Zeahl Posted June 24, 2013 (edited) REVIEW: 60011 - Surfer Rescue Coast guard review index: 60011 - Surfer Rescue 60012 - 4x4 & Diving Boat 60013 - Coast Guard Helicopter 60014 - Coast Guard Patrol 60015 - Coast Guard Plane In the summer wave of 2013 Lego has release a number of sets related to the coast guard. The last time Lego used this theme was in 2008, which was when I was still in the dark ages so for me, someone who loves the sea and boats, this was quite an exciting announcement. As soon as the sets hit the stores, I bought them, and build them, and boy did they deliver. I'll start with the smallest of the sets here, and try to review my way up from there. 60011 - Surfer Rescue Set Nr: 60011 Theme: City Year released: 2013 Nr of parts: 32 Minifigs: 2 Price: US$6.99 / €6.99 / £4.99 Get the surfer to safety with the LEGO® City Coast Guard rescuer on his watercraft with a surfboard, life preserver, shark and a life jacket! The Box On the front of the box we see a surfer in peril of being eaten by a large grey shark, while in the distance the coast guard on his water scooter rushes to the rescue. The water on which the scene takes place looks nice and rough and splashes out of the frame, and far in the distance we can see Lego City. On the bottom left we are reminded, in no less than 6 different languages, that the boat does not float. On the back of the box we are reminded that small children might choke one the Lego in more languages than I'm willing to count. ...Really... Oh alright...It's 29. On the side of the box is the same scene as on the front of the box. And on the spine the shark look to get ready to come ashore, but is blocked by a huge frame with a 1:1 scale minifigure. The instructions The front of the booklet has the same scene once again, as well as a nice fold right through the middle, which is necessary due to the size of the box in which it had to fit. Inside the book we find (quite unexpectedly) the instruction on how to construct the model. There are part call outs and the color differentiation is very good. The watery background fits well with the theme and never obstructs the building instructions. The first add we find in the back of the booklet is for the whole coast guard set line, which is missing one set, 60015, which seems to be exclusive to the online Lego store. (And maybe the physical Lego stores) The add creates a good looking and busy water scene, with rescuing happening all over the place. Looking at that I have to come to the conclusion that the waters around Lego City have to be the most perilous waters in the whole world. The second add is for a Lego City starter set. I will leave it at that, seeing as this has nothing to do with the coast guard. Gah! ..The back...No words....Moving on! The parts The first thing you might note is that, for the small amount of parts in this set, Lego has been quite generous with the figures. There are two minifigs and a grey shark in this set, which gives this set insane playability for it's price, but more on that later. The parts are a combination of white, blue and orange, with some grays and blacks thrown in the mix. Due to me having no patience and building the set prior to reviewing it the stickers have already been applied. No printed parts here, except for the minifigs. The minifigs Let's start with the most important minifig of the set: The coast guard. The torso is printed on both sides with great detail. The one sided head is somewhat generic with silvery sunglasses. He comes with a helmet and life jacket to protect him when he's out and about on his water scooter. The surfer has printing on both sides of the torso as well which, when combined with the legs, makes a believable wet suit. He has a smug face, unfortunately with no alternative expression, a scared face would be nice for when the shark is about to take a bite out of him. The hair is a stereotypical surfer dude haircut, which fits nicely with the fig. The shark is.. Well.. A shark. Not much new here as far as I can tell. It still looks the same as it always has, which is fine. I love these guys this way and don't think there's much they can do to improve them anyway. The build The build for the water scooter is, predictably, over very quickly. It's an easy but ultimately rewarding build. The front of the water scooter has some very attractive curves to it. I really like the part usage to create this look. The stickers on the front and sides blend in with the overall design nicely and compliment the color scheme. I also really like the idea of the life preserver on the front of the vehicle, ready to be thrown to someone in need. On the back end of the water scooter is space for the coast guard to stand while controlling the craft. When everything is put together (the tribal thingy on the surfboard is also a sticker) the set presents a nice little aquatic scene for it's buyers to play around with. The inclusion of the surfer and the shark makes sure the coast guard has someone to rescue and something to rescue him from. For a set of this size and price that's not something I'm used to. It would have been a great set with just the water scooter and coast guard, the addition of the surfer and the shark just makes it phenomenal. Conclusions (Disclaimer: I don't believe in giving numerical scores. It is up to the reader to decide what they think of any given model, and I believe mandatory scores detract from this notion.) minifigs: The coast guard looks the part, and the surfer's wet suit look great. And while not realy a mini fig, an extra shark to infest the waters around Lego City is always welcome in my home. build/design: While quite simple to build, the water scooter just looks great. Playability: for a set of this size and price, the playability is insane. I foresee a lot of surfers being rescued from sharks this summer. Overall this is a great set, and for this price I can recommend it to absolutely everybody. Well...? What are you waiting for? Go out and buy it! Edited December 2, 2013 by Zeahl Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Artifex Posted June 25, 2013 Thanks for the review! I love this set. I want multiples! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WhiteFang Posted June 25, 2013 Thank for this review. I like this set alot, mainly because of the classic looking shark that is included in this set. A nice buy indeed. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mr. Elijah Timms Posted June 25, 2013 (edited) Great little review-- totally agree with what 'Zeahl' says about the pieces used to create a very aesthetically pleasing design in front. When I built this I was really impressed with the value vs. price. Recommend it! Edited June 25, 2013 by Mr. Elijah Timms Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LEGO Guy Bri Posted June 25, 2013 Nice review Zeahl. I bought a couple of these. Glad they put out a CG jet ski, but am not to thrilled about the price tag Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Laura Beinbrech Posted June 26, 2013 While I'm not overly fond of the color scheme for this summer's Coast guard sets, I DO really like the gray uniforms... They look kinda similar to the old US Navy dungarees or Utility uniforms (although those had light blue shirts instead of light gray), I might pick up a couple of this set (for the small boat pieces and unifors) as well as Brick Link the Coast Guard torsos. I'm probably going to buy the Coast Guard Patrol boat to make into a Corvette.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Blondie-Wan Posted June 26, 2013 I'm just pleased that they put two people and a shark into such a small set. I'll have to get this one, I think. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
