Review: 40468 Yellow Taxi
Posted by MeganL,
There were two small sets released at the start of the year that are available only at LEGO Brand Stores. The first of these is 40468 Yellow Taxi, which at the very least provides a good supply of the titular yellow bricks. Read on to see if it stops traffic, or if it's something to pass by.
Inside the box are two unnumbered bags, and instruction booklet, a 2x14 plate, and a small sticker sheet. The sticker sheet is a little disappointing for a small build, but they do add key details to the cab, such as the signs that say "Taxi".
It's clear from the stickers that this is a cab that hails from New York City, thanks to the ads on the top. One side is an advertisement for (likely New York style) pizza, while the other looks to be promoting a visit to Lady Liberty.
The front of the cab looks a little boxy to me, though I recognize it's made out of bricks, after all. I do like the sloped piece included for the car's hood (or bonnet). And clearly I didn't straighten out the mirror pieces before taking pictures, though one could argue that's New York realism.
The back of the cab looks similarly boxy. I've been puzzling what the license plate letters/numbers are referencing - nothing leaps to mind, though perhaps it's the designer's initials.
Overall thoughts
When I first saw that there was a taxi set coming, I was hoping it would accommodate passengers. It doesn't, which is too bad, though I'm sure that design that did so would surely drive up the price point. For kids looking to have a car to build and play around with, I think this is perfect. For AFOLs looking for something to display in a modular town, this may fit the bill if you don't need a driver or passengers. There are a couple of harder to find pieces in this set, including the transparent 1x2 roof tile, so there may be some appeal as a parts pack.
If you're looking for something on the smaller side to add to your cart to make a GWP threshold, this may be worth considering (124 pieces, $9.99, 9.99€, £8.99). Otherwise, for a vehicle, I'd suggest taking a look at 40469 Tuk Tuk (review coming), which is a nicer vehicle for the money.
Many thanks to LEGO for providing a copy of this set for review. All opinions expressed are mine.
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39 comments on this article
There's no good taxi car yet. This one is too blocky and can't accommodate minifigs, others have passengers sit right behind the driver without seats, and so on. It's a missing staple in Lego's catalogue. With how nice the GWP Vintage Car was, I'm sure there's ways to make a decent one of 6 width...
I think it looks a bit weird. The windscreen for example makes it look like a 1970s LEGO set!
"The sticker sheet is a little disappointing"
Do we want more stickers now or less? I'm confused!
I have a couple taxi's from other sets in my town already - that accommodate passengers and look WAY better than this one. This does remind me of a early LEGO days taxi build, like @Reinier mentioned. Good observation. Looking forward to the Tuk-Tuk instead!
Presuming LDC means this was intended initially for the Discovery Centres?
I think it looks great - a nice throwback to the pre-minifig era cars that I started with. Used to be lots of 2x3 clear slopes then!
LDC- LEGO Discovery Centre?
Edit: @TheOriginalSimonB got there before me. Should’ve read the comments first
I assume the cab also does not accommodate sloths as I see none are included.
I assume this was originally going to be an NYC exclusive like they’ve done with other small New York themed sets in the past.
More than likely designed for sale in NYC but available worldwide thanks to the company's no regional exclusives pledge.
Isn't there a LEGOLAND NY due to open soon, too?
Can we appreciate the fact that the top half of this model is 5-wide?
No animals? So confusing... I am looking for some hidden animals for fifteen minutes now but can't find them...
@Huw said:
"More than likely designed for sale in NYC but available worldwide thanks to the company's no regional exclusives pledge.
Isn't there a LEGOLAND NY due to open soon, too?"
LEGO says that Legoland NY is opening in 2021 on the Legoland website but they have given no specific date.
@LegoSonicBoy said:
"Can we appreciate the fact that the top half of this model is 5-wide?"
It looks surprisonly well-scaled that way. But those jumpers aren't the best texture.
