Review: 79111 Constitution Train Chase

[mostlytechnic]

Lego 79111 Constitution Train Chase

The largest of the new Lone Ranger licensed series, this train comes complete with track and a bunch of figures. You'll have to wait till the end to see the figs though. I haven't seen the movie (it's not out yet!) and honestly am not that familiar with the Lone Ranger, so I'm reviewing this primarily as a train set that happens to be tied to a movie, not as a licensed set that happens to be a train.

Name: Constitution Train Chase

Set Number: 79111

Pieces: 699

Price: $99

Minifigs: 7

Theme: Lone Ranger

Year of Release: 2013

Links: Bricklink Peeron Brickset

The Box

The Box front shows what I assume to be the Lone Ranger theme, with a bright yellow band across the top for high visibility on the store shelves. The train is shown on track with the usual liberties in how things are happening - for example, the horse cannot stand in that pose without falling over. They had to stick the water tower in the back so it didn't obscure the train, which is a bummer since it's a cooler accessory than the exploding rocks.

The Figs

At the bottom of the front there's a lineup of the figures included, with their names so you know who's who. Lego was really trying to save space to give the train as much room as possible on the front though, so they cut the legs off all the figs!

The 1:1

On top of the box, they used the same figure lineup (but with legs this time!) as the 1:1 size indicator. That's sorta surprising to me, since most buyers would know what size a minifig is, but it's hard to judge the size of the train from the photo. Something like the wheels from the locomotive would be a better scale I'd think.

The Back

On the back of the box we have the usual second photo of the whole set, plus insets of all the play features. You can see that the water tower falls over, the gun spins, the tender has a hiding place, etc.

The Contents

Inside the box you get: bundles of track, 6 numbered bags, one un-numbered bag, a tiny sticker sheet, and two manuals. Sorry, no cardboard for the manuals so things are a bit curled.

The Stickers

The small sticker sheet isn't too bad, considering the size of the set. There's a couple stickers for the locomotive and one "scratched panel" that'll go on the jail car.

The Manuals

Two books - the first builds the locomotive and tender, the second builds the other two cars and the accessories. All the instructions are clear and simple to follow, as long as you actually pay attention to the part box to make sure you do everything you're supposed to on each step.

The Wheels

The locomotive gets 6 large wheels. They're the same as the Emerald Night (and the Toy Story train). They're packed as two bags, each with two flanged drivers and one blind. Good to see these available again! (well, I guess they are in the Monster Fighter Ghost Train, but who bought that?)

The Special Parts

There's some nice pieces here. I'm not 100% sure on the colors, but I think the silver bars and rocks are "metallic silver" in Bricklink naming. That's definitely a new color on the ingots, and the silver rocks haven't been seen in years (assuming they are metallic silver). The printed tiles (you get an extra of the stopwatch) are nice and useful, though a real slingshot would be cooler! And the guns... this is a new mold from the old revolver. It's nicer, more detailed, and you get it in both light and dark pearl grey in this set! 3 light and 2 dark, to be precise. The crate is not a new mold, but it is a new color. I think it's medium dark flesh, but I could be wrong.

Building the Locomotive, 1

The locomotive starts with a nice sturdy frame. That's good to see, since the Toy Story train was so wobbly.

Building the Locomotive, 2

Pretty obvious where this is going... but also obvious that there's not going to be an easy way to motorize it.

Building the Locomotive, 3

Details are starting to appear. It also surprises me every time how many colors Lego sneaks into things where they won't be seen. This set included a number of the dark orange 2x2 round plates, and none are visible in the end. Did they have extra dark orange ABS left over or something?

Building the Locomotive, 4

More stacking. And some SNOT starting to show...

Building the Locomotive, 5

The first stickers go on 2x4 tiles to indicate the RR. I like the detailing in the rods on the sides too - a black wand, a black lightsaber handle, a cone, and another wand. Simple but nice detailing.

Building the Locomotive, 6

Finally, the wheels. Sadly, there's no driving rods in the set to make it look more realistic, but it'd be easy enough to add. And I'm not OCD, so my wheels aren't all lined up like in Lego's photos :)

Building the Locomotive, 7

The front bogey is nicely designed. And you can't have a western train without a cowcatcher!

