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In here you will find all my odds-and-ends of space related stuff that is not Space Police IV orientated. This thread includes hover cars, space tankers, and occasional buildings of the cyber-punk Dystopia / futuristic theme. Smokey's Space Garage A small portion of this model is based off set 5980, (Squidman's Pit-stop, as recreated in LDD by Marco9999) from the Space Police III line in summer 2009. The rest is my idea. Fictional backstory for this model: The pit-stop building was originally painted a bright red with trans-neon green windows, and was used as a manned M-TRON radio message relay outpost until the company moved on to another method of communication via automated hyper-space message satellites. After being abandoned by the company in 2200, the building sat vacant until Squidman found it floating in interstellar space around 2207. Squidman and his cyborg helper, Squidtron, then opened up a spaceship repair business called Squidman's Pit-stop that was a front for illegal spaceship modifications and smuggling for the Black Hole Gang and it's members. After the gang was utterly destroyed in 2211, Squidman seemed to go clean, and set up the a legitimate business called Smokey's Space Garage with help from Dr. Hamm "Smokey" Porkchop, a fellow retired evil-doer. They used the old pit-stop as a base of the new business venture, but really the three former villains decided to go on with their life of crime, but in a good way by helping the less fortunate victims of the Space Police IV regime. They do this by giving them means and money to fight back against the oppressive police state, with the biggest supporter coming from techno-mage Analog and his space car Shatter-point. The inside of the building has various spray paint cans and fuel drums lay about in a carefully-constructed illusion of disarray, as the entire facility is booby-trapped. For example, the sign on top of the building is actually a weapons launcher with a number of radar-guided dark-matter missiles, while the entire asteroid is equipped with a red-matter bomb at it's core, ready to destroy the base with a instant black hole just in case of a overwhelming attack as a desperate last resort... luckily, that hasn't happened, and the SPIV are oblivious to the robin hood-like second life of the Smokey's Space Garage and it's crew. This picture shows off the revolving weapons / tool wall.. It only opens to a code word and hand-print scanner combination. If one is used without the other in quick succession, the red-matter bomb will arm and begin it's countdown. If another code-word is entered, the bomb at the core of the asteroid will disarm and reset. The garage feature a cold nuclear fusion reactor to power the facility, it's defenses, and refueling any visiting space ships. The entrance to the reactor is guarded by an airlock and is connected to the fusion control room, which also controls the secret defenses for the outpost. Squidman is on the left, and Squidtron is on the right... or maybe I've got that backwards? No one really knows for sure who is who anymore, or if they are both robots, with the real Squidman somewhere else in the universe. Here is the figure for Dr. Hamm "Smokey" Porkchop. Three of these are used on the signs placed throughout the model. If you see a white 2 x 4 tile, then this sign goes there. (It's not on Bricklink yet, that's why there is no link to it!) OCTAN space tanker This OCTAN truck is on the smaller end of hover tankers. It can fit in tight and hard to reach areas with it's small size and high maneuverability, a still carry two different types of fuel in the two side pods. This type can carry Nitro-oxide2, propane. It is a regular supplier of various fluids at Smokey's Space Garage. This ship should feature the following printed parts, this goes on the front of the ship, while two of these go on the side pods This OCTAN tanker has three engines: two sub-light and one hyper drive. The model was inspired by Bricksky's alternate build of set 60016 from 2014. The pilot of the ship is wearing the standard OCTAN spacesuit, circa 2217. Here are the LDD files for the tanker and garage. What do you think? Comments are always welcome, be it complaint, praise, question or otherwise!

