Vintage set of the week: 1909 Rolls-Royce
Posted by Huwbot,
This week's vintage set is 395 1909 Rolls-Royce, released during 1976. It's one of 4 Hobby Set sets produced that year. It contains 281 pieces.
It's owned by 500 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
A LEGO set for the elite...
(p_-) Hmmm nyes, quite.
Love these sets! Got boxed copies of this, 390-2 and 391-1. Cracking wheels!
Those tiny 1x1 windows were great. Yes, the back of a 1x1 headlight brick has a similar effect but I think the original window part is superior.
The Hobby Set theme, the forerunner to Model Team/Creator Expert/Icons, was the first retail Lego theme designed for display more than play, and at the time was marketed to teenagers. They were challenging builds for their time, mainly because of the brevity of the instructions relative to today.
This theme was also notable for the use of forced perspective in the box art photos - a common technique used in Lego photography today.
While simple by today's standards, these are beautiful sets. I have the two counterparts to this set 390-2 and 391-1 , but don't have this one sadly (yet).
Sets I wish I had! Occasionally I cone across a vintage lot with wheels like this but am always too late!
@sjr60:
I’ve thus far managed to avoid having any of my wheels crack.
I need those wheels !
I've only ever seen these Vintage Car sets from the 1970s in LEGO books that emphasize how this set and others in its theme were not bestsellers. Turns out that kids and teens of the 1970s had little interest in the (even then) "Golden Age" of automobile driving. Hence why the theme was scuttled and its heir, Model Team, focused on more modern vehicles for the expert builders.
Pardon me, do you have any Grey Poupon?
Would look awesome with modern Speed Champions sets!
A vintage vintage set. Perfect.
@Galaxy12_Import said:
"Those tiny 1x1 windows were great. Yes, the back of a 1x1 headlight brick has a similar effect but I think the original window part is superior."
Yes, the updated version of those used for 315-3 which needed the sharp sills flattened off to prevent use as a murder weapon! (Safer to swallow too.)
Too big for me at that time. Probably also to expensive to receive it as a gift.
I had 610 (https://brickset.com/sets/610-1/Vintage-car) instead which I llied because of the use of 1/4 circle bricks and the black canopy.
@chefkaspa:
Judging by the headlights, that must have been a favorite of bootleggers and bank robbers.
@NotProfessorWhymzi said:
"Lego were so caught up in whether they could, they never stopped to think if anyone under 30 would actually care about Rolls-Royce."
Well at the time, in the UK anyway, 'Matchbox Models of Yesteryear' were very popular, so I guess it was worth a punt.
@chefkaspa said:
"I had 610 (https://brickset.com/sets/610-1/Vintage-car) instead which I llied because of the use of 1/4 circle bricks and the black canopy."
Even proud to show off on the box art how the 'illegal' headlights can't be fully seated!
I guess the closest modern counterpart to this is the Vintage Roadster from the first Bricklink AFOL Designer Program.
I would love to see a modern remake of this in minifig scale. Really not sure why Speed Champions doesn't make some vintage cars too, or at least famous 1950s and 1930s race cars.
Those wheels, Ooh la la!
This is the only theme I have complete (apart from the re-release of the Constellation). I had half of them as an almost teenager in the 70s, including this one. I was one of those strange kids who did like that golden age of cars and I loved this set.
@NotProfessorWhymzi said:
"Lego were so caught up in whether they could, they never stopped to think if anyone under 30 would actually care about Rolls-Royce."
I dreamt of a Rolls-Royce (and other cars) as a kid and teeanager.
Would be nice to have updated versions of these, I would definitely be interested, the ascetics of the 1920-30s always appeal to me, there's something so classically sophisticated and elegant about them.
@NotProfessorWhymzi said:
" @madforLEGO said:
"Pardon me, do you have any Grey Poupon?"
funnily enough, i've actually tried Grey Poupon. it's overrated for what it is."
I remember those wheels and rims in our Lego box. Not much use to a kid fixated on Star Wars, Star Trek, and Battlestar Galactica.
Bah, Grey Poupon is a great commercial mustard- especially for sandwiches. Not too heavy to overwhelm. Good Dijon is best saved for sauces, cheese, and sausages.
The buildings too, with all those clean lines and curves, I'd love to see an art deco type modular or something I could convert into one. The fifties diner was close, but not close enough for me.
@daniellesa: An updated version would be cool to see, especially with all the new pieces and techniques that have been introduced since then.
I owned 390-1 once. It was too boring to me, and too tempting to sell immediately for a nice sum. I'm not a display guy nor a car guy. And although I like some vintage sets for their simplicity and sense of innocence... that build was waaay too easy. For the price I'd rather buy a Model Team set. But for thát price I'd rather buy a set from my own childhood eras that I actually feel a connection to.
This one looks more involved. But as we all know: white (and blue) in old sets means rarity of non-yellowed versions. Meaning more rarity for no reason but the color.
Those six wheels are white.
So all in all... I feel sorry for the people who have this as their 'white' whale!
Such cool sets! Although I have to say the Renault is my favorite of the three, the Rolls comes second. Just a bit older than I am, but dare I say they aged better than I did? Well, at least the set design, forget about yellowing. And since it's mostly build from quite common pieces, except obviously for the wheels, it should be possible to replicate it pretty well using new pieces.
Also, just 11 steps of instructions for 281 pieces. Only for the most experienced Lego builders.....
My dad has five of those wheels in red for a car set released nine years prior to this one. He got the US version of set 329 way back in '67, and still has a bunch of the parts for it. I hope to one day get the car restored. (I.E. reassembled, with a bunch of help from Bricklink.)
I like that this set is owned by exactly 500 members. 'The 500,' the secretive Brickset Illuminati.
Makes me wish more for that Ideas Bentley!
@NotProfessorWhymzi said:
" @madforLEGO said:
"Pardon me, do you have any Grey Poupon?"
funnily enough, i've actually tried Grey Poupon. it's overrated for what it is."
There is a nice short doc about the marketing of Grey Poupon: https://youtu.be/jOgPk5T1xi0
Love this set - my favourite as a child
Hmm...methinks that "Royce" got "Rolled"...:D
Seriously, it reminds of Hot Wheels 'Pixel Shaker':
https://hotwheels.fandom.com/wiki/Pixel_Shaker
I suppose at the time you could buy a police station, factory, garage etc. for the same price so likely to be over-looked. These do appear on the secondary markets for around £40 but sadly the white and clear bricks have usually aged badly, which I guess is how you know its original and not created from new bricks.
Beautiful set. Back in the 70's EVERYONE dreamed of owning a Roller. The ultimate in engineering, luxury and handbuilt quality. One of their engines held all three speed records - land, water and air. Vladimir Lenin owned 9 of them.