Review: 910016 Sheriff's Safe

I started reviewing 910016 Sheriff's Safe over eight months ago. I recently re-discovered the folder with the Brickset watermarked images and realised that I had never actually completed this review.

I was loaned the set in MISB condition in order to produce this review, and it is remiss of me not to have persevered with publishing the final review.

Reviewers of 910016 Sheriff's Safe have indicated that it does have a minor design flaw in the safe's combination mechanism which, fortunately, can be fixed using the spare parts included with the set. This proposed fix has its own problems, though.

I have looked into this and think that I have come up with an alternative fix that is structurally more sound than the fixes proposed by others. No additional parts are required for my suggested fix, either.

Read on as I recommence my series of reviews of the BrickLink Designer Program sets.

Background

The original project has been designed Il Buono. This is his only project submitted to LEGO Ideas.

Sheriff's Safe

Sheriff's Safe was submitted to LEGO Ideas in October 2019. By the end of October it had been selected as a Staff Pick. Three days later, 31 October, it reached 1,000 Supporters.

By mid-January 2020 it had reached 5,000 Supporters and by July it reached 10,000 Supporters.

Unfortunately, the LEGO Review Board declined to take this Ideas project any further.

BrickLink Designer Program

In 2020, LEGO announced that certain rejected LEGO Ideas projects would become available through the BrickLink Designer Program.

27 members agreed to participate and
31 10K Club projects were developed further.

From these 31 original projects, five sets were released in Round 1 of this emerging program.

Inspiration

Il Buono has commented on the inspiration that led him to design a safe with a working lock mechanism:

It all started while watching a spaghetti western and wondering how a safe combination lock actually works. That sparked the idea of building one out of LEGO. Now, after endless hours of prototyping, refining and perfecting, I'm confident the result will make any aspiring brick robber reconsider their career path.

The box

The box is a similar quality to the boxes produced for sets under the LEGO Ideas theme.

Sheriff's Safe is designed for AFOLs 18 years or older.

The overarching impression, however, is that these are sets designed by LEGO Fan designers.

Looking at the box there is only one LEGO logo and no LEGO Ideas branding.

Each BrickLink Designer Series box comes with hologram security seals. I am somewhat surprised that regular LEGO sets do not have the same security features.

The instructions

There is no printed instruction book included in this set. Instructions for 910016: Sheriff's Safe can be downloaded here.

Instructions for all five Round 1 sets can be found here.

Stickers

There is a medium-sized sticker sheet included in this set.

The parts

There are 578 parts in the set which have been divided into four sections of numbered bags.

There are 187 unique parts. One part has been seen in only three sets.

The larger plates come in a perforated un-numbered bag.

The build

Building the Sheriff's Safe is divided into four distinct sub-builds:

• Bags 1 - the base of the safe
• Bags 2 - side wall and internal shelf
• Bags 3 - the safe's door with combination lock
• Bags 4 - completes the safe with accessories

Bags 1

The base and walls of the safe is made with Dark Stone Grey bricks. The inside of the safe is lined with Medium Stone Grey tiles.

Bags 2

Some of the safe's contents appear as the build of the safe continues.

A spider is locked inside the safe!

There are three sticks of dynamite stored in the safe.

A gold nugget is kept secure in the safe.

Bags 3

The door to the safe and its locking mechanism is constructed with the parts from Bags 3.

The combination dial is made with a 4x4 design brick. It is vitally important to align the combination numbers onto this part. For this reason, a 4M cross axle with pointer is used to help align this sticker. The "1" must align with the pointer.

Despite the importance of aligning this sticker correctly, and there are images to explicitly show how to affix this sticker correctly, the instructions do not make any reference to using these two parts to help in this process.

The 4M cross axle and pointer is removed and not required any more.

The combination dial, spindle and wheel pack are completed at build step 123.

There are two wheels in the wheel pack which means that there are two numbers in the combination.

The "drive cam" is the wheel closest to the combination dial and the "drive pin" is the pin with the red tube connector. There are two red tube connectors.

This is how the mechanism should look if built according to the instructions.

Il Buono posted this comment in the page at BrickLink dedicated to his Sheriff's Safe:

Important - Lock mechanism pin problem follow-up

There is a small but fatal mistake in the building instructions. Ten Technic 1/2 pins (4274) in the lock mechanism in [the] original design have been replaced with Technic 3/4 pins (32002) by BrickLink without my knowledge. This makes the lock not work [properly], or very poorly at best. I have addressed BrickLink and urged them to fix the problem, to revise the official building instructions and, perhaps, even send replacements parts - but BrickLink do not see the problem as paramount as [much as] I do.

Comparing the parts:

Here are the two parts in question: the Technic 3/4 pin (32002) to the left and the Technic 1/2 pin (4274) to the right.

When placed in the red tube connector, you can see that the stud of the 1/2 pin sits flush and the flange on the 3/4 pin is slightly proud of the red tube connector.

When the "correct part" - Technic 3/4 pin (32002) - is fitted to the drive wheel it clashes with the light stone grey 1M Beam as the combination dial is rotated.

The accepted fix to this problem is to swap the Technic 3/4 pin with a spare Technic 1/2 pin, as shown below. This part is included as a spare part with this set.

The advantage of this swap is that the red tube connector will rotate freely, and the locking mechanism will function properly.

The consequence of this swap is that the drive pin is now held in place by the clutch power of one stud and not by the previous click of the connector.

(See a further suggested fix later in this review)

By the end of Bags 3, the door and locking mechanism is complete.

The safe has a manufacturer's plaque: Brick Co 1885. This is a sticker on a black 1x6 tile.

The original submission to LEGO Ideas had Anno 1835 on the plaque.

1835 was the year that brothers Charles and Jeremiah Chubb took out a patent for a burglary-resistant safe and set up a safe, vault, and vault door factory.

I wonder whether there is a typo on the sticker and that it should be 1835 with reference to the original submission and acknowledging the Chubb brothers patented safe.

See also: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly - below.

The handle (Medium Stone Grey steering wheel) enables the latch bolt to be retracted, provided the correct combination has been dialled first.

Bags 4

Bags 4 completes the safe with a few accessories. There is a half burnt candle and a green bottle.

Candles in the late 19th century used stearic acid as the fuel: they burned well and could be produced cheaply, but the candles were brittle.

If some paraffin was mixed with the stearic acid the candles became less brittle. However, the paraffin made the candle wax melt more easily and the wax would drip down the side - called “waxicles.”

There is a book with a red bookmark.

The book opens to a page showing the safe combination. Not a very secure way of ensuring your safe contents are, well, safe!

The Sheriff's Safe set comes with sufficient 1x4 Brick Yellow (Tan) tiles and stickers, so you can customise your safe combination.

The candle, bottle and book attach to the top of the safe.

There is a brick-built Longhorn skull on the side of the safe.

The skull is a trade-off. In the original submission, Il Buono included a six-shooter with this project.

Inside the safe is a small brick-built block of cheese and half a salami sausage on the top shelf. Food, perhaps, to sustain the spider!

Wanted - Broken or Built! - is Billy the Brick. Sheriff of Stud City, Wild Brick Hiccup has posted a reward of $1,000.

USD $1,000 in 1885 is worth over $31,000 today

For people who don't like STAMPs (Stickers across multiple pieces) this notice is divided into three sticker segments and is stuck to three distinct tiles.

Alternate fix

If the consequence of using the suggested Technic 1/2 pin as a fix for the locking mechanism design fault is accepted, there will be clutch power issue as the drive pin is held on by friction only.

The drive pin may fall off while the safe is locked which will require disassembly to recover it and fix.

An alternate fix, which, in my opinion, is more structurally sound, is to simply expand the spindle assembly as shown below.

The drive pin is now held in place by the click of the Technic 3/4 pin connector and the drive cam can rotate freely.

Overall opinion

Regardless of the design challenges, and associated fixes, of the locking mechanism, this is a fully functional LEGO safe with thirty-six possible safe combinations.

This is an attractive LEGO safe that will appeal to a broad range of LEGO enthusiasts.

While the BrickLink Designer Program sets sell out quickly and have a finite offering, once released, the instructions are easy to find and free to download.

All the parts used to assemble the safe and locking mechanism are found in most LEGO enthusiasts collection.

Anyone wanting to have a LEGO safe can use the lock mechanism design and incorporate it into a safe of any size as the locking mechanism is completely independent to the size of the safe.

