Random set of the day: Railroad Tractor Flatbed
Posted by Huwbot,
Today's random set is 4543 Railroad Tractor Flatbed, released in 1991. It's one of 12 Trains sets produced that year. It contains 178 pieces and 1 minifig, and its retail price was US$22.
It's owned by 1344 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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36 comments on this article
It delivers the fresh coals for the fiery pits.
This is a relatively simple train-expander: add a flatbed car to YOUR train today. But I really like the look of that backhoe.
Also, I appreciate that LEGO used the same "volcano tunnel in the heart of a blue mountain" background for Train seta for a span at least from 1991 (this set) to 1998 (our most recent, and slightly more reviled, RSOD Train set).
Another set I have no interest in
I was always fascinated by the circa 1990s trains. They were in all the catalogs, but hardly any were in American shops. They seemed unobtainable, like mythological beasts. The first sets I pursued for my own son later on were these and other Lego trains. Something marvelous about the form and function of building a working Lego train and connecting all the different cars to become one system of play. They're magical that way.
Train accessory sets, ‘member those? *Sigh*
This set brought to you by the Lost Boys Construction Company, where they only pretend to dump stuff in your flatbed car.
Ah yes, invisible ore; A rare mineral only found in the underworld.
"Tracks ? Where we're going, we don't need tracks"
I'm curious why Lego stopped making more of the play trains and "expansion packs" as with the 12v and 9v era. Yes, they do make PF trains but it's just two every 4 years and they have zero add-ons sets. The latest two don't even have a train station set, or a cargo car/centre loading zone set to go with it (not to mention extra cars). I wonder why it is. Will they not sell well today ? I think kids are still into trains, and AFOLs will buy as well even if for the parts to make their own.
I wish they would keep making these little train expansion sets
One of my first sets back after my dark ages.. Great little set.
That little backhoe would look excellent on a Blacktron construction site.
Clearly, the purpose of the flatbed car is to transport the backhoe and barrow accessory, though I'm sure one could get a lot of play value out of using the backhoe to deposit LEGO bricks of your choice (1x1 studs for coal, 1x1 gray plates for rocks, 1x2 green money tiles). Perhaps this is why the set was designed to be the way it is--so even if you were a kid who didn't have an actual train set like 4563 or 4558, you could still get some great play out of the set just by itself.
The 1991 9V Train lineup is still one of the greatest launches for a "new" theme, one of a string of several that littered the 1990s. I coveted just about every set from that first wave and just about everything that followed from Trains through 1995. After that, juniorization really started to take hold and by 1999, let's just say I was still pining for the class of 1991 more than any of that year's Train offerings.
Obviously, this train mines the blue volcano mountain for invisible Unobtainium ore.
Another beautiful 9V train set. I liked this one. So much play value. You get the awesome yellow back-hoe and the train carriage (which looked fantastic behind 4551).
Lego of the 90s: "We keep putting out these great train sets, but no stores want to stock them and sales at stores that do aren't great. It's too bad online shopping isn't popular. Oh well."
Lego of the 2020s: "Nah, let's not make any train accessory sets. We'll just have 2 train sets at any given time and that's it. We tried the accessories in the 90s and they didn't sell."
Also Lego of the 2020s: "Hey adults! Come buy some sets in our retail stores and online!"
Seriously Lego, this is a different world than the 90s. You want adults to buy stuff? GIVE US TRAINS, TRAIN ACCESSORIES, AND MORE! Sell them via lego.com and retail stores and we'll buy them!
Im on a railroad to hell!
I would buy this in a heartbeat if it were sold (slightly modernized) today. Same with most other train accessory sets. I don't have interest in the standard two City sets unless they also have expansions. Give me a roundhouse, a proper station, and lots of expansion cars! Also, why doesn't anyone carry the Powered Up battery pack anymore? I bought the Crocodile Locomotive only to not be able to power it.
This seems like a lot of work for only one person to be supervising. Does he have to keep switching between driving and sweeping?
How did I not know this set exists?
A+!!!
This set is here to remove the wreckage of overpriced sets like Vidiyo and 75296 Vader's Meditation Chamber.
@Lego_mini_fan said:
"Another set I have no interest in"
Wow, thanks for your constructive input. I'll be sure to pass that on the completely random algorithm that chose it.
@Rimefang said:
"I was always fascinated by the circa 1990s trains. They were in all the catalogs, but hardly any were in American shops. They seemed unobtainable, like mythological beasts. "
Yes! It was the same here in Italy! We had bigger train sets, like "Haul n' load", "metroliner", the yellow station... but i'd never seen a crossroad or any of these little expansion set (neither the railroad club car).
Maybe they was in bigger specialized shops...
Ah yes, from back in the day when they made trains you could actually expand with extra wagons, coaches, etc...
No wonder BlueBrixx is so successful (in Germany), as they offer exactly those things that LEGO has decided to abandon, like trains and their accessories, as well as realistic buildings to go with it. Sure, the quality on average is still a step below LEGO, but as LEGO doesn't even offer anything of the kind, the comparison is kind of moot.
Agree we need more trains. For me they are the staple of my town layout. A typical AFOL thing to do/have if you ask me.
But out of curiosity: was the price really 22 dollars or is that a mistake? Seems such an unlikely price. Or is it corrected for inflation somehow?
