Not that I can fit this set anywhere, but I wish I had one, just to feel nostalgic whenever I look at it. I got close with 374 but, minifigs without arms is next level.

An usettling duo of police officers on motorcycles was also in 6386! At least these clones can't stare at you!

@Norikins said:
"An usettling duo of police officers on motorcycles was also in 6386! At least these clones can't stare at you!"
Haha xD Great set from back in the day, but what you said. Now I can’t unsee it xD xD xD

@oldtodd33 said:
"I got this set for my 10th birthday. My last name starts with an L and the station number is L 10. I thought that was pretty neat back then. "

that’s a wonderful memory <3

@Norikins said:
"An usettling duo of police officers on motorcycles was also in 6386! At least these clones can't stare at you!"

They were also released in a set of their own: 6522 Highway Patrol (including what I assume is meant to represent a phone booth).

The middle ground with police on motorcycles was also kinda wacky, see set 644.

I did some internet research (didn't talk to a chatbot, honest). Those motorcyclists, I think they're supposed to be "boycycles."

Be thankful they're not hideous Wheelers from the corrupted Land of Oz.

I really wanted this set for Christmas, but got 770 and 780 instead.

My first Lego set. Absolutely loved it. Tried (and failed) to build a TIE fighter and X-wing out of it later on. XD

@mkrey said:
"I really wanted this set for Christmas, but got 770 and 780 instead."

I think you got the better deal. As much as the police station was/is a fun set with plenty of possible scenarios, I think 770 and especially 780 offer significantly more play potential. I guess. in the end, it depends on your taste. They also have a lot of specialized parts allowing to build all sorts of weird contraptions!

I can picture these minifigs walking around like South Park characters.

@PurpleDave said:
" @Brickalili said:
"Having the bisected minis sat on the bikes like that makes them look like drones that have been given “human” features to make them seem friendlier and more approachable rather than uncanny valley enforcers "

I believe the term is "motaurs". Like centaurs, but with motorcycles."

Which means they’re riding motaurcycles I assume

@Zander said:
" @AustinPowers said:
"Even though I prefer its successor ( 381-2 ) which was one of my earliest sets as a kid, this one is also great.

And it illustrates perfectly what imho is so totally wrong with LEGO of today:

This is an entire sizeable building, with depth and lots of possibilities for play. It also has a swooshable helicopter, a police car, police van and two motorcycles. Plus four (Proto-)minifigures.
All with 280 (!) pieces.

Today an average Speed Champions vehicle has (way) more pieces. Loads of tiny 1x1 deco stuff that do nothing for play but only for looks.
And that's one of my main gripes with LEGO of today. It's almost all about looks and not mainly about play anymore. Even Technic, the whole reason for being of which was that it was NOT about the looks but about the inner workings. "
Very much agree. Sets of the ‘70s had a primitive charm that so many of today’s builds lack. They were all about play appeal, not marketing imagery. They lacked verisimilitude, no doubt. But realism isn’t as important as LEGO currently seems to think."

To both of you: are you really unhappy with, say, 60478 as compared to 6682? Price-wise, they are about the same ($40 today vs at least $12 in 1985 which would be $37 today). Play-wise, 60478 has 3 minifigs instead of 1, and has accessories in addition to the truck, which 6682 did not have. 60478 does have quite a few more small parts, but half of them are round 1x1 plates meant to be left loose to act as concrete (another play function!), where 6682 lacked anything to put in its mixer barrel. Ignoring the "cement" 1x1s, 60478 has about the same proportion of small to large parts as 6682, it's just a bigger truck (arguably something kids would like for play).

Alternately, compare 6633 to 60485 and 60486. The old set is certainly more generic than the new sets, but the new sets are still just generic/stylized takes on entire categories of car. I'd also argue that the new sets would be more appealing to kids because they look a lot cooler without costing more (corrected for inflation, 6633 would be almost $14 today), and are still small enough they can be built quickly.

I think what you need to consider is that Lego's portfolio has gotten a lot wider than it was in the '70s and '80s. The old LEGOLAND theme was replaced by Town, which itself was replaced by the current City theme. Speed Champions isn't City, and doesn't replace City/Town/LEGOLAND cars; instead, it's an alternative to plastic car models, the kind where you cut the parts off of a sprue tree, glue them together, and paint them yourself. City isn't alone, either; Friends is basically City but more dollhouse-like than Matchbox-car-like, and individually they're each at least as expansive as the old LEGOLAND and Town lines were.

