Rapseflaps

Review: 6661 Mobile TV Studio

On a scale of 1 to 5...   

25 members have voted

  1. 1. ... how would you rate this set?

    • 1 - Poor
      0
    • 2 - Below average
      0
    • 3 - Average
      2
    • 4 - Above average
      12
    • 5 - Outstanding
      11


Recommended Posts

INDEXED

gallery_6705_157_17796.png

6661 Mobile TV Studio (1989)

Every day, a hundred things happen in Lego City. Now, all inhabitants can be informed of the latest events, whether it's a daring police chase, the opening of a new store, or the local soccer match. All thanks to the Mobile TV Studio!

In this review, we'll be looking at the little blue truck that provides all of Lego City with news. It's a set that's 20 years old already and one of the first 10 sets I ever got. Time for another trip down memory lane...

6661.jpg

The box, courtesy of Peeron.

Item #: 6661

Name: Mobile TV Studio

Theme: LEGO System / Town / Classic

Year: 1989

Pieces: 71

Minifigs: 1

Price: Fl. 12.50

A note on the price: None of the links below have a price listing, but luckily the 1989 Dutch catalogue still featured prices. Peeron has a scan of it listing the original price.

Bricklink

Brickset

Peeron

The Box

It's just a small set with a truck in it, so the box it comes in isn't all that large.

boxfront.jpg

The sports field in the background instantly gives you an idea for where to place this, although our cameraman could easily work all over town

boxback.jpg

Alternate models on the back

Parts & Pieces

According to Peeron, there's 71 pieces. According to Brickset, there's 78. Since Peeron actually has an inventory list, I'll assume they have the right number. I hope you'll forgive me for not having counted everything myself, but if you're up to the challenge, here's a picture of the whole shebang:

parts.jpg

Not surprisingly, blue dominates, but there's some grey for the chassis and camera as well

Apart from the minifig torso, there's 4 printed parts. The big TV panels are pretty neat. The inverted computer screen is cool as well. I have several with this screen on a regular slope, but this is the only one I own that's inverted.

printedparts.jpg

Rather than having the more regular 2x4 mudguards, this car has 2 4x5 car bases. It also has two nifty blue doors.

doorsandbase.jpg

Instructions

The instructions came folded in a teeny tiny shape, judging by the folds in the paper. Unfolded, it's a single A4-sized sheet.

instructionsfront.jpg

This is how I've kept it stored all the time:

instructionsstored.jpg

The print size makes for perfect readable storage

This is then put in a large folder with all my other instructions. I've taken it out for this review. I've also taken the paper out of the plastic for the first time in many years, just for you guys to get a better shot.

instructionsinside.jpg

Minifigs

Just one this time.

minifig.jpg

All dressed in white with a blue cap, this guy doesn't get any sort of identifying TV outfit. It's just the zipper print we've seen so many times, mostly on racers. I don't quite understand why a cameraman is wearing this. Sure, it's better than just some striped sweater or a blank body, but would it really have hurt to give him a neat little TV jacket or something?

The Build

This small set will take you around 10 minutes to build. It's a decent size car with few complex parts.

We start off with the camera. A combination of round 1x1 bricks and plates makes up the base, and the cam itself is a 1x2x2/3 brick with studs on the side with some tiles put on. There's also a little lever for operating. A very nice little model.

camera.jpg

Apparently, this is camera 2. But where's camera 1?

The car has no solid base, but its chassis is made up of a simple 2x8 plate and the two car bases.

bottom.jpg

As you build, you can see this is a pretty sweet truck. The driver even gets an actual seat; something not very common at the time if I'm not mistaken. He also has the luxury of two working doors. The two small windows behind him serve to make the space look bigger, even though they're technically part of the van's rear storage space.

cabin.jpg

For live broadcasts, the van also has a nifty sattellite dish and a color-coordinated antenna. After 12 steps, your van is finished.

finished.jpg

All done!

When you're done, you have yourself a lovely little classic 4-wide van.

back.jpg

Your cameraman has the opportunity to view his feed from the back of his truck

backwithcamera.jpg

Also, when disassembled the camera fits nicely in the back

shooting.jpg

Bringing news City-wide!

The van is simple looking enough, but it also has a few nice touches like the satellite dish and the monitor in the back of the van. It's a perfect little design for the 4-wide classic era. It will fit into any town and fit especially well into a classic town from the era. My only quibble is that there's no accompanying set at all, but that's a teeny tiny minor thing that doesn't hurt the set itself at all. It's not a raving, you-must-get-this-now sort of conclusion to a review, but then this isn't so much a town essential as it is a nice little detail to drop into your town somewhere. Decent on its own, fun to integrate in a larger city.

The Final Tally

Design: 7/10 The truck is good enough and fits in very well with all the other cars from the era. It's not sleek or anything, but then again - it's a truck. The camera looks pretty neat.

Parts: 7/10 Inverted screen, big printed TV logos and actual working doors. Special for its time? Don't really think so. But very nice if you're just getting it now.

Minifigs: 5/10 I know Lego didn't have torso prints as elaborate 20 years ago as they do now, but why does this guy look like a race car driver wearing a baseball cap?

Playability: 7/10 It's a lot of fun driving around Lego City reporting on events happening. Then again, you'll probably be more preoccupied with making the events happening than filming them. On its own, it has its charms as well. It's quite nice that this car doesn't just have the sole function of driving around. If you don't have a big city yet, you could always pester your relatives by having your Lego man do in-depth reports on them.

Price: 6/10 Fl. 12.50 for a little truck with some added playability. Judging by the other prices, it's about what you'd expect.

Overall: 7/10 On average, we come to a 6.4 But this set scores some extra points in the final rating because it offers possibilities within your town not found in any other set. For that, I bump up the final score half a point.

Edited by Rapseflaps

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Great review :) very structured indeed.

I counted 77 or 78 pieces in your picture

I love this set. I love almost all the Classic Town sets actually, but I guess it's due to nostagia ;)

thanks for your detailed review

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

:oh3: My brother must've had that set....it certainly looks like it from the parts in it....

Time for a new vehicle in Lego City, methinks - a brand new TV van based on this one...

Edited by Matt Dawson

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I really like this little set. There weren't too many TV-themed sets, but they were all good. While the next one was more complete with the news helicopter, it in no way detracts from this set.

Great review!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I can't rate it perfect because of the minifig and the "flat front", so I voted "above average".

Great review!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Oh god... If that's not the VERY FIRST Lego set I had, it's pretty darn close! (That and the small two-engined plane...)

I ripped the instruction sheet, it's gone, forever! :pir-cry_sad:

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Man, I wish Lego would start making more sets like this. There could be a TV Van, a studio, and lots more!

Here is my lego Studio Channel 34 and the vehicles that support it

tv_station_channel_34.jpg

Inside

inside_channel_34.jpg

Edited by Marc Gagnon

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    No registered users viewing this page.