Building the Locomotive, 8

The base of the locomotive is done. Since the center driving wheels are flangeless and there's nice articulation between the front and main parts, it'll work just fine on Lego track.

Building the Locomotive, 9

Now the cab is taking shape and we're finally getting some color! Sorry, no glass in those windows. Have to add that yourself if you want it.

Building the Locomotive, 10

The green slopes here are the same as used in the Emerald Night, but without the gold stripes. There's a bunch of snot brackets used to give the boiler its shape.

Building the Locomotive, 11

Here's how the front of the loco comes together. There's an extension with snot brackets that lengthens the boiler, and a tile on the top of the bogey so it can slide. Once the rest of the green slopes are added it'll be plenty strong.

Building the Locomotive, 12

Nearly finished. The dark green looks great and I like the black stripes in it.

Building the Locomotive, 13

The bell and light are both nicely built. The pearl gold clip and fez make for a great small bell to fit the scale of the train.

Building the Locomotive, 14

Complete. The hat on the front gives some nice details there, and the overall train is just nicely made. I'm not 100% in love with the smokestack design, but it's ok.

The Tender, 1

The tender is pretty simple, but it looks good. The trapdoor is a quick way to get some basic play features for the kids, and some round black plates on top help the appearance.

The Tender, 2

And it's done. (actually, it's not. there's a shovel that goes on the front and some wands that go in the back clips that I forgot to put on before the photo - but basically, it's done)

The Gun Car, 1

Here's the base - a nice way to get snot right away. And the second car will use the same base, so pay attention :)

The Gun Car, 2

I really like the touch of red here. Otherwise, it'd be pretty dull.

The Gun Car, 3

Some storage bins are added, as well as the base of the gun.

The Gun Car, 4

There is a pretty simple mechanism coming to make the gun spin. First, a crank is built (that tan crankshaft part is pretty rare in this color) with a gear and a towball as a handle.

The Gun Car, 5

The gun car is done. You can see the gear mechanism here. The binoculars and barrel make a pretty decent-looking gatling gun. The black pins mean it has enough friction to stay at whatever angle you put it. Likewise, the click turntable underneath means you can position the gun and have it stay.

The Jail Car, 1

The base is the same, but the top changes from the gun car. Bunches of 2- and 4-long log bricks combine with some 1x1 cylinders to make most of the walls.

The Jail Car, 2

The sides are now done and sliding doors are added on both sides. There's also a nice jail door dividing the car in half.

The Jail Car, 3

Nearly done. The Technic beam in the rear pivots to knock out the end wall (not in place yet). I love the simple little lamps at each end of the car though. A great little detail touch.

The Jail Car, 4

The end wall. The sticker side goes inwards to form the jail cell in the car. The outside has some dynamite attached - combined with the lever sticking out of the roof at you have the nearly-mandatory-for-Lego-sets knock-out wall.

The Train Is Done

The full train. It's a nice length for pushing around by hand, although it definitely helps to have it on the track since the front bogey on the logo flops around if you don't. It's sorta goofy - I mean, how many trains have massive gun cars like this? - but it's a great toy. And if you mod the cars into something nicer, it makes a great old steam train. I just think it's fantastic! The jail car would be simple - take out the lever and bar windows, fill in those gaps, and it's a great little boxcar. Take the gun off, and you have a nice little flatbed car.

The Water Tower, 1

Time to finish the scene. First comes a water tower. The base has a lever and some of the new 1x2 plate with pinholes, and they're all nicely reinforced with the tan curved bricks.

The Water Tower, 2

Almost done. There are a few trans-blue parts inside the tank to be the water, and the whole thing is ready to topple.

The Water Tower, 3

And it's done. The dynamite (with a little help from the red lever on the other leg) is ready to crash the water tower across the train tracks! I found in my play that usually the whole tank pops off, but it doesn't come open and spill the 4 trans-blue parts out. That's fine as far as I'm concerned - they'd be a pain to pick up if they flew out. But really Lego, just 4 little 1x1 round bricks to fill the tank with? And I assume that this water tower is for the townsfolk, not for filling the train as it comes through, since the spout is away from the tracks if you have it ready to fall and block them. Makes you wonder though why they'd build a tower so close to the rails...

The Exploding Rock, 1

No build photos needed here. It's simple but blows up pretty good.

