coffeeandcake

very nice designs! would love to see a sherman and cromwell.

hi all, been following these forums for awhile, and i decided to contribute in my own way here by posting my review on this classic lego town set, 6597 century skyway. this is my first review so please go easy on me, and if i am not doing this right, do let me know.. im still learning (: most of my pictures have been taken using my phone camera, so excuse the quality, but i have tried to do my best in taking the best quality i can. ---- Set Number: 6597 Set Name: Century Skyway Sub-theme: Airport Year of Release: 1994 Pieces: 850 (lugnet) Minifigs: 12! Components: building, control tower, airliner, heavylift helicopter, small helicopter, 3 vehicles, mobile stairs and extras. Price: 109USD (lugnet) i have been a long fan of lego, and this set was one my favourites back when it was released about 18 years ago. needless to say, i got out of lego for quite a bit, unhappy with the newer line of <insert that tiresome argument> and easy build sets. this set then got lost with time. when i got back in to lego last year, i set out on a quest to find this set again, and managed to get one for a not-so-great but reasonable price, plus it was complete and in good condition, although the white pieces had shown its age..faded into an off-white to brownish colour. but that was a minor gripe. the set came without a box, but packed nicely by the previous owner in modular-style polybags with numbers, parts seperated into their respective build (i dont remember if the parts were seperated that way back then). INSTRUCTIONS i dont have a picture of the bags, but here is a shot of the instructions, and random pages of the various builds. the instructions come in a massive booklet, about A4 sized, and contained about 50 pages. it shows pretty much the same scene as the box would had, with the old lego system logo on the left and the set number on the right. i will post detailed shots of the booklet according to the respective build as the review goes on.. MINIFIGURES the set comes with a whopping 12 minifigures, the entire first page on the booklet is dedicated to them. the figs included are very nostalgic, back to the generic smiley faces with freckles. meet the friendly, ever smiling airport crew, from left to right - we have a pilot, a stewardess, the lego-branded octan aircraft refueler, baggage handler, air traffic controller, and forklift driver. i like the variety that comes with the figs in this set, such as the cap, hairpiece and hard hat. i appreciate that lego didn't just give three identical airport crewmen. the remaining six figures, from left to right - security guard, cargo helicopter pilot, small helicopter pilot (looking identical to the other helicopter pilot - do all chopper pilots look like this (: ) and three passengers, two males with the same head, but different bodies and a female with some sort of a bob cut in what looks like a sweater. as with all classic minifigs, there is no special printing on the legs or back printing on the torsos, but lovely nontheless. THE BUILD - VEHICLES the set comes with three small vehicles, a 2 in 1 baggage truck with mobile stairs, an octan refueling truck, and a forklift for precious cargo. these builds are simple enough, and a breeze to go through - it took me no longer than 15 minutes to go through. random instruction page from the vehicle builds. the tiny baggage truck is built using a simple and straightforward build. it has capacity for up to 8 suitcases or 1 cargo box in the back. it is connected to the mobile stairs via ball and joint pieces. the stairs is also an easy build and uses stickers on the plane tails on the side. a note about the stickers, they have a translucent background rather than a background printed in the same colour as the brick they are stuck on, like in today's sets. i think they look quite nice, and could make for another 'airline' plane tail for an alternative build perhaps? the baggage handler also comes with a trolley, which can fit 3 suitcases the octan refueling truck is another simple and straightforward build. its a tiny truck which utilises the string and hose, rather than the rubber tubes that we would find in sets today, or back then, the space sets. the truck also utilises octan branded stickers on both sides. i find far less detail in this build, for example, lack of a proper cockpit, and lack of headlights. and there is NO way that it can carry enough jet fuel in there for the plane to travel very far! the cargo forklift is another nice little build which uses the spring forklift piece which allows lots of playability. it has a larger wheel footprint on the front than the back, i am guessing for stability. it is built to lift cargo boxes which also come with the set. there are three sets of cargo boxes, two yellows, and a double grey box. each box can snugly fit two suitcases. and the forklift can lift the boxes and stand without issue. THE BUILD - AIRCRAFT the set comes with 3 aircraft - a small helicopter, a big cargo helicopter, and a passenger jet. i will start off with the easiest build, the small helicopter. the small helicopter is a simple design and another easy and straightforward build. there isnt much to mention about it, and there are no printed pieces or stickered pieces. i will get more into this at a later part of the review. the cargo helicopter. this helicopter is a much more challenging build, and the instructions can be kind of confusing. as there are no parts callout and pieces can be added at random anywhere on the build, it takes a keen eye and i ended up staring at the steps a couple of times to make sure i hadn't missed anything out (in some cases i did). all in all, it is a clever little build with a lot of thought put into playability (more on this later too). it has stickers on the