Apart from the unique stickers, it is relatively simple to add the Sheriff Safe's list of parts to a BrickLink wanted list.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Il Buono gets his LEGO username from Il Buono - The Good, played by Clint Eastwood in the 1966 spaghetti western - The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

• Il buono - Clint Eastwood - the Good
• Il cattivo - Lee Van Cleef - the Bad
• Il brutto - Eli Wallach - the Ugly

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly was the third and final instalment in the Dollars Trilogy, following A Fistful of Dollars and For a Few Dollars More.

A Fistful of Dollars was used for inspiration in Back to the Future, Part III: Marty McFly uses Clint Eastwood's name when he travelled to 1885 in the DeLorean Time Machine.

Biff Tannen had watched A Fistful of Dollars while in a hot tub in BTTF Part II:

"Bulletproof vest! Great flick! Great frickin' flick! The guy is brilliant!" Biff Tannen - BTTF Part II

This might be why the Sheriff's Safe has 1885 in its plaque, although I believe it would have been better to acknowledge the Chubb brothers' patented safe date of 1835.

Thanks

I would like to thank Catrina - Yoda66 - for lending me the MISB Sherif's Safe to assemble for this review. It has taken me way too long to get this review completed for which I apologise.

23 comments on this article

By ClickenBricks in United States, 16 Jun 2023 01:22

The fact that it took him so long to review it shows that it is not a very interesting build.

By Torrent_Studios in Australia, 16 Jun 2023 01:32

Hey, better late than never.
Regardless of how the exact mechanism is assembled, the concept is very novel and I should source the parts to build my own.

By Torrent_Studios in Australia, 16 Jun 2023 01:33

@ClickenBricks said:
"The fact that it took him so long to review it shows that it is not a very interesting build."
What if @FlagsNZ has been quite busy?

By BrickCollection in United States, 16 Jun 2023 01:34

I bought 2 of these upon Crowdfunding and Still have not built them even over a year later, so FlagNZ isn't too late for this review.

By sklamb in United States, 16 Jun 2023 02:03

This set is a sore spot for me because although I was able to order it before stock ran out, when it was time to ship there was a problem with charging my credit card and the order was cancelled. Of course, by the time I found out there were no more sets available. I'm glad to know the instructions are easily found and the locking mechanism can be built with ordinary parts!

By chrisaw in Italy, 16 Jun 2023 02:39

Side note, I hope we get more Bricklink Designer Reviews of past sets. They’re far and few between on the web (I suspect as they aren’t *gifted* like they are for every other set). Even if they’re not available anymore, it’s nice to see the details and such of the sets.

By FlagsNZ in New Zealand, 16 Jun 2023 02:46

@chrisaw said:
"Side note, I hope we get more Bricklink Designer Reviews of past sets. They’re far and few between on the web (I suspect as they aren’t *gifted* like they are for every other set). Even if they’re not available anymore, it’s nice to see the details and such of the sets."

I am working on: 910009 Modular LEGO Store, 910008 Modular Construction Site, and 910002 Studgate Train Station - in that order.

By Sandinista in United States, 16 Jun 2023 03:09

Reminds me of Red Dead

By tomthepirate in Czechia, 16 Jun 2023 03:18

@FlagsNZ said:
" @chrisaw said:
"Side note, I hope we get more Bricklink Designer Reviews of past sets. They’re far and few between on the web (I suspect as they aren’t *gifted* like they are for every other set). Even if they’re not available anymore, it’s nice to see the details and such of the sets."

I am working on: 910009 Modular LEGO Store, 910008 Modular Construction Site, and 910002 Studgate Train Station - in that order."

Godspeed! I'm eagerly awaiting your review of the Studgate station. I have mine sitting in a box, waiting to be assembled once I have a new large lego train table. It might be a year, which might collide with your timing! :)

By Brickodillo in Netherlands, 16 Jun 2023 06:05

@FlagsNZ said:
" @chrisaw said:
"Side note, I hope we get more Bricklink Designer Reviews of past sets. They’re far and few between on the web (I suspect as they aren’t *gifted* like they are for every other set). Even if they’re not available anymore, it’s nice to see the details and such of the sets."

