73 replies to this topic

[TheBrickster]

In a small green valley nestled within the Rocky Mountains, tall pine trees surround LEGO's latest Creator set, 5766 Log Cabin.  This "3 in 1" set offers rest and relaxation for LEGO Town fans, as they can imagine the sounds of a babbling brook and perhaps even Rocky River in the distance.

Log Cabin
Set #: 5766
Theme: Creator
Year Released: late 2010
Piece Count: 355
Minifigs: 1
Retail Price: $30 (USD)
Accessories: Raft/Kayak

While the image of the little Log Cabin as part of the boxart is certainly vivid and colorful with its brown walls and yellow and tan door and windows, I was surprised to not see green pines, valley, and river in the distance. Rather, the background image of bley monochrome pines look more like a modern World City.



Like all "3 in 1" Creator sets, LEGO builders will love the three varieties of Log Cabins pictured on the back of the box with instructions contained within:



In addition to the main model, cabin fans can build this low-sided roof cabin with small stream and bridge...



or this hinged folding two sided cabin similar to LEGO System's classic Town House.



I was surprised when opening the box, to discover not a thin green standard 32x32 stud baseplate, but rather these thicker green baseplates (16x16 and 8x16).  I did worry that the size of the cabin was going to be small, but would later be okay with the size.



Log Cabin includes one Happy Camper minifigure; I'll nickname him Bob.  Bob has a nice green backpack to store his provisions.



With not much to do in the deep forest, aside from wood chopping and fishing, Bob has a bright yellow raft or kayak for some river fun. The kayak was a fun little build, although I would have been equally happy with LEGO's one-piece yellow raft, although I do recognize this is Creator, and it's about building components, rather then "pre-fab".  It's also nice to see LEGO designers creating these little additions out of bricks, and the design is good. Having the kayak and the small blue water baseplate, I'm tempted to create a forest scene with an extended river and lots of trees. NOTE: Not pictured on the bottom of the raft are two round upside-down smooth tiles that I didn't get around to placing on the kayak.



What I find most awkward in this set is the tree. I think the designer(s) chose to try something a bit different here, and it just doesn't seem to work for me.  A taller, pine-like tree would have looked better next to the cabin.  Maybe I just need to warm up to the design and appreciate it for what it is.  



A small campfire outside offers two chicken drumsticks for dinner tonight.  I like the simple design which looks good. The black rod is later used for the railing of the bridge for one of the alternate models (pictured above).



Creator houses (and cabins) are always sparse of interior furnishings, although they offer easy accessibility for play (not sure why).  Inside the Log Cabin is a nice fireplace; however, along the left (West) side. The grey bricks are also used for an exterior fireplace in one of the alternate models.



I like the brown walls of the cabin, but can't help to wonder how log bricks would have looked. Perhaps they would have been too busy. Overhang at the ends create the "log-look".  I like the tan frames and yellow pane windows, and appreciate having five of these and a matching door within this set.



The roof of cabin has its own assembly and attaches to the house as one piece.  It seems easy lift on and off, and I like the dark red (although the picture color looks more like standard red).  Dark green would have been an interesting color for an alternative.  The right side of the roof has some bull horns which provide a nice addition of detail to the cabin.  Western fans love bull horns!  Mess with the bull, you get the horns... I digress.



One of my favorite aspects of the cabin is the use of classic brick hinges. Yes, hinges are back! This takes me back to the Fire Station I had in the late 70s/early 80s, as well as Classic Castle. It's great to see them used for the large back wall, which after opening, allows easy accessibility to the interior. It's just too bad there's no furnishings to fiddle with. The hinges are also used to close/open one of the alternate models in Classic Town townhouse fashion.



After building the set, one has a nice cabin and river scene with a strange tree in the background (Reminder to self: must get over the tree).


Some additional close-ups of the cabin.



Comparison with the Classics

For an old dated Classic Town fan out of the 70s and 80s, I'm going to compare this set to Rocky River Retreat (6552), as I think the play after building may offer similar aspects; both sets have a cabin, a small river, tree(s), and a kayak.  Does it offer the same play value? Unfortunately not as Rocky Retreat has more accessories, a vehicle, and a bridge for added play. What the Creator Log Cabin does offer; however, is standard and useful pieces, and a cabin that one can furnish for added playability.  As mentioned above, I'm tempted to expand this cabin to create that wilderness scene with lots of trees, greenery, and perhaps even some mountains and a river as part of the landscaping.

