Classic town vs City sets, which are your favorite?

[jd5775]

Hi everybody

I was looking through all the 2011 sets so far and found quite a few have an older counterpart. I used to think I would like the classic town sets regardless, but I think I like the 4642 better than the 4011 and the 7288 better than the 6348.

Which set would you rather have in these comparisons?

3677 or 4563

4642 or 4011

3368 or 6339

4644 or 6543

4645 or 6541

7287 or 4021

7288 or 6348

7498 or 6398

[22kane]

I had several of these older sets as a child and they were great but for me, Lego gets better with age so I'm fond of the newer sets. They tend to have more detail with more special pieces as opposed to the early block sets. However, the early Marina and Space Shuttle win over the newer models. Other than that, give me the new stuff!!

[ACCURATEin]

I probably circled set 6339 about 20 times in the little LEGO catalog but santa never brought it.

haha.

[LegoSjaak]

I also think that TLG is making sets more detailed these days. The world around us changes as well, and as i like it that sets meet reality, it is obvious that i will like the newer Citysets more. Ofcourse i like the older sets, but i enjoyed them 30 years ago!!

Greetz LegoSjaak

Check my latest video on YouTube

[LEGO Guy Bri]

I have to go with the newer sets. As with the general consensus, more detail + unique elements = better model. That is not to say I don't like the classics. Some of the 90's sets beat the heck out of recents. 6543 Sail N' Fly Marina and 6339 Shuttle Launch and the older airports are prime examples. Apart from that 90% of my old displayed city was classic and thats pretty much all I purchased after leaving my "dark age" in 2009. As soon as I can move them into a bigger room I will join classic and new city sets together.

I probably circled set 6339 about 20 times in the little LEGO catalog but santa never brought it.

I feel your pain, I'm still trying to get that set

[romdam]

Easy answer...older sets. The new ones do nothing for me. The 6 wide cars and semis that are as long as a city block, no. I only collect the minifigs from sets now and keep building the old. I have 7 of the old seaports but wil never buy a one of that gastly new thing. That "marina", ugh, are you serious? Only thing I would consider buyiing are the castle sets as the seem to be closer to the old style than anything.

[Rijkvv]

The older sets in every case.

I agree with the fact that more detail is better. However, if it's about finishing touches, the current sets need big improvements. And I think the old sets have the details and the finishing touches, while the new one mostly lacks them.

-Trains: the brown car of 3677 is one of the worst car designs ever. I prefer 9V, the rails do look better. And with this train, there were seperate available freight wagons for sale.

-Floating boats: to me it looks like the designer putted more efford in the old design. However, the new one is not that bad.

-Launch bases: the older one is one single base, instead of seperate baseplates. Better design of the tower, the crawler and the rocket/shuttle itself in the older one. The new rocket looks like it has an egg on top of it.

-Marinas: I'm not sure if you can compare these two. In any case, I find the new one a really poor design, but if compared to 6543, which has two speedboats, a plane, little boat and drydock, it really is rubbish. If I only look to the buildings, still the 6543 building is the better one.

-Harbours: 6541. The same as the new marina, the new harbour is a poor design as well. It looks really like a Duplo set that turned into a City set days before release. I think the designer should be ashamed. While the older set has a rigid dock, the newer one shows a dock that looks like it hardly can withstand the docking ship. The ship itself looks better in the old version again. The same story as with the floating boats, altough 4642 was actually quite good, but not as good as 4011. Here it's a different story. The hull of the new ship has not even to be built. Even the pier for the fisherman looks better in the old one, with much more efford to make something nice. The beautiful crane speaks for itself. The only good point of the new harbour is the truck, which looks quite good. There was only one harbour ever that was better than 6541, and that was it's bigger sister 6542, which was released the same year.

-Floating police boats: again it looks to me the old set is of a much better design. The new one has an ugly hull and a poor design of the cabin. What is that white-red thing supposed to be!?