side of the cargo logo and YL-315. im not sure what this means, usually TLG puts the set number. the cockpit has a printed 1x2 computer tile. the sides open up to reveal a cleverly made cargo compartment (more later as well) and doors on the back, for which purpose, i have no idea. the highlight of the set - the plane. i find this tiny plane very good looking. i like the nose pieces which make it look sleek, and i think its one of the best planes to ever released by TLG. the proportions are not the best, but good, and i think it looks way better than the huge <insert that tiresome argument> planes in the airport sets which are around today.. although this plane would be dwarfed in comparison. the plane has a printed tail, but uses stickers for the fuselage branding, which i would say is a disappointment. the stickers dont do so well on the textured slope of the roof, and is pasted over two pieces which makes it even worse. mine is faded. the pilot instruments are a grey printed 2x2 slope the roof opens up to reveal an interior which comfortably fits four minifigs, with space for luggage at the back. THE BUILD - CONTROL TOWER AND AIRPORT BUILDING the main event = the airport itself. the set comes with four road baseplates as well as a 16x16 and 32x16 green baseplate.. which means it has 6 baseplates - by far the most i ever found in a lego set (could be sets with as many or more, but this is the most that have made it into my hands). i love the attention to details and the thought put into playability when putting together the build, although i think that they could have done better with the instructions. again, this is a more difficult build and the angle doesnt really help, and i usually end up miscounting the studs and placing the pieces at the wrong place. the control tower i like how the control tower is built with the glass pieces and i like the printed slopes included in the build. the two crane pieces are by far the largest pieces in the set. the building the airport building itself comes in two levels. it has a small cafe, a ticketing counter, lockers, a departure board (with really weird timings!), and a garage on the lower level, and another cafe on the upper level, with a bridge crossing to the helipad. stickered pieces aplenty here, with the airline board logo, the departure board and the lockers. however, i think this is salvaged by the nicely done and printed radar mini build on the roof (: to save you from hearing me repeat myself, more of the building is outlined below in the playability section. PLAYABILITY this set has a very high playability value. judging from the condition i received my set, it was out on display and probably played with alot. there has been a lot of thought that went into designing this set to be playable, such as the open sides of the buildings and the aircarft and vehicles which just gel together so well. here some highlights. the ticketing counter on the ground level of the main building. this is immediately through the main doors, where your figs can check in for their flight. luggage lockers, for leaving your luggage or whatever else you would like (: there are three lockers and they are all stickered. more playability here, having their bags checked through the security area, where they will be loaded onto the next flight! and here they are being loaded onto the aircraft. say your last goodbyes to your loved ones over a drink on the ground floor cafe.. ..or on the upper level viewing gallery cafe there is space above the garage for the small chopper passengers are boarding their next flight, off to visit legoland. while the refueling truck comes out to get busy. the cargo helicopter is being loaded up by forklift. as i have stated earlier it is a very cleverly built compartment. it is 4-studs wide and on one side, it is just the right height for the forklift to place the cargo boxes in the hold. it can hold 2x cargo boxes. and on the reverse side, it has space for four loose suitcases. OTHER DETAILS other details included with the set are a palm tree, flowers and a windsock. the set also comes with 8 suitcases and various lights for the runway. which is explained in a step using a real overview of the airport on the back page. IMPRESSIONS Design: 9/10 a timeless, classic lego set. very nice design especially the plane. i also love how every build in the set works so well together. Parts: 8/10 not really much special parts, but extra points for the printed radar and slopes, six base plates and challenging build. Build: 8/10 challenging build, although sometimes can be confusing with random parts added across the build and inconsistent angles in the instructions. had to double back quite a few times, because i missed out some parts. Minifigs: 10/10 TWELVE classic minifigs - whats not to love? Playability: 10/10 very playable set, as mentioned above. every item included in this set goes so well together, and lots of thoughts were put into the little details to ensure this set is playable for a long time to come. Price: i'm not going to give a score on this, because i do not know what it is worth now. if it was back in the day, i'd say the price was well worth such a beautifully designed set, 12 minifigs and high playability (yes i'm 25 and i still PLAY with my lego). that said, i paid roughly 3 times for a used set today what i originally paid back in 94 for a brand new set. Overall: 45/50 this i by far the BEST lego set i have bought and owned. it is not only a beautiful collector's set, but a great addition to any lego city. i would take this set any day over the new range of airport sets. that is all for my first review. i hope you liked it, and i apologise if it was too picture heavy or not detailed enough. comments and criticism welcome (: am happy to learn how to make my future reviews better! cheers and beers!

