Vintage set of the week: Basic Building Set with Train
Posted by Huwbot,
This week's vintage set is 080 Basic Building Set with Train, released during 1967. It's one of 15 System sets produced that year. It contains 718 pieces.
It's owned by 79 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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25 comments on this article
Basic Sets have leveled up.
@MCLegoboy said:
"Basic Sets have leveled up."
They've been training.
That's one giant police officer. Talk about the long arm of the law!
So not only do you get a train set, but you get an entire village to build around the train?
I was born in the wrong decade.
@Norikins said:
"That's one giant police officer. Talk about the long arm of the law!"
He's almost as big as a train car! Who is this, Donald Duck with his garden train, about to tangle with Chip & Dale?
They realized that the normal Basic Sets weren't doing well, so they added a train in.
“Day 57. We remain completely encircled by The Train. It will not let us leave, it will not let aid enter. We live in fear of that awful blue beast, wheels stained red by those it has already mowed, praying each day that it might finally run out of steam. But it just keeps going, round and round, and we cannot get out…
…cannot get out…”
That’s a fantastic play value! But I guess it had to be quite expensive back in the day
Must have been one of the largest sets to date back then, based on the number of pieces and the size of the layout. I wonder how much it cost originally.
Those 4 different green baseplates are both fascinating and completely specific
If the Interweb and Brickset had been around in the 60s, then I think this would've been a possible Brickset Bouts winner.
Nothing basic about this set.....
Really such a charming set.
Love it!
@AustinPowers said:
"Must have been one of the largest sets to date back then, based on the number of pieces and the size of the layout. I wonder how much it cost originally. "
Dutch catalog from 1967 says 70 guilders, which converts to 221 euro in today's money with an inflation calculator. But it's hard to compare.
Even back then there was the occasional giant honking set that's like 7 sets in a trenchcoat for no reason. Apparently, anyway.
Fortunately it never caught on... until it did indeed catch on.
Cool set though. The train station looks great and properly stands out. The other three houses are great too, and look easy to combine if you want to build something else.
The train looks a bit goofy, but in a charming way. Not bad for what's still a Basic set.
@Mike910 said:
" @AustinPowers said:
"Must have been one of the largest sets to date back then, based on the number of pieces and the size of the layout. I wonder how much it cost originally. "
Dutch catalog from 1967 says 70 guilders, which converts to 221 euro in today's money with an inflation calculator. But it's hard to compare. "
That was a lot of money back then for any toy. Even 30 years later, that would've been more than most kids would receive for a birthday present. On the other hand, I can easily imagine a modern set of this magnitude would be in the realm of 200 bucks -- and LEGO fans would still buy it.
@merman said:
"Those 4 different green baseplates are both fascinating and completely specific"
Yeah, eventually Lego realized that if they just made baseplates completely covered with studs, they were more reusable in other contexts. Lego also didn't need to mold a new baseplate for each set. But baseplates remained set-specific, as they printed white dots on the studs to show where the walls would go in the finished set. They stopped printing the baseplates after a while, but you won't hear that acknowledged by the people who claim that Lego has steadily dumbed down the instructions and building process.
@TheOtherMike said:
" the people who claim that Lego has steadily dumbed down the instructions and building process."
They can be ignored along with "lego didn't used to have big overly specific pieces" people and "lego didn't do sets specifically aimed at girls before Friends in 2012" people.
The mid to late 60s was a fantastic time to be playing with Lego. Adding the train tracks, train wheels and couplers (that were introduced the year before) hugely increased its playability. This 'basic' set was only really short of the motor (also new the previous year).
Can't help but wonder if the CITY Train Station, set 7997 , being yellow & black, was an intentional color choice as a nod to this set?
@HibiscusDrive said:
"Can't help but wonder if the CITY Train Station, set 7997 , being yellow & black, was an intentional color choice as a nod to this set?"
I'd think it more likely that it was an homage to 4554.
@Al_S said:
" @TheOtherMike said:
" the people who claim that Lego has steadily dumbed down the instructions and building process."
They can be ignored along with "lego didn't used to have big overly specific pieces" people and "lego didn't do sets specifically aimed at girls before Friends in 2012" people."
I prefer the "LEGO didn't do sets specifically aimed at girls _well_ before Friends in 2012" response. I sat through a keynote...lecture? Confession? Lament, maybe? It was the last year that Brickworld asked TLG to send an employee to deliver the keynote address before starting to ask AFOLs to speak. The woman they sent rattled off a list of all the themes she'd worked on over her career. Every single one of them was targeted at tapping into the girls market, and every single one of them was a flop. They also had space constraints at that time, so we were in one of the hallways instead of a proper room, only a few chairs had been set up for people with medical issues, to comply with fire code. Rather than attempting to get comfortable on the floor, I sat on one of the ledges lining the window, which was almost as uncomfortable, and put me (in shorts) right on top of one of the AC vents. That keynote was one of the most miserable experiences I've had in this hobby. But I do earnestly believe that the speaker really wanted to find a way to get girls interested in LEGO products.
@TheOtherMike said:
" @HibiscusDrive said:
"Can't help but wonder if the CITY Train Station, set 7997 , being yellow & black, was an intentional color choice as a nod to this set?"
I'd think it more likely that it was an homage to 4554."
Never saw that one. It is definitely homage to that. I guess there was a period where all the train stations were yellow.
Just like how nowadays every lego haunted house has to be black and either sea green or olive green!
You spin me right round, baby right round!
Can you REALY build that whole set with just 718 pieces???