Rapseflaps

By the way, any thoughts on this? I've received my bags, now I just have to start the storage process. You think this would be the way to go, or do you have another advice? Keep in mind, I'm not that into MOCs as most here, I usually stick to the instructions (yes, I'm boring like that).

INDEXED 6355 Derby Trotter (1989) Well, it's been a while since my last review. I've had two sets sitting on my desk for a while, fighting to be the one that gets to be my silver medal review. This one, and another non-Town set. I ended up going for this one, since there is actually a single part missing from the other set (woe is me!). Hopefully within the next few weeks, I'll be able to get my hands on one of those missing pieces and review that full set (instead of the full set - minus one piece). Which set that is, I'm going to keep secret for now. ;) Anyway, long story short, it was this set that won out. One of the first buildings I ever got (the Post Station was my first) and one that I've had for a very long time. It was never at the center of my city and may not have gotten as much playtime as my fire brigade or jetport, but it was always sort of there, just sitting of the edge of my town, its inhabitant waiting for me to think up adventures for him. Lucky for him, reviewing is giving him a second chance to shine. This 1989 set features a quaint little stable with one of those lovely classically built red roofs. Its color design is very primary - white building, red roof, blue doors - and the printless minifig follows suit. Even though this basically is just a stable with a jockey and a horse, I always saw this as the minifig's home. He came with the set after all, so surely, he'd live in that building? Obviously, he just sleeps on the floor in front of those big blue doors, next to his trusty brown horse... The box, courtesy of Peeron Item #: 6355 Name: Derby Trotter Theme: LEGO System / Town / Classic Year: 1989 Pieces: 140 Minifigs: 1 Price: $14.00 / Fl. 29,95 BrickLink Brickset Peeron The Box A modestly-sized box shows the stable and its inhabitants on the front. There's a nice amount of alternate models on the back. I like the one with the barbecue that uses the trough upside down, but particularly enjoy the picture that shows the horsecart rebuilt into a carriage. It really is an example of how you can build anything with Lego if you put the right pieces together in the right way. Parts & Pieces I was surprised to find there's only 140 pieces in this set. That's less than in the Stunt 'Copter N' Truck and yet this is a complete building! I guess the amount of detail in the other set calls for a higher piece count, but the point is I didn't expect the Derby Trotter set to be made up of only so few pieces. Being a building that takes up the same space as an airport terminal, I always figured it was pretty part-heavy. Guess not. The color palet is primary yet modest, because of the ample amount of white pieces. You may notice that I've had this set for a while. I think this is the only white 1x6x2 arch I own and it shows. It stopped being white a long time ago. But hey, it adds to the charm. Now my stable looks like an old ramshackle barn, lovingly kept running by its owner. :P There are no printed parts (unless you count the minifig head), but there are some pieces of interest. Surprisingly, there's actually some Technic stuff in this set. In fact, I think I didn't even know what Technic was when I got this and just passed it off as some quaint Lego pieces. Two wedge belt wheels and tyres along with two axle pins: for a long time the only Technic parts I owned The set's only blue appears in the building's two large doors and its classic windowframe with those lovely oldfashioned opening windows. The horse's trough is actually a cleverly employed excavator bucket. Digging equipment re-employed! There's a fair amount of accessories as well. A saddle with single clip, a broom, a shovel and a whip. The whip, being twenty years old is in a pepetual state of being bent. It's hard to believe it's actually the same part as some green vines on one of my other sets! Finally, there's some plantlife included as well. A small tree and some yellow flowers... horse food! Instructions The instructions come in a nice little booklet showing the same image as the front of the box. The manual is pretty clear and easy to follow. The only leap they probably wouldn't take now anymore is the last step in the horsecart build. Notice also how the first step shows the floor plan from the top. They don't do this anymore, but it's actually pretty handy for building structures. Redundant parts of the images are cut off in early stages of the build The lower roof's support structure (step 11) Minifigs A lonely jockey without any defining torso print. And truth be told, he doesn't need anything more than that. He could work at the stable, live there or just own it and have a house elsewhere in Lego Town. Anything more than just the plain red shirt would be overdoing it. Instead, he just gets some neat primary colors and a jockey hat. I suppose the horse also fits in this category. There's several ways to build the horse and I'm sure you're all familiar with them. You get a 1x2 brick and a 1x2 tile to fill the gap in his back or you can put in a saddle. You can also put in the cart and put only the brick on top as you'll see later on. The jockey mounts his trusty steed This is the only brown 1x2 brick I own and for a very long time this was also the only brown 1x2 tile I had. These two parts have probably only rarely been apart and frighteningly, it shows. There's a crack in both of them! The strain of eternally attached Lego pieces The Build After the minifig and the horse, we're off to the proper build. But wait! First there's the horsecart to put together. For some reason I always forget this is a part of the set. Probably because again, this is something that has rarely ever been apart. Only the horse hitching would come off when I chucked the little model in my big bucket of Legos, so putting