very nice! sort of reminds me of the lion king musical. hehe

would love to see a swinging pirate ship

hello again! i had a couple of TRU vouchers which were on their way to expiry and the summer wave of sets had just came in, so i headed down to TRU to pick up 60026 town square. as it turns out, i got more vouchers after purchasing the set, so i decided to pick up a couple of impulse sets but ended up also buying the 60010 fire helicopter. talk about LBSD my TRU haul today: 60026 town square, 60010 fire helicopter, 60011 surfer rescue x2. also picked up the 60000 fire motorcycle, but the significant other seized it on sight i'm sure many of you have already picked these up, but since no one has stepped forward to do a review, i thought i might do my part. i will follow up with a review of 60026, if someone hasn't already done a review of it by the time i find time to build it. ---- Set Number: 60011 Set Name: Surfer Rescue Sub-theme: Coast Guard Year of Release: 2013 Pieces: 32 Minifigs: 2 Components: jetski, surfboard, shark Price: 6.99 USD msrp / MYR27.90 (~8.90 USD) malaysia - where i am from! BOX the box is exactly the same size as impulse sets of previous years, such as the 4427 fire atv and the 3177 small car, though it is slightly less thick. it has a nice picture of the set on the front and sides, with the usual ages and set number on the front, along with a notice in several languages that telling us that the boat does not float. on the top, a 1:1 scale showing our friendly neighbourhood coast guardsman, and a plain blue back with warnings and thumb tabs to break open the box. interestingly, TRU in malaysia has cello-taped up all sides of the box to ensure that no hooligan will break open the boxes in-store to seize parts and figs. i have carefully removed the tape prior to taking the pictures. PARTS as we crack open the box, we find one bag of parts, a folded instruction booklet, a DSS, and the shark without its jaw loose in the box. laid out in all its 32 piece glory, we have a nice selection of parts, mainly in white, blue and orange. interesting parts include the blue wedge piece, the white slope piece and also the selection of orange parts. most of these interesting parts will be stickered. and here are the extras, we get an extra visor and life vest STICKERS four stickers are used in this set, none of which are STAMPs, and do add detail to the set (i will include pictures of the build both stickered and not stickered below) INSTRUCTIONS the instructions come in a booklet off less than 20 pages, including an overview of the coast guard sub theme, an introduction to the city starter set, and a set inventory at the back. the first page of the instructions also shows a brief four panel cartoon of a minifigure sorting out the parts. a random page of the instructions. there are part callouts for each step, but most steps call for only 1 piece at a time, so it is a quick build, and you will breeze through the booklet in no time. happy to report that colours on the instructions are good, with no difficulty differentiating bley and black. and by the way, no, there was not a problem with the printing on that wedge plate in the callout, i have no idea why the picture came out that way. MINIFIGURES the figures are nothing to shout about, although they both do have back printing. i have included the coast guardsman without his life vest so you can see the prints. he has the generic newer sunglasses face and is in full uniform complete with badge and epaulet. i find it interesting that he would ride a jetski in his full uniform though, along with sunnies under his helmet. who is he trying to impress? the gold bars on his epaulet, badge and belt buckle are a shiny metallic-ish print. the the surfer has the newer 'smirk' face and a nice wetsuit on, with a zipper print on the back. i don't think he would be smirking once the shark shows up. both have no double sided heads and no leg printing. the life vests included in the set are the new-type which leave that horrible looking gap between the torso and the head. gladly, this isnt that noticeable once his helmet has been attached. the complete set of figs with shark and stickered surfboard. i do think the sticker adds a nice detail to the surfboard, but it is far less interesting than the printed surfboards we get with the CMFs. THE JETSKI the main event, and the reason i bought the set. it is a pretty quick and easy build and it does look nice, one of the better jetski designs i have seen from TLG. it looks nice and sleek, the three-colour choice is striking but clean, but a bit plain without the stickers. i have to say in this case, the three stickers for the jetski does complement and add details to the set. that said, i usually sticker my sets anyway. there is only space for one fig on the jetski, and he is able to grip the bars and plant his feet on the jetski without much forcing or manipulating his posture. as the life preserver is connected by one stud and is not supported underneath, it is a bit fragile and might pop off if pressed on, or if the jetski is held the wrong way. BONUS: COMPARISON here, i have attached some pictures of the previous polybag 30015 jetski from 2011. similarly, the colours are bright and striking. the 60011 jetski is definitely a more complex (im using the word 'complex' here very loosely ) build. it is slightly larger and meatier, however the 30015 jetski has space for an extra fig. CONCLUSION Design: 9/10 a very well designed set, focusing on the jetski. sleek design and an improvement over previous designs. Parts: 8/10 some interesting parts and colours, though most of them would be stickered over. Build: 8/10 a swift, easy and fun build, i'm sure most of you won't even need the instructions to build this Minifigs: 7/10 lost points here for the lousy life vest design, but thumbs up for both figs having back printing Playability: 8/10 besides zooming the jetski around, and having your surfer gobbled up by the shark, not too many play features for the set. as the jetski only has space for one fig, perhaps a tow line to tow the surfer to safety might have been a good idea. or is this asking too much Price: 8/10 i'm giving this an 8 as i think lego in malaysia is way too overpriced. a whole 2 dollars over MSRP in the US is a bit much, but in all fairness the 2013 line of lego sets are pretty reasonable compared to how much they used to sell sets previously. Overall: 48/60 - 80% not too bad of a set, pretty interesting for an impulse set. that's all for now. hope you enjoyed this quick review as much as i had fun building, playing and writing it. as always, comments and criticism welcome.

