Review: 6616 Rocket Dragster

[ZO6]

INDEXED

Continuing my reviews of the 2000 Race subtheme in anticipation of the new World Racers sets, I present...

Set # - 6616

Name - Rocket Dragster

Theme/Subtheme - Town/Race

Year - 2000

Piece Count - 145

Minifigures - 1

Price - MSRP $20 US

Links

Brickset, Bricklink, Peeron

Instructions

The front of the instruction manual shows off the dragster smashing through the finish gate. There is also small picture to show that the set features a pull back motor:

The back of the manual features a comic strip, as well as an ad for the Stunt Rally video game:

Here is a random page from within the manual. There are no piece call-outs, however colour differentiation is fine:

The Minifigure

Here is the lone, creepy looking driver, both with his helmet on and off. He features a nice printed tiger on the front of his torso, but there is no printing on his back. I'm not sure if he is wearing a black speedo or not, but to help prevent any nightmares about this guy, I'll claim that he is in fact just sporting yellow pants...

The Dragster

Here we have the highlight of the set, the dragster. The pattern on the cockpit is made up of three stickers, and the tiger on the rear wing is a sticker too:

This view gives you a better idea of the length of the dragster. The front could definitely be longer, but then you would risk making everything much more fragile. Considering that this features a pull-back motor, the proportions are probably suitable. As to be expected, the rear tires are much larger than the front ones:

The dragster seems like a powerful beast when seen from the front:

When seen from the rear in this picture, the narrow depth of field helps to create the illusion of a longer vehicle. The rear wing is held in place but is also adjustable thanks to the bricks with click hinges. The gray plate with hole will be used in conjunction with the launching device:

Here is a close up of the cockpit. There is no seat for the driver, but luckily there is a steering wheel. There is also a small head rest/roll bar:

The motor is fairly simple, but is adequately detailed to appear beefy and powerful. The flames are a nice touch:

A small device is used to hold the dragster in place once the motor has been wound up. A pin drops through the hole at the back of the dragster to secure it. The rear wheels also sit up and catch slightly on the launching device to help prevent them spinning early. When you press down on the handle at the back of the launcher, the pin is raised which allows the dragster to go racing away:

The Finish line

Also included in the set is an elaborate finish line. Built into this is another play feature. The finish gates are placed on plates with pins which allows them to pivot. When the flaming gates are pushed back (or the dragster goes racing through them) they force small blocks that the flags are secured on to pivot upwards simulating the raising of these flags:

Here is a close up of the top of the finish line structure. Four stickers are used to add details, such as race info including the duration of the race (in seconds), and the speed of the dragster (in mph):

The Complete Set

This is all of the contents of the set together - the dragster with it's driver, the launching device, and the finish line:

Final Thoughts

Pricing and Value: At $20 this set offers reasonable value. You get 145 pieces which are used to build a nice little dragster, and a satisfying finish line. This set is the same price as the new Toy Story set Woody and Buzz to the Rescue which also includes a pull-back motor, however the new TS set only includes 92 pieces (though some of them are printed, and it includes two minifigs). In any case, the price is justified as ultimately the set offers loads of fun.

Design/Build: The build is pretty quick and easy, but with next to no repetition it's fun to put together. The dragster is solid, though its looks suffer a bit because it is stubby in order to retain its rigidity which is necessary with the pull-back motor. The colour scheme is eye catching and of course suits the tiger theme of the driver well. The finish line has nice details such as the flames on the gates, and the many flags. This structure however is fairly flimsy and should be handled with care when transporting it around.

Pieces: Most of the included parts of fairly basic and uninteresting, however there is plenty of potential for making other vehicles using the contents of the set. The only printed parts included are the head and torso of the minifigure, and the flags. There are a handful of stickers to apply to other parts. These stickers do make the set more visually interesting, however unsurprisingly these are the type that peel and disintegrate over time. Pieces of interest are of course the pull-back motor, and a pair of classic 6x6x10 stanchions.

Playability: This is the department in which this set really shines. Thanks to the pull-back motor, near limitless fun can be had. The motor is quite powerful, so the dragster can reach relatively high speeds before coasting for a long distance. The finish line for the dragster to blast through is a superb addition and makes for a satisfying race experience as the flags are raised. I received this set as a gift while I was in hospital a long time ago and it kept me plenty entertained for my two week stay - finding deserted corridors to unleash this upon was extremely addicting!

Verdict: The 6616 Rocket Dragster is a fantastic example of how a pull-back motor should be used in a Lego set. Not only does it really bring the dragster to life, but it makes the inclusion of the finish line truly appreciated. If you're in the mood for some good old fashioned racing action, you really can't go wrong with this very fun set.

As always, comments are questions are more than welcome. Cheers!

[legitimatealex]

This is really a pretty good set, although I am a bit scarred by those pants : \

The finish line is what really makes this great though, which is kind of strange for a racing set. The flames are just too good and complete this set really well.

Good review.

[peterab]

Continuing my reviews of the 2000 Race subtheme in anticipation of the new World Racers sets, I present...

Thanks for these reviews, while Racers is not very interesting to me, your reviews have highlighted some stuff I am interested in and wouldn't have noticed otherwise. In this I particularly like the minifig (more variety in town minfigs is always good) especially his face and speedos :-) I might try and bricklink one for myself.

Peter

[WhiteFang]

Thanks ZO6 for sharing this review! I had never seen this set, and to my surprise I went to visit a LEGO shop in the evening just now and I spotted this set hiding beneath the shelves. It's a little dear compared to its usual price but I never know what is this theme all about, and perhaps due to my dark age, I never really got myself interested in the City themes back in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and this set happens to be something very new to me.

This set certainly offers lots of fun racing actions with the launch device. For me, I still prefer those cute little 1980s Race Cars.

This review is now blogged over at Classic-Town.net,

[lightningtiger]

Thanks 'ZO6' for doing that review - now that does look interesting, but the front end is a bit.....well too flat ?

The engine is very nice - brick/plate built - very good for 2000 when Lego are trying to escape 'TownJr' !

Finishing line set up with automatic checkered flags is COOL !

Thanks again and I'm a conformist! !