City 2010

[roamingstop]

I did not see where it was described that there were no tracks... but it is calling out for it... although the illustration (top right) does show two interesting lines running to the tram...

Guess it needs a couple of models and a mod...

[The Green Brick Giant]

Frankly, considering the set will cost $100+ I was expecting better. It's a few lame bus / train stops, a car, a bus, the only thing new is an ugly train.

I'll be saving some money!

[legotrainfan]

I was pretty excited about the release of this set. However, now that I see a pic of it I feel much less excited. It doesn't appeal to me at all. I'm not going to buy it.... but I love that green bike!!

[Bachus]

Looks like a great set!

[danim]

omg. 4 vehicles including a tram and a bus, six minifigs...I want this set!!! :wub: Ack, so many Legos...never enough money!

Edit: Forgot to add that I like the windshield for the new bus! Is that a new style?

No it is not it uses this part http://peeron.com/inv/parts/4176 on top of this part http://peeron.com/inv/parts/64453

[Eskallon]

Some parts are good but here are my thoughts.

Pros

The bus looks good.

I think that the green bicycle is new.

They have added many seats to the vehicles.

Lots of sweet vehicles.

The yellow car is great as it will fit straight into any lego city.

It includes two waiting area things and a mid road thingy.

Cons

The train looks a little awkward.

The bus stop is white and most I see are black rimmed and transparent with the maps on the outside.

I would guess there will be lots of stickers.

Only 6 figs.

I will probably not get this set as it seems a little lacking compared to what I thought it would be when I voted for it.

[fred67]

Wow... 8404 looks great. Not for $100, maybe, but I can't find an official price and it looks like it might be as low as $80.

[FilmGirl27]

Oooooh.

I like this. Not as good as it could have been, but still very good. I won't buy it, but it's very nice all the same.

[ZO6]

First reaction: "Hurray, pictures!"

Second reaction: "Is that it?"

I do find myself being a bit disappointed by what I am seeing. However, I am still extremely glad a set like this exists, and it's an absolute must buy.

I guess my biggest complaint is that although there is a lovely tram, there is no track or motor for it. I understand why those would be left out (to cut down on costs), but if it's even possible to pop a battery box in one of the cars and add the motor, then you'll be left with significantly less tram (I even have my doubts about getting the thing running).

I also can't help but feel like this is three sets thrown into one, and ultimately the end product is less than the sum of it's parts. The set seems very cold and sterile too - the little stops and shops are small. If these were on larger base plates, then perhaps some trees or flowers could have been added. At the moment there is an overwhelming amount of concrete and asphalt.

More detailed dissection of the set:

Tram - Nice colour and neat design. I like the stock look of it, however I see many problems sprouting up if one were to try to motorize it and getting it running on tracks.

Bus - Another nice big vehicle, and in a less common colour. Cargo room below seating is a plus.

Street sweeper - Small, simple, but realistic. A great addition to any city.

Sports car - Though it's similar to the current red sports car, this new one is different. Seems to be fairly detailed.

Stops, shop - A bit small and underwhelming. I would have liked to have seen one big station for everything with a shop built in. On the plus side, these little stops will fit along a road baseplate quite easily.

Minifigures - Good diversity, and some newer parts being used. It would have been nice to have gotten at least two more minifigures, as currently the bus and tram will be empty.

Verdict:

Despite all the negativity, I'm still really looking forward to this set. I do feel this is a wasted opportunity, but it's much better than nothing and certainly a step in the right direction.

[tontonsega]

I was expected for a new airport shuttle.

No street base plates, no tracks for the tram....

[gunm]

No it is not it uses this part http://peeron.com/inv/parts/4176 on top of this part http://peeron.com/inv/parts/64453

Ok thanks!

[Klaus-Dieter]

Thank you very much for the picture of 8404, BorgShadow!

I want to know what 'Klaus-Dieter' thinks ?

Here you are:

I must admit that I have mixed feelings about 8404:

Pro:

-(although I'd have prefered a second city bus) the overland bus looks awesome :wub:

-the tram looks ok - I think a review would show it to us from several sides so you can judge better

-(although I'd have prefered a car with roof) the small car looks excellent

-the street sweeper is a perfect addition and looks amazing :wub:

-the green bicycle is a cool addition

-no street plates (since I don't like the new ones)

Con:

-"many minifigs"?! - there are only six minifigs!!! - much to less to populate all these vehicles

-it's great that we get some trackside structures - but their design is imo like if a kid built it (no seats but only simple long bricks, a completely open shop (where is its exterior and where its interior?!) :thumbdown:

To put it in a nutshell:

The set is awesome concerning the vehicles included. But concerning the trackside structures and the number of minifigs it's a huge disappointment.