ferris wheel? do it london eye style (:

the original 7140 x-wing is still one of my favourites.

tiny as the damage may be, i as a consumer would still feel rather disappointed and expect a higher quality standard judging by the price i am paying.

hi legogal, i am not too sure about the duration of the bus ride from orchard to legoland, but it isn't that long of a journey distance-wise. most of the time would be spent clearing customs. for your other queries: Have you noticed any local discount coupons for adult admission at the Park? Is there a discount for a two day pass? yes, there are discount coupons for adult admission, typically you will find these promotions running with brand sponsors or retail outlets. the promotions vary by season though, so you would need to keep your eyes peeled. there is a discount for malaysian citizens at the gate, and also a discount for advanced online purchases via the legoland malaysia website. a two-day pass is also available from the website or at the gate. And how good is the LEGO parts store inventory selection? Have you seen any interesting/rare parts there on your last few visits? the parts selection at the brick shop's PAB unfortunately leaves much to be desired. there aren't any rare parts, and not a big variety of colours. the parts available rotate quite regularly, so i guess it will depend on luck. most of the parts are common bricks, plates and tiles, windows and frames, jumper plates, wheels and rims, plants etc. most of the colours available would be bley/dark bley, black or bright colours (orange, yellow, red, etc) Is the weekend Saturday and Sunday like in Singapore or on the Moslem calendar like in Saudi? the weekend is saturday and sunday. to avoid crowds, i would recommend going to the park on monday-friday which are not school holidays, however the park closes earlier on these days. the park is closed on wednesday, except school or public holidays. an opening time calender is available at the legoland malaysia website for reference. hope this helps!

very nice moc, though the guy on the bench looks a little evil

hi lego gal, sorry for the late response, as i just read your post for your queries: i do not recall if they have the set you are looking for in-stock, as they usually rotate their stock regularly, especially the polybags. LEGO tends to be a bit on the pricier side here in Malaysia, but i will be happy to check it out for you the next time i head there. if you want pictures from any part of the park or store, do let me know and i will do my best to accomodate the easiest way to get to Legoland Malaysia from singapore would be by bus, which goes from the 2nd link, direct to Legoland. you would want to take a singapore bus to the 2nd link, clear customs and interchange with the JPO2 bus. yes, you will need to pass through customs on both trips, but it is a fairly painless process by bus. info on busses can be found here -->http://www.legoland.com.my/plan/bus-services/ and a fare and schedule can be found here --> http://www.causewayl...=720&height=470 As a side note, Legoland Malaysia accepts both Malaysian Ringgit and Singapore Dollars, so you do not have to change currency if you already have SGD, though i would recommend to, as the SGD rates at the park are fixed and might be slightly higher than a currency changer's rate. due to the climate, it can get really hot especially during the noon hours. the restaurants or water rides is a good place to cool off in lieu of shade. in October of this year, the Legoland Malaysia water park will open its doors, so that should help in cooling off too also, they have introduced a very small star wars display in miniland. if you have anymore questions, let me know, i will try my best to answer them!