it together usually required hardly any effort at all. I disassembled the whole thing for this review and once again came to a startling discovery: the Technic pins had been pretty dented by having the wheels attached for about twenty years! I never knew this could happen (even though it makes a fair amount of sense) and it's a strange thing to discover. Just look at the damage on these parts: Anyway, the cart does exactly what it's supposed to: attach to the horse and carry its owner. There's no fancy seating or even special wheels. In that respect, it's pretty bare bones. No cartwheels, just some Technic stuff added. They'd probably do that different these days. I never saw the problem though, mostly because I didn't have a clue these were special parts for a long time. Oh well. Add some details to this and they could probably sell this as a stand-alone set Moving on to the stable, we get a nice combination of two 16x16 baseplates into a 16x32 floor plan. I really like that they used two different colors for this, giving us a small meadow next to the more concrete floor of the stable. The building's floor plan connects the two baseplates and is set 1 stud away from the baseplates' rear eand, giving the building a little breathing room and a place to put in the bar that marks the room to place the horse. Soon enough, the horse's trough and the rack where our jockey will keep all his accessories is put in. The building is made up of a lot of white bricks, but if you think it's just going to be a whole lot of the same stacked on top of each other, you're in for a pleasant surprise. Thanks to the size of the doors and the two seperate roof areas (apart from one roof starting lower, the top end is also at an offset), there's some fun small-level variations going on here and there. Take a look, for example, at one of the inner walls halfway through the build. The door has been opened for this shot: it usually closes towards camera To create the middle roof support a 1x5x4 arch is used. Notice again the plates for the 1-plate offset you'll get on the upper roof. This single plate difference is not added on a single level throughout the building. It is instead gradually layered in at several stages, which used to confuse me a bit as a kid. The 2x2 corner plate that sticks out supports the top of the lower roof Nearing the end, this is one of my favorite phases in this model. You can see exactly where it's going to go, but the roofless supports give it a funny look. Actually, drop the doors at an angle and it can be a war ruin. Oh wait, that's not funny at all. A plate-built structure over the doorway adds a nice touch of lights Shortly before the end, we get to put in the tree and flowers, and add a stack of hay in front of the stable. And of course we get to put that lovely classic red slanting roof on top. The meadow's enclosure is made up of some bars and the roof gets a nice little chimney. The jockey's tools go in their proper place and we're... All done! The full set finished and the jockey gets to drive his cart around the meadow - in very small circles... Taking about half an hour to build, this set is surprisingly fun. Despite the large amount of simple white bricks, the carefully layered 1-plate height difference at the end makes for some interesting combinations along the way. It's not a huge megastructure, but it's a fun little building that looks simple but good enough for what it wants to be: a small edge-of-your-city set. Old Browny gets some invisible snacks All the tools stored together Off for another day in the country... ...or turning heads on the road It's a very nice starter set that gives you a building, a cart and a horse. The build is a little more complicated than you'd expect because of the seemingly randomly inserted plates, but the result is a nice looking stable to put in the quieter parts of your city. It's a set that's always been overlooked in my collection. I totally see why, since there's a lot more fun to be gotten from swooshing airplanes or vrooming cars around, but if you're more in the mood for a taste of the quiet life, this is the set for you. The Final Tally Design: 7/10 The inclusion of the meadow is a nice touch. There's not much fancy color in the building and the addition of single plates on different levels makes the build a bit more difficult than expected. I like the little details like the trough, the tools rack and the chimney though. Parts: 7/10 You're not likely to use the large slope bricks for anything else, but I do get a kick out of having those. Some useful parts are the bars and the included plantlife. Minifigs: 7/10 Would have been just a 6 for the plain minifig, but you do get a horse with it, you know. Playability: 6/10 Does it vroom? No. Does it swoosh? No. It neighs, though. There's probably plenty of fun to be had from playing with the horse and his owner - if you're into that. If only they'd included a brush along with the shovel and broomstick, so he could actually take care of his horse. Also, that moment when he had to put on the saddle or cart always came off as awkward. "So, yeah, I'm going to destroy part of your back now..." Price: 8/10 I was shocked to see this went for only 14 dollars. Then I found the original Dutch retail price. Oh yeah, a buck was worth a lot more back then. Still, I don't think $14.00 is a bad deal for this at all. Overall: 7/10 It's a modest set that will probably disappear quickly under the violence brought on by your Town's resident police, fire department and airport. Luckily back in 1989, there were actually some other sets that fit in with this theme, including an even larger horse range. In fact, it was all part of this sort of Leisure subtheme, sort of like how we now have the Farm subtheme within City. Look at all those lovely white houses with red roofs! I'm sure it would fit better if I had some more stuff from that theme. Instead, it drew an unfortunate short straw. Still, it was nice to revisit this one and I'll make sure it gets a nice place in my next city layout.

Holy rubber awesome, Batman. That's a pretty sweet city. Congrats on the succesful move!

I'm telling you man, trees, road signs and streetlights. AFOL Goldmine!

I was thinking, in addition of having a tree and road sign package, Lego should release a box with 5 or 10 of those nifty streetlights they've been featuring in a few sets. It may not be a set all the kids will ask from their parents, but I'm sure it would be a welcome addition to any growing city.

Correct. It's also in 2007's 7993 Service Station. Actually, according to Peeron, it was first seen in 2003.

Trees, yes. Also, I'd buy a good road sign package.

Understood. I will make the adjustments. Fixed: 6689 Post Station GIF | XML

I've finally added the figs and the bicycle to my gif of 6689. Make sure you download the updated XML as well, since there's now some overhanging parts in there! 6689 Post Station GIF | XML

I can't find the damned bicycle in MLCAD!

Here's one I didn't put on my under construction list but whipped up quickly: 6689 Post Station GIF | XML

Another go: 7641 City Corner The bus stop: GIF | XML The bike shop: GIF | XML The pizza shop: GIF | XML And just for kicks, a seperate bus for completists: GIF | XML

Just ordered a ticket for the 26th. :)

I completely understand. Forget I asked. :)

Hm, I seem to be missing the 1x4x6 Door Type 1 and the Technic Axle Joiner Smooth, which you have used in your model. Did I miss some LDraw update somewhere?

Pray tell, where in the lovely land of tulips and wooden shoes did you go for this?

Alrighty then. Here's my first attempt at an actual set: 6355 Derby Trotter: GIF | XML

When dealing with overhanging parts, is there anything I have to take care of in terms of background replacement, or do I just leave in the white background from MLCad? In other words, if I make a .gif with overhanging parts, do I have to cut out the extra area where there aren't any parts, or does that part of the image remain white?

Quick question: How does one go about making these .gifs? Do you use LDraw for it?

I'm considering getting all this stuff at some point. I'll probably start with Town Plan, as it fits in best with my City sets and then move on to Market Street (which seems hardest to get). My wallet is cringing already.

I'm thinking of using the ziplock bags as well, although instead of the whole color sorting thing, I'll take my newest sets and recreate the numbered bags they came in. All my old Lego is a horrid jumbled mess and I know there's a bunch of pieces missing. Sorting that will be a painful chore (also, most models are actually stored intact right now). Not to mention I lack any sort of space for the kind of storage racks I've seen in this thread.

