paanjang16 Posted June 21, 2009 (edited) INDEXED Hello all, this will be my first review on Eurobricks forum Would like to start with a small impulse set my parents bought for me back in 88; 6503 Sprint Racer. Lego number: 6503 Name of set: Sprint Racer Year released: 1988 Number of parts (according to Peeron): 27 Price: On Bricklink it is about $2.50 dollars. Anyway, here is the box art of the set courtesy of Peeron The instructions from what I can see online I believe is 1 long piece of paper with double sided printing. Here is a random instruction page (from PICSL) Even for such a small impulse set, Lego thought of alternate models!! I wonder if the new impulse sets have alternate models nowadays (pic from PICSL) As for parts, rare parts include the printed Shell tiles for the rear wing and number 1 on the slope. The yellow vehicle base I saw is only available in the sets that have small F1 cars (such as Victory raceway). The red 4x4 plate on the yellow vehicle base, could not get it off Also there is 1 1x2 black plate under the handle tile which I forgot to remove. My tires look worn after years in storage and play. Once built, the number 1 and the Shell wing stands out. The front wing has a smooth 1x2 tile to represent the nose of the car. From the side, the racer looks abit aerodynamic with the slopes rising from the front to the rear. The handle tile acts like a backrest for the driver and the tile with grille shows where the engine is. For the minifigure, it is a standard Lego blue torso with no decals or patterns whatsoever. The head is classic smiley and the legs are blue. Also have a white helmat with blue visor This set came out in 1988, at the time where Lego produced Shell petrol stations, Shell oil tankers and with this, Shell F1 car. The Shell motif is everywhere on this car, from the yellow vehicle base with red trim in the middle and white on top, to the Shell printed tiles on the wing. Its too bad such a car don't exist anymore and even if it does, it will have a HUGE DSS as seen in the new Lego Ferraris. Sure they are big, but they are more to collectors with little play value and I highly doubt it can last 20 years of play by a child and in storage with pieces all over the place. Marketing possibilities? During F1 races, Lego can sell these small impulse sets in the Ferrari booth or at the circuit or at the petrol station (buy petrol, buy impulse set at discounted rate?). Since it is so cheap Ferrari fans will buy them. Side by side comparison with a Shell Ferrari F2008 (coincidentally 20 years after this sprint racer was released). The the F1 Ferrari was bought during the Shell Ferrari promotion, where if you pump roughly RM 40 of Petrol you can buy this car with some gimmick for roughly RM 8. Edit: Added in price. Edited June 21, 2009 by TheBrickster Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tom Bricks Posted June 21, 2009 That looks like a pretty good set but it would have been nice to have a more detailed torso. Also you can usually find the price on the peeron page. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WesternOutlaw Posted June 21, 2009 Nice review Paanjang16 - very vivid pictures. These little Impulse sets were extra nice at a price of only $1.99 (USD), and made great stocking stuffers. The same set today would go for $6.99 at Toys R Us, and not have as much to offer. While the old blue minifig torso is a bit plain, I like the fact that the fig had a white space helmet with trans. blue lense. Also, judging by your pictures, it looks like this set has no stickers, but rather printed parts. That's a real plus! I like this little racer set. Thanks for sharing. I would probably rate this set a 3.5 to 4. EDIT: I've INDEXED this review and also added a poll so that others may vote. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CP5670 Posted June 21, 2009 Great review. This was actually my first Lego set ever. I got another, unopened one off Bricklink a few years ago, as I had lost most of the pieces from my original copy. This car is the same shape and design as the ones in the 6395 Victory Lap Raceway, so it goes well with that set. The only real con is the generic minifig. While the old blue minifig torso is a bit plain, I like the fact that the fig had a white space helmet with trans. blue lense. Also, judging by your pictures, it looks like this set has no stickers, but rather printed parts. That's a real plus! Yes, everything is printed here. The late 1980s was the best era for printed parts. Almost everything was printed at that point, including pieces unique to a set as seen here. The 1x2 Shell panels only ever appeared in this set, and the 2x2 Shell tile only appeared in one other set. It's hard to imagine that today, when we're lucky to see any printed parts at all in several themes. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zorbas Posted June 21, 2009 One of my favorite little sets that I own! I think that it is detailed enough, mostly regarding the shape, and the printed pieces are still like brand new. Coincidentally, this was the first set I had built after leaving the dark ages behind me. Thanks for the very nice review! P.S About the instructions, it is indeed one long piece of paper. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Cobra Posted June 21, 2009 I rated it "average". I like the car, but the pilot is too plain (I guess there weren't printed helmets back then, but there surely were printed torsos!) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BillytheKid Posted June 21, 2009 Nice review. Only what's happened to that right front wheel of that racing car? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
paanjang16 Posted June 21, 2009 Great review. This was actually my first Lego set ever. I got another, unopened one off Bricklink a few years ago, as I had lost most of the pieces from my original copy.This car is the same shape and design as the ones in the 6395 Victory Lap Raceway, so it goes well with that set. The only real con is the generic minifig. Yes, everything is printed here. The late 1980s was the best era for printed parts. Almost everything was printed at that point, including pieces unique to a set as seen here. The 1x2 Shell panels only ever appeared in this set, and the 2x2 Shell tile only appeared in one other set. It's hard to imagine that today, when we're lucky to see any printed parts at all in several themes. Checking Peeron, the printed 1x2 panels really only appear in this set; didn't know the panel is so rare. As for the 2x2 shell tile, the other set it appear in is the Metro Park and Service Tower, where there are 2 tiles on the wall and column in the set. I believe that the reason the minifigure is a generic Legoman is because to keep the cost under 2 dollars, Lego did not take the additional step of printing the torso of the Legoman. But the sacrifice was worth it Nice review. Only what's happened to that right front wheel of that racing car? I don't know how it ended like that Must be years of play,years of storage? Throughout my dark ages the parts were all scattered and buried under other Lego parts in large containers. But still, at least the wheels can still turn. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WhiteFang Posted June 21, 2009 Excellent review! This is one of my favourite racing car among my Classic Town collection. Although some of my printed tiles are misplaced, but I can never forget the beauty of this small impulse set. It offer so much fun and value in this SHELL race car, and a great way of adding it to your race track. It seemed in the 1980s, racing is one of the popular activities in Classic Town, and this is one of the great ways to use both SHELL and LEGO to promote their products together in this small, but realistic looking company. After the use of SHELL, we seen a newer company known as OCTAN. Well, I miss this set very much, and your review have brought back lots of memories for me. Thanks! I am glad yours is still in good shape. This review has been featured in Classic-Town.net. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites