Review: 30357 Road Worker
Posted by CapnRex101,
A number of excellent LEGO City polybags have been released in recent years and 30357 Road Worker seems to continue that trend.
This could be a useful accessory for city displays and the set includes several rare pieces, perhaps the most notable of which is the warning sign printed on a 2x4 tile.
Minifigure
A standard workman minifigure is included, wearing a blue uniform and a bright red hard hat. I like the orange high visibility stripes on the front of the torso but the absence of back printing is disappointing. This element has been in use since 2009 so I would not be at all surprised to see an updated version with printing on the back of the torso at some point.
The red hard hat complements the worker's uniform very nicely and his smiling expression, though common, is perfectly serviceable. He comes equipped with a walkie-talkie and a white paddle for directing traffic around the road works.
The Completed Model
This vehicle feels reminiscent of classic town models, featuring a chassis that is only four studs wide and an open driving compartment. I like the orange and light bluish grey colour scheme in combination with the white warning sign on the back, particularly since this feels quite realistic and matches 30353 Tractor which was released in 2017.
A new bullbar element has been introduced this year and this little polybag effectively demonstrates its versatility as the bullbar is fitted upside down to protect the front wheels. It has only appeared in a total of seven sets thus far so I am pleased to see it here and it looks great on the road work truck, with a single headlamp represented by a trans-clear 1x1 round tile on a clip at its centre.
There is room to seat a minifigure behind the steering wheel and clips are included on either side for the accessories. The wheels are small but feature a deep tread befitting an off-road vehicle and the ground clearance is quite sufficient for play. The highlight of this model is definitely the warning sign though. This is mounted on two droid arms so can be folded down very neatly, as shown in the image below.
However, I think the sign looks even better when deployed and it can rotate on a Technic pin to face in any direction. This consists of eight orange lights which surround a printed 2x4 tile, alerting minifigures that they are entering a construction zone and that hard hats must be worn. This tile has only appeared once before in 10734 Demolition Site and it looks fantastic so will slot perfectly into a larger city display.
Overall
30357 Road Worker is an example of a perfect polybag in my opinion. Not only does it offer great play value in relation to its size but the vehicle could easily form part of a full construction site display. The addition of some rare parts is also very welcome and I would therefore recommend this set, even to those who only want the printed 2x4 tile. It is currently available at Tesco stores in the UK, costing £3.99.
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27 comments on this article
When I got this there was an updated version of the torso with back printing, finer lines, and the pockets at the bottom at an angle. I agree that it's long overdue, though
Haven't been able to find this anywhere in Bristol, might have to wait til we get to one of the shows or London :/ Definitely one to add to the collection though :)
I, d buy this, it spot on.. I also like the Royal talon fighter polybag from marvel superheroes.
I bought one of these at Walmart a few weeks ago....in Ohio, USA.
I really like the set for its usability in city and construction sites.
This is a neat little set. I only hope I can find it somewhere within the US (besides Walmart). If I do find it, I'll certainly buy more that one in order to keep my LEGO City safe!
Found them in a few local Tesco's (UK) and bought a few. Not had time to build one yet but looks good.
I found this at my local Tesco (the largest UK supermarket chain) for £4 or 2 for £6 so i bought two of them and i wasn't disappointed i love this set, so much i think it should have been a little £5 boxes regular set.
I have tjis set and it goes wonderfull with the Junior Road Repair Truck as they both work to make new roads for my City.
I agree that it seems very Classic Town, it reminds me of the small vehicles that came with the airports and train station to haul luggage.
30.Kr or about 3 £ if you go to a NETTO in Denmark
Great set...
Got this for the great sign, and was not disappointed.
Bought this just yesterday in one of the supermarkets around here. They had quite a few other polys as well, among them the cute pug (which I also bought). Haven't built it yet, but it certainly does look like a great polybag!
Nice review as usual. Thank you. I've been looking for this one quite some time now in Germany and the usual store equipping polybags (Müller) has it marked as "available again soon" since February. Hope they'll restock it.
Thank you for the review. The sign, as most of us have pointed out, is the highlight of the set. I'm just a little disappointed that it's a single 2x4 plate rather than (what would have been far more useful) two 2x2 plates.
Great little set, great review, and even better timing as I just bought this Sunday at WalMart - unfortunately the only place around here I've seen it. Strangely they also had Easter Egg Hunt from last year, which I gladly picked up even though I already had one - awesome little parts pack!
Great addition to my construction work collection!!!
Is it available on Lego Store Shops??
For a price similar than a CMF, you get much more accessories!
I bought this little guy a few weeks ago and loved him. It's exactly what a polybag should be, and that 2 x 4 tile? I remember thinking, yeah, that's going to end up being very appreciated by lots of MOCers.
I got it found it at Walmart and now have it in my city set
Now that I know that the tile is printed and comes with the new front element, I think I'll buy one.
Available from Toys R Us Canada online. $4.94CDN.
Available at Toys R Us Sweden stores at SEK 40.
@Bartlebooth: available at Rewe supermarkets as well, for 2.99 Euro. Like @kfr mentioned, the display included several other nice polybags for 2.99 Euro too (30403: Olivia's Remote Control Boat, 30542: Cute Pug, as well as a Ninjago one I didn't get so don't remember the set number). Got two of this Road Worker set as it reminds me so much of the small City box sets of my childhood, like 6632: Tactical Patrol Truck, to name but one example of so many similar great little sets.
And to think that a single CMF now costs 3.99 Euro - what a great value for money those polybags offer instead!
For £4 I think it's time to pay a visit to tesco!
The lack of back printing on the figure doesn't bother me, I actually prefer the simpler minifigures when they're not trying to recreate a licensed character. I don't know if I'm in the minority here, but I don't like printed cloth folds or too much texture or fine lines. Too much detail makes it look less LEGO-y to me.
But then I also miss the classic smiley faces and their derivatives.
anisboy - the Tesco in Clevedon is where I got mine from. They still had a box of the polybags this morning, although I don't know which ones were in there as I had already got the ones I wanted a few weeks ago. Also just picked up 70609 Manta Ray Bomber at Tesco in Cirencester for £12.50!! I had to get two at that price - one for me and one for my son. Tesco since Christmas have been great for prices. I got the big BB-8 for £42 in Clevedon too in January as well as some great prices on other sets.
I bought this for my oldest son and he likes it. It's a terrific value for sure and a fun little set that works great with his garbage truck, cherry picker and construction crews. Terrific review that is spot-on!
Toys R Us Canada has stopped all online sale of this kit. In store pick up only.