The last few years for the City theme has seen a noticeable jump in attention to detail, and the Logging Truck exemplifies this trend. It comes with two minifigs, some good playability, and several accessories. The two, young trees to plant in place of those cut down is a nice nod toward sustainability.

Of the many details, some of my favorites on this model are the orange hazard lights and striped hazard stickers; the iron grate to protect the cab from falling branches (in pearl-dark grey); the steps in front of the wheel leading up to the cab, and the chains to secure the logs. The color scheme is perfect for the vehicle (except for the blue used in the claw assembly), and the stickers add a nice touch of detail and realism. The chain saw is also well done, and there's even a coffee mug on the dash board since our driver's days are no doubt long and often cold.

Both minifigs are done well, with the man in blue wearing a nice pair of headphones to protect his hearing while using the chainsaw, though his orange protective glasses make him look a bit too city/construction for my taste. The man in red, on the other hand, is in perfect lumberjack form, wearing a loosely-fit flannel (printed front and back), with a nice belt with tools on it, and a perfectly bearded face.

Aside from its larger Technic cousin a couple years prior (#9397), this is the only logging truck I've seen from Lego. This set definitely took some inspiration from that model as it's also got a claw for hoisting logs into the bed of the truck. I'm not entirely sure what to do with the claw when the vehicle is in transit, though--it either hangs there looking rather like a scorpion's tail, or just rests flat, laying loosely across the chains. There's no question that the claw adds a lot of playability, but I actually think I'd like the look of the truck more if it weren't there and the bed (and logs) were simply extended to fill the same length.

Pros

• Lots of great details
• Good playability with plenty of accessories and two minifigs
• Emphasis on sustainability

Cons

• Cab only seats one--the other guy I guess just sits on the claw as it drives down the road
• Claw doesn't fold very elegantly for transport. It's also a bit loose at the ball joint
• Blue used in claw doesn't fit with the otherwise perfect color scheme

If you've lived in the Pacific North-West (or even just driven up the coast), you'll have seen probably more than one of these trucks going down the highway, and Lego's rendition here is excellent.

Outdoorsy-oriented City sets are among my favorites as far as themes go. This set generally deserves high marks for the small details and intricacy, and it is also more durable than it might appear to be.

Box/Instructions

No real observations here positive or negative.

Parts

While the basic design of the truck is not the most unique--there are several other sets with similar cab designs, if in different colors--and thus perhaps a bit redundant for one who picks up many City sets, there are a few more specialized parts relating to the logging theme, and a nice assortment of small accessories.

Minifigures

Great detail on these two guys. Not extremely busy-looking prints, but very solid for the theme. And again, nice accessories such as a pair of earmuffs, a shovel and of course a chainsaw.

The Build

Personally, (as an AFOL anyway) I find trucks like this to be rather boring to build, even with the rear-mounted crane adding some interest. The attractive thing here is the finished product more than the process of putting it together. I did not use any of the stickers.

The Completed Model

This is a sharp-looking truck that has a good combination of rugged functionality with tight design. It stays together pretty well; in spite of how fragile the crane or the tie-down chains appear to be at a glance, the durability factor is good. I do wish that the truck was articulated between the cab and the rear/trailer portion, or at least had turning front wheels. In my estimation it would have been worth it to throw in a few extra parts for a longer, more functional road-vehicle.

Overall Opinion

This logging truck is one of the nicer small sets that I have seen. It looks good enough to keep on a shelf, but could probably stand up to light play as well. Fairly decent playability the "old fashioned way," via nice pieces and parts that can be moved around, in particular of course the crane. Although the build was not especially fun, overall I would say that this is one of the better examples of design and detail illustrating a specific theme.

I've been eyeing this set for a while now, and I finally broke down and bought it at Bricks Cascade for my girlfriend and I to build together. It ended up being a really awesome set! I haven't really gotten any City sets since around 1999-2000, and boy have they improved since then..

Parts

The parts are mostly standard for City sets, but there are a few I really like. All of the brown 2x2 cylindars are really nice, as well as the short chains. There are a lot of green plates in this set, but some pieces like the grill on top of the cab and the poles in the bed are less common I believe.The price per part value was really nice, with over 200 pieces at $20!

Minifigures

Your basic lumberjack workers, featuring flannel and red hats. I love the new hearing protection headphones which could definitely be used for headphones in a MOC. 2 figures is what I would expect for this set, so I think it's fair.

The build

Since it's a basic City vehicle and is one of the sets that is intentionally easy, the build was fairly simple, but still kind of fun and wasn't extremely quick. I let my girlfriend build it since she had never built a Lego set before, and she had fun building it, and did a good job for a first time builder.

The completed model

This is a really cool truck, and definitely a unique piece of an Lego city. Lego has never done logging before, and especially in the Northwest of the US where I'm from, there are a lot of logging trucks going along the highways, so this truck is somewhat of a familiar sight (minus the big crane). It's fun to pick up the logs with the crane and put them in the bed and drive off.

I really like the details, like the coffee mug on the dashboard, and the protective grate on top of the cab so the driver doesn't get crushed by logs. My only complaint is that I wish the crane claws had a mechanism for opening and closing together, as it is a bit difficult to do so by hand and the mount for the claws is so bulky already.

I also love the green, sustainable message that Lego promotes, not just in their business practices but even subtlety in their sets. There are two logs from trees that were cut down and then two baby trees that the lumberjacks can plant in their place. Genius!

I definitely recommend this set for any City fan, or definitely someone who lives in the NW and is used to seeing vehicles like this! The price is fair, the parts are decent, and the set is cool.