me. To me, this set seemed to be a construction site entrance, office and storage. It defintely offer lots of playabiliy. With this set up, it can easily blend into any Classic Town with that lovely road baseplates that has Lot 1 and 2 printed in front of it.  

The construction vehicles is pretty neat as well. As for the dump truck, the front section looks a little bare but the back and intersection looks awesome. The interior office has simple furniture for the admins or foreman to do their work in the cool air conditioner, avoiding the scorching sun.  Outside seemed to be the reporting area for the workers to clock their cards. Garage seemed to be an uncommon sight these days, especially with its shutter. In fact, I am pretty fond of these shutters as it provide a much realistic touch in it.

The best playing features in this set is defintely the crane and the sifter. You could use the crane to lift some bricks from the ground and transport it to other point such as the sifter. The sifter will process the bricks and drop into the dump truck, ready for land transportation.

Despite of the set's age, it has actually showed how much fun you could have by playing it with different possible combinations. No doubt about it, I am going to give it a "5". Thanks Brickster for this review.  

[TheBrickster]

White Fang:  You always provide good thoughts on any set review.

WhiteFang, on Aug 5 2008, 07:43 PM, said:

It defintely offer lots of playabiliy. With this set up, it can easily blend into any Classic Town with that lovely road baseplates that has Lot 1 and 2 printed in front of it.  

Definately very "playable" with lots of construction activity on two nice baseplates.

WhiteFang, on Aug 5 2008, 07:43 PM, said:

Garage seemed to be an uncommon sight these days, especially with its shutter. In fact, I am pretty fond of these shutters as it provide a much realistic touch in it.

Yes, I agree.  Although in some of the more recent City sets (Fire Station, Police Station, and Town Plan), we have seen the return of the roll-down garage door.  I think they really bring back a nice quality of "Classic Town".

WhiteFang, on Aug 5 2008, 07:43 PM, said:

The best playing features in this set is defintely the crane and the sifter. You could use the crane to lift some bricks from the ground and transport it to other point such as the sifter. The sifter will process the bricks and drop into the dump truck, ready for land transportation.

It is a lot of fun to put the bricks in, slide the black piece out, and watch/hear them drop into the awaiting dump truck.  FUN!

WhiteFang, on Aug 5 2008, 07:43 PM, said:

Despite of the set's age, it has actually showed how much fun you could have by playing it with different possible combinations.

Excellent point!  The set makes for a great classic.

[1985-1997best]

This set was In US AND Germany sold - according to brickset.com

I didn't had the set so I rebuilt it with SR 3D builder - to take a closer (3D-) look on it.

The rebuild was a little bit painful due to tiny instructions scans of this set. I had them from peeron.com, but any other site with instruction scans had no better one.

Maybe TheBrickster (or any one else) could upload a higher resolution scan to peeron.com....

Edited by 1985-1997best, 24 November 2011 - 12:23 AM.

[AmpersandForever]

Brickster:

Hello! This set was one of my favorites when I was a kid ... something about the working crane and sifter really pleased me.

I have recently been going through all of my old legos, which were packed away to the attic long ago, and sorting/bagging them
into their original sets to give to my son and nephew. Mostly this has been going very well; however, I discovered that my copy of
the instructions for this set is missing all of the inside pages, so I only have instructions to build the two trucks and picture of the
final build with none of the in-between steps!

I found your review while looking for an online version of the instructions. Unfortunately, the best I have been able to come up
with is some very small scans. These work well in general but it's not possible to clearly tell which blocks are used (i.e., is a 5x1
portion comprised of a 2x1 and a 3x1 or a 4x1 and a 1x1?) I've also found a part listing which appears on multiple web sites but
it appears to be erronious as a number of parts are never used.

Would it be possible for you to post a copy of the instructions here? Or to email one to me? Even just taking pictures of the steps at
a decent resolution would be fine if it's not possible to scan the pages...

I know this is a peculiar request, but it would be a tremendous help!

Thank you!

Edited by AmpersandForever, 25 October 2012 - 07:01 PM.

[The Dutch Guy]

Thank you for this review. I am a succer for these old sets. It's may be my age, but these sets have a charme i can't resist. The new  sets are great, but the lack something. If i look at all the police and fire department sets being produced, they all look the same to me, just some slight changes are made. I know most of you won't agree with me, but in my opinion there are just to much large parts, so you can build even the biggest sets in less than no time. The playability of these new sets are great, but they the lack charme of the old sets.

[PsyKater]

1985-1997best, on 24 November 2011 - 12:01 AM, said:

The rebuild was a little bit painful due to tiny instructions scans of this set. I had them from peeron.com, but any other site with instruction scans had no better one.