The Exploding Rock, 2

It's a nice play feature except for one thing. You have to hold the front of the rock down when you press the lever or the whole thing flips up. The tan base needs to extend out a little on the lever side for stability! On the other hand, the pair of grey slopes sticking out on the front make great spots to hold it down with a finger or two.

The Figs

Finally, what you've all been waiting for. Here's the 7 figures. The Lone Ranger gets a pair of guns, but Butch only gets one. And poor Latham - he can hardly stand up with that rifle in hand! Seriously though, these figs are just fantastic. I'm not familiar with who they all are, but who cares? They're just great old-time characters! Four very different hats, wide variety of torso prints, great faces.

The Backs

All the figs have back printing as well.

The Alternate Faces

With the hair off, you can see the alternate faces that some have. FYI, Tonto's hair is rubbery, but the rest are hard plastic. Tonto's hair also has a small hole on top for the bird to attach to.

The Horse

Even I know you can't have the Lone Ranger without Silver. This horse is like the new ones in LotR with moveable rear legs, but it's the first time for that version in white. And yes, the standard brick and plate are included if you want to remove the saddle.

The Comparison, 1

Here's the Constitution next to the Emerald Night. You wouldn't expect them to be on the same scale since EN was the same price but without track, such awesome figures (though it does have 3 basic figs), or a Disney license. I have to say, I'm impressed with how well the Con stands up to the bigger brother. I wouldn't think twice about running them on the same layout, especially if you added some driving rods to the wheels.

The Comparison, 2

From the front you can see how much larger the EN is in pretty much every way. The boiler is MUCH bigger, but again, I'm impressed that the Constitution doesn't look bad in comparison!

The Comparison, 3

For a perhaps more fair comparison, here's the locomotive from the Toy Story train (7957). Granted, the TS train is supposed to look like a toy, but I just was never really impressed by it. It always seemed flimsy to me, and it was annoying to push around by hand since both sets of wheels are articulated on that locomotive. The set didn't include track, so most had to play on the floor with it. The Con is much more sturdy and looks FAR better. The extra $20 in retail price is well worth it, especially since you get more figs AND a loop of track.

The Conclusion

Wow. I LOVE this set. I'm not really a western guy and don't know the Lone Ranger, but I think Lego hit a solid home run on this set. I think it's a far cooler train than any of the recent sets. Obviously apples to oranges since there hasn't been a steam train since the EN, but still... the one drawback as a train is that there's no simple motorization option. You could put a train motor under the tender, but it'd take modification of the floor to work, and there's not room for a battery box in the tender. A better option might be to make a larger boxcar and use that for power, since you could put the motor underneath and the battery and IR receiver inside. For the kids, it's a great train with lots of play possibility, sturdy enough to play with, and it comes with track to play on.

The Ratings

Value: 10/10 - Considering the EN was $100 when it was out, and other train sets are more (but also include power functions), this is a solid value. You get 7 great figs, a horse, some scenery, and a great train with track.

Design: 10/10 - It still looks good even standing next to the Emerald Night. Enough said.

Minifigs: 10/10 - These 7 figs (and the horse if you want to count him) are all great. Not a dud in the group, and a wide variety too.

Playability: 9.5/10 - I only took off anything because if I was a kid I'd want it motorized and have a remote. That would have kicked the price way up though, so I totally understand Lego doing it this way.

Parts: 9/10 - Train parts, nice dark green curves, a simple but sweet water tower. My only complaint would be a lack of much color, but it's not supposed to be a brightly colored Toy Story train.

Overall: 10/10 - A Great Set.

[just2good]

Fantastic review, 'mostlytechnic'!

This set is great! I just wish I saved up some money to pick it up. I love the inclusion of train tracks, as it makes the set a real "play set". The figures are incredible, too!

[sologuy369]

Nice set! Oh, the wish list keeps growing . I posted a link to the LR thread, so more people can see this .

[Spitfire2865]

Very nice review.

Oh, and I am one of "those people" who bought the Ghost Train. Haha.

[Werlu Ulcur]

Wow, it looks even better then I though it would! What a nice little train :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: .

And the question that I have to ask: could you motorize it?

[Spitfire2865]

Wow, it looks even better then I though it would! What a nice little train :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: .

And the question that I have to ask: could you motorize it?