A few people pointed out that this set looks more like an old set than a new one. I agree, and as a huge fan of older LEGO, I would love to pick this one up. If I do, I'm thinking of switching out some of the newer pieces to complete the old look.
There's your 90 year anniversary set. Classic, nostalgic, hearkens back to Lego sets of old.
I guess its a creator set so came out of a creator bin which is a shame, as the following would have had far more appeal for todays pocket money and impulse buy
https://ideas.lego.com/challenges/bafd4186-bb49-4eb0-903f-910415f04391/application/3ad81055-4ae9-4c68-b908-40eedf18803e
Reminds me of classic Lego, I appreciate its simplicity. It's not the prettiest set but it's an inexpensive souvenir that looks fun on a shelf. In that respect it reminds me of the London Bus 40220.
What is a New York like pizza?
Cool enough to be modified into a minifig Taxi imo.
I don't mind the boxy look of the front and rear as it's supposed to be a NY taxi. (ford crown victoria)
A New York pizza is very thin crust but not crisp or brittle. The slices are very large as well so people frequently fold them in half lengthwise to eat them. Many east coast usa pizzas are done this way as opposed to Chicago style pizza which is deep dish and a lot of crust.
@Huw said:
"More than likely designed for sale in NYC but available worldwide thanks to the company's no regional exclusives pledge.
Isn't there a LEGOLAND NY due to open soon, too?"
It was supposed to open last year but COVID of course. I’m excited as it is only a stone’s throw away from where my parents live. I guess I have a good excuse to visit them more often!
I'm a little surprised at how many expected to fit a minifig in the car. My eyes aren't that great, but you can see the frosted 2x2 slopes for the windshield all but eliminate any possibility of something going inside, let alone being able to be seen through the translucent bricks. For what it's worth, the 40220 mini London bus doesn't fit any minifigs either (although that one is only 4-wide).
I don't mind the boxy look either, as it screams 1998+ Ford Crown Victoria/Police Interceptor (especially with the black inserts between the taillights and the rear license plate) that is very common in NY and many other NA cities. It makes a nice extra to go with my 21042 Statue of Liberty. Sure the scale is off, but so is the 40220 I have next to my 10253 Big Ben.
@imemine98 said:
" @Huw said:
"More than likely designed for sale in NYC but available worldwide thanks to the company's no regional exclusives pledge.
Isn't there a LEGOLAND NY due to open soon, too?"
It was supposed to open last year but COVID of course. I’m excited as it is only a stone’s throw away from where my parents live. I guess I have a good excuse to visit them more often!"
They mentioned it on Lego Masters last year too...because back when that was taped, the July 4, 2020 opening date was still on track.
I looked up photos a few months back and they seemed to be behind schedule even before COVID hit. I'm sure that set them back even more, but I hope they're able to use the extra time to make sure everything is good to go as soon as they can open their doors...whenever that might be.
My wife and I plan to take our son there after the crowds have died down from the opening hype...so originally that would have been Summer 2021...but now probably in 2022. ...which is fine since he's only 2 1/2 right now anyway.
@bdc101 said:
""The sticker sheet is a little disappointing"
Do we want more stickers now or less? I'm confused!"
No, no - Megan is saying that it's disappointing to have a sticker sheet at all, not that it could use more stickers.
Looks like 2 different designs and scales above and below the window line.
Replace the bottom half to go full 70's Legoland!
@juulhorst said:
"No animals? So confusing... I am looking for some hidden animals for fifteen minutes now but can't find them..."
The goats are in the trunk/boot.
@bdc101 said: "Do we want more stickers now or less? I'm confused!"
Less. The answer is ALWAYS less.
Love the "brick oven" pun.
This is just screaming for a b model.
A lot of people complaining that it doesn't fit any minifigures.
Come on guys! This goes well with the mini London bus, the mini Volkswagen Beetle, the mini VW T1 Camper Van and the mini, erm, Mini Cooper S. None of those seated any minifigs.