I love LEGO® trucks. I just can't help myself when a new civilian range comes out; last year's range was great, and this year's looks set to continue the current trend. My love of, specifically, petrol tankers can be traced back directly to this set - one of the first sets I remember owning, and ground-breaking for its time. But time has moved on, and LEGO sets have become far more intricate. The release of an Octan tanker relatively soon after 2010's 3180 Tank Truck is rather surprising; in this review I'll check out the latest offering and see how it compares to its (slightly) older sibling. Incidentally, 3180 was one of the first sets I reviewed early in my EB Reviewers Academy career. If you compare to my earlier review, you can see how I've (hopefully) improved! Review: 60016 Tanker Truck Set Information Name: Tanker Truck Number: 60016 Theme: CITY Release: 2013 January Wave Parts: 191 Figs: 1 Price: GB £17.99 | US $19.99 | EUR 19.99 - 22.99 | AU $29.99 | CA $24.99 | DKK 179.95 Links Brickset ... Shop@Home ... Bricklink ... Peeron (not yet listed) The Box Click for a full-frontal view in various sizes Once again, Orthanc dominates the LEGO CITY skyline, while our Tanker breaks the fourth wall into the familiar blue CITY livery. It's a tried and tested formula, dating back a full ten years to the advent of World City in 2003, but still looks fresh. The box is deep, measuring 260 x 188 x 70 mm (W x H x D); it's the same height as 3180 but considerably narrower and shallower. This set is GB £3 pricier than 3180, which had 30 more pieces; the smaller box size therefore represents an environmentally-conscious move by TLG (or, for the cynics among you, a cost-saving in logistics ). HEY! Look at these features! Ladder, gun-on-a-hose, coffee mug replete with petrol fumes, ladder again, and cab the dude can sit in! What more could you want? We'll examine these features in depth in due course. Click for larger sizes The usual CITY modular build is alluded to, rather than demonstrated this time: we are shown two bags falling from the box but not what they build. However, LEGO's new subversive 'Pokemon' Collect Them All! strategy once again appears, but there are only two other civvy sets this year, so you'll have to go back and complete your collection with last year's. And you should - they're good! The little petrol pump that accompanies the tanker gets its moment in the limelight on the top of the box: Quite why it's isolated in a field on the City outskirts is anyone's guess, and I'm still uncomfortable with the driver's delight at drinking coffee in the close proximity of flammable liquids, particularly as it occurs to me now that the black tubing might well represent Diesel. At least he isn't smoking! Apologies, by the way, to Americans: please substitute 'gas' for any appearance of the word 'petrol'. Contents The thumb-tab box opens to reveal two polybags, instructions, and sticker sheet fitting quite snugly inside. They are accompanied by two loose parts: the hose-and-gun combo. Only one is required in the set; whether the second will appear in everyone's, or I've just been lucky, remains to be seen. Decal Sticker Sheet Oooh, shiny! The sticker sheet is printed on white material that is rather reflective, and required careful photography to remain clear. As has been the trend of late, the front of the cab is stickered, but as we shall see it doesn't entirely replace the usual grille tiles. There's a sticker for the petrol pump (top left); the rest go on the truck. The Instructions The single booklet is of good quality, and features a display very similar to the box front, but with a slightly broader panorama. The Gagne Kid guards the rear, presumably to deter people from sneaking a look at the inventory. The Modular Build is demonstrated on the inside front cover: Bag Two's cab and tank builds don't connect directly without Bag One's chassis; obviously the disembodied wheels don't. Having looked at this page, naturally by now you would have poured all the parts onto the carpet, albeit in separate piles. Too late, the opposite page warns us not to do this. Winding the hose onto the reel could prove challenging to younger kids; or at least doing it neatly (it's tricky enough for adults). Maybe I'm underestimating the capabilities of the average 6-year-old. I should remember that programming the VHS caused young Rufus far less trouble than his elders! [VHS = archaic system for recording moving pictures onto magnetic tape, for those interested in ancient history.] You might have noticed the part call-outs on the previous picture. Yes, they are present throughout: This surprised me, in such a small set. With typically only 1-3 parts per step, it isn't strictly necessary, but I for one won't complain. Towards the rear we find the latest CITY range diorama, showcasing the new yellow cement mixer , and the strange 1950s-throwback recovery truck : The two sets from 2012 promoted in the 'Collect Them All!' series also feature here: 4433 Garbage Truck and 4432 Dirt Bike Transporter . The latter is a great set! I'm secretly hoping the garage at the left appears as a set soon. The set inventory is found on the last two pages: you can see them