Here you can see a wild backhoe mother hunting for flatbeds with its young in tow. This specimen has caught one and is trying to attack it with its devestating front bucket. But the flatbed is built for this sort of thing and is extra strong on its topside. The backhoe will have to flip it to get to its soft underbelly. But it won't be easy, because when the flatbed is attacked its sides can fold down, which can make it difficult to get a grip on it. Will the flatbed be able to escape? Or will the backhoe find a meal for its starving family?
Ignore Larry by the way. He's not getting the hint that now is not the time to clean Backhoe droppings.
Backhoes in the Tunnels of Hell, now on Animal Planet
Basic and nice. I just rebuilt the tractor from a bulk, with bricks of the 80's/90's. Lovely addition for my city, buttoo bad, the flatbed was missing.
@Binnekamp said:
"Here you can see a wild backhoe mother hunting for flatbeds with its young in tow. This specimen has caught one and is trying to attack it with its devestating front bucket. But the flatbed is built for this sort of thing and is extra strong on its topside. The backhoe will have to flip it to get to its soft underbelly. But it won't be easy, because when the flatbed is attacked its sides can fold down, which can make it difficult to get a grip on it. Will the flatbed be able to escape? Or will the backhoe find a meal for its starving family?
Ignore Larry by the way. He's not getting the hint that now is not the time to clean Backhoe droppings.
Backhoes in the Tunnels of Hell, now on Animal Planet"
This has the same vibe as Bosnian Ape Society videos
I miss the hinges used in the back of the backhoe. What we have today is much more bulkier and limiting. Probably the best Lego System backhoe ever. This backhoe was also available as a stand-alone 6662.
@elangab:
Young kids with no disposable income certainly do love chop-choos. The problem is, they can’t afford them, they often are too young go manage operating them, and they’re very expensive to maintain (the kids). Parents are less inclined to dump hundreds of dollars on toys that might lose their interest in ten minutes.
@PDelahanty:
The part you’re missing is that they know there’s a market for trains, but they also know through metrics obtained by tracking VIP accounts that it’s a subset of AFOLs, who already count as a minority share of the overall market, both in terms of overall shoppers, and overall spending. So, given the choice between making a train, or making an X-Wing that will out-gross it by multiples, which makes more sense for their bottom line? They choose to throw a bone to the train community periodically, even though those products probably have to be stocked for years to sell well enough to justify their development costs. It’s a far sight more than they that theme that they won’t even acknowledge anymore, in spite of the fact that it kept the company afloat during the early aughts.
@darthsutius said:
" @Lego_mini_fan said:
"Another set I have no interest in"
Wow, thanks for your constructive input. I'll be sure to pass that on the completely random algorithm that chose it."
I don’t have interest in these old sets because I wasn’t born back then.
Just realized that someone reviewed 4563 today.
Interesting train set.
Strange that they didn't add any loose bricks to play with; I guess in those days they didn't do that yet. Some 2x2 bricks would have done nicely. I really do like that they had these train add-on sets and I agree with some commenters above that it wouldn't hurt them to produce these again.
@PurpleDave said:
" @elangab:
Young kids with no disposable income certainly do love chop-choos. The problem is, they can’t afford them, they often are too young go manage operating them, and they’re very expensive to maintain (the kids). Parents are less inclined to dump hundreds of dollars on toys that might lose their interest in ten minutes.
@PDelahanty:
The part you’re missing is that they know there’s a market for trains, but they also know through metrics obtained by tracking VIP accounts that it’s a subset of AFOLs, who already count as a minority share of the overall market, both in terms of overall shoppers, and overall spending. So, given the choice between making a train, or making an X-Wing that will out-gross it by multiples, which makes more sense for their bottom line? They choose to throw a bone to the train community periodically, even though those products probably have to be stocked for years to sell well enough to justify their development costs. It’s a far sight more than they that theme that they won’t even acknowledge anymore, in spite of the fact that it kept the company afloat during the early aughts."
On the other hand, if they can spend precious capacity by designing a set like https://brickset.com/sets/60271-1/Main-Square, then surely it wouldn't be hard to throw in a few nice looking coaches or a railway crossing, which might draw some interest. The current train selection is very unattractive imho.
TLG strategy moves in mysterious ways anyway, so they may be missing out on some good sales. And maybe, just maybe, sales will be really bad, but then: things like Vidiyo weren't doing too well, and they didn't have a problem releasing that.
@Wrecknbuild:
Oh, they’re absolutely missing out in sales every year. They know it, too. There are themes and licenses they refuse to touch, but which could outsell much of what they currently produce. And yeah, Vidiyo dropped like a brick. But that’s where judgement calls have to be made. Someone clearly thought Vidiyo was going to be a hit. They thought the same about Galidor, for which they even scooped up the master license.
Right now, pushing a Train theme would be even harder because everything I’ve heard says PU stinks for public displays. With everyone packing smartphones, the area around a layout will be flooded with stray Bluetooth signals that can disrupt communications with your trains, which won’t run if they don’t have a constant signal telling them to keep going. They still don’t have a rechargeable pack, and trying to use a regular motor to power a steam train has extra challenges involved.
But, I suspect if they had reason to believe a regular Train release could sell half as well as Winter Village, they’d already be doing sets every year.
"I've been working on the railroad, all...inside a caaaave"...:D
I still maintain that this interaction of 'Trains' got merged with a Mining company...hmm, 'modern eye': Pres, Business probably oversaw said merger to 'streamline' things:).