Pandora Posted March 3, 2011 Posted March 3, 2011 (edited) Flowers, Trees and Fences - A Composite Review of Sets 6305, 6137,6139 and 6318 In order to add a bit of life to many scenes, it’s often nice to add a bit of greenery. I wanted to do the same, but there’s a limited amount of greenery available at the moment – it often depends on what’s available from the pick-a-brick wall/ online, or you have to resort to buying multiple sets with greenery to get a decent amount. Some things I particularly wanted were flowers in colours other than pink, red and white. “If only there were some sets with greenery and blue and yellow flowers!” I cried. So I went hunting...... and found these sets: Perfecto! Exactly what I was looking for, and still in their original boxes. I registered at Bricklink and bought them (flowers and shopping ) but not before checking them out in the Town index, where they were curiously absent. I bought them anyway, and as they were MISB, it seemed logical to review them for future reference. So here goes my first review, a four-in-one extravaganza! Come with me back to the 1980s and ‘90s...... Starting with: Set 1 6305 Trees and Flowers (1980) Name: Trees and Flowers Number: 6305 Theme: Legoland (Classic Town – Supplemental) Year: 1980 Pieces: 12 Price paid: EUR 19.99 The Box Front The Back of the Box There’s just something about 30 year old LEGO boxes The pictures are descriptive of the contents of the box, without any excitable kids or signs saying “Hey!” They just show you what you’re getting with a nice picture. Bliss. These boxes will be opened carefully, and definitely kept. Inside the box: A surprise! A 30 year old advertising pamphlet showing different LEGO themes available! Which unfolds... And unfolds... And shows a composite of different LEGO themes by age-group: Look, there's Hinckley playing with his Fabuland! Apparently, all age-groups should be washed at 40C Onto the LEGO contents: Inside the little poly-bag of loveliness are the parts for the flowers: And the trees themselves: It is the work of moments to put the flowers together: Here are the lovely trees and flowers together: A cute little set, I'm sure you'll agree. Only one spare part (still useful) And that's that for this little set! I'll do an all-in-one conclusion at the end; I'm sure it'll become quite clear why... Rapidly moving on to: Set 2 6317 Trees and Flowers (1988) Name: Trees and Flowers Number: 6317 Theme: Legoland (Classic Town – Supplemental) Year: 1988 Pieces: 24 Price paid: EUR 15.99 To me this seems very much a re-vamp and re-release of the aforementioned 6305. The Front of the Box There’s a blemish from a former price sticker, but I don’t care, the design of the box remains simple and descriptive. The Back of the Box Inside we have trees And flower stalks and flower heads Once again, it is the work of moments to assemble the flowers: And then put the flowers together with the trees: The spare parts remain few (and remain useful) Moving into the 1990s we have: Set 3 6319 Trees and Fences (1993) Name: Trees and Fences Number: 6319 Theme: System (Classic Town- Supplemental) Year: 1993 Pieces: 37 Price paid: EUR 10.99 The heading has changed from Legoland to System over the intervening years, but the box still only shows you exactly what you’re getting, with four clear pictures showing the parts on the back. The Box Front The Back of the Box Inside the box: Another little perforated poly-bag of goodness! Which when opened reveals trees: Including parts for a palm tree, for which there are no instructions, but the parts come together intuitively: How to build a palm tree! Attach the palm top and base: Then attach two leaves like so: And attach the other two leaves like so: And top it off with the green 2x2 round plate: TaaaDaaah! As the name suggests, there are indeed fences: But there are also flags: And flowers, which, as you may remember, is why I wanted the set. Displaying all the parts of set 6139 together: With only one meagre spare part: Finally onto the late 1990s we have: Set 4 6318 Flowers, Trees and Fences 1996 Name: Flowers, Trees and Fences Number: 6318 Theme: System (Classic Town – Supplemental) Year: 1996 Pieces: 49 Price paid: EUR 18.39 This also appears to be a remake of the earlier 6139 (as 6317 was to 6305); I have no idea why 6318 was released three years after 6319, it seems like a very elaborate ruse just to confuse little ol’ me. Anyhoo, the box:- Box Front The front shows all the parts displayed once again in a pleasant scene. Back of the Box A very handy parts list on the back showing all the lovely pieces Inside there are trees: Including a palm tree (in parts): Flowers: And Fences: But there are other things also! There are vines and bushes and other greenery: And flags, and this time, a parrot! There are no instructions once again, but placing the flower