Was this the fig used for the chaser in CMF series 18? (71021-8) If not it was at least made to resemble one of these early policemen.

@Merlict:
The Roadster, Spider, or Spyder, is a class of two-seater car that traditionally has no roof of any sort. More recently the terms have been extended to include two-seater convertibles, but originally they were true "fair weather" cars, since they offered no protection from extreme temperatures or precipitation.

@Brick_387 said:
" @Galaxy12_Import said:
"Was this the fig used for the chaser in CMF series 18? ( 71021-8 ) If not it was at least made to resemble one of these early policemen."

The figure was more specifically based on that in set 600-2 , which was the first set to include the modern minifigure. However that fig is basically identical to the one in this set."

For a second I thought, this was that set and I was about to comment on how such an iconic set was chosen.

Having this set as RSOTD is the best Christmas gift (besides actually getting it wrapped-up and under the tree.)

One of my first ever LEGO sets! A classic. Ah, the nostalgia!

^^ Or maybe the jumper plate had been invented? It may be an H1 vs H2 ‘78 difference. I can’t remember the sequence: 621 first or jumper first. It was a long time ago after all.

Fond memories of playing with this set. Maybe was the first Police set to be added to me & my sisters Lego town :-)

Just had a look through the other sets released that year.. Hello 605, 620, 644, 673

Back wI was going to make a comment about sets having simple descriptive names back then, but then I noticed the RSOTD for Dec. 12 was 1247, Patrol Car, and that one's twenty years more recent. Granted, it was a promo set, but still...

@Zander said:
"^^ Or maybe the jumper plate had been invented? It may be an H1 vs H2 ‘78 difference. I can’t remember the sequence: 621 first or jumper first. It was a long time ago after all."

They are both from 1978. But cars don't always carry the blue light in the center.

This set and its properties have some firsts. First year of the Town theme, first year of the minifig, and first police car that fits a minifig. This set marks the start of a long lasting line of sets that is still continuing in the present day with 30366.

I'm not quite sure whether I had this set or whether I am thinking of the almost identical one that came with my police station I had from that era.

@Wrecknbuild, Are you sure about the light’s position? Maybe I’m misremembering, but I seem to recall that at least in the US and UK, if a police car in the ‘70s only had one light (i.e. not two lights consisting of one blue and the other red), that light was centred. The only exceptions were undercover cars that were unmarked and had a light the police officer could place anywhere on the roof. It may have been different in other countries of course.

This was my first ever minifig set as a kid, and it was the first ever time I saw the new minifig Town sets on the shelves. Seven year old me in 1978 was blown away by a Lego car with opening doors and a steering wheel!

Yes a police car convertible is rather bizarre, but it was a way around not having a roof and having a car that a minifig could ride in unlike the more famous 600-2 . It would take Lego five years to sort that problem out, until the release of 6623 in 1983.

Back then it didn't have to look 100% accurate - as a 6 year old in 1978 the whole idea was to have the car - despite limitations the play value was literally limitless - it was all in the imagination...
The far more complex and realistic sets we have today are definitely preferable as an AFOL though - this would look rubbish in my town but I would happily have it again for nostalgia reasons!

@Zander:
In Michigan, the only cars running bubblegum lights are the state troopers, who refused to give them up for any reason (they did eventually give in a little bit and supplemented them with the more attention-grabbing, modern, ultra-bright, red/blue LED light bars inside the windows and headlight/taillight assemblies, for safety reasons). The reason they won’t give up the bubblegum lights is that it’s harder to fake them. I don’t know if it’s happened in my state, but there have been cases where people have rigged regular cars with fake internal light packages, pulled people over at night, and committed violent crimes against people who expected a real cop to grief them about speeding. It’s hard to spot a car that has a fake stealth light package modded in, but when _EVERY_ state trooper rides with a bubblegum light, if someone turns on flashers on the freeway and you can’t see the dome flashing with them, you know something is up.

On a sedan, those lights are probably a little forward of center, and definitely centered left/right. On an SUV, they tend to sit quite a bit forward of center just because there’s so much extra length in the back. And sirens aren’t as obvious as they used to be back in Andy Griffith’s day, so I suspect they might be hidden in the front grille. Because sirens =/= lights.

My first ever minifig! And first ever set of opening car doors. From there a Lego obsession started and continues onwards . I've still got the minifig - sticker is a bit knackered, though.

I love vehicles that look correctly sized with minifigures.