-Police command trucks: the old one is better. It could have used a 6-wide truck, since the pieces already existed, but with the 5-wide sleeper, it looks okay. The new design: 8-wide? Are you kiddin me? What are those bars for? Is this a prisoner transport or a command truck? With such a huge trailer, it could use a third axle. The police bike looks about the same size as the red sportscar. That car looks quite good.

-Police stations: The old one has a nicer baseplate, walkway and vehicles. The only downside is that the tip of the main rotor of the heli comes very close to the building. Still, there's only one police station that can compete with 6398 and that's 6598 from 1996.

Just my 2 cents.

[mikey]

Although at the moment my interests have diverted towards the pseudo historic themes it was City sets that bought me out of my dark age, and after I made my initial purchases I did consider acquiring the classic sets from my childhood. Once that initial wave of nostalgia passed I lost interest in buying classic sets, I love looking at classic sets, and a nice classic display still makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. But I think the contemporary designs of sets are so much better than classic (this is not to say a certain 'one over sized wheel fits all' problem ruins the current designs), and as has been said more details means more pieces (and I like getting more pieces!). Of course adding in the fact that we can have minifigs with character now, means contemporary wins for me.

...

Some of the 90's sets beat the heck out of recents. 6543 Sail N' Fly Marina and 6339 Shuttle Launch and the older airports are prime examples.

...

I do think that jd5775 picked some good comparisons, and looking at 6543/ 4644 I think the classic version is so much better. But perhaps it is unfair to compare these two directly, although they both roughly serve the same kind of function, the classic 6543 at 674 parts was a 'Big' classic set, whilst 4644 at 270 parts is really a 'Medium' city set. Potentially if 4644 had been allocated a 'Big' set position, the result would have had more substance than a bridge connecting two mediocre buildings.

[LEGO Guy Bri]

...I did consider acquiring the classic sets from my childhood. Once that initial wave of nostalgia passed I lost interest in buying classic sets, I love looking at classic sets, and a nice classic display still makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. But I think the contemporary designs of sets are so much better than classic.

I do think that jd5775 picked some good comparisons, and looking at 6543/ 4644 I think the classic version is so much better. But perhaps it is unfair to compare these two directly, although they both roughly serve the same kind of function, the classic 6543 at 674 parts was a 'Big' classic set, whilst 4644 at 270 parts is really a 'Medium' city set.

I never got over missing out on most of the great city sets from the early-mid 90's and this is the only theme I collect. Well that and a few vehicle sets from themes like Indi Jones or The Adventurers. I also love to look at others city layouts, which led me to join here.

You do make a good point. It is a bit strange to compare, or even consider 4644 a marina at all. More like a life guard stand and surf shop... with a boat. 6543 is one of my top ten favorite sets of all time.

[Strikeman]

Easy answer...older sets. The new ones do nothing for me. The 6 wide cars and semis that are as long as a city block, no. I only collect the minifigs from sets now and keep building the old. I have 7 of the old seaports but wil never buy a one of that gastly new thing. That "marina", ugh, are you serious? Only thing I would consider buyiing are the castle sets as the seem to be closer to the old style than anything.

I have the same feeling about this. Since I've returned to LEGO I've bought a bunch of new sets, but honestly I like my old sets way better.

I can live with the 6-wide trucks, as I feel trucks should be a bit wider than normal cars, but then again once you put them in your town layout they are FREAKISHLY large. Indeed a truck that's 1 city block long is a bit stupid in my book. When playing with, for example, the cargo truck that came with 7939 I can't round a corner without going over the side walk or crashing against oncoming traffic. Not even going to start about 3221, which I LOVE, but I can't do anything with it in my city.

[lightningtiger]

For me it depends on the set, like I would prefer the older marina, but new harbour instead of the older one.

I guess it one's own personal taste which you prefer.

[charlieboy]

I'd have to say I much prefer the older sets pictured over the newer versions with the possible exception of the train set. All of the other sets above remind me of playing with Lego as a kid, you cant beat the classic four wide vehicles and simplistic buildings.

Whilst I like the look of these new-fangled modular sets i'd never buy one, cost aside they dont do it for me like the old style buildings do.