here and here. The Parts Bag One builds the chassis, along with the petrol pump and solitary figure: There isn't a huge amount of interest here. Most of the incongruous blues and browns will be buried in the final model. I'm pleased to see the black flexible tube make another appearance here; it was in 3180 too. The yellow taps, not surprisingly, are the modern variety, without the little hole at the end; one of them is spare. I have a sudden inexplicable desire for spaghetti carbonara followed by biscotti with Vin Santo: Opening bag two, I was momentarily alarmed at the prospect of flick-fire missiles appearing in CITY sets. Fortunately, that is not their use here, though the cynic in me wonders whether TLG is trying to demonstrate alternative uses for these ubiquitous pieces. Otherwise, there isn't really anything of note here, with the possible exception of ... ... this piece, which is found once in both bags: It's a 2x2 brick with studs on one side. It's new to me, but I note that it first appeared in Bag End at the end of last year, and in several sets this year. It's potentially very useful for SNOT work. The Figure The sole figure included in this set wears blue overalls, unlike the 'Oil' jacketed figure from 3180. Let's call him Diesel Dave. He has a rather bland, amiable countenance; I'd rather he had an unshaven scowl. The torso is nice, with some lovely detailing; the black vest under a medium blue shirt, all surmounted by the darker blue (presumably denim) overalls with wrenches and a pencil in the pocket. But it's nothing new: this torso first appeared in 2006. The back is featureless. The Build The first thing built is the little free-standing petrol pump. We'll see it complete later; here I've part-disassembled it to show a simple but nice technique: Three 2x2 white jumpers are used to centre the upper part, and allow attachment of the bluish-grey wheel. The 2x2 black tile is attached to the two white 1x1 bricks with stud on one side; I had wondered why one of the new 1x2 bricks with side studs wasn't used, but you can see that another of these white 1x1 bricks is used in the model, and it makes economic sense to use as small a part variety as possible. The black tile itself will be stickered, and represents the pump's display; the whole is capped by a 2x4 tile offset via its centre anti-studs. The black tube is a little too rigid to allow posing of the figure holding the pump unless both are connected to a baseplate or other studded surface, unfortunately; about the only viable pose on a smooth surface is shown here. Building the chassis will be a familiar routine to anyone who has experience of LEGO's trucks. Long plates form the spine; 2x2 axle plates are separated by either 1x2 tiles or plates; I'm not sure why the tiles were used rather than the 1x2 green plates along the length. Note the black 2x6 modified SNOT plate at the end: this is surmounted by a 1x4 SNOT brick, forming a 2x4 grid of studs for the secure attachment of the rear SNOT panel. The spine is strengthened with more long plates and the rather incongrous brown bricks, which don't show in the final model. I didn't think the 'mustard dispenser' would fit into the cupboard, but it does! Getting it out again requires nimble fingers or vigorous shaking. The front-end SNOT panel has a green modified 2x6 SNOT plate; the top studs mesh with the black 2x4 tiles for extra strength. There's a lot of tiling (or part-tiled plates) on the upper surface here; this allows the cab section to be removed easily should you wish too. The rear end is topped by a 4x10 plate; this leaves a gap underneath which would indeed be found on many trucks, but there's a visible red plate under there. In the final inset you can see the rear-end SNOT panel; the grille-tiled area is a plate lower, which looked a little odd, but there's a good reason for this, as we shall see. I took a lot of extra pictures; if you want to see more steps, check out the pseudo-timelapse in the Flickr display in the spoilers: Bag Two starts with the cab, which is based on a green 6x6 plate. Two friction cylinders form the exhausts; it is into these that the flick-fires will go. I remember a lot of complaints from about three years ago about the lack of doors on LEGO CITY vehicles; it's good to see that TLG has listened and they appear to have returned to stay. The rear of the cab is formed from large wall panels; this leaves a couple of gaps but they aren't too obvious on the finished set. Note the use of the 1x2 SNOT brick here, allowing placement of the steering wheel, and permitting easy reconfiguration to right hand drive for those parts of the world where British influence persists. Yet another of those rather useful modified SNOT plates allows a