I am working on: 910009 Modular LEGO Store, 910008 Modular Construction Site, and 910002 Studgate Train Station - in that order."

Yes!

By brick_r in Canada, 16 Jun 2023 06:17

Sheriff's Safe...Deputy's in Trouble (Fife: "AAANNNDDYY")

By ozbrickcreator in Australia, 16 Jun 2023 06:47

@ClickenBricks said:
"The fact that it took him so long to review it shows that it is not a very interesting build."

Would you say that it's "safe" to make that statement?

By lordofdragonss in Poland, 16 Jun 2023 07:46

@ClickenBricks said:
"The fact that it took him so long to review it shows that it is not a very interesting build."

This is more interesting mechanical build for me than most nowadays technic sets...

Amazing review. Really enjoyed all side informations!

By Yardsale19X in United Kingdom, 16 Jun 2023 09:55

Thanks FlagsNZ for this review! The details about the design issues and fixes, and the 1885 date, are really interesting.

Re the set, the mechanism looks very clever - congratulations to the designer. But my favourite part are the side builds - especially the six shooter which of course was not used; but the longhorn skull is great too. All those details are beautifully done.

By Yardsale19X in United Kingdom, 16 Jun 2023 09:57

Also - I like that 42 is the answer you chose to unlock the safe. Of course it is!

By visigot in Spain, 16 Jun 2023 11:41

@Yardsale19X said:
"Also - I like that 42 is the answer you chose to unlock the safe. Of course it is! "

The answer to life the universe and everything

By CCC in United Kingdom, 16 Jun 2023 12:02

@BrickCollection said:
"I bought 2 of these upon Crowdfunding and Still have not built them even over a year later, so FlagNZ isn't too late for this review."

If you still haven't got round to building either of the two you bought, then it is probably a good time to think about selling at least one given the interest in the BDP.

By lemish34 in Australia, 16 Jun 2023 12:25

@tomthepirate said:
" @FlagsNZ said:
" @chrisaw said:
"Side note, I hope we get more Bricklink Designer Reviews of past sets. They’re far and few between on the web (I suspect as they aren’t *gifted* like they are for every other set). Even if they’re not available anymore, it’s nice to see the details and such of the sets."

I am working on: 910009 Modular LEGO Store, 910008 Modular Construction Site, and 910002 Studgate Train Station - in that order."

Godspeed! I'm eagerly awaiting your review of the Studgate station. I have mine sitting in a box, waiting to be assembled once I have a new large lego train table. It might be a year, which might collide with your timing! :)
"

Me too!
I love the look of Studgate Station, but couldn’t justify the absurd price, on top of all the other large LEGO sets I’ve purchased over the past year or so!

By StyleCounselor in United States, 16 Jun 2023 12:28

Ugh, one of the sets (along with Kakapoo) that got away. Lego says it was delivered, but I never got it. They gave me my money back, but they can't replace BDP sets. They only make just enough to fill the orders.

I did eventually get all the other BDP sets I ordered. But, I really wish I had that Kakapoo. :(

By BrickCollection in United States, 16 Jun 2023 13:27

@CCC said:
" @BrickCollection said:
"I bought 2 of these upon Crowdfunding and Still have not built them even over a year later, so FlagNZ isn't too late for this review."

If you still haven't got round to building either of the two you bought, then it is probably a good time to think about selling at least one given the interest in the BDP."

Exactly

By datsunrobbie in United States, 16 Jun 2023 20:47

I looked back at the IDEAS submission, and it appears LEGO "improved" the mechanism. I wonder if the original design worked any better than what they released.

By TeriXeri in Netherlands, 17 Jun 2023 21:50

@datsunrobbie said:
"I looked back at the IDEAS submission, and it appears LEGO "improved" the mechanism. I wonder if the original design worked any better than what they released."

I thought since this isn't from IDEAS (it reached 10.000 but not approved), but from Bricklink Designer Program , that the "tested" design they submit is pretty much decided by the designer themselves.

If things have changed, it likely was changed during the Physical test phase of the Bricklink Designer Program instead of directly by LEGO themselves.

By IowaHawkeye13 in United States, 25 Jun 2023 16:43

I never completed this model because I thought the directions on setting the combination were hard to read. It seemed like the colors were not shown correctly.

Does the reviewer have any info that might help?