2013 City Sets - Rumours and Discussion

[ChrisW]

Definitely will be getting Town Square. I was so disappointed to miss out on the recent Transport Center, so this will be a great alternative to get what seems like a very nice looking bus.

TRU Exclusive?

[lightningtiger]

Definitely will be getting Town Square. I was so disappointed to miss out on the recent Transport Center, so this will be a great alternative to get what seems like a very nice looking bus.

TRU Exclusive?

Now that's a good question......give me a minute while I place a call.

Edit - dam it, have to leave a voice mail......I may or may not get a response.....if I get an answer I will post it.

Edited February 19, 2013 by lightningtiger

[Faefrost]

.......I feel that us EB'ers have a better pulse on the Lego world across the board than their designers do. The only requirement for them is a Uni degree in industrial design (thanks to that Nat Geo doco), no requirement for knowledge of geography which includes real town planning which I was taught back in high school.

Seriously, Pekko's Cuusoo project is our best hope for the future of Lego City.......maybe Lego needs to design a Gym for all those coffee drinking, pizza eating minifigs eh ?

Now that we know the gas station and only half of the bike shop is gone......what's making it have such a high parts count and has Lego overdone it one way (bike shop) and just enough the other (pizza bar) ?

I think Lego has been branching out quite a bit in what they look for in designers in recent years and it is showing. Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't Astrid an Architect? Which would seem to be precisely what you are looking for? A blend between Industrial Design, Art skills,a nd town planning. I've also been really really impressed with this years city sets. While we have seen some truly superb city sets in the past, they were typically individual sets. But this year there seems to be a change in design phillosophy. We are not simply getting a vehicle or a thing. We are in almost all cases getting something for the thing to do. Form and Function to build play. The Fire department has things on fire! Boats to rescue! Kitty's in trees. The police have not simply shady characters, but actual crime scenes and crimes in progress. This city center, while a bit disjointed in its crane/bus/streetsweeper motif forms an actual living street. And this is across the line in almost every new city set. It's marvelous!

[legoboy3998]

Looking back over the images of the last few days, I see things they could of put in instead of that odd-ball street sweeping tractor.......how about a support ute for the crane, what about a coffee stand or even a post box with mail delivery person....things you would actually see in a town centre ?

I still wonder what goes though the design team's minds when deciding what should hit the shops shelves ?

Here in the Midwest we use tractors like this all the time to remove snow. There are quite versitel, you have the cutting deck for summer, add a bagger for leaves in fall, and for winter, a plow, broom or snow blower depending on how much snow has fallen. Too bad this one is comming in such a big set, I might have to MOC one.

The fire pack seems like a good way to get the chief torso if you weren't otherwise going to buy the fire station.

I agree, when I saw these on Brickset today, I had to run out and get two. I wanted two fire chiefs for my new department. I bought two fire trucks, two fire battlepacks and the fire motorcycle, (got a free police helocopter too). I wanted the two fire trucks for the new ladder piece. Doh! the new ladder is two rungs longer than the ladder without side rails. I might have to cut them down to put them on my ladder truck.

Sal

WFB, WI

[lightningtiger]

Here in the Midwest we use tractors like this all the time to remove snow. There are quite versitel, you have the cutting deck for summer, add a bagger for leaves in fall, and for winter, a plow, broom or snow blower depending on how much snow has fallen. Too bad this one is comming in such a big set, I might have to MOC one.

Very true, I would have preferred an updated 2005 street sweeper instead. This one has a towing hitch so why didn't they include a small trailer carrying a shovel, a broom and a few rubbish bins ? Oh well, that's what MOC is for right ?

[legoboy3998]

I didn't even notice the hitch, I did however notice one on the yellow car at the gas station. A trailer would be a great addition. i can picture it, a lawn tractor with removeable cutting deck, mulcher attachment, broom, plow, snow blower and trailer with garbage can broom and shovel, for like $6-$10. LOL , I wish! Come to think of it, LEGO City doesn't seem to get much snow anyway...

Sal

WFB, WI

[paul_delahaye]

I'm not sure by the crane, I think it's a little oversized, I know cranes are big, but I'm not sure it needed to be bigger than a 6 wide model?