Now, I do agree that Technic has really lost its way. Too many cars where the mechanical functions are technically impressive transmissions that don't do anything useful since they aren't driven by a motor, and too many extremely large sets with much better functionality but very high price tags.

@Brickalili said:
" @PurpleDave said:
" @Brickalili said:
"Having the bisected minis sat on the bikes like that makes them look like drones that have been given “human” features to make them seem friendlier and more approachable rather than uncanny valley enforcers "

I believe the term is "motaurs". Like centaurs, but with motorcycles."

Which means they’re riding motaurcycles I assume"

Nope.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ltiTS6AseTU&pp=ygUdbW90YXVyIHByb2dyZXNzaXZlIGNvbW1lcmNpYWw%3D&ra=m

@Zander said:
" @AustinPowers said:
"Even though I prefer its successor ( 381-2 ) which was one of my earliest sets as a kid, this one is also great.

And it illustrates perfectly what imho is so totally wrong with LEGO of today:

This is an entire sizeable building, with depth and lots of possibilities for play. It also has a swooshable helicopter, a police car, police van and two motorcycles. Plus four (Proto-)minifigures.
All with 280 (!) pieces.

Today an average Speed Champions vehicle has (way) more pieces. Loads of tiny 1x1 deco stuff that do nothing for play but only for looks.
And that's one of my main gripes with LEGO of today. It's almost all about looks and not mainly about play anymore. Even Technic, the whole reason for being of which was that it was NOT about the looks but about the inner workings. "
Very much agree. Sets of the ‘70s had a primitive charm that so many of today’s builds lack. They were all about play appeal, not marketing imagery. They lacked verisimilitude, no doubt. But realism isn’t as important as LEGO currently seems to think."

It’s a bit like older games (pixel art, etc) where your brain does most of the lifting. And this enhances your play and imagination so much more then the modern sets.

@gearwheel said:
"To both of you: are you really unhappy with, say, 60478 as compared to 6682? Price-wise, they are about the same ($40 today vs at least $12 in 1985 which would be $37 today)."
I can't comment on US prices, but over here in 1985 Netherlands that 6682 was Hfl. 15,50, which corrected for inflation would now be €16,87.

@gearwheel: there are always exceptions to the rule, and I think we all agree that the recent City construction theme has been a return to form that is in many other areas sorely missing. That is why I said "almost" all about looks instead of play.

And yes, Technic is a shadow of its former self and imho should be buried and the "Racers" branding resurrected instead, because that's what the theme is these days.
The few (ridiculously expensive) exceptions could be under the 18+ label, since they are not aimed mainly at kids anyway. Plus, which normal kid has the funds to buy these monstrosities that cost almost as much as an entire month's rent for many people.

One of the main goals of LEGO originally was to provide engaging but affordable toys for kids.
These days it's a luxury toy in many themes, and most of the affordable sets are totally stripped down in order to still have an obscene profit margin.
Just look at the pricing of legitimate alternate manufacturers who also have their own R&D departments, to see how insane LEGO's prices are in comparison.

This set looks very whole, complete. Not as recent police stations. It would be nice for display set and for play too.

I remember looking at this and the associated fire station as a 4 or 5 year old and being blown away, then when they were undated as Legoland sets in the early 80s with the roller doors and other more realistic features as a 9 or 10 year old (a friend had the fire station) and being completely blown away again - that's progress I suppose which happened to coincide with my own expectations at those ages...

I like the clear doors. Is the outside telephone to call the police when they are closed and wake up some on duty officer?

@ambr said:
"I like the clear doors. Is the outside telephone to call the police when they are closed and wake up some on duty officer?"

Yes. Like a TARDIS on a budget.

I thought minifigs weren't introduced until 1978? Also why don't the minifigs have faces?

@MisterZ said:
"I thought minifigs weren't introduced until 1978? Also why don't the minifigs have faces?"

*Minifigs* weren't. The figures in this set (which @PurpleDave calls miniquins and I call pre-minifigs) were introduced in 1975. They had no articulation or printing, although some did use stickers to decorate the torso.

@MisterZ said:
"I thought minifigs weren't introduced until 1978? Also why don't the minifigs have faces?"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Black_Hole_(1979_film)