4209 Fire Plane

 

  • 4209 Fire Plane

    Posted by Huw, 10 Sep 2012 06:35. Filed under Pick of the week.

    For my pick of the week this week, I've chosen another set that I wouldn't normally buy, but current discounts at Amazon.co.uk (36% off at £25) made it irresistible.

    I've never bought a City fire set before, because as I explained when the forest police station was pick of the week, emergency services sets usually leave me cold. However, I am coming to realise that they are packed with playability, and this one is no exception.

    4209 Fire planeThe set contains three sub-models, the first of which is this fire jeep and trailer. The jeep looks great, although it would have looked better -- not to mention safer for the driver in a fire situation -- if it had a roof. A red Wedge 4 x 6 x 2/3 Triple Curved would have done the job nicely.

    The trailer, presumably a water tank/pumper, is packed with details and hoses.

    4209 Fire planeThe trees are nowhere near as good as those made by some AFOLs but they are pretty good, and in any case, the 30 foliage pieces will come in handy for making your own trees.

    The ten flame pieces let you 'set fire' to one of the trees and thus have something for the fire service to extinguish. I think I'm right in saying that this is the first time something 'on fire' has been included in a fire set, presumably because burning buildings or vehicles would be too scary for kids.

    4209 Fire planeThe plane itself isn't too bad, although it does use the new large juniorised parts for nose and tail, but thankfully, not for the wings. They are made from two 6 x 24 plates which are something of a rarity. There are some in the Town Hall, but other than that they haven't appeared in a set since 1998.

    There's a flap on the top of the fuselage in which to put the 'water' (trans-blue 1 x 1 round bricks), and a mechanism operated by a lever on the side to drop them onto the burning tree.

    It's not a bad effort although I'm not entirely convinced by the wings, particularly the ends, or the grey slope pieces under the wings; red would have looked much better.

    Overall though, a neat set, packed with playability and useful parts, and a bargain at £25.59 at Amazon.co.uk. In the US, it's currently $50 at Amazon.com.


    12 comments, latest one posted 9 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)
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Comments

Posted by goldfish in United Kingdom, 10 Sep 2012 07:28

If you are prepared to do some lego work, certain Tesco's are selling this on clearance at £9, but it will be hit and miss if you find one, and you might have to check the scanning yourself, as the shelf may still say £31.

Posted by Huw in United Kingdom, 10 Sep 2012 07:51

Wow that is a bit of a bargain, then, if you can find one!

Posted by UtarEmpire in United States, 10 Sep 2012 08:02

Yeah, I've never been too blown away by fire sets. The truck looks nice but the tree and the fire plane look pretty awful IMO.

Posted by Zander in United Kingdom, 10 Sep 2012 08:06

Nice review, Huw.

Lots of things have been depicted as on fire by TLG: torches, camp fires, and fires/embers under cauldrons. Also, Eruptorr from the 2010 Power Miners set looked to be burning. However, all these fires were controlled. I think you may be right that this is the first time something has been ablaze and out of control.

Posted by dcmal in United Kingdom, 10 Sep 2012 08:50

Love this set, glad there is a review. Got mine from Tesco for GBP 9.50. Absolutely love the engines.

Posted by Modok in United States, 10 Sep 2012 15:41

^^ But torches, embers and firewood are *supposed* to be on fire. I think Huw was referring to everyday objects that are not normally on fire.

Posted by trfislegomad in United Kingdom, 10 Sep 2012 16:58

Was lucky enough to grab the last one on Friday from the Bedford Tesco's for £9.50.

Posted by Dash Justice in United States, 11 Sep 2012 00:39

Actually, there is a Jack Stone set, 4609 which includes a burning building of sorts.

Posted by The_Cook in Canada, 11 Sep 2012 01:55

With regards to the wings, the set is a fairly good representation of a Candair 215 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadair_CL-215 - which does has very square wings to allow it to fly slow enough to pick up water from lakes.

Posted by LegoAthos in United States, 11 Sep 2012 14:39

The PoTC London Escape set has a burning wagon.

Steve

Posted by Okay in United States, 11 Sep 2012 15:49

Actually, the rumor list for 2013 includes several Fire sets with things on fire, including a "Burning Hut" and a burning motorboat, so if Lego ever had a policy of not including burning buildings/vehicles in Fire sets, it ends this year. ;-)

Posted by perfectlydark in Australia, 13 Sep 2012 04:39

that fire truck released late last year also has a burning tree. Cant remember set number, something like 4434 or therabouts

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