Random set of the day: Maersk Truck and Trailer Unit
Posted by Huwbot,
Today's random set is 1552 Maersk Truck and Trailer Unit, released in 1985. It's one of 24 Town sets produced that year. It contains 352 pieces and 1 minifig.
It's owned by 68 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
Wow, what a beautiful truck! I’m surprised Lego never reprised this having reproduced the Maersk ship, and doing the train a decade ago.
Maersk Blue! Obviously I've never gotten a set containing it since it's a color that only came in sets specifically licensed in partnership with Maersk, but I was sad to hear it get axed when 10241 Maersk Line Triple-E just used medium azure.
That is absolutely gorgeous.
The Maersk sets all seem to be brilliant, don't they?
I bet I'd have to remortgage my house to afford a new one of those, these days.
@Zordboy said:
"That is absolutely gorgeous.
The Maersk sets all seem to be brilliant, don't they?
I bet I'd have to remortgage my house to afford a new one of those, these days. "
Mortgage rates are at an all time low in the US!
I love that he has a cowboy hat!
@Zordboy said:
"That is absolutely gorgeous.
The Maersk sets all seem to be brilliant, don't they?
I bet I'd have to remortgage my house to afford a new one of those, these days. "
Much more affordable to get this set used than Maersk 1651 . Good luck getting either set new.
I liked the days when those containers were interchangeable; when you could load them onto ships, trucks or trains. True playability.
Whaaaat! Six studs wide though made for minifigs, in 1985?! Fascinating! Love those rear doors, too.
This is maybe the best four wide vehicle I’ve seen in an official set!
Not bad, although the trailer looks tilted? Am I going crazy?
This truck is so much fun and a joy to build in any colour. You’ll be opening the engine all day and making big spit-flying, lip-flapping engine noises.
Lovely set, pleasant colors, stellar subject; re-release please!
Unique: 7
3709 2x4 technic plate in Maersk blue x4
3794 1x2 jumper plate in Maersk blue x6
3035 4x8 plate in Maersk blue x2
4477 1x10 plate in Maersk blue x6
4213 4x4 plate with continuous hinge slots in Maersk blue x1
3188 1x3x2 door, right side in Maersk blue x1
4070 1x1 headlight brick in Maersk blue x6
Rare: 17
3761 1x6x5 double door frame in light grey x2
791 1x3x5 door with ridges in light grey x4
4162 1x8 tile in Maersk blue x10
3096 1x2 tile in Maersk blue x10
3070 1x1 tile in Maersk blue x4
3660 2x2 inverted slope 45 degrees in Maersk blue x3
3039 2x2 slope 45 degrees in Maersk blue x1
3020 2x4 plate in Maersk blue x2
3021 2x3 plate in Maersk blue x10
3666 1x6 plate in Maersk blue x8
3710 1x4 plate in Maersk blue x14
3623 1x3 plate in Maersk blue x8
3023 1x2 plate in Maersk blue x12
3189 1x3x2 door, left side in Maersk blue x1
3010 1x4 brick in Maersk blue x6
3755 1x3x5 wall brick in light grey x32
3622 1x3 brick in Maersk blue x6
I didn't know they had cowboys in Denmark.
@Cooliocdawg:
That's because it's technically 6-wide.
Those classic wheels--my very first Lego set ever, 722, had those! I had no idea the Maersk partnership went that far back.
Man, for a 1985 set this is especially deluxe. That blue feels wonderfully anachronistic and the design work of the cab looks absolutely incredible.
Maersk trucks have always had a different look than regular town trucks. I especially liked the one in 10219, so unique.
Only owned by 68 users. Is this a record low?
I wonder how long Maersk tried to get a foothold in the Lego world before Octan bought them out?
Very nice. It’s got everything.
Talking about being ahead of its time.
They really stamped their logo all over this set.
I suppose it would be easy enough to adopt the front trailer so that the long trailer could attach to it rather than having to switch between either a long or short trailer. Is the attachment just a 2x2 turntable as this would be rather weak compared to a tile with a pin? The pieces are all fairly standard, so you could build your own if really wanted using one of the current light blue shades or just buy 3221 which is fairly easy to find.
I hate it when Lego go after all these licensed IPs! Why can’t they just design their own stuff like they did in the 80s?
Maersk Blue. Underused colour, especially in regular sets.
Just curious - what was the availability of these kinds of sets in the 1980s? Were they Europe only? Could you find them in regular stores? Did you have to work for Maersk to get these? Along with the colors, even the design of the truck is so unique, it almost looks futuristic compared to the other sets of the mid 80s!
The Maersk trucks (this and 1651-2) are extremely rare and the Holy Grail for most collectors of sets from that era. They were produced for the Danish shipping company who presumably sold/gave them away to customers/suppliers.
It's possible they were also sold in some Danish stores but I have no evidence of that.
You all mean that other 1651-2 ;)
@ambr:
I mean, you could, but I’ve never seen a single instance of a truck pulling tandem trailers of different lengths. I have, however, seen them pull single trailers of a wide variety of lengths, with the shortest being the smallest size shipping container I’ve seen, and the longest being wind turbine blades (one blade per truck, which is about double the length of the longest regular trailer permitted in the US).
As a former owner of this set I must say it for some reason looks better in picture than in real life.
Hopefully an announcement soon
"All your Maersk Blue belong to US"
Maersk sets have passed me by until recently when I got an almost complete 10219 in a big bundle. Cost me a few ££ to complete it, but it’s given me a big admiration and desire for more Maersk - anyone know if Lego / Maersk still have a tie-up deal and any chance of further sets?
@Huw said:
"The Maersk trucks (this and 1651-2 ) are extremely rare and the Holy Grail for most collectors of sets from that era. They were produced for the Danish shipping company who presumably sold/gave them away to customers/suppliers.
It's possible they were also sold in some Danish stores but I have no evidence of that."
Like I said in the "Meet a member" series of interviews, this set relates to one of my most vivid childhood LEGO memories. Back in the day we visited our friends in England annually, and that year my best friend there got this set from a relative who worked for Maersk.
Seeing a non-standard colour for the first (and for many years afterwards only) time on a LEGO set totally blew my mind. Needless to say we spent endless hours playing with this set as well as the rest of my friend's collection.
Considering blue is my favorite color, I always wanted some Maersk blue pieces. I really should see what they go for on the secondary market.
@Reinier:
Thanks for the correction. I wondered why people were linking to an old Basic set.
@PurpleDave said:
" @ambr:
I mean, you could, but I’ve never seen a single instance of a truck pulling tandem trailers of different lengths. I have, however, seen them pull single trailers of a wide variety of lengths, with the shortest being the smallest size shipping container I’ve seen, and the longest being wind turbine blades (one blade per truck, which is about double the length of the longest regular trailer permitted in the US)."
Come to NZ, you'll see it all the time :)
@TheOtherMike said:
"Considering blue is my favorite color, I always wanted some Maersk blue pieces. I really should see what they go for on the secondary market.
@Reinier:
Thanks for the correction. I wondered why people were linking to an old Basic set."
It's a special colour, but there are plenty of parts in that colour to buy. For one cent a piece you could already get one.