REVIEW: 3648 Police Chase

[Phil Slender]

Set Name: Police Chase

Set #: 3648

Theme: CITY

Pieces: 173

Minifigures: 3

Year of Release: 2011

Price at Release: USD $24.99

INTRODUCTION

LEGO's CITY theme has always been a fan of law enforcement and as a result, we have seen countless police stations, vehicles, and sets centered around police pursuits on criminals. This set is one such example. This particular set falls under the 'Special Edition' category due to the fact it was a Walmart exclusive, meaning you could only find this set in Walmart stores aside from buying it from LEGO directly. Because of this limited availability, the set is a bit over-priced for a non-licensed set. $24.99 USD for 173 pieces is not a good ratio, so this set is a better deal if you can find it on sale.

Here is the box complete with yellow 'Special Edition' markings. Front...

...and back:

Why did I get this set? It was a Christmas gift that my girlfriend got for me after we saw it in the store and really enjoyed the bottom right picture on the back of the box. The speeding law-breaker looks a bit too happy and excited at the prospect of getting arrested, probably due to the thought of interacting with the "hot cop" (the female police minifigure whose hair is far too glamorous to be taken seriously).

INSTRUCTIONS AND PIECES:

This set is divided into two bags: one containing the red car and street light, and the other containing the police car and motorcycle. Two instruction booklets correspond with each bag and we also get a DDS. Oddly enough, one brick has a printed 'Police' logo, but the remainder are stickers.

The set is a very easy build, and takes little time to complete. If you want a challenge, mix up the bags.

MINIFIGURES

This set includes three minifigures: a male and female police officer, and a speeding citizen. For a $25 set, three minifigures is not bad. Four would be ideal, but given the premise of the set I don't know what a fourth figure would be.

The male police officer is ready to patrol on his motorcycle and is given a radio to communicate with his fellow police officers. The figure is nothing exciting, but features nice torso printing and a smug face. I wish they had given him hair or a different hat, because when he takes the helmet off, he's bald. Not that there's anything wrong with being bald.

He features no back printing.

Here is the citizen with a need for speed. He has an interesting combination of clothes: green pants, white/blue hoody and shades. I think he puts more thought into his car than his wardrobe.

He is the only figure in this set with back-printing, as you can see here with his hood.

And finally, we have the best figure in this set: THE HOT COP. I have no idea why LEGO thinks a female police officer would wear her hair like this, but apparently this is what an average female cop looks like. Interestingly enough, LEGO made her face and hair ultra-glamorous, but did not give her a female torso with the hip curves printed on.

She has no back printing, and her hair is a bit flat. Guess she didn't put as much effort into that part of her hair.

As a tribute to HOT COP, here is a photo shoot she was more than willing to take part in:

Stop there, you crook! I'm coming for ya!

Oh dear, my hair is a mess... just kidding, I know I look fabulous!

Alright, let's get back to reviewing this set.

THE MOTORCYCLE

Arguably the least exciting part of this set, here is the police trike. It's a simple blue body with some police markings.

My biggest issue with this part of the set is the pieces that make up the lights on the back. I don't know if I got the wrong pieces or if it is intentional, but my lights are different shades of blue and it really bothers me.

Here you can see the cop ride his vehicle.

THE POLICE CAR

The police car included has a very nice design and I'm very happy with the end result. It looks like it is supposed to be a hatchback or SUV/car crossover and looks very cool.

Here you can see the side profile. It has a very long look to it.

The back has a red bar of light and a white spoiler. Very nice.

THE RED CRUISER

The last vehicle in this set is the citizen's red speed machine. This car is very cool and has a nice, sleek design.

I absolutely love the look of this car.

The car is the same length as the police car and features a beefy back end.

THE STREET CORNER

Finally we have the street corner section that features a traffic light, camera, and speed limit sign.

There's not much to complain about here. It's a simple design, but acts as a nice accessory to supplement the theme of the set. The traffic light is a simple, but effective design.

BRING ON THE ACTION!

Here we can see some of the playability this set has to offer. The HOT cop is HOT on the pursuit of the reckless citizen.

He thinks he can get away...

Uh oh! Looks like she caught him.

I don't think he minds getting pat-down...

Oh no! He's getting away again...

He shouldn't be going so fast!

And he's caused a large pile up. Nice going, Jack.

CONCLUSION AND RATINGS

Minifigures: 10/10 - With the inclusion of Hot Cop, how can I not give this set a perfect score for minifigures? Finally, a CITY set where the minifigs are the reason to buy it.

Parts: 7/10 - Not bad, but not amazing. The pieces included do the job, but don't expect any particularly unique pieces.

Build: 8/10 - Really basic and easy, but that's what CITY is supposed to be. Nothing out of the ordinary here.

Price: 6/10 - This set is overpriced. There's no denying it. A CITY set that costs $25 and contains only 173 pieces is not a good deal, especially given the amount of $20 sets from 2012 that featured approximately 200 pieces. This set should have been $19.99 USD.

Design: 9/10 - The motorcycle is boring, but both cars are great and feature fantastic designs. Definitely worth picking up to add to your town car collection.

Playability: 9/10 - You get a "bad guy" and two "good guys", and unlimited potential with that. You can drive the cars around to chase each other and the set is great to stimulate creativity and imagination in kids, which is the whole point of LEGO, isn't it?

Overall: 82% - In the realm of the CITY theme, I really think this is a gem of a set. I really love the design of the vehicles and the included accessories are great too. Aside from the high price and low piece count, this is overall a great set. You get three cool minifigures, two awesome cars, a trike, and a decent street corner. There's little reason to be disappointed with this set, and I think the target audience of 5-12 year olds will love it. I know 2013 is seeing a new version of "Police Chase", but from the pictures I've seen, I prefer this version. The police car included in this set is one of the coolest I've seen from LEGO in the past decade, and the red sports car has a much nicer look than 2009's Sports Car. I highly recommend this set.

Edited December 27, 2012 by Rick