Review: 60126 Tyre Escape
Posted by CapnRex101,
The latest wave of LEGO City sets consists predominantly of Fire and Police sets, a point of contention for many adult fans, the smallest of which is 60126 Tyre Escape.
I generally pay little attention to City sets of this size but the inclusion of a completely new prisoner minifigure (with a spectacular moustache) in such an inexpensive set and the humour of a prisoner escaping in a floating tyre made this a must have for me!
Minifigures
Two minifigures are included, a police officer and an escaped convict. Both characters have been seen many times before but the latest designs are among the best, particularly in the case of the criminal. I love the new legs which are printed with grey stripes and the torso is excellent as well, featuring an orange vest and a striped prison uniform wrapped around his waist. The head includes an enormous handlebar moustache which looks great too.
While the criminal has undergone a dramatic redesign, the police officer has only been altered slightly, with a new light blue uniform which is complete with a zip, belt, radio and badge. The design is equally impressive on the back but the legs and cap are undecorated. It would be nice to see a police insignia printed on the cap to match that on the standard police hats which have appeared in other recent sets.
The police officer is equipped with a pair of handcuffs and a life jacket. The current life jacket element does not allow the head of the minifigure to be pushed all the way down, leaving a gap between the torso and the head which looks awful. Hopefully it will be redesigned soon and this issue will be rectified.
The Completed Model
The escapee's tyre is simply a large tyre! A minifigure can be wedged in the centre which is not an entirely 'legal' technique but it works and I cannot think of an alternative method. Without a figure in place the tyre can float but I find it becomes topheavy with a passenger and tends to capsize as a result.
While the criminal desperately paddles in a tyre, the police officer is equipped with a water scooter. This design is quite similar to the many which have gone before but looks good, with an attractive colour scheme, a pair of blue lights and room for the rider.
The police insignia on the bow of the craft is printed on a 2x2 curved slope and forms a nice shape along with a 1x2 'cheese' slope in front of the handlebars. There is only room for one minifigure on board so presumably the criminal has to be towed back to prison on the tyre. Unfortunately there are no slider elements fixed to the underside of the hull which reduces the play value slightly as the vessel does not move across carpet very well. That does not detract from its sturdiness though, so is only a very minor issue.
A blue beacon is mounted at an angle on the back alongside two water jets, represented by the exposed studs of a bracket element. The same technique is used in 60127 Prison Island Starter Set and I expect it will appear again in future as it suits the role perfectly.
Overall
This set is simply a bit of fun. Its unusual nature appeals to me and it marks a welcome change from the typical ATVs which often appear in sets of this size. It could be argued that the play value is reduced given the obvious advantage which the police officer has over the criminal, but the humourous quality outweighs this issue for me.
Perhaps the most damaging issue facing this set is the existence of 60127 Prison Island Starter Set. This model costs only a little less than that but includes fewer models and minifigures. The playability is therefore lessened as well in relation to the larger set, although the charm of a prisoner escaping in a tyre is difficult to overlook!
JANGBRiCKS' Video Review
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27 comments on this article
Would a tire even float in real life? Hold on, let me go to my car... *grabs a toolbox*
Anyways, just the sheer amusement factor of how exactly this chase got started! The guy clearly stole a tire from somewhere in that prison, from a vehicle that was big enough before being noticed!
The prisoner chasing the officer with the oar is really funny.
I had no idea. I thought the life preserver had indents to make it fit the head more snug. That looks terrible. Did they change it?
This set looks charming. This may be one I need to get, even though I have no logical reason to.
Tyre?
^ Welcome to British English :)
Nice review, hadn't even noticed this set before, but that prisoner is great, the 'tache in particular is worth getting a few of.
That's cute, but I don't really like it... too simplistic.
Can the police speeder float?
I think the police is chasing the escaped guy just to save his skin from being eaten by: giant squid, shark, salt water crocodile or from drowning anyway, that mustache is amazing.
This is pretty much an up-dated version of 30227 (Police watercraft) but no worse for being as such.
I'm not sure my OCD could handle having a single tire in my Lego collection that does not come with a wheel to fill it :P
I really love a lot about this set. I appreciate small and tiny sets and this one is cute and substantial enough without breaking it up to $10. I also like the lightheartedness of the scene and the figs. The prisoner is appropriately gruff but also goofy, and not angry or "mean" while the officer is nice and smiley instead of smirking or grimacing, I've gotten tired of those faces.
All around good show from Lego, this is the stuff I like to see
@chrismajor2124 Well you could buy two sets then at least you would have a pair without the rims!
Ahh, another word that spelled differently by our friends across the pond; "tyre".
you do not spell tire like that its tire not tyre
cool
"This model costs only a little less than that but includes fewer models and minifigures. The playability is therefore lessened as well..."
I'd argue that the playability is exactly the same as otherwise - that's not really a quality related to price. It's the perceived value that's lessened.
Saw it on the shelf, was also amused. Thanks for the details. The value comments remind me of how 60066 Swamp Police Starter Set is a better deal than 60065 ATV Patrol.
@kiloren, tyre is the British English spelling.
The disappointing thing to me here is that both minifig heads--while charming and effective--are reissues: the officer from last year's Arctic range, and the crook is TLM's Sudds Backwash.
Good review, though, thanks!
"Tyre vs tire" "water scooter vs jet ski" "color vs colour;" for some reason Brickset is where I have seen the most debate between American English and The Queen's English. It is rather an odd place for such a debate. :)
>kiloren - no matey, YOU spell it that way! I don't! ;-)
No, I doubt in reality a big tyre like that would float very well on its own - not high enough in the water to carry a person, anyway. What you'd need is an inner-tube. Or if you must use a tyre, glue and seal a base into one side to keep all the water out and make a coracle.
Is it just me or would the crooks head be perfect for a carnival strong man figure? If it wasn't for the tied up prison uniform around his waist the torso would be good too.
Apparently the French spelling of tyre is 'pneu' ...but I don't care.
Are you guys reviewning 60130? That's the one I'm looking forward. :)
@aleydita "Nice review, hadn't even noticed this set before, but that prisoner is great, the 'tache in particular is worth getting a few of."
Passing on this set because if I buy one, I'll have to buy four. Nothing triggers my OCD more than having an odd-number of a particular tire.
sorry i did not remember that you live in england
well sorry joefish!