Compared to Other Creator Houses

Compared to other Creator Houses, like the Beach House and Apple Tree House, the Log Cabin does not have as intricate designs. What it does have are the wonderful hinges and better accessibility for added play value. The brick-built kayak is cleverly designed and certainly adds additional fun. For the price, I don't think $30 (USD) is bad at all, especially considering the alternate models with instructions. I do wish the roof had some sloped caps at the top though, as the entire roof just seems unfinished to me.  The colors look great as I like brown, yellow, and tan, (as well as the newer dark red roof slopes), and these are all useful pieces for building later.

LEGO certainly "hit the mark" on this one. Log Cabin appeals to the non-licensed basic builder, the Classic Town fan, and the "brick collector". It will be interesting to read your comments in regard to Creator Log Cabin.  I look forward to the feedback, and since I've been neglecting Town a bit lately, it's nice to share a topic here in our friendly EB Town community.

Edited by WhiteFang, 07 December 2010 - 02:22 AM.
Indexed in Other Themes reviews

[CDC]

Hehe, sweet review, thanks !

Log cabin will definitely become a part of my LEGO collection

[buddy]

Great review, TheBrickster!  
This looks like quite a nice set, altough I am still undecided to get it or not when it comes out in the UK.
Well done on the review.  

~buddy~

[Rick]

Thanks for the review TheBrickster. It's a cute little log cabin. I really like the alternate builds, it really proves to be one of the strong points of the Creator line, especially in this case. The inclusion of a minifigure and more and more accessories over the years, pushes the Creator houses closer to the Basic housebuilding sets of the 1980s.

[lightningtiger]

Thanks 'The Brickster' for a COOL review of this new Creator set which seem to be imspired by old school Legotown.
Like this....
The kayak is one of nicest features of this set, also including a minifig ....though a little plain....as to the interior or should I say lack of same ! But hey we're AFOL's we make are own interior to join that nice fireplace.
I can imagine a row of these in someone's display by a creek bed with people fishing, birdwatching or some other nature activity !
I agree, YAY....for hinges....means playabilty....Lego remember these are meant to be played with after building !
This set might get added to the already growing list.....ouch, my wallet !
Keep on camping !

[Captain Becker]

Geat rewier, even at im not gonna get this. I really wished at there would have beeb 32x32 baseplate but oh well.
I like the new colour roof bricks and the green Backpack wich is great. So i voted this set as Average and my favorite set was Apple Tree House

Captain Becker

[Wout]

Thank you for the nice review.

This set looks great with many possebilities.
B.t.w. I like the tree, It has something fairytalelike.

[ACCURATEin]

Thank you for the nice review.

These should sell very well being the least expensive of the creator houses.  

[Nightshroud99]

Nice little cabin, I like the second model the most, the one with the half cabin and bridge.

[Lordofdragonss]

Thanks for review!
Now I am 100% sure that I will buy this set. It not only looks great but have hinges!

And rest of the models looks great too!

[greg3]

That looks great... although I think the roof would look better with ridge tiles on top, but the hinged walls and kayak makes up for it!! A definite buy for me!!

[Mrlegoninja]

Thanks for the review! This is really a great set.
I just love the little kayak! I am goin to build several of that design in many different colors!

[Big Cam]

Great review!  I'm not a huge fan of the creator sets but this one is kind of appealing.  I really like the colors.

I like how you covered this too.

[LegoScot]

I look forward to buying several copies of this set.  One question the review leaves me with are the "plates" that they are built on, they look like larger standard plates, but they were listed as "thicker" base plates.  Regardless this set truly looks like a keeper, and will probably rival the number of Tan creator family homes I've purchased this year.


Thanks for the review!
Scot.

[Mr. Elijah Timms]

I am ALL over this, obviously... Possibly my favorite new set of the year, just because I've wanted something along these lines for... well, ever.  Just wish there was a little dock on there as well, and it probably could've looked a bit better with more of the traditional log wall bricks we've seen so much in the Western and Pirate sets.

The fig is okay... but as far as I'm concerned, this is where the dude with the 3178 Seaplane lives...

[fred67]

I don't see this on S@H.

I've seen it in TRU and in person at the LEGO Store, it seems odd to not have it online.  Am I missing something?

[kost u grlu]

Great review!

I'm surprised that baseplates are replaced with plates...that is pretty scary thing...Creator sets have been baseplates's last sanctuary..

For me, this is just an average set..

[meyerc13]

I too am curious about the plates, are these standard plates or base plates?

Probably the two things I like best about this set are the brown bricks and the hinges.  The brick buckets come with a lot of red/yellow/blue/white/black/green, but brown bricks aren't as common.  I love that the hinges will allow my kids to have easy access to the interior for playing with their minifigs.