strong attachment of the windscreen: The obligatory coffee mug takes pride of place, and the whole is capped by the usual 4x6 wedge panel. I like the new wing mirror technique; it means the mirrors can't be adjusted, but this also means they're unlikely to get knocked out of place when you're posing for display or photos. The tank itself is an Octan-themed sandwich which will be familiar to owners of 3180. There is a slight difference: the red plates are the same length as the big green bicurved slopes, meaning that the front and back halves can be separated until the top 1x8 tiles are applied. The two bluish-grey wheels on the top are an aesthetic improvement over the 2x2 round plates on 3180. Cab and tank are applied to the chassis, the wheels are attached ... ... and the truck is complete! We'll look at the overall appearance in the next section. The Complete Set Look! I put the stickers on! Actually, I enlisted the help of a passing monkey who did a demonstrably better job than I'd have done. Let's take a look around, starting with the sides. Both sides are similar; the right side has the 2x3 cupboard and a dark bley grille brick in place of the reel and clip found on the other side: The lines are smart; there are a few exposed studs above the reel/cupboard sections, but at least they are a consistent colour unlike the rear section of 3180. I particularly like the step in the red stripe from the cab to tank sections. The back end is a little 'square': made more apparent by the slight inward slope of the ladder. This can of course be corrected, but as we shall see the ladder tends to prefer this position. The cab looks quite imposing from the front, and is very realistic. It's helped by the sticker over the white 2x4 tile; if you look back to the first picture in this section, you can see how the sticker continues neatly the red and green stripes from the sides. From the back, you can see how the recessed grille tiles of the lower SNOT panel accept the end of the ladder. This is the cause of the inward-sloping ladder; if you don't like this, you can easily insert a 1x4 plate under those tiles, but this will cause the ladder to slope slightly the other way. You might prefer this. The exposed Technic holes of the large green and white curve-slope blocks are a little ugly - a fault carried over from 3180 - but it isn't too obvious. Features Now we can analyse how the features so proudly espoused by the box rear stand up to scutiny. Dude sits in cab, and doors open. As is frequently the case with LEGO trucks, getting the dude into the cab takes a little work - often you have to remove the windscreen as well as the white roof panel, which means the doors will come off too. In this shot, the gap in the black layer between the front headlights is a little obvious, but it isn't the end of the world. [There should be a little recess under between the two sets of headlights, caused by the cab suspension in this type of vehicle, but it's more pronounced because the black plates at the sides are set a stud back from the tiles; I don't think it would be possible to correct this. - Thanks Phazon for pointing this out.] Dave climbs the ladder in the second shot. I don't have much else to say about this. The hose-reel is really the centre-piece of Tanker sets. I remember being amazed by the hose in 1978's 671 Shell Tanker. As I recall, that one was simply a length of hose that you had to stuff into the cupboard - no winch mechanism there - but it was an awesome feature. Here, as in 3180, the reel winch is super. Dave's got a bit tangled here. Fancy a hot dog? Dave has mustard if you need it. Yes, I know, it's a fire extinguisher. As I mentioned before, it can be a little tricky to remove. It's not really an intentional feature, but the flick-fire parts atop the exhausts can be extended slightly for that 'RC' look, should that take your fancy. The bley parts on top of the black exhausts look a little odd. This is a good angle to admire the roof on the tank: the wheels are a smart improvement over 3180. Again not a feature, but it needs pointing out: The rear axles have an open space above, which exposes a red plate from the chassis. On the plus side, with the white 2x2 jumper and green 1x2 plates, this continues the Octan theme; I'd expect a real truck not to be painted in this area, and you can easily substitute these parts for bley or dark bley if the exposed colours bother you. Comparison I never applied the stickers to 3180, so in the interest of fairness I've made the comparison with the 'bare' 60016. To see the stickers on 3180, there's an official picture on Brickset. I actually prefer the newer cab front - even without the sticker, it's neater and more imposing than the heavily-grilled 3180. Here you can see the difference in the wing mirrors; each method has its advantages: 3180's mirrors are adjustable, but more fragile and prone to getting knocked; 60016's are longer, which may be more realistic, and rigid. Obviously, 3180 is a tractor-trailer (semi-container) arrangement compared to 60016's single chassis. 