An like everyone has said, it should have been a great vehicles set.

I think it's going to be a bigger let down when everyone realises the Bike shop is only half a bike shop, the one at the Lego expo being 2 bike shops joined together.

[lightningtiger]

I have been wondering why Lego designs such big crane......compensating for something ?

Not that the crane in the set isn't realistic but just for a minifig size statue.....yep, over-compensating !

I wonder if next year we'll get more buildings to join Town Centre plus the museum and bank......but that's next year ?

[LEGO Guy Bri]

I'm not sure by the crane, I think it's a little oversized, I know cranes are big, but I'm not sure it needed to be bigger than a 6 wide model?

I think it's going to be a bigger let down when everyone realises the Bike shop is only half a bike shop, the one at the Lego expo being 2 bike shops joined together.

You have some really valid points paul. This type of crane is becoming very repetitive. I had to do a double take looking at it because I thought it was the on from the 7633 Construction Site... A $20 some dollar option I could do without. As for the bike shop, I agree fully that it is two, as well. The two folding signs, fire hydrants, and second pizza shop right behind the first one. It does make picking a second set for another bus and bigger bike shop though

[lightningtiger]

Actually the bus on it's own would have made a great vehicle set....though the price point would of jumped up.

To truly judge Town Centre we need more images.....those by the looks of it we will have to wait.

[lightningtiger]

Amazing who you meet in a Westfield's eh.......a Lego rep.......he showed no surprise at yourstruly talking out loud about Town Centre, though who is having it as an exclusive will be decided in May.....for Oz at least.

[Androo]

I went to Toys R Us (in the UK) just now to see if they had the City 'battle packs' in stock. They didn't so I bought the 60002 Fire Engine instead, which I think is smashing - the best Lego fire engine I've seen. It doesn't quite fit in the modular fire station though, it's only a fraction too high but it's way too long. I'm going to use the hydrant to replace the wobbly tree outside though I think.

I only live about 150 yards from TRU but what with amazon, etc I don't normally like to pay their full prices, otherwise it'd be dangerous.

Also, I quite like the way the Town Centre set seems to be shaping up for me personally as I haven't got a crane yet, however I'm halfway through building a red and white version of the City Corner bus...oh well I'll have two red buses.

[L@go]

Having been in Copenhagen, and not having read the posts while I was away, it's quite funny reading through this topic knowing what I now know. What an incredible load of speculation, all from a couple of pictures! And I know I myself would probably have thought just the same as you if I had been at home, relying on EB. Haha!

I can comment on a couple of things in this post, though:

So it's either also part of the official set, or it's fan-built like the rest.

None of this is in fact "fan-built" - it is all built by the LEGO City designers.

Personally, I'm all for the Gas Station being a stand-alone store exclusive. I'll probably end up with the 60026 anyway, but the gas station is what I've wanted for a good two years now...

As somebody else has already said, the Gas Station is a MOC by one of the City designers. It is not going to be a set. Which is sad, as it looks very nice.

So this is what we were mean't to get back when that TRU vote a city set happen eh ?

I know this sounds funny, but I have it from very believable sources that this has nothing to do with that old poll.

TLG... if that Service Station isn't part of the set, and from what I gather it is not, then did you have to place it RIGHT NEXT to your whole reveal of something big & brand new?

I think that's actually a great joke. Imagine how fun it must be to pull a joke like this as a LEGO designer - and then have the community go crazy with speculation. I would have loved that :D

[lightningtiger]

A joke by a designer......funny thing is we want the gas station more than than that huge crane......maybe the joke will back-fire. Though my gut feeling is it's a prototype for something they are planning next year or the year after that.

Why, you may ask I have that feeling......simple it's too detailed and fitted out like a regular open back city set......or is that part of the joke.....maybe my sense of humour isn't the same.

[calmkiller]

Can anyone tell me what the orange truck in the bottom right of this image belongs in? Is it a set already released? It appears to be associated with the Garage and Towing line because it has the tow truck sticker on the top. This series was done in 2009, but I have not seen that truck before. Anyone have a set number for that?