[PogsKlinc]

I much prefer the older ones. The new ones have amazing pieces, minifigures, and designs, but I hold a soft spot for classic City. When I first started really collecting Lego, I was on the tail end of classic City onto the heavily <insert that tiresome argument> stuff of the late 1990's early 2000's. Classic city is slightly before my time. I have a few sets, but not many. The old sets just have this charm to them. While the new ones have an immense "cool" factor, the old ones are just cute and something less intimidating to want to emulate in MOCing. The new buildings can be so complex, (modular houses), but I know I personally can't afford them and MOCing that well as a beginner is a nightmare. There were also many more impulse sets in classic city. Small sets now cost about $20 as opposed to small vehicles for about $5. It was easier to populate a town with these small 4-stud vehicles. So, my vote goes to classic City.

[sonicstarlight]

Almost without exception, I prefer the older sets. Some of it is just nostalgia I'm sure, but too many City sets now have overly large and specific pieces compared to the past. That said, the modulars are worlds better than any of the classic sets, and the Creator line has had some great houses in these last few years.

[Section8]

Universally, the older sets are better. I own both the new and old sets of the marina and fishing boat, and the new ones don't compare to the old ones. Sail and Fly Marina? The new Marina doesn't even come close. 6543 is one of the best Town sets ever made. I didn't think that until I built it myself. Every old set I don't own is pretty high on my want list, but the new ones are not. I have the new spaceport, but I'd rather have the old one. Lego just made more detailed, more functional sets back in the day. The only two sets that come close are the two freight trains, but when compared to the Freight Rail Runner, they are both inferior.

[tedbeard]

I prefer the new train and the new rocket launch site. In both cases the newer versions look more like the real thing.

I cannot stand ether version of the Police Station. Until they do a Modular Housing Standard version to go with the Fire Brigade I just find them all terrible.

Of the rest the older sets range from marginally to vastly superior. Especially when it comes to boats I find the modern designs really lacking character for lack of a better word. I do prefer the six-wide automobiles but too often the flashy add-ons ruin them.

[TheLegoDr]

I almost always prefer the older versions just because those are what I played with when I was young, so nostalgia wins. But I do agree that a newer Police station in the same concept as Fire Brigade would be ideal.

[legOZ]

for new train,new boat and new rocket launch site i can say old ones are better but this isn't a rule for all sets.

4560 or 7938 ?

4560

7938

i think 7938 is better one.

i can say maersk train,emerald train are also better than older ones.

but this wouldn't be objective.

if i compare 4560 with 7938

7938 wins.NEW CITY SETS WIN !

but if i compare 4558 with 7938

4558 wins.OLD TOWN SETS WIN!

so comparing sets 1 on 1 isn't healthy.

when i look from the general point of view i think new sets includes more details but new city sets looks more childish legos.

i think its becasue tlg.

they are selling city sets for afols with modular buildings theme.because of that city sets are look more childish.

Edited August 6, 2011 by legOZ

[bzcat]

I think I must be getting old... all the "classic" town set you posted in the original post as comparison are not what I considered real classic era set. Those are "new" as well.

Here are some town vs city comparison that will really show how far things have come (for the better in my opinion)

379 vs. 8404

6384 vs. 7498

6367 vs. 3221

6695 vs. 3180

6369 vs. 7642

Just to name a few...

Edited August 6, 2011 by bzcat

[vgsprites]

Nice topic jd5775.

I bought all of 2010 city sets except the police and fire staions but I grew up seeing the sets in the first post Lego catalogs.

I own 4563 and believe it's is better cause of the fact it came with a forklift. Every town with cargo needs a forklift.

Other than that most of the classic town sets I wanted to own but have yet to obtain.

I wish to obtain 6348 first and I like the compact size of it with nice little details. Overall I like look of the truck.

Plus the old harbor 6541 is vastly better than the new one. Intermodal cargo is better, especially for a train fan like me, than grain cargo. Objectively thought the new harbor does go well with the farm sets.

I love classic early 90 sets and 4 stud vehicles and I probably always will.

[dr_spock]

I like the look of the classics. They are simple and leave it to your imagination. Also everyone has a smile on their face.