@Phoenixio:
Almost all of my cars are 6-wide, with side-by-side seating, opening doors, and steering wheel. Many include a stickshift between bucket seats, a few include a second row of seating, and one body style even has adjustable headrests. Those few that aren't include stuff like Pixar Cars cars, Batmobiles, and an 8-wide Routemaster bus. It's definitely possible to make a proper 6-wide taxi that seats four. The Vintage Car set offers a few tips on how to make that happen.
@ohrmazd:
It's a NYC taxi. They couldn't catch it.
@Huw:
There is. It's not scheduled for August 12th, last I heard, but it did get pushed back from 2020 to 2021.
@ambr:
That's a bit runty for a NYC taxi. It's a bit closer to the vintage Beetles that were used forever in Mexico City, but even then it has "motorcycle seating" (one in front, one in back).
@Yooha:
NY-style pizza is a huge slice of thin crust pizza. On a 16" or larger pie, it would typically be cut into no more than six pieces, which would be so large and floppy (and soft with grease) that the only way you can eat them is to basically fold the slice in half radially. Personally, I feel that the reason there actually are NY-style, Chicago-style, Detroit-style (and so on) pizzas is because they're not popular enough to be just "pizza".
@Rare_White_Ape:
No, this is bigger than the mini Routemaster. This is minifig scale, but the roof sits a little too low to accommodate even the rather short height of a minifig. The mini VW vehicles are at a slightly smaller scale, being 4-wide. The Routemaster is an even smaller scale, since it should be wider than VW vehicles.
I don't know, just doesn't look right.
If it's meant to be a generic yellow cab maybe but as an NYC yellow cab, it just doesn't look close I feel.
Might help to make that divider in the middle also yellow, use tinted glass for the windows since they're no way to seat a fig in it. NYC even in broad daylight and the large building always has the reflections on the glass appear dark, hard to see into.
Some of the top roof, get rid of stud there, redo that middle and have it where only a tile in its place.
Back to front side/top use the small curved slopes to start the line there. It'll blend better with the hood and the back trunk.
Also the roof actually would've benefited with starting with sloped edges to tiles.
Maybe it's just me but I think it looks too much like a sports car
Maybe the curve in the front is too drastic?
Lady Liberty's crown surely looked like a certain plant symbol from a distance at this cut :D
Combined with the flame and the three small white puffs (okay, I know they are stars...) the similarity is quite peculiar.
I thought miniland scale was based on the size of models displayed at the Legoland theme parks. 10-12 wide vehicles etc. The work of Ralph Savelsberg is an example: https://www.brothers-brick.com/tag/ralph-savelsberg/
As to the width of specific vehicles, not all real-life cars are the same width. A Beetle is a very diminutive car so it’s quite a bit narrower than a taxi that can fit three adults across the back seat.
@bokbokmanoks:
@Rare_White_Ape:
Miniland scale is what's used at the major outdoor parks, where they have large parcels of land that they can fill with tiny little bricks. LEGOLAND Discovery Centers have much less real estate to devote to their "miniland" displays, so their models are nominally minifig scale. I say nominally because my LUG has members who have built Detroit skyscrapers that stand between 6.5-11.5 feet tall (and even then the taller ones use selective compression to make the size more manageable), and our LDC has some of the same buildings ranging from 2-3 feet tall.
@bokbokmanoks:
Both this taxi and the cars shown in the photo you linked to are 6-wide, which has become commonly accepted as being minifig-scale. Not only did World City start releasing vehicles in that scale, but most of the really detailed minifig-capable vehicles you'll find posted online center around 6-wide. Sometimes people will build smaller cars in 5-wide, or larger cars in 7-wide, but those are still essentially in the same scale as 6-wide. And the 6-wide standard was based around the fact that two minifigs can fit side-by-side.
I bought this from the Dreamworld LEGO store a while back. Nice fun little set, not a bad deal for the price.