[L@go]

Can anyone tell me what the orange truck in the bottom right of this image belongs in?

*snip*

It's from 8404 Public Transport Station, a lovely set from 2010.

[calmkiller]

It's from 8404 Public Transport Station, a lovely set from 2010.

Thanks

Edited February 20, 2013 by Rick
Please don't quote images unnecessarily. Thanks.

[jonwil]

I dont know about the gas stating hinting at future sets. But it DID inspire me to work on a new Octan gas station MOC :)

[Jargo]

The 8404 street sweeper is the sort of thing I expect. Modern, compact, attractive. That 'thing' in the City square set is hideously ugly. I really don't know how anyone could like it.

[LEGO Guy Bri]

The 8404 street sweeper is the sort of thing I expect. Modern, compact, attractive. That 'thing' in the City square set is hideously ugly. I really don't know how anyone could like it.

When compared, I'd take the one from 8404 any day. This one is more like a personal/private use tractor based on it's small size.

While it wasn't the original sweeper I thought we were getting, I kind of like it. I have an almost identical one built in yellow from a couple years ago when I started building road paving equipment. I'll probably use the green brush off this to build one like in this photo, if it isn't already to be in a set, or just put the original model with my farming sets

[jonwil]

I dont mind the green street sweeper and the fact that there is a prototype for it is even better.

Edited February 21, 2013 by jonwil

[Bricknblue]

The 8404 street sweeper is the sort of thing I expect. Modern, compact, attractive. That 'thing' in the City square set is hideously ugly. I really don't know how anyone could like it.

8404 is better, but the new one is fine for the few pieces it uses. When it comes to the set, I have many MANY more serious issues with Town Square than a stupid little snow brusher.

[PsyKater]

As somebody else has already said, the Gas Station is a MOC by one of the City designers. It is not going to be a set. Which is sad, as it looks very nice.

Do you know by any chance which designer has designed the Gas Station?

[Jargo]

8404 is better, but the new one is fine for the few pieces it uses. When it comes to the set, I have many MANY more serious issues with Town Square than a stupid little snow brusher.

In all honesty I'm not totally serious. It does strike me as odd that an old fashioned design was used in a very modern looking square but I think the addition of a huge crane rather than another building is more annoying. Also leaving out the crane would have meant more attention and parts could have been given to the pizza place which is sadly lacking in depth. The last one in 7641 City Corner was quite shallow but this one is almost non existent. It's got a nice facade but that's all it is. There isn't even a pizza oven.

The bike shop though is lovely. Compared to the tiny one from 7641 City Corner this is leaps and bounds beyond. Modern looking, two floors, attractive corner facade and plenty going on. Two motorbikes, a bicycle, a skateboard. Rotating door. Cool signage and a classy colour scheme.

The bus has a great shape, colour scheme and decent doors. A fantastic addition to the streets of Lego City. With the train logo on the doors it's nice to see a rival bus company to the one in 7641 City Corner.

I don't have much to say about the statue apart from that the plaque on the plinth has the date 1132. Must have been a significant year for Lego City. Perhaps a battle took place on the ground the City was built on? It's a nice nod to the castle theme and Lego City having a history.

Which leaves the crane. The only part I like is the pseudo pneumatic rods on the base of the boom which is a definite improvement on the crane from 7633 construction site. And as I've said the crane means fewer buildings in this set which is annoying, but also this crane is eight wide which is too big at this scale. It's only lifting a statue onto a plinth so there's no need for a huge crane. And yes, I can see how a crane is fun for kids, but a smaller one would be just as much fun and mean more parts could be added elsewhere in the set.

I don't mean to sound whiny and whingey. I just think in a set that's supposed to be a City square there should be more emphasis on the buildings and square than on the vehicles.

[Bricknblue]

I honestly would have left the crane, LEGO knows boys love vehicles and the crane will probably be a bigger selling point. I would have gotten rid of the pizza shop, it's weird looking and doesn't really fit, and then made a building, with an expanded square and cut out some pieces from the bus.

But to me its not anywhere near the level a $100+ set should be. The haf a bike shop is awsome, but it needs the full thing.