AmpersandForever, on 23 October 2012 - 11:21 PM, said:

I found your review while looking for an online version of the instructions. Unfortunately, the best I have been able to come up
with is some very small scans. These work well in general but it's not possible to clearly tell which blocks are used (i.e., is a 5x1
portion comprised of a 2x1 and a 3x1 or a 4x1 and a 1x1?) I've also found a part listing which appears on multiple web sites but
it appears to be erronious as a number of parts are never used.

Are the instructions from PICSL (peeron) really too hard to read? You could enlarge them a bit. I think I can recognize all of the bricks that are used. But maybe I am wrong.

[AmpersandForever]

PsyKater, on 24 October 2012 - 07:26 AM, said:

Are the instructions from PICSL (peeron) really too hard to read? You could enlarge them a bit. I think I can recognize all of the bricks that are used. But maybe I am wrong.

Huh. Strange how I missed that post. But, yes, those are the instructions I was going from.
Like I said ... for the most part they okay to follow. It is when small pieces are added (e.g., in
Step 5, I believe, 1x1 blue plates are added to the blue "stilts" ...) or when pieces are placed
in a line (e.g., Steps 12-15, building the Office) that it becomes difficult to see the additions or
understand how a row is broken into pieces.

From the instructions and a massive pile of pieces, I was able to reconstruct the full set ...
My concerns are, first, if I set aside the wrong pieces for this set it may lead to missing pieces
for further sets that I'm reconstructing and, second, in a few years when I give this to my son,
I will only have fuzzy, vague instructions to go with it. Perhaps that itself will be a learning
experience.

Am I over-thinking this? Yes, probably. ... but I'm a big nerd (aren't we all?) and over-thinking
things is kind of my wheelhouse.
I saw where a lego-enthusiest had the instructions I am looking for, a camera, and the ability
to post them online and I figured it was worth a shot.

[Rick]

AmpersandForever, on 24 October 2012 - 06:26 PM, said:

From the instructions and a massive pile of pieces, I was able to reconstruct the full set ...
My concerns are, first, if I set aside the wrong pieces for this set it may lead to missing pieces
for further sets that I'm reconstructing and, second, in a few years when I give this to my son,
I will only have fuzzy, vague instructions to go with it. Perhaps that itself will be a learning
experience.

Peeron also has set inventories. The same goes for Bricklink.

[TheBrickster]

Hi all.  I'd be glad to share some scans of the instructions but I don't own a working scanner and this set is now burried in boxes somewhere in my garage.  It's been several years since I had these sets out of the box as part of a Classic Town Restoration Project.

[AmpersandForever]

Rick, on 24 October 2012 - 06:32 PM, said:

Peeron also has set inventories. The same goes for Bricklink.

Thanks, Quick.

I had been using an inventory that matches with the Bricklink one, though it was on a different site.
Several of the pieces included in that inventory don't end up in the build though, most notably the
2x2 Blue Brick. I had not seen the Peeron one and it appears to be slightly different. I'd need to take
a bit to do a side-by-side comparison, though it does include the 2x2 Blue Brick, so I'm not sure what
to make of that.

Maybe the set included some misc. pieces that were just "garbage" ... The instructions show 20 1x1
White Bricks included for this ... maybe a couple other odd pieces were thrown in as well?

I will run through it and let you know what comes of it.

TheBrickster, on 24 October 2012 - 07:03 PM, said:

Hi all.  I'd be glad to share some scans of the instructions but I don't own a working scanner and this set is now burried in boxes somewhere in my garage.  It's been several years since I had these sets out of the box as part of a Classic Town Restoration Project.

Brickster! I'm shocked my post got any attention, let alone yours; this thread is, what, four years old?
I don't mean to put you out ... photos are fine, and surely faster than scanning. But if this is a lot of
work, which it sounds like it might be, don't sweat it.

[sneff]

This set for me is near and dear to my heart. Its the first big set that my parents bought for me when I was 6.   i've always loved this set and still have it to this day.  Sadly my box suffered water damage and the instructions are a bit worn. But the set itself is still in great shape.  This set literally kept me busy for hundreds of hours when i got it. I also remember building the alternate version pictured on the instruction book.

Great review!!!

[PsyKater]

Hinckley does have the set as well (according to his EB News interview, I stumpled over yesterday). Perhaps you want to ask him via pm if he has the instructions in range.

Edited by PsyKater, 25 October 2012 - 06:54 AM.

[AmpersandForever]

PsyKater:

Thanks for that! Unfortunately, I've not been able to figure out how to PM someone.
I'm not sure if it's because I'm a new member or because I'm just a complete idiot. LOL
I assume PMing is done through the Members tab, but it tells me I don't have permission
to view the contents of that portion of the site. My inability to figure it out is why I posted
the initial message here instead of PMing Brickster directly.

If you could help me figure out where the (presumably large and obvious) button to
send someone a PM is, I would be grateful. Alternatively, if you could send Hinckley a PM
on my behalf and just direct him to this thread, that would be great, too.

Thanks!

Edited by AmpersandForever, 25 October 2012 - 09:54 PM.