Random set of the day: Surf N' Sail Camper
Posted by Huwbot,
Today's random set is 6351 Surf N' Sail Camper, released during 1992. It's one of 27 Town sets produced that year. It contains 188 pieces and 2 minifigs, and its retail price was US$19.
It's owned by 3,269 Brickset members. If you want to add it to your collection you might find it for sale at BrickLink or eBay.
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42 comments on this article
you can actually open this up.
This was probably one of my favourite vehicles from the early 90s period. It's so pretty, and has so much play-value. Look at that big windscreen! Gorgeous.
I’m struggling to figure out how the bike fits in here...
@PurpleDave said:
"I’m struggling to figure out how the bike fits in here..."
Probably parts budget, had enough left to add one. 4435, which also has a camping theme, also has one as well.
That guy's shirt looks so goofy. There's just something about it that feels so bootleg about it because that's not a shirt that would actually exist in the real world. And if it does, it's either some kind of offbrand thing or it's made for ironic humor.
I love the colors here! A cheery glimpse of summer in October :)
I'm a bit surprised at how many computers/screens are in this van (this was 1992). There is a standard computer slope for the rear passenger as well as a more rare inverted computer slope piece at the very back above the stove.
X5 items of transport in one sweet little package. Everything connects and can be opened up. It doesn’t get better balanced than this.
Back in the day, this vehicle was considered large. An RV that contained just about everything for vacationy adventures. I had gawked at in the catalogs a long while, until I got one after my Dark Age. Still cute and versatile.
Only real problem with the standard model is the girl minifig with the ponytail hairpiece couldn't fit in the driver's seat. This is remedied by pulling out the black 2x3 plate and lowering the seat, and trading the positions of the short white panels and the 1x1 bricks. (I just pulled out the set to double check this.)
Do like how this set offered a boat on a trailer to tow with the provided trailer hitch, unlike 60283 which has an unused one.
This was one of my first sets I remember having as a kid....this one and the surf shack that had all the windsurfing boards.
Snazzy! A very nice parts pack and a great interpretation of the vehicle in that scale.
Great little set, these types of sets were great play value. I found one of these in a LEGO lot and rebuilt it and liked it so much it found a home in my collection.
@PurpleDave said:
"I’m struggling to figure out how the bike fits in here..."
No joke, our family regularly travels with bicycles and watercraft affixed to our van, so that we can enjoy both surf'n'turf. This might be my favorite set that I've never seen before.
There is a lovely 6-wide modern take on this set done by dandelbaum over on Rebrickabkle: https://rebrickable.com/mocs/MOC-65103/dandelbaum/surf-sail-camper-remake-of-6351/details
@MCLegoboy said:
"That guy's shirt looks so goofy. There's just something about it that feels so bootleg about it because that's not a shirt that would actually exist in the real world. And if it does, it's either some kind of offbrand thing or it's made for ironic humor."
It was the 90s. A lot of outfits didn't make sense
I had this set!!! Oh it was so good. Paradisa vibes in Town, gotta love it.
There's something so charming about the proportions of 4-wide vehicles. It might be how tall they are compared to their footprint. Early 90s town is my happy place.
Ball joint!? In 1992!?
@Jack_Sassy said:
"Ball joint!? In 1992!?"
Oh they are a lot older than that :)
I always wanted this set but couldn't afford it.
The box art photograph is interesting too in that they elected to go with a rear end shot of the main vehicle. Highlighting all the additional play features perhaps?
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@MCLegoboy said:
"That guy's shirt looks so goofy. There's just something about it that feels so bootleg about it because that's not a shirt that would actually exist in the real world. And if it does, it's either some kind of offbrand thing or it's made for ironic humor."
I would kind of think this type of shirt might have indeed existed in the real world '80s... At least for children.
As a part it's actually kind of uncommon, appearing in 8 regular sets, 2 limited release FreeStyle sets, 1 re-release and 2 Dacta sets. I always called that minifigure 'Truck Fan Guy'.
Anyways a nice little charming set, unfortunately it is one of the three (regular and non-Paradisa) '92 Town sets I'm missing :(
This era of background art is my favourite, simple, peaceful, inviting, but doesn't distract at all from the model.
Love this set, one of the last town vehicles I bought myself with earnings from newspaper deliveries. I still have it built up for my son to play with.
I had to nag for weeks for to get this, but my parents eventually bought it! Fantastic playset, espacially when your love holidays and travelling as a kid, but it's schooltime!
@Jack_Sassy said:
"Ball joint!? In 1992!?"
No, it's a trailer hitch. Much looser connection, although the balls are the same size, and in fact the 2x2 plate with the ball on a short bar was originally used in trailer hitches.
Really nice 4 wide set. The System logo told me it was newer than 80s Legoland Town sets but it had the classic town vibes going for it.
I may have to build this out of my parts collection.
I too didn't know about this set. Glad I do now. Thank you, RSOTD.
@Jack_Sassy said:
"Ball joint!? In 1992!?"
I was surprised to see it still going 22 years after an almost identical part in a set I got in 1970 623-2!
@PurpleDave said:
"I’m struggling to figure out how the bike fits in here..."
Ever heard of a boardwalk?
