10 replies to this topic

[WhiteFang]

Hello all Eurobricks members and Town Lovers,

Today, I will be doing up a review on Hook & Haul Wrecker. This name is quite wierd to me. I will prefer to call it the regular tow truck. This is one of the service and repair vehicle that are always ready 24/7 on stand-by for any emergency towing in our towns.  

Name: Hook & Haul Wrecker
Theme: LEGO System / Town
Year: 1989
Pieces: 44
Minifigs: 1
Price: USD$6.00

An image of a 6660, Hook & Haul Wrecker



Let the towing begins


Hook & Haul Wrecker is the typical 4-studs wide vehicle that takes care of broken vehicles that is left stranded on the roads. This tow truck is pretty useful. As you can see, current City sets hardly have any tow trucks available to tow new cars design. This tow truck is catered for 4-studs vehicles for Classic Town. Can you imagine yourself this truck towing a Speed Racer car? I think it looks really out of proportion.  

In addition, the mini-fig which is included in this set has the regular truck print on its torso. I am very sure they must be a fan club for "Trucks". Otherwise, they should really need a change of clothes. Nevertheless, in my honest opnion. I really love this torso very much. Somehow, it makes them look tough even though their face looks very friendly.  


Side View


This vehicle has a combination of two primary colors which is white and red. This color combination looks very good. You cannot mistook it for an ambulance since they made use of this two colors too, in most Emergency vehicles. This is my guess, I supposed the designer will have tow truck concept as a form of emergency and considered red and white as its combinations.

This vehicle set-up has the typical sun-screen on the top of the vehicle frame. However, this baby has more unique features installed in it.


These are the source of its brutal strength



All-Terrain Vehicle???


This tow truck equipped with the best wheels. In fact, these wheels offer suspension on the roads. Even when its travelling uphill, the  truck will move accordingly with its tyres. When you act pressure on the top of the vehicle, it will either be shifted leftwards or rightwards.


Close-up of these unique tyres



Take a careful look. These wheels have springs installed in it. That is the magic of these vehicle and is defintely suited to run on any rough roads with least problems. If any EB Members know which other vehicles has this unique features, please highlight it to me. Because, if I remembered correctly. I only remember seeing this pair of tyres in this great set.  


He is ready for some serious towing.


The driver had finished hook up the pizza van on its back. It's pretty simple. You just have to lift the back of the vehicle and placed it onto the hook. Presto, the van is ready to go. This vehicle provides so much fun. You can really tow any 4-studs vehicle in your town.  


And, here we go! To the service station. Poor pizza guy.  



Summary review
Playability: 10/10 (Superb fun. You will love to use this truck and tow any vehicles)
Design: 9.5/10 (Excellent design. Especially with the use of the suspension tyres)
Price: 9/10 (An inexpensive set based on the 1989 pricing. This set is made up of less than 100 pieces)
Overall: 9.5/10 (Every Town must need a tow truck. If a vehicle breaks down, whom will be ready to tow?)

I gave it a "5" based on my Review Score Card. What about yours?

Hope everyone of you enjoyed reading this simple review of mine. Comments and Critics are strongly welcomed.  
Pictures can be found in My Brickshelf(When moderated)

[metalandi]

Cool review! I've always loved these "hard" looking tyres, i never understood why they don't make them anymore. They looked way more off-roadish.

[Lasse D]

This is one of my favorite town vehicles from the old time, and for one specific reason: The truck is on the guys shirt! It didn't matter that the color was wrong, or the hook was missing. I thought it was awesome beyond imagination... for some reason  

Thanks for the review Whitefang.

[adik_sa_lego]

i rate this a 5! one of my last sets before my dark age. suspension wheels are superb and are rare! the minifig, although smiling, really looks tough because of the tanktop. oh did i say im giving it a 5?  

[BerndDasBrot]

4 stars. the suspension wheel holder totally rocks. yeah.
though the Slope Brick 45 2x3 x 1 1/3 Double disappoints me a little.
btw: the 6350 Pizza To Go Van looks soooo cute!  

thanks for the review!    (and keeeeep them coming...!)

[Paradosis]

I remember building this set back in the day   Good set, I'll give it a 4.

[WhiteFang]

Thanks for all of your encouraging comments! I am glad most of you love to view our classic reviews. Do stay out for more upcoming exciting classic town reviews! I appericiate greatly by all of your words. There are many outstanding reviews from Brickster as well, especially those classic vintage LEGO sets, that I had never seen before, except browsing it in Brickset.

Therefore, I will encourage EB Members, to take some time off to view these truly wonderful classic reviews. Trust me, it shall be an eye opening experience for each and everyone of you, whom had never seen Classic Town, in such an up close personal experience before.  

Lasse D, on Jul 19 2008, 12:22 AM, said:

This is one of my favorite town vehicles from the old time, and for one specific reason: The truck is on the guys shirt! It didn't matter that the color was wrong, or the hook was missing. I thought it was awesome beyond imagination... for some reason  

The torso is just lovely! I felt the 6641, 4 Wheelin Truck is almost identical with the torso, except for the front color combination. Click onto the picture for an instant review.  

BerndDasBrot, on Jul 19 2008, 02:47 AM, said:

btw: the 6350 Pizza To Go Van looks soooo cute!  

Yes, that cute pizza van appeared for a reason.  

[Zarkan]

Another great review, Whitefang.  

This is a wonderful 80's vehicle - and I think it might be one of the first - if not THE first - that had the spring suspension system. I know of at least one other set that had that: the biggest Extreme Team set from 1998 had a vehicle with those pieces.  

Quote

This tow truck is pretty useful. As you can see, current City sets hardly have any tow trucks available to tow new cars design. This tow truck is catered for 4-studs vehicles for Classic Town. Can you imagine yourself this truck towing a Speed Racer car? I think it looks really out of proportion.

Firstly, Speed Racer cars are out of scale even with City vehicles.   Also, I have hope that in the next few years we will get more Octan sets to go with the wonderful gas station - and I suspect that a 6-wide tow truck will be at the top of the list. It wouldn't be a hard set to make, and I bet it would sell well.  

Edited by Grevious, 19 July 2008 - 05:31 PM.

[F0NIX]

Oh! Never seen that set before!
Fun and strange that wheel supension system.
Has it ever been used in any other sets?

[Freddie]

Indeed they have; they've appeared in 15 different sets, in total. They also have an identical width with the wide 2x2 wheels holder which is used on cars today.

They are still excellent today, since retrofitting these suspension parts onto today's off-roader trucks won't give them weird proportions or any problems, and it looks perfect. Plus they are useful if you're lazy and don't feel like constructing the pin-suspension used in the early 90's for truck-trailers, altough stability probably will suffer.

[Section8]

4/5.  I've had this set since I was young.  Never understood why a tow truck needed to be an off-roader; maybe it was used to tow the other off-road vehicles.  The suspension made the truck too tall to tow some cars, so I often took the hook out and use the truck as just an great off-road truck like 6672 (which also had the suspension wheels).  Other tow truck sets better filled their roles better, but that doesn't diminish this set at all.

WhiteFang, on Jul 18 2008, 09:19 AM, said:

I think it looks really out of proportion.

No, for 25-odd years this vehicle was perfectly proportioned with all others in the town/city line.  It's all these new 6 and 8 and 20 wide vehicles that are ignoring convention and making it look out of proportion.  Granted speed racer sets are more of their own line, but 6660 is smaller than most of the cars produced in the last few years.