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Just bought the set on friday for a hefty price of 70€ at a stand on the creativmesse 2009 in Munich.
This one was released as Holiday Home in 1983 for about 50DM, which equals 25€ in 1983, nowadays it's worth a lot more. I'll start with the review and even show some of the 6 alternates found on the back of the Box.
1. Box and Instructions
The box is in really great shape considering the age of now over 26 years. It had a removable Inner box. Simply take it out of the cover, just like old vinyl records. Inside was a ziploc pack, since I've gotten a used one, no MISB. The instructions are a simple A4 booklet, with just 7 pages for the Main model and the car and include pictures from some of the alternates. This has absolutely no juniorized pieces, not even the classic 5-brick high pillars, since they weren't invented until late 80s and I got it with an extra flower. (normally it only uses 4, instead of 5 flowers)
Box Front, really great shape after all those years
The backside with 6 alternate models shown and interior pictures for 2 of them
The instructions: They're quite worn of all the years, but still complete
2. Alternates
This set came with 6 alternate designs shown on the backside, two of them are shown on the last page of the Instructions I've built 4 of them, the two shown again in the Instructions, the vacation house with pool and the really small summer house
Classic House
This is the largest of the alternates, using 240 pcs (including the car) and having a nice white and blue color sheme, resembling wood at the upper floor for the timbering. The car from the main model is used as the car for the alternate. This was a hard build, I don't even know if I got the backside of the carport right. It's covered by the marquee, what a clever use for it.
Interior of the alternate, a kitchen living room-combo and a nice bedroom
Front view
Right-side view
Verdict: Great classy design for an alternate model,a bit hard to rebuild, but captures the 80s vibe 9/10
House with carport
This is the second model shown in the instructions. There were no interior shots for this one, so I think it wasn't designed to get an interior, but I built my own from the set's pieces. It has a complete carport, tough still just protected by the marquee in the front half, by the structure in the back half. Model contains 230pcs including the car and a interior.
Front view
Interior shot, built a kitchen and a sleeping room, which also has a little living room area besides it
Side view with a look at the balcony and the whole retro scene
Verdict:
Nice design, especially with the balcony, but that balcony isn't really holding up well, it has a hole inside when built. Modificated with an complete interior, it's a 8,5/10
Summer house
After that I've built the simple summer house, shown on the box. This is the only model without a car, but you can use the one from the set as an addition to the model. It counts a mere 145pcs and was a rather fast build, but packs a nice scene with BBQ and a bench below the marquee.
Front view of the complete scene
Back view. inside there's just a chair
Another view of the scene.
Verdict: Really simple design, but heck a LEGO summer house, which could easily stand in a garden plot, loose the colour sheme. Brings me to an 8/10
Vacation House
This is the last alternate Model I've built out of the 6. It's car is a convertible version of the classic 80s car included in the set. It looks like a bigger version of the Vacation Hideaway released in 1990, judging from the design. Other than that it has a small swimming pool, using up the 6 blue 6x1 bricks in the set for the water. The piece count including the car is 221 for the whole scene.
Front view of this great alternate
Back view with the interior, this doesn't have a bed inside
Side view
Verdict: The greatest of the alternates to me, but I've got to deduct the points a bit for the missing bed, since this house would've had enough room for a bed. The best part is the swimming pool, altough small. it is made of just 10 basic pieces, no plates and tiles used, just white bricks for the boundary and blue bricks for the water. To me a 9,5/10.
3. Building the Main Model
After disassembling the alternate model, I've dumped all the bricks back again into the inner box, which was surprisingly full after dumping them inside, not like today, leaving lots of room for more parts in the huge boxes. The model is compromised of 2 parts, a simple classic 80s car, which even has the original red wheels, connected by a metal rod, not the classic small wheel came out in 1985.
All pieces in the Inner Box
The Minifigs, just a man and a woman with pigtails, sorry it's a bit blurry
The car on step 6 with the doors attached, imagine a agents car on that classic base
Finished
Rear view, just 80s goodness
Now to the house this is, how it looks on step 1
The Interior of the ground floor is completed by step 3
View inside after having finished the ground floor by step 8
This is the step 10, showing the interior of the upper floor
Finished the Model on step 19, which is quite a lot of steps for a 26 year old City set
Interior view on the finished model
Side view made up like in the instructions
Now like on the box, with the couple shortly before hugging
Now they're hugging each other, just a nice scene, isn't it.
Verdict:
Design: 10/10 Great classic design and really enough room for the minifigs.
Playability: 10/10 Great playability ,altough not action-packed, Heck it's a house
Alternates: 9/10 Nice designs on the 4 I've built the other 2 are nice, too, but I didn't built them.
Price: NA I'll leave that out, due to the rarity of the set nowadays
Parts: 9/10, Great selection, no juniorisation and excellent for MOCcing, especially classic town
Total: 38/40 Excellent Set from the early 80s, even with great alternate designs
mFg Widdi
