Featured set of the day: Police Pontoon Plane
Posted by Huw,
Today's featured set has been selected by Slobrojoe:
7723 Police Pontoon Plane was the random set of the day (RSotD) a little while back and the comments weren't as positive as I expected them to be.
A wave of joy went through me because, not only was it my first RSotD that I owned, but also the first LEGO set that I actually ever owned. I was really disappointed when some people were shunning the big, bulky wings or the inflexible skis, because that's what makes the set beautiful!
When I was a toddler, I was quite excited about the idea of a sibling when my mother was pregnant.
When my brother was born, I was given this set and told it was a present from him. My puny little brain couldn't comprehend the matter of money or the basic laws of life, so I thought that he was just being nice and friendly, buying me a new toy.
I love the swooshibility of the plane, the elegance and the pronounced features of the vehicle. The only problem was that pieces kept on falling off!
To this day, my parents tell me that it was a gift from my brother. It still sits on the top of my Kallax Ikea shelving unit. Sometimes I wonder whether it was a gift from him meaning, "Hey. You'd better have this because every toy you ever own from now on will never be yours. You've got to SHARE!".
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13 comments on this article
I wouldn’t take it personally. The large prefab plane pieces were a big departure from the more brick built planes in the 80’s and 90’s, but they are easier to build and swoosh by the target market which you obviously were in when you received this set.
People often dislike change... there’s a reason very little music I listen to is from this century.
This set made part of my childhood.
@Huw , I'm pretty sure you typo'd the writer's name - it's actually @Slobrojoe , you forgot the "L"!
(EDIT: Ah, you fixed it. Thanks!)
Anyways, I've been enjoying reading these more "hot take" kind of features, even if I don't necessarily agree with them. (Hey, I've got my own hot takes like that...)
These articles have been consistently the ones I look forward to most. Keep it up, guys!
I remember spotting this set in a newsagents' in Yorkshire at the precise age where I was thinking 'hey, look, Lego! And it's a big plane! I must buy that' but also 'one minifig and no play functions for £35?' so I'm oddly proud I managed to resist asking to get it. All these years on? I still think that it's money well unspent (no offense to fans of this set)
I agree, I really liked this set! I was older when it came out and had owned both 4-wide and 8-wide planes. The main critique of the 8-wide planes is that the pieces were too specialized, but I think what made this set stand out was the way it bucked those new standards. I really liked that this had a half-increment fuselage length, the smaller flip-up doors, wings mounted at the top of the fuselage (with propellers, not jets!), and most of all, I thought the pontoon assembly was genius - and completely different from the other planes of this scale! This set is, for me, evidence that creative LEGO designs can use any pieces!
I liked this plane too!
Hey Slobrojoe! My son really wanted this set, so I went ahead and got it for him even though it wasn't quite my cup of tea...
He ended up loving it just as much as you did, with the falling parts and all, which goes to show you that there is magic to LEGO in childhood that adult critical observation cannot touch.
In fact, the love shown by AFOLs to such varied sets, as is evident in this Feature Set of the Day posts, not only reminds me how of I felt way back then, but also teaches me new appreciation of the simple genius in design of so many sets that are intended for the younger lovers of LEGO.
I love this set. It is 8 wide, so it can have two row sitting place. I just did that, made it from Police to charter plane for turist visiting local islands.
My first ever Lego Set!!! At 35 years old...
Never liked those large cockpit tail prefab parts that much, but I can see that they give a certain shape without needing dozens more parts.
This set still has studded wings , newer planes are even more prefab.
I prefer the more blocky style of cockpits like 60162-1: Jungle Air Drop Helicopter , also allows more customization into other vehicles.
Finally a featured set that isn't from a classic 80s/90s theme!
I didn't have this set but its from about the same time I first got into LEGO as a child. The late 2000s and early 2010s is my personal favorite LEGO era (because that's when I was a kid), so this set makes me pretty nostalgic.
I like these featured set articles, keep 'em coming!
Hi guys. Thanks for all the feedback.
@nateo220 I know! I probably shouldn’t take it personally, but I am so attached to the set that my brain seems to think that any minor thing said against the plane is quite incorrect, and I need to, somehow, make it right. I don’t really like change either and, even though I was born in the late 2000s I prefer 80s and 90s music to modern day.
@andrelego I’m happy that someone else appreciates this set as much as I do.
@Robot99 I was one of the first to actually see this article when it was published, and I didn’t spot that so, well done! And thanks @Huw for changing it.
@FlyerBeast I’m sorry to hear that you didn’t buy because you might have appreciated it the way I do. Each to their own, I guess.
@Balthazar_Brannigan I agree! Now that we’re pretty much in lockdown, I’ll have some time to take it apart and rebuild it. The only problem with that is that It hasn’t been taken apart in a decade or more (basically the whole of my life) so I’m expecting at least half a dozen missing pieces in the best case scenario.
@CaptainRed I definitely agree! But it also goes the other way round. I have seen so many RSotD’s that have looked big, bulky, ugly and pretty much pointless (no offence meant) to me, whilst AFoLs have praised it a lot. I’m glad your son enjoyed it. But now, after my story and your son liking it, has your opinion on the set changed?
@gsom7 loving the idea!
@FARLANDER it was also my first set but at 3. I guess we probably would’ve got it around the same time though!
@mixedin yes! I don’t own any set that came out before 2010. So when the other features sets articles were published, I had never seen the majority of them before. Have you considered sending one of your sets in?
Thanks @Huw for publishing my article and starting the featured sets. I’m sorry if it was a little short but I am rather inexperienced at writing about myself. Thank you for reading, liking and please share your stories!
I was just thinking that this wasn’t a bad set, went to look at the set details page, and realised I have it !!
I’ll have to work out where I’ve stored it and build it!
Unusual to find a short plane using the 8-wide pieces instead of the 6-wide. - I like it!