instantly recognize jerry 'the king' lawler, jim ross and michael cole! very nice MOC, especially like how you did the ropes and put the cape in the corner.

hi guys. i was browsing through LEGO sets at my local TRU looking to pick up a set or two for parts. as i was looking through the shelves of lone ranger sets, i came across this: im wondering if this is a tampered box, robbed of its parts or figs. it looks the box has been opened carefully bypassing the tamper proof thumb tabs, so as not to show any marks or signs that the box has been tampered. it looked like it was done with alot of care, so much so that it looked MISB. it even was the first box on the shelf. picking it up, i didn't even notice that it was tampered until i flipped the box to look at its side. even that was hard to tell, because the box was still tight and crisp. it did not feel any lighter or sounded any different from the other boxes, so i can't confirm if anything was actually missing. though it might just be a damaged box or production anomaly, i thought i might just share this with you guys as a warning - check the boxes properly before buying!

in the lego world, 'the lego movie' would just be 'the movie'

could you show any pics of the nose attached to the model itself?

thanks, i didn't want to risk working with the more expensive glossy paper until i knew how they would react in situ. i agree on the stickers, but i don't think i can bare to sticker the windows at this point in time. i may be swayed once i see your posters up on your PC soon (: do you plan to customize your billboard under the palace sign as well?

hey, thanks for the inspiration, motivation and measurements. i have finally gotten around to putting my custom posters on my cinema! i did not want to open a new thread, so i hope you don't mind me sharing it here (: i have found with precision cutting, i was able to fit the posters between the slightly recessed part of the frame and push the window piece over it, keeping the poster in place. they are fairly easy to swap without dismantling the structure by pushing out the window piece and fitting the poster in. i have used normal a4 paper for this test-fit, but will consider using something with a more glossy finish in the future. for the curious: i shoot, retouch and layout the photos by myself, hence my choice of movies depends on my limited inventory of parts. i try to make more recognizable and iconic movies, but it will all depend on what i have available to me at the time. i plan to do more posters in the future and will update if i have. suggestions are welcome (:

what materials did you use to print the posters and what size did you print them at? are they stickers or are they removeable and switchable? i just got around to building my palace cinema last week and left it un-stickered so far. i have some posters lying around that i made especially for this, but until now, haven't gotten around to actually putting them on the set... after seeing your post i am inspired to do so..

good job. i actually had the same idea, and in my free time, i created some posters that i could use for the palace cinema as well.

bobskink, you raise a good point, but i guess it is all down to ethics. i will agree, that it isn't uncommon that this happens.. i know that in my work, we do cheat when it comes to representing our products, but i do agree that is way too far. that said, i am sure that there was somewhere on the box which states it was for visual purposes, or provide actual dimensions of the product.

production costs (building moulds, raw materials, printing etc.), packaging costs (materials for boxes, bags), manpower (designers, operators, packagers), logistics (space, power, transportation) costs, taxes, and markup to make the set profitable... of course i am assuming.

as someone that works in advertising i thought i'd chip in my 2c: its all marketing. the rule of thumb is as long as you are not shortchanged on physical parts, contents or anything that is otherwise shown on the packaging, it isn't considered misleading. unless lego were to show parts or a model that is not included on the packaging, any other DI effects that is done on the product is considered fair game. this is common practice, not just for lego, but any products. you always want to show your products in the best way possible aesthetically, positively and dramatically. camera tricks, lighting and photoshop will always come into play here. this will include, things such as rich colours, adding gloss and shine, dynamic and dramatic lighting, exaggerated scale, adding dramatic effects, glows, shadows, etc. to give it that very polished, impressive, finished look. take fast food for example. compare what you see on menus and what you get. a cheeseburger looks much bigger, wholesome and tastier on photos, but as long as they deliver 2 buns, cheese, lettuce, ketchup and a patty, they did not mislead you.

definitely all of them. living in malaysia, i have only been to legoland malaysia. it is still brand new, and not as big as the other parks, but the miniland is absolutely awesome. i hope to do windsor next year, and cali or florida in the near future.

for me it will be the s9 policeman. looks so much better than the regular city police figs, and im trying to build my own police force! -edit- just read top 3 i dont think i could choose 3, as i only purposely buy multiples of the policemen, but if i had to it would be: 1. series 9 policeman 2. series 6/series 10 romans, with the series 9 emperor as their boss 3. series 10 revolutionary soldiers

you could also use those medals that came with the CMF series 7 swimmer or team GB figs and the series 7 bride's tiara