heads hasn’t changed and building the palm tree is as before, however this palm tree is smaller than it's predecessor It was only when I put the two together that I noticed. Not only is it one piece smaller in height, but the leaves are also smaller. Weird. The addition of the flags to the fences is evident from the box. So, put it all together and what have you got? With these sparse spares: So how do all four sets look together? Well, I think they look fabulous! Phew! Well that was a rollercoaster ride through "Trees and Flowers over the last 30 years of LEGO" Overall summary: These sets are so similar that trying to draw conclusions for each would have become repetitive, so I’ve put all my thoughts together, here. Design: For all these sets the design has stood the test of time. All these parts are still available in other forms/sets except the yellow and blue flowers. The palm trees in sets 6139 and 6138 are cleverly designed, and I like the fact they are poseable, however the size of the palm trees compared to the conifers and rounded trees is somewhat incongruous. Build: There really isn’t any, apart from putting the flower heads on and piecing together the palm trees, but that’s not why you’d buy them. Playability: Again, there’s not much you can do with these pieces on their own; other scenery and some buildings and minifigs will help make a story. You can rearrange the scenes to your heart’s content, and adding them to other sets and/or scenes will only enhance their playing experience and aesthetic. Figures: There aren’t any, but that’s expected. Parts: As repeatedly stated, most of the items here are still available, either from other sets or the capricious affections of the pick-a-brick wall. Nothing is particularly rare, and given one of the sets is over thirty years old, nothing is new either. They were bought for the flowers but the addition of flags and fences, and of course a multicoloured parrot, are not to be sniffed at. I was also lacking in palm trees, so now I have two. The boxes are gorgeous in themselves and I almost regret opening them, but LEGO trapped in a box, however lovely, is no fun at all. Value: I’ll leave you to judge for yourselves. As a special purchase, I obviously believed them to be worth it, and that view was only further confirmed when I received them, but others may consider them too expensive. Overall: I adore these sets. Opening the boxes and arranging the scenes took me back to my childhood, and that was joy in itself. I bought them with MOCs in mind, but they can be used in so many scenes for adding that extra detail (greebling, I think.) Even if LEGO suddenly make blue and yellow flowers available on pick-a-brick, I’ll still be happy to have these sets. Thank you for reading, and I’d love to hear your views (good or bad) on the sets, the review(s) and the pictures! Edited March 4, 2011 by Zorbas Indexed Quote
prateek Posted March 4, 2011 Posted March 4, 2011 Very nice quadruple review. I for one would never pay those prices for shrubbery and fences, but I do see the value behind it. Quote
TanTile Posted March 4, 2011 Posted March 4, 2011 great review, i haven't seen those in years thanks for the flash back!! one question though... whats the reasoning for the flags being put on upside down in the last 2 sets? the photos on the box has them the way i would put them.... Quote
XimenaPaulina Posted March 4, 2011 Posted March 4, 2011 Thanks for sharing this excellent composite review Pandora! It's really nice to see that these somewhat overlooked sets get the spotlight in this review. These might not be the popular mainstream sets that we are used to getting, but the elements they provide are certainly very useful for displays, dioramas, town layouts, and even for everyday MOCing. Quote
SilentMode Posted March 4, 2011 Posted March 4, 2011 Back in the day, when I bought Lego from Toys 'R Us, I remember getting 6318 at least once - it was the fastest way to get trees and flowers and things. Those were the times! It's great seeing all these plant packs together. I would really like to see the blue and yellow flowers make a comeback; red and pink (sometimes white) are the only ones widely available now. We also don't really have a modern equivalent for the trees. (Where are the trees in the newer sets?!) Great review! Quote
lightningtiger Posted March 4, 2011 Posted March 4, 2011 Thanks 'Pandora' for this quad-review, in a way it's a pity Lego still doesn't bring these plant sets out....they do road plates, but no greenery packs or street signs, etc.,. Interesting colours for the early plant packs, blue flowers.....never knew they were around back in the 80's ! Brick On Everyone ! Quote
dr_spock Posted March 4, 2011 Posted March 4, 2011 Thank you for the review. It was a nice trip down memory lane. Quote