Hopefully the Truck Stop and the City Square will contain more decent buildings!

If my wallet will allow it, I nevertheless of course will buy it/them!

Btw: Since the trackside structures are very small and open, the set can't be more than 100 Euros/Dollars, don't you agree?

Klaus-Dieter

Edited May 11, 2010 by Klaus-Dieter

[ZO6]

Con:

-"many minifigs"?! - there are only six minifigs!!! - much to less to populate all these vehicles

-it's great that we get some trackside structures - but their design is imo like if a kid built it (no seats but only simple long bricks, a completely open shop (where is its exterior and where its interior?!) :thumbdown:

Hopefully the Truck Stop and the City Square will contain more decent buildings!

Btw: Since the trackside structures are very small and open, the set can't be more than 100 Euros/Dollars, don't you agree?

I definitely agree about the minifigures. I looks like there should be seating for about six figs on both the bus and tram (not including an extra seat for a driver). However, by the time you have someone driving the car, and someone on the bicycle, there will only be one civilian left to ride either the bus or tram. I don't think it would be unreasonable to ask for a minimum of one more minifigure (total of seven), though of course more would have been better.

There road side structures are also very small. If one were to literally combined the three structures into one, it would be a bit of an improvement. As it stands, they look fairly empty and even unfinished. As you said, hopefully some of the other sets (Truck Stop, City Square) will help to tie things together better.

I can't see this set being much more expensive than the current Garage. The piece count looks to be somewhere between 700-1000 parts, so it would probably just be the "Fans Choice tax" that might bump up the overall price.

[prateek]

Woah! That green bus is awesome!

[fred67]

I guess my biggest complaint is that although there is a lovely tram, there is no track or motor for it. I understand why those would be left out (to cut down on costs), but if it's even possible to pop a battery box in one of the cars and add the motor, then you'll be left with significantly less tram (I even have my doubts about getting the thing running).

.

.

.

Tram - Nice colour and neat design. I like the stock look of it, however I see many problems sprouting up if one were to try to motorize it and getting it running on tracks.

. . .

Yes, I like this set a lot, but I can't help but wonder how I'll fit the tram in, on tracks, with road plates and other city structures.

[MrTools]

I might pick this one up, but I'm not too sure. I like the new updated street sweeper that comes with it but as stated above it looks like it has a lot of stickers...

[Klaus-Dieter]

I looked once more at the small shop included in 8404:

Might it be that - for reasons of having its interior on the box picture - on the box picture the interior is shown (with roof on the wrong side (but very supposably it is detachable)) and in realitiy there is even a door in the backside of the shop (and when you turn the shop round it's a - albeit only very small - City building like every other)?

Klaus-Dieter

[lightningtiger]

To me there are more 'PROS' than 'CONS' with the 8404 - the tram is extendable, the shop or maybe it should be called Kiosk can have more things added to it like a coffee bar, fruit stand, etc.,.

The actual tram stop is very modern and plus that tram reminds me of this...........

What do you think ?

Also on another note how about these rumored other sets based on truck stop and city square, I won't believe in those now until I see proof.

Anyway I'll keep you post if I can get any info direct from TRU !

I'm a conformist! everyone !

[wooootles]

AAAAWWWEEESSSOOOMMMEEEE!!! My fan choice is a winrar!

That bus ---- damn awesome. I have a charter bus done in LDD, but I like this one because of its rather rare color.

Orange truck - looks good as it doesn't look like the other trucks

Yellow cars - we need moar cars don't we?

Tram - nice, but I can't quite picture how to implement it yet

Gone are the days where you'll find 8+ figs on a regular basis. 6 figs is fine.

I love it. A helluva lot. I understand the dislikes. I feel like it's not quite a big 'set', and more like a pack of transportation vehicles (that can have nothing to do with each other), almost like 7641. Still, I will build my own town, and these guys will fill the streets of my town quite nicely, as they travel between a lively street with big modular sets and MOCs.