Your question is answered in the article. One of the last things stated.

[just2good]

And the question that I have to ask: could you motorize it?

You can motorize any train! In

, they motorized it and it looked like it ran smoothly.

[CorneliusMurdock]

I'm moving this to Licensed. I'll leave a link Train Tech. That should be good.

[Esurient]

Very nice set! Looking forward to its release. Great review Mostlytechnic!

[mostlytechnic]

You can motorize any train! In

, they motorized it and it looked like it ran smoothly.

But if you notice, they motorized it by just sticking a motor, battery box, and IR receiver behind the train and pushing it around the track with an ugly thing at the end. I haven't run it on track but I'm sure it would run fine - the trick is there's no simple mod to motorize it as is. You'd have to build a new car or something. Possibly the easiest (and least-modded looking) would be put a train motor under the tender (but as noted in the review, that would take significant modification to do), the battery and IR in the jail car (again, needing mods to do it), and then put the jail car after the tender with the wire going between. That'd be the easiest, but not best. If I wanted to motorize the train, I'd probably make a bigger jail car and put the motor and battery and everything in it.

I'm moving this to Licensed. I'll leave a link Train Tech. That should be good.

No problem - just amusing since we discussed this in the Reviewer's Academy and decided train was the best place for it since I reviewed it AS a train set. Doesn't really matter since there's the link from train so that group will see it too.

[jonwil]

I like the set as a source of parts and may pick one up although with an AU RRP of $150, its a bit on the expensive side for what it is (I suspect the license has something to do with that being Disney and all)

Edited April 2, 2013 by jonwil

[fatfrog2596]

Thanks for the stunning review and hi-res photos! I'm usually not too keen on trains but this one feels like a complete playset and has a very Wide West feel to it. Still debating whether I would have enough to buy this and the other sets on my Wish-List... but I will definitely be picking up the figures. It seems the quality of Lego figures and molds have drastically improved!

Edited April 2, 2013 by fatfrog2596

[Hey Joe]

Thanks for the excellent review. It looks like a great set. I've very fond memories of watching the Lone Ranger as a boy, and although I'm anti-licensing it's a great line.

I'll probably get one for my boy (but will remove the gun) if I see it on sale.

The latest Chinese catalog came out recently and the Lone Ranger is coming to China!

Joe

[The_Creator]

Excellent review! Great set, to bad I can't afford it… :-/

[Athos]

Any thoughts on how easy it would be to modify it to run on power functions?

Steve

[Darkdragon]

O.M.G.

Well. I know what I'm doing with my next $100. This set has some exciting parts (those figs and accessories and tiles and and) and the train of course. Can't wait.

[Mariano]

Fantastic set and fantastic review. Curiosly the name of the Indian minifig "Tonto" means fool in spanish.

[Wardancer]

Very good review, with the size comparisons and all that.

I think the asian hat is new in that color as well.

[ShaydDeGrai]

Thanks for this review, you've sold me.

I wasn't even planning on seeing The Lone Ranger but regardless of the license tie-in and mini-figs, I think the train and track alone is worth picking up.

[1974]

Thanx for the review Definitely gonna get the whole line

I think the exploding rock is suppose to be attached to the track and then you can hit the train

Also, using an ordinary trainmotor with those wheels will make it go really fast! Like too fast for younger kids ... I have a train with that setup and to make it run smoothly I'm using a pair of fake AAAs

[mostlytechnic]

Also, using an ordinary trainmotor with those wheels will make it go really fast! Like too fast for younger kids ... I have a train with that setup and to make it run smoothly I'm using a pair of fake AAAs

Yeah, I wouldn't put the motor in the locomotive. Put it under a car on normal wheels.

[Graysmith]

Great review, great set.

And I agree about the smokestack being lackluster.. It's pretty much the only weakness I can see though, and surely it'd be easy enough to come up with a different design for it.

[brodey1]

Awesome review. Love the figs and the new white horse.

[ChrisW]

Any thoughts on how easy it would be to modify it to run on power functions?

Steve

I really wish Lego would provide alternate building instructions to modify it to run on PF. I'm not a train builder by any means, and have no clue about how all that needs to be rigged up to run.

[kinggregus]

This is by far the set I am most excited about. You made a great review. I hope it will have hit the stores in June when I am next due to travel.