REVIEW 60059 Logging Truck

[Prezes]

Hello Everyone !

After a couple of months watching this forum I decided to join and share my reviews of sets which I like mostly: City Great Vehicles. I see that no one post a review of 60059 Logging Truck so please let me do it, as my first post here. Hopefully, I do not destroy anything ;-)

Review of 60059: Logging Truck

Details:

Series: City

Release year: 2014

Qty of bricks: 228pcs

Qty of minfigures: 2

Qty of bags with bricks: 2 large bags + 2 small bags

Bricklist: BrickLink

Price: ~20Euro (local shop in Poland)

Brickset

BrickLink

From the beginning, when I first read the list of sets for 2014, it was my number one. A "must have" set. Topic still undiscovered in Lego City sets. Green truck with bales of trees. In my mind I saw an American truck with a trailer behind the cabin... Expectations were high, and comparing with the other "names" from the 2014 list I was expecting a lot of.

Box:

Well-matched: 26cm x 19cm and 6cm high. It seems to be a box for a standard medium-sized sets. Inside, there is nothing oversize. Looking at the box we see the severity of the set. The well-known tripartite division was preserved: chassis, cab and "crate". The last one, which is often the most important part, almost decorating a whole sets, in this case is skimpy. But do not judge a book by its cover. And what about that cover in detail ?

FRONT & REAR

TOP & BOTTOM

LEFT & RIGHT

Instruction:

Booklet with a rectangular shape. A typical, nothing special, no distinctive statement. 46 assembly steps, of which the first 24 are perfectly symmetrical design.

Bags & labels:

Minifigures:

.. and here the first advantage of the set! Two smiling lumberjacks. Each in its own way amusing. Both in plaid shirts with collars. The visually older one, with a funny ginger beard looks like a Scotsman. Second, the younger, has glasses and a chainsaw. Both minifigs, are so different, although perform similar operations. Different shades of clothes, different heads, different headgear, headphones and various tools. Super Saw! The only minus is the fact that Scotsman lost pliers and a hammer in his trousers ... ;-)

Interesing bricks:

4163290: Ball Coupling Friction/Fork

4656483: Mini Head "No. 929"

6055313: Flat Tile 2X2 Round W. Hole Ø4.85

6022484: Mini Upper Part

6037621: Lattice For Frame 4X6

4667888: Claw 3M W. Grip

Work in progress:

Finished set:

=== === === === ===

BENEFITS:

+ interesting topic,

+ lifting / gripper system,

+ cover of the cab,

+ two saplings extra in the set,

+ outstanding green colour,

+ low quantity of labels, set could function well without them,

WEAKNESSES:

- chair on the lifting / gripper system = naive design,

- how to get there ? :-)

- two balls of trees are not enough = three, in my opinion, should be the minimum in this set

- mirrors stick out too much,

- somewhere between the rear lights I would add a plate with a hook or handle for trailer,

SUMMATION:

Hmm ... either heats or chills. On the one side it's a good design, on the other disappointing. Interesting minifigs, chainsaw but the truck should be here to be the most important, a star. In one a word: GOOD. I've been expecting a little bit more, as I wrote at the beginning of my review. At the end I may say that the whole set is simple, straightforward, even banal. Too bad, because like 60061: Airport Fire Truck has potential. We can expand gripper, add trailer which can easily may create much more massive and solid construction. It also seems to me that the cab might be like in 60056: Tow Truck. Maybe a long trailer instead of a short "crate" ? It's good truck but I believe that the designer will do upgrade of this set (not only facelifting) in the forthcoming future creating 'a monster beetween the trees' ;-)

[Sir Brickalot]

Thanks for the great review! It's a nice set, but like most city sets nowadays, it just seems quite bland.

Also, have you considered joining The Reviewer's Academy?

[Prezes]

I do not expect much from the city sets. I mean, I'd like to get a good model of the car/truck/helicopter or any other vehicles which are around us. It's just a copy of existing world, so it's hard to create something 'out of the box' :-) But it's nice to get set in which you feel the heart of designer. For me 60056 is that kind of model. Pierre did outstanding job !

Thanks for the invitation but I think I need to post more reviews. Both sides need some time to be sure that this decision is correct, at least. I've got a couple of reviews already done and even posted on Polish LugPol forum but I need to translate them. So please be patience and check out for my next posts. Time will see if I'm able to join 'The Reviewer's Acadamy' :-)

Edited January 28, 2014 by Prezes

[lightningtiger]

Interesting review 'Prezes', I agree with one point of yours.......why not a trailer hitch ? (oh, well that's what AFOL's are for......to modify everything ! ).

Oh, and joining the RA......if you do, don't expect it to be easy.....I joined two years ago and still there.

Brick On Review On 'Prezes' !

[mkeller234]

Great review too! Your pictures and thoughts are much appreciated for someone on the fence over this truck.