Pandora Posted March 4, 2011 Author Posted March 4, 2011 Very nice quadruple review. I for one would never pay those prices for shrubbery and fences, but I do see the value behind it. Thanks Prateek; I got overexcited on BrickLink great review, i haven't seen those in years thanks for the flash back!! Thank you! one question though... whats the reasoning for the flags being put on upside down in the last 2 sets? the photos on the box has them the way i would put them.... Uhhm... It was pointed out to me, but I'm stubborn and I liked them better that way round... Thanks for sharing this excellent composite review Pandora! It's really nice to see that these somewhat overlooked sets get the spotlight in this review. These might not be the popular mainstream sets that we are used to getting, but the elements they provide are certainly very useful for displays, dioramas, town layouts, and even for everyday MOCing. Thank you KielDaMan, that's what I thought! It's great seeing all these plant packs together. I would really like to see the blue and yellow flowers make a comeback; red and pink (sometimes white) are the only ones widely available now. We also don't really have a modern equivalent for the trees. (Where are the trees in the newer sets?!) Great review! Thanks 'Pandora' for this quad-review, in a way it's a pity Lego still doesn't bring these plant sets out....they do road plates, but no greenery packs or street signs, etc.,. Interesting colours for the early plant packs, blue flowers.....never knew they were around back in the 80's ! Brick On Everyone ! Thanks for your comments SilentMode and lightningtiger, and I agree, I wish they'd re-release a few small greenery packs, then we could all relive the '80s (well, those of us who were there, eh lighningtiger? ) Thank you for the review. It was a nice trip down memory lane. Thank you dr-spock, I had a pleasant sense of nostalgia working with these sets and I still love the boxes Quote
Fugazi Posted March 4, 2011 Posted March 4, 2011 Thanks for the nice reviews Pandora, great pics! It's so much more fun to buy plants and trees in proper sets rather that bulk! Ok, probably more expensive though! I did buy 6318 myself back then, not long before I sunk in my Lego dark age. Ah those were good times, plant packs and idea books! Quote
pinioncorp Posted March 4, 2011 Posted March 4, 2011 Great review(s), thanks. Interesting to see how they've changed over the years. In the 90's they started adding one extra flower stem so the spare flowers wouldn't be wasted. Also a shame to see everyone's favourite tree, the Cypress, never made it into a trees pack. Quote
Fugazi Posted March 4, 2011 Posted March 4, 2011 Also a shame to see everyone's favourite tree, the Cypress, never made it into a trees pack. Oh but it did, many times over. However I'm not sure how widespread the distribution of those packs was. Quote
LEGO Train 12 Volts Posted March 4, 2011 Posted March 4, 2011 Very original review! Extremely relaxing Quote
Rick Posted March 4, 2011 Posted March 4, 2011 Nostalgia? Definitely! These 1980s boxes and leaflets certainly bring back memories... I really liked these supplementary sets and although nowadays the demand for these is partly filled by PaB (and Bricklink), I still think they'd manage to sell these sets like these to kids who want to 'dress up' their towns. Nice review. Very original indeed. Quote
Gregorovich Posted March 4, 2011 Posted March 4, 2011 Thanks for the nice reviews, Pandora! It's nice to see a review of such an old set. I just wish LEGO still made these sorts of sets... Quote
Pandora Posted March 5, 2011 Author Posted March 5, 2011 Very original review! Extremely relaxing Thank you, um, glad it relaxed you! Nostalgia? Definitely! These 1980s boxes and leaflets certainly bring back memories... Nice review. Very original indeed. Thank you, Rick! Thanks for the nice reviews, Pandora! It's nice to see a review of such an old set. I just wish LEGO still made these sorts of sets... I wish they made them too Thank you for your comments Quote
Zeya Posted March 7, 2011 Posted March 7, 2011 Thank you for this review. I really wish we had sets like this today. Most sets only come with a little bit of plant life or none at all, and I need more greenery! Quote
WhiteFang Posted March 9, 2011 Posted March 9, 2011 I wanted to comment this earlier but I could not find the time to do so. Thanks Pandora for sharing your very first review on Eurobricks. It's truly amazing to see all of the regular Town supplements being put together in this quad review. I enjoyed every bit of it and to know that such part packs are available at such an affordable price. I certainly missed these now. Your review does reminds me of my Classic Town Road Signs review. I could never have thought that someone could actually do something like this. Quote
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