@Isabella_and_Lego_Liker:
@ForestMenOfEndor:
@Cooliocdawg:
Look at the name of the set. Look at the set. Look at the bike. It’s the “Surf N' Sail Camper”, with a windsurfing board on the roof, and a sailboat being towed by a camper. And there’s also a bike, which you can’t surf, sail, or camp.
@MCLegoboy:
It looks like a shirt meant for kids who are too young to decide what to wear, and whose parents aren’t particular about what they buy because kids clothing is expensive and needs to be replaced annually.
@LordDunsany:
I don’t think they’ve ever made anything to represent a microwave, so the inverted computer could be meant to serve as one. Or it could be a tiny TV that one person can watch by themself after being shoehorned into this rolling coffin.
@Galaxy12_Import:
If I was going to do the same, I’d make it 8-wide, possibly with a 6-wide cab. RVs tend to be rather beefy compared to passenger vehicles, which is very obvious when they build them onto standard truck or van chassis complete with matching cab.
@DJDally44:
They tried that with Legends. Sales were way below expectation, from what we’ve heard, and they’re not going to chase a handful of nostalgic AFOLs (who will buy other stuff anyways) when kids want stuff that looks more like what is currently on store shelves. You want models that look like this? MOC them. Or find instructions from other people who already did so, rather thanhold out for something that will never happen.
@Jack_Sassy:
The ball joint dates back to at least the 70’s, when it was used for the wrists on Homemaker characters. Their bendy arms went on to see further life in both Space and Aquazone themes.
@namekuji:
The only point of that POV is to show the bike hanging on the back. You can see the windsurfing board from any direction. The trailer can be angled to show off the boat with a front quarter shot of the camper. But the bike hangs on the back of the camper and won’t be visible from any forward POV. The only other alternative would be to show a minifig riding it, which just makes it look like the camper driver just met a cyclist.
@PurpleDave said:
" @Isabella_and_Lego_Liker:
@ForestMenOfEndor:
@Cooliocdawg:
Look at the name of the set. Look at the set. Look at the bike. It’s the “Surf N' Sail Camper”, with a windsurfing board on the roof, and a sailboat being towed by a camper. And there’s also a bike, which you can’t surf, sail, or camp."
I don’t remember being upset this came with a bike when I was a kid. Since I only had two I didn’t look the gift horse in the mouth. Plus we used to bike A LOT on camping trips.
@DJDally44 said:
"Damn I wished I could be bothered to fish out all the pieces from my many 84 litre storage boxes"
Bet they're 'Really Useful'!
He's wearing a shirt with a truck pattern on it because he's "slow" and the other minifig is his mother. Even though he's 22, he has the mind of a five-year old and the doctors over at set 6380 say this is about all you can ever expect from him. Mom's face is frozen in a smile on the outside but her life is hell and only the bottomless mimosas at the Breezeway Cafe can staunch the pain.
Interesting that people compare this to modern City ones when the true successors to this are the never-ending stream of Creator campers that come out every few years...
(see: 31108 from 2020, 31052 from 2016)
@Jack_Sassy said:
"Ball joint!? In 1992!?"
Which one, the 6076 boat mast where it connects to the 6075 surfboard?
Ah...Lego and Campers, pretty well go hand-in-hand...never had this one ('dark age'...), but got a few of its modern counterparts: 4435 and 60182, both kinda' cool.
I completely forgot i had this set, it was the last one i managed to pick out when rebuilding my childhood collection. I couldnt figure out what the windshield went to, but then it was actually the little stretcher wheels on the boat trailer that i figured out i had this 95% complete.
This is one of many sets from the time that I admired in the catalogues for years without buying. I eventually sourced one from Bricklink as an adult. It arrived already assembled. Since then, I have instructed sellers to ship disassembled!
I think it's actually resembles Volkswagen's 1979 T3 'Wedge' design, their last rear engined van. It is actually a remarkable example of four wide packaging, with an old homemaker style hob print visible when the kitchen area is opened up. The only thing it lacks is a bed, which I actually consider quite vital in campers!
@cm5878 said:
" @Jack_Sassy said:
"Ball joint!? In 1992!?"
Which one, the 6076 boat mast where it connects to the 6075 surfboard?"
The one that connects trailer to the car. I know that at that point they existed but had no idea they date back to the 70s.
@Jack_Sassy:
The earliest use I knew of was 1974, with part 3614a (1x1 round plate w/ tow ball, paired with 3613, a 3-finger arm section w/ tow ball socket), which was used in sets 200, 250-3, 251, 252, 263, 264, 265, and 266. Actually digging into parts that include a “tow ball” yields part 3184 (1x4 plate w/ tow ball, paired with some variant of 3183, 1x4 plate w/ tow ball socket), introduced in 1970 with sets 271-3, 348-2, 367-2, 622-2, and 623-2.
I don’t believe you’re going to find anything prior to 1970, but it’s possible. Prior to the tow ball, towing was achieved from 1963-1979 with part 650, two 2x2 plates (top half only) with a strap of material connecting them. Like a tow rope, you couldn’t simply unhitch the trailer, and had to actually remove the part to disconnect a trailer. Also like a tow rope, constant use would end up resulting in a broken strap.