I Worried that the design was naive too. I just google searched, and found the real life version of this Lego model. It's actually pretty darned similar! Check it out http://www.fordaq.co...ucTIid=17894306

Screen Shot 2014-01-29 at 1.15.42 AM by mkeller234, on Flickr

Screen Shot 2014-01-29 at 1.15.54 AM by mkeller234, on Flickr

Edited January 29, 2014 by mkeller234

[jtr]

Great review, love all the action shots. I was exceited about this set as my kids (and I) have the heli-plane cargo set, and I thought they would go togeather nicely. Unfortunatley this set seems a little under cooked - maybe I'll pick it up om sale.

[SeanM]

Good review but I think it's a little too critical. I think the yellow/black/green color scheme looks handsome and although the claw is simple, it is sturdy and works well. I'm just glad Lego did a new vehicle that hasn't been done before. Also, the piece count is actually higher than the other 2014 great vehicles so I think it's a fair deal.

[henrylego]

Great review "Prezes". I am also putting this set as one of my priority. I might use this set to accompany my Winter Village Sets. The scenario would be this vehicle is used by the Christmas Tree Sellers (from the Winter Village Bakery set) to chop off the trees in the village.

[Prezes]

Good review but I think it's a little too critical. I think the yellow/black/green color scheme looks handsome and although the claw is simple, it is sturdy and works well. I'm just glad Lego did a new vehicle that hasn't been done before. Also, the piece count is actually higher than the other 2014 great vehicles so I think it's a fair deal.

SeanM, you're right. I'm critical, almost always. Maybe because I'm an adult and I'm looking on it not only as a toy but also as a market product. I prefer that kind of view, it's pushing always for updates and searching for new solutions. It's a continous improvement cycle. On the other side I can imagine that designers from TLG are looking for the most optimal construction. The balance between price, qty of brick, qty of new bricks, qty of colours and labels. It needs to be on acceptable level, for both sides, to release the set and earn on it. It's searching for the gold path, why we can not help TLG to find it ? :-)

Thanks everyone for replies !

[kinggregus]

Prezes, your review is amazing.

I really appreciate your critical perception of the set.

[jfbat]

I'm just glad Lego did a new vehicle that hasn't been done before.

They did something like this before, just not in city… ;)

Prezes: great pictures!

This is one of the sets I want to pick up this year, sadly "it" has apparently been decided that we have to wait a while over here in the Netherlands. None of the non-police sets of 2014 has appeared in the shops over here…

[jfbat]

And today the wait was over. Got this set, built it today too. To be honest: I'm a bit disappointed. With the building process that is, the end result is nice enough. When you've built a few of the 6 recent 6 wide trucks (and have mocced one or two as well as I have), this is a very straightforward build with no surprises. Also: too bad the cabin has holes in the back. But, as said, the end result is satisfying enough. Might get a second one to build a trailer. And I had enough bricks in stock to ad that indeed essential third tree trunk.

[ShrikeArghast]

No idea why people are disappointed with this. IMO it has way more play potential than competing products like the tow truck, and the color scheme is accurate to the real world. I frankly find this review nit picky, particularly the bit mocking the chair as 'naïve.' How is it naïve? It exists in the real-world example, and I'd imagine that Lego guys would get up there the same way their real world counterparts do -- upper body strength.

Edited February 27, 2014 by ShrikeArghast

[Technic-Kobaltz]

Great review,love your Scotsman reference. This has to be my favourite 2014 City 'Truck' set to date. Does need a trailer and more logs that's for sure. Hopefully pick it up soon and a second set will get you most of the parts for a nice trailer and pick a brick or BrickLink for some more logs.

[yohai71]

Thanks for the review, which I think is very well balanced.

Yes, it's a pretty straight-forward kit but on the other hand, it's different because it covers a theme that Lego-City hasn't covered before. If any, I think its main problem is that you can't really combine it with other city builds- its place is in a forest, and those are hard to come by in cities... but you can start a new theme all-together (perhaps that's what Lego are planning- a new "Forest" series, like the "Mining" we had before)

Actually, I like it because of the colors, the small details (chainsaw, roof-guard etc.) and the idea itself. Of the 2014 kits, it's "on my list" along with 60048 "Police Dog Unit" (I think the Hot-Rod's to die-for...)

[jfbat]

No idea why people are disappointed with this. IMO it has way more play potential than competing products like the tow truck, and the color scheme is accurate to the real world.

In my case it was the build process, not the end result, i was a bit dissapointed with. ;)

particularly the bit mocking the chair as 'naïve.' How is it naïve? It exists in the real-world example, and I'd imagine that Lego guys would get up there the same way their real world counterparts do -- upper body strength.

I think the word Prezes was looking for is "simple". And that it is, but as you say, that's the way they normally look. There is however mostly a way to get up there other that just "upper body strength" as the latter would defenitely not fly with the health inspectors.