Random set of the day: Rally Car
Posted by Huwbot,
Today's random set is 1496 Rally Car, released in 1987. It's one of 24 Town sets produced that year. It contains 52 pieces and 1 minifig.
It's owned by 793 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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35 comments on this article
The raised rear wheels look quite awkward
Ooh, I rally like this one.
@Mr__Thrawn said:
"The raised rear wheels look quite awkward"
To be fair, they are higher in the back for more suspension travel.
6634, 60113, and 60218 are like that.
But when your head is bigger than your tires, don’t expect much performance-wise.
@Isabella_and_Lego_Liker said:
" @Mr__Thrawn said:
"The raised rear wheels look quite awkward"
To be fair, they are higher in the back for more suspension travel.
6634, 60113, and 60218 are like that."
The rear wheels are actually lower than those in the front, not raised.
I'm rally liking that that 2 tile.
What classic spacemen did before they got into the rocket fad.
@HandPositions said:
" @Isabella_and_Lego_Liker said:
" @Mr__Thrawn said:
"The raised rear wheels look quite awkward"
To be fair, they are higher in the back for more suspension travel.
6634, 60113, and 60218 are like that."
The rear wheels are actually lower than those in the front, not raised."
Yeah, I just noticed that. I guess I meant that the rear of the vehicle is raised.
Those white wheels were harbingers of the LEGO System in its Golden Age. It would take another year of Blacktron, then 1989's Pirates, and finally a transition period wherein the "LEGOLAND" branding left boxes before we all knew we had entered a brand new world, a world of building like crazy, a time defined by LEGO MANIA!
Funny how this little set (and others like it) hinted ever so lightly at what glories were to come.
@Your_Future_President said:
"What classic spacemen did before they got into the rocket fad. "
Obviously, this guy was Blacktron. Sure, the red parts aren't trans-red, and there's some white, but he apparently decided to change some things up.
He's Blacktron in disguise. They're spies, and this is obviously industrial espionage on behalf of Blacktron Motors.
Beautiful variation to the regular build in my eye. How I missed this one back in the day I don't know...
This is what happens when you try to make your stock subcompact car look like it's meant for street racing. It reminds me of a car I used to see parked near my apartment before I moved across the state. The owner wrote his name in the back window with mailbox letters, off-center, crooked, and with terrible spacing. It had little flame decals behind the rear wheel wells, but they looked like the sort of thing you get for 25 cents if you didn't feel like getting a giant gumball instead. And even though it had tiny little rims with normal (but still tiny) tires, the rear end was jacked up like it was waiting for grown-up wheels.
I love 1980s 4-wide vehicles!
Yeah, this hasn’t aged well...
I will never say old cars were better than the newer ones, but they were always extremely serviceable.
@TheOtherMike said:
" @Your_Future_President said:
"What classic spacemen did before they got into the rocket fad. "
Obviously, this guy was Blacktron. Sure, the red parts aren't trans-red, and there's some white, but he apparently decided to change some things up."
Not quite sure. I think that before start, things got very hectic and he accidentally swapped the helmet with Blacktron Racer from 6648.
Does the no 2 refer to the front half of 2 cars stuck together? Possibly the space is needed for a rear view co-pilot to give directions. As there is not much clearance at the front for going off-road you could switch the steering wheel to the back and drive backwards.
Just couple small changes and you have a Stock car 6634 :)
@Mr__Thrawn said:
" @HandPositions said:
" @Isabella_and_Lego_Liker said:
" @Mr__Thrawn said:
"The raised rear wheels look quite awkward"
To be fair, they are higher in the back for more suspension travel.
6634, 60113, and 60218 are like that."
The rear wheels are actually lower than those in the front, not raised."
Yeah, I just noticed that. I guess I meant that the rear of the vehicle is raised."
Exactly. The front and rear wheels are actually level.
And there is no suspension on this one.
@CarolinaOnMyMind said:
"But when your head is bigger than your tires, don’t expect much performance-wise. "
Ever driven a go-cart?
@myth said:
"Just couple small changes and you have a Stock car 6634 :)"
Ha, you are very correct! I have both sets and they are pretty much identical, except for the colors.
@HandPositions said:
" @Isabella_and_Lego_Liker said:
" @Mr__Thrawn said:
"The raised rear wheels look quite awkward"
To be fair, they are higher in the back for more suspension travel.
6634, 60113, and 60218 are like that."
The rear wheels are actually lower than those in the front, not raised."
Actually the wheels are the same level (ground) and the body is raised :)
I had this in a bundle set with 1497, x2 actually so along with 6634 I had a nice little set of 5 racing cars for my city to hold it's own version of the Australian Supercar series.
Not a bad car, but the most interesting part is the black Classic Space helmet on the figure.
This is the only Town set with this helmet type in black, other sets are all Classic Space 1984-1986 , and this is a 1987 set.
I really miss those hinged vehicle roofs. I think they were far easier for play to get your driver in and out. These days you have to try to remove a roof piece and not have half the car come with. Obviously some vehicle designs warrant more detail that precludes the hinge, but plenty of town sets could make use...
@AustinPowers said:
" @CarolinaOnMyMind said:
"But when your head is bigger than your tires, don’t expect much performance-wise. "
Ever driven a go-cart? "
I have. But I’ve never driven a rally car with go-cart wheels.
"Back in my day these were our Speed Champions, and we liked them!"
Those classic wheels look so small and dorky on this but they were perfect for moon rovers and race karts.
@CarolinaOnMyMind:
Eh, this is one of those high-impact plastic toys that you can hook up with a lantern battery so your kid can drive it around your driveway at a snail’s pace.
And I thought I know 80s town sets - never seen this one!
This was one of the first sets I bought that got me into collecting the complete Town (then City) series. I bought it to go with the Shell rally car. 33 years later I'm still collecting LEGO sets.
"Back in my day.... "
LEGO was great in the 80's. Its great now, but I just think there was far more imagination invested into the sets of the 80's than now.
What do you need for rallying:
1. extra lights - check!
2. stickers - check!
3. spoiler - check!
Look out Monte Carlo - here we come!
Given that this came out in 1987, the year after Group B was cancelled, I suppose this would be a more production oriented less wild Group A rally car.
So was this LEGO's social commentary on the safety concerns of the cancelled Group B competition which is why they didn't release it in 1982-86?
OR, is it just a LEGO car with a spaceman in his weekend clothes...