Good tip. I'll try that next time I screw up one of my stickers.

I might go for the new airport. The fire chopper looks pretty cool, as does the tanker truck. I'll probably get those two. Nice.

INDEXED 6357 Stunt 'Copter N' Truck (1988) This year, Lego released a new set called Helicopter Transport. As one would expect from Lego today, it has lots of details and gizmos. I have not purchased this set, but it did remind me of a similar one from my childhood: 6357 Stunt 'Copter N' Truck. Devoid of all the tools and two-wheeled company, this classic set hails from a simpler time, when no tools were needed, helicopters landed on two simple 1x6 plates and big trucks were still only four studs wide. Let's take a look... The box, courtesy of Bricklink Item #: 6357 Name: Stunt 'Copter N' Truck Theme: LEGO System / Town / Classic Year: 1988 Pieces: 158 Minifigs: 2 Price: $17.00 A note on the piece count: Brickset lists 177 pieces, and yet Peeron only lists 158. Since Peeron also features an inventory, I've put down Peeron's piece count in the overview above. Bricklink Brickset Peeron The Box As you may be aware by now, I've kept none of my old boxes in their original state. Instead, I have them all cut up and filed in folders. Surprisingly, despite carrying three vehicles, the box's front appears to have been not much larger than an A4-sized piece of paper. There's also a fair amount of cool alternate models found on the box: From a truck and a chopper to a piece of farm gear (top left)... cool Parts & Pieces As mentioned, there is a discrepancy in piece counts between Peeron and Bricklink. Once again, I find myself too lazy to do an actual count, but I have supplied you all with an overview picture of the whole shebang. Count away! Much to my annoyance, I didn't notice until I was two steps away from finishing the entire thing that I was missing a grey 1x2 plate... It is not pictured above As you can see, the color design gravitates towards black and red: the same colors used for the minifigs' torso prints. There's a bit of yellow sprinkled in there as well. The yellow parts all belong to the helicopter, but the color returns in the door prints as well. The grey parts are used exclusively in the truck's trailer. Printed doors! The only yellow in the truck appears here. There's not a whole lot of spectacular pieces. The doors pictured above are the only printed parts. Apart from that, there's a grille, a mudguard and some Technic plates used for the trailer. They will be used to connect the trailer to the truck and make it able to turn. Instructions This is a 20+ year old set, so the instructions don't come in a booklet but on a large piece of paper folded into a square. This is probably my largest single-sheet build manual I have and frankly, it's a bit cumbersome. Notice also how after the minifigs, it goes to the copter instructions, which are immediately shown placed on the finished model. The truck and trailer are on the back, followed by the entire set in a half-finished state. Curious... Minifigs Two minifigs, both wearing the "S" logo with a black and red stripe on their torso. The black and red is nicely followed through into the model as well. The pilot gets a white helmet, the truck driver a red cap. The heads are the classic faces with a closed stud on top. Pretty straightforward. The pilot doesn't get any kind of pilot torso, but that's fine. He shouldn't anyway, since these guys are supposed to be part of the same stunt team. The Build The great fun of a set like this is that it consists of three seperate and completely different submodels. It's not a very big set, so you'll be done pretty soon, but building the three seperate models makes it feel like you're working on something much more elaborate than it really is. I always enjoy that very much. We start off with... The 'Copter The chopper is built like the choppers I remember from when I was a kid. I have four of them, including this one, and they all follow the same building pattern. There's not much in distinguishing details on this one (like the hoses on the fire brigade choppers from the day), but then this is a stunt 'copter: there's not much need for fancy extra parts. The one thing that's added and that I think is actually pretty neat is a pair of searchlights below the cabin. Halfway through, we have a good look at the 'copter's bottom half and we can see how the tail section is going to be attached. The tail section consists of two simple 1x8 plates on top of each other, along with a propellor piece and a 1x3 slanted brick. It's classic simplicity. As you can see, the finished 'copter is not an elaborate model like this year's TV 'copter, but it's perfect for the classic era. The Truck My favorite model in the set. Remember, this is a 1988 model, from before we had those big 6-wide vehicles. But man, does it look bitchin'! The truck's base is two 2x12 plates with the wheels holders in