Of course the price may be brutal, IMO. Bus is easily $25-30, Tram is $30-35, small truck around $12 and car around $6. It will probably hit $100

Edited May 11, 2010 by wooootles

[Mr. Lego-builder]

Well. We voted and we got... this?

At first look, it certainly catches the eye. While most of the recent CITY sets are resurrections/revamps of older models, I don't believe we've seen a tram or a heavy duty sweeper truck before. That being said, after taking closer looks at the set, I don't think it was quite on par with what many fans had in mind when they voted last year (correct me if I'm wrong on the dates).

From what I can see, the concept was ingenious, but the execution could have been a bit better. I can see that the designers may have been given an unsuitable price point. I see it on two extremes. Either, one: the allowable price point was too low, and many sacrifices were made, or two, the price point was set too high, sending the designers scrambling for a way to fill in the gaps.

From looking at the first picture of the 8404 set, I can see possible evidence of both scenarios, which I will cover in the ever-so-effective pro/con take on the set. Many of these have been mentioned before, so I'll just reiterate:

Pros:

- New green bicycle with clever bicycle rack

- The mailboxes and recycling bins are a nice touch and ties other sets of the CITY theme together

- Lime green bus, blue tram, yellow car, and orange sweeper are nice color choices (Finally, some color variation!)

- Six minifigures (Yes, I think this is a good thing because having too many minifigures that preform the same functions, e.g. ride the tram will dissuade the purchase of sets like the upcoming 8403 Family House.)

Cons:

- Inconsistencies in design: The tram shelter looks different from the bus shelter. The designers should stick with one design (like the use of glass roof for both shelters) or combine them into one platform sort of like this.

- Having an extra structure like the shop makes the set too cluttered and unfocused. In my opinion, having the presence of a shop, that is again, inconsistent with design, adds little play value (there are no slopes for the bicycle as with the other two structures).

- The shop lacks so much detail and seems too open, although I do believe that the designers may have been going for something close to a newspaper kiosk or information booth like this.

- The lack of subtle details is to be expected (I'm spoiled by the amazing design of the modular sets.)

Overall, it's a refreshing change and some great aspects to the set. Currently, I am uncertain about purchasing this set. I might buy it and keep the vehicles intact, but use the "shop" and bus shelter to expand the included tram shelter which I think has a very sleek, modern design.

[lightningtiger]

You know I have just had a thought, this is the middle set between a truck stop and city square.

The bus goes to the truck stop before it's big country trip and the tram ends up at city square, make sense does it - what do you all think ?

I wonder what kind of wheels the tram uses, like maybe it can be adapted to use the IJ mine car set track, eh ?

I'm a conformist! !

[AllanSmith]

Love this set. I work in the public transport industry as a bus driver, so this set is just so me

[wooootles]

You know I have just had a thought, this is the middle set between a truck stop and city square.

The bus goes to the truck stop before it's big country trip and the tram ends up at city square, make sense does it - what do you all think ?

I wonder what kind of wheels the tram uses, like maybe it can be adapted to use the IJ mine car set track, eh ?

I'm a conformist! !

I just like the way CITY sets are going right now, and I believe that they are at an all-time high in terms of pure awesomeness, and will be undisputed if the Truck Stop and the City Square makes it into production. That's 2 buses already! How many have we had in the last 20 years, besides 7641? Noooone? (dont count that Spongebob crap)

Nothing in 8404 resembles the fan vote image. I thought they'd even count out the bus (since the one pictured is the 7641 bus). So we can likely expect different stuff for the other two promos, like a newly-designed Cafe in City Square, yum.

[Ferdik]

You know I have just had a thought, this is the middle set between a truck stop and city square.

The bus goes to the truck stop before it's big country trip and the tram ends up at city square, make sense does it - what do you all think ?

I wonder what kind of wheels the tram uses, like maybe it can be adapted to use the IJ mine car set track, eh ?

I'm a conformist! !

I think we can forget the Tram is intend to run on tracks. My guess is that it use the same wheels as on the Small Car 3177 giving the Tram a smooth modern tram feeling.

[lightningtiger]

I think we can forget the Tram is intend to run on tracks. My guess is that it use the same wheels as on the Small Car 3177 giving the Tram a smooth modern tram feeling.

Ah, but it might be MODable to run on track too, although it would not be hard to run the tram like our O'ban Bus System, like this .......

That would so easy to do along side roads, through parks, etc.,.

I'm a conformist! everyone !