Comparing this house to the other two listed, I think the Beach House is the winner due to the huge number of windows, and the price at one major US retailer being about the same as the price on this.  I was not at all impressed with the Apple Tree House.  The smaller plate sizes and the lower quantity of windows for more money than the Beach House was a huge let down.  I'd put this set somewhere in the middle, the brown bricks are certainly useful and at least two of the models seem to be readily accessible for play with minifigs.

[Fugazi]

I like where Creator is going with this set. This is a perfect middle ground between the City buildings made in big ugly 1x6x5 walls and such, and the previous Creator houses that were almost minifig compatible but not always quite there, and with limited playability. This Creator house brings us back to the 80's town buildings made in real bricks and with few accessories, but with lots of charm. A retro set in many ways -- but with the added bonus of a rear wall! I need one. Thanks for the beautiful review, The Brickster!

And yes, the base plates are definitely regular plates, not thin baseplates.

I think regular plates fit better in the Creator philosophy anyway.

[prateek]

Me no like. Cabin too simple. Much like Prateek language.


Seriously though, this set doesn't even compare with Creator houses of the past.

[Mariko]

Thanks for the review--I've warmed up to this set a little. I still don't know if I'm going to get it (living at the foot of the Rocky Mountains myself, I have been in and around many log cabins, and am still slightly disappointed that this one didn't use any sort of round bricks; a SNOT cabin would have been awesome), but I do like it more than I thought I would upon seeing the initial photos. That, I think, signals a successful review!

Edited by Mariko, 22 November 2010 - 01:47 AM.

[wooootles]

As a set, this is easily the least awesome out of the six.  Maybe because you can put the other five together in a city/town setting and together and look great, IMO this does not fit in.  I do like the siople minifig though :D

I will still buy it though, those new hueg plate pieces are of interest to me, as well as the dark red roofs.

[Arigomi]

fred67, on 22 November 2010 - 12:14 AM, said:

I don't see this on S@H.
I've seen it in TRU and in person at the LEGO Store, it seems odd to not have it online.  Am I missing something?

It is technically a 2011 set so S@H won't actually sell it till the official January 2011 release date. The majority of TLG's income come from stores selling the sets. The main priority is to make sure that retailers get enough of the 2011 sets.

Thanks TheBrickster for the wonderful review. The wood grain in the background was a nice detail that evoked the wilderness feel of the set. It think this is a pretty successful set considering how it is meant for a lower price range compared to other Creator houses.

I think the tree would look better if you rotate it so that the corner points away from the house. The scene would look "cut out" from the landscape, resulting in the tree getting partially cut. It is understandable why the base plates are not thin baseplates. There are only 2 sizes for thin baseplates and they don't really fit for the size of this set. The log cabin really needed that blue plate because the landscape wouldn't look as interesting without some water running through it.  

Edited by Arigomi, 22 November 2010 - 02:36 AM.

[TheBrickster]

LegoScot, on 21 November 2010 - 11:40 PM, said:

One question the review leaves me with are the "plates" that they are built on, they look like larger standard plates, but they were listed as "thicker" base plates.  

Yes, they are standard plates, just larger sized.

Mr. Elijah Timms, on 22 November 2010 - 12:00 AM, said:

The fig is okay... but as far as I'm concerned, this is where the dude with the 3178 Seaplane lives...

Great idea.  The seaplane would make a great accessory set to this cabin. I had not thought of adding, although Playmobil has a seaplane that is part of their wilderness theme.  The two fit well together.

fred67, on 22 November 2010 - 12:14 AM, said:

I don't see this on S@H.

I don't believe it's available on SAH yet, but at TRU, and I think on their web site as well.  Lately, TRU has sets before LEGO SAH.

meyerc13, on 22 November 2010 - 12:43 AM, said:

I too am curious about the plates, are these standard plates or base plates?

Standard plates - sorry for referring to them as thicker baseplates.

Fugazi, on 22 November 2010 - 12:59 AM, said:

This is a perfect middle ground between the City buildings made in big ugly 1x6x5 walls and such, and the previous Creator houses that were almost minifig compatible but not always quite there

Yes - it's nice to see the more Town compatible set with minifig. It's a good move for Creator.

Interesting thoughts all.

Arigomi, on 22 November 2010 - 02:34 AM, said:

Thanks TheBrickster for the wonderful review. The wood grain in the background was a nice detail that evoked the wilderness feel of the set.

Thanks for the feedback Arigomi.  I was shooting for the "cabin-feel" with some added wood - adds a different look compared to white backgrounds.

[Masked Builder]

I can't believe nobody else noticed this but, that's a new Oar mold.  I must admit it looks better.  Nice review of the set except for that small bit.