between. There's also a cool little construction that makes for the truck's gas tanks. Cool detail. A few steps onward, we finish the old-fashioned cozy 4-wide cabin with actual working doors. Look at that front design. The big headlights and grille give the truck a great agressive look. Perfect for a stunt team. The finished model has some cool details: big outlets at the back of the cabin and some beacon lights and an antenna on the roof. Doesn't it look spiffy? In this side view, you can see how the trailer will hinge on the trailer: a 2x2 tile with pin surrounded by other tiles forms the base on which the trailer will rotate. The Trailer Our final model is made up almost entirely out of grey pieces. This helps the trailer to disappear underneath the other models and directs the eye to the set's main attractions: the truck and the chopper. Unfortunately, this also makes for a bit of a boring and bland build on its own. It fits within the set very well, but it's a bit dull as a seperate build. As you may have seen in the instructions, there's no large part that makes up the base. It's made of a whole bunch of plates and some slanted pieces to create the two levels. The Technic plates go in the top level at the front. There's a 1x2 hinge brick on the bottom that allows the trailer to be detached and stand upright on its own. You can see it and the hole the truck's pin will fit through to connect the two models in this view from below. We finish off the model with two red 1x8x2 bars and a couple of round 1x1 pieces to support the chopper. The red bars add a nice touch of color in the right spot and make the trailer fit in with the rest a whole lot better, both in color and size. The trailer made interesting, thanks to the magic of perspective! The connection hole for the truck is clearly visible in the foreground All done! With all vehicles finished, we're ready to combine. Despite the bland-looking trailer, I must say the combo of just these two looks pretty cool already Ready for some stuntin' It may not be as massive as 2009's update, but it sure looks cool With no room left in the truck cabin, our poor chopper pilot has to spend every journey travelling backwards. Luckily, stunt pilots don't get motion sickness I've always felt this set looks bitchin' as can be, only to be surpassed a few years later by the similarly-themed but much more elaborate (and expensive) Shuttle Launching Crew, which I also own. But you have to remember that this set is much smaller (and priced accordingly) and doesn't aim to be a massive play set. It scores a lot of points for being a small, decently priced set that still offers you no less than three models to build. I also used to be a bit disappointed by the bland-looking trailer (who likes grey anyway?), but I now see how it fits very nicely into the whole and gives the truck and chopper the opportunity to take the foreground. The 1x1 stand for the chopper is a bit fragile though. You're probably better off just lightly placing your chopper on it, or this might happen when it takes off: (hand not included in playset) My only final comment would be that for these to guys to make stunt team, I wouldn't mind having some spectators to go along with it. Then again, this set doesn't aim to be a massive playset, but an addition to your town. And in 1988, Lego Town was still a theme filled with civilian sets. Just look at some catalog pages here, here and here. Plenty of sets to combine this with, especially the many racing car sets (whatever happened to minifig racers anyway?). The Final Tally Design: 8/10 The truck is probably one of my all-time favorite 4-wide models and with a minimum amount of pieces to keep the price low, this set offers some nice models that may not be intricately detailed, but fit very well together and offer a fun building process. Parts: 6/10 Some car parts, chopper parts and two Technic plates. Not much to make you run out and go get this set. The printed doors are very nice though. Minifigs: 7/10 Two figs from the same team. Are they brothers or just co-workers? Or secret rivals? Or just the same guy with a split personality? Plenty of play scenerios with these two. Playability: 8/10 No spectators, but plenty of opportunity for accidents. Any set with the word "stunt" in its name will make you want to blow it up and the basic yet slightly fragile 'copter offers plenty of possibility. Also, driving this thing around your town is pretty neat. Price: 8/10 The design is kept simple to allow for a decent pricing. For just $17.00 you get three models to build and play with. I like. Overall: 37/50 brings us to a 7.4/10. And indeed while this may not be a big playset with all the bells and whistles you could think of, it still offers you a fun build, a great-looking design and plenty of play opportunity.

Yes, I'm curious about the airport as well. I might actually get that if it fits in well with the recent planes.