3180 is therefore longer, and more manouverable; in addition, it is perhaps a little more realistic: while examples of both types exist in real life, in the UK at least most tanker trucks you'll see on the road have a tractor-trailer configuration. The single-chassis tankers might be found more commonly at airports, for example. Less obvious is that 60016 is a taller model. It's also neater: a complaint of mine about 3180 was the exposed studs at the rear (see this picture from my rather embarrassing early review). As I've mentioned previously, the white tiles and bley wheels on top of the tank are smarter than 3180's studded round plates. Sadly, the little pump from 3180 has done a runner so I can't compare those. The difference in height is made clear in this front-to-front comparison: 3180's cab livery is a little fussy. I prefer the staggered red stripe on 60016; the red stripe on 3180 is absent at the front. 3180 gets a point for having a footplate enabling easier access to the cab; 60016's dark bley wheel arches are arguably less jarring than 3180's white ones. I'm not really sure about the necessity of orange beacons on the cab roofs of either; however, the rounded lights on 60016 are more realistic - and less obtrusive - than 3180's cones. Visible here are 3180's gearstick, and the provision of both mustard and ketchup! Conclusion 'Here - that'll be £2.98 for your five millilitres of petrol, sir.' Tanker trucks are a staple - a necessity - of the LEGO Town/CITY range and have been since 1978. 2013's latest addition provides a smart, attractive addition to the range, and its Octan livery is compatible with other fuel-carrying vehicles or features from the CITY and even Trains lines; it will even sit quite happily alongside the earlier 3180. As a standalone set, it's a little lacking in play features, though perhaps there is no less than we should expect; it is crying out for a new Octan petrol station to be added to the CITY range - we haven't seen one since 2007. I hope you'll agree 60016's tanker is a beautiful truck - the livery is clean and flatters the shape of the vehicle; its lines are smart and a definite improvement over some of 3180's rough edges; even the stickers look great! My only real criticism, aside from the somewhat lacklustre figure, are that as an single-chassis vehicle it lacks a degree of realism compared to most articulated tanker trucks that I see on a typical British road. Scores Design: 10 I think this is a beautiful truck. I simply love the colour scheme, which is brought to life by carefully-designed stickers, and which flatters the clean lines of the truck. The cab's front is tastefully rendered, and the whole very realistic - you could almost imagine you were looking at a scale model. Build: 8 Never repetitive, and with a few interesting techniques, it's a fun build, albeit perhaps better suited to a younger builder if you prefer a challenge. There are a good few tricks in SNOTting to be admired, and a minor lesson in offsetting in the build of the pump. Parts: 6 There really isn't much you probably don't already have in your collection, especially if you own 3180. The figure is rather old-hat and a little disappointing if you're on the lookout for new faces or torsos; I'd have preferred a quirkier set of facial features, for a start - as he is, Dave is a little devoid of personality. Playability: 7 Compared to some other CITY vehicles, there isn't much to do with this set on its own. It comes into life as a service vehicle for a larger town, and would be particularly happy accompanying the recent Airport set... but most of all, it's pining for a new Petrol Station. Please! Value: 7 £17.99 represents a significant hike of this price niche. The similarly-sized 'Collect them all!' sets from 2012 were all £14.99, as indeed was the 30-piece larger 3180. Inflation sucks, and I'm sure TLG knows what it's doing, but it's a little pricey for the collection of parts. The whole, however, is a thing of beauty, and I for one won't regret the outlay. Overall: 75% My score: 9/10 Aesthetics wins over arithmetic here - I love this. I think you will too. Thanks for reading - I hope you enjoyed the review! Please leave comments. Rufus Compare the evolution of the Octan tanker and my reviewing skills in my 3180 review! My flickr set If you like my reviews, and would like to learn how it's done, please consider joining the Reviewers Academy: