This is a great little set. The short review: buy one now. Read on for the longer review.

I don’t like to be too country-specific in my reviews, but a this set has special significance for Aussies. With our huge country and isolated settlements, medevac aircraft like this – eg. the Royal Flying Doctor Service - save hundreds of lives every year in regional and remote areas. This set is not only a great toy but actually helps kids to learn about some of the unique features of the great south land.

It’s also great to see TLG branching into air vehicles at this price point, not just cars and trucks. Hopefully Lego will see the light and bring the price of http://brickset.com/sets/60101-1/Airport-Cargo-Plane down to hit this price point too when it’s released later this year. (I suppose there’s no hope TLG will start producing rail cars at this price point? * SIGH*)

This set is very much in the spirit of http://brickset.com/sets/6356-1/Med-Star-Rescue-Plane, which is deservedly a legend (currently sitting at 4.8 average review). This set gives you all the features of the old set with a bit of extra playability thrown in via a motorbike. There was another medical plane released more recently - http://brickset.com/sets/2064-1/Airline-Promotional-Set but it’s not really in the same class as 6356 or this set.

There is nothing especially noteworthy about the box, instructions or parts – what you see is what you get.

There are three minfigs – pilot, doctor/paramedic and trailbike rider. All are solid but unexceptional – there’s no leg printing for example. Helmet printing also seems to be very out of fashion at TLG at the moment – I think this would add to the interest of City minifigures, given the number of sets which include helmets – but I suppose it would drive up the cost.

The build for this set is pretty simple. Kids should be able to manage it without many issues, although pushing the tyres onto the wheels may be too much for small fingers and thumbs. There are quite a few stickers and you will need to be accurate in application to get the paint lines on the plane looking nice. Sticker application to the tails is also required, as it has been in a number of other sets over the years, and applying a sticker to this tail element (http://brickset.com/parts/design-2340) is always tricky.

The completed model is very sturdy and swooshable. The undercarriage is mounted such that the nose gear is shorter than the main gear, so the aircraft “squats down” on the tarmac. This may not be to everyone’s taste but it’s easily modified by removing a 2x8 plate, at the cost of a bit of structural stability. The nose gear is of the modern “shopping trolley” design. A handy tip: winding some plumbing/gas tape around the pin before inserting it into the fuselage will stop the nosewheel waggling around too much. The tape is also easily removable. As with all Lego planes, you will need to remove the wheels from the model to fly in “gear up” mode.

The rear ramp mechanism is sound overall and also includes a clamshell folding rear roof for better access. This setup is arguably superior to 6239’s folding rear door, although 6239 also had a left side door which this set lacks. Unfortunately the design of the rear ramp on this set, while functional, is frustrating in that there’s an obvious gap around the sides of the ramp at the bottom. This should have been better designed – you may wish to do some MOC-fettling of the rear of the plane. Otherwise, the lines of the set are lovely. The twin boom layout, whilst not seen on many contemporary aircraft, obviously works well for a medevac plane.

Playability is also solid because of the inclusion of the trailbike. A small scenario is depicted on the back of the box – just make sure you go biking near a landing strip that can accommodate an air ambulance!

The final verdict: a great set with a minor frustration in the design of the rear ramp. Still very much worth getting hold of.

Review: Ambulance Plane 60116

This set was one of the new season’s offerings that I was particularly looking forward to checking out, though I had mixed feelings of anticipation: I liked the concept of an Air Ambulance very much, but wasn’t convinced by the online images whether the final product would do it justice, fearing it may be ‘a little plain’.

This is a two-bag build. In the first bag we get three minifigs, a dirt-bike (the rider of which is the ‘scripted’ recipient of the Air-Ambulance crew’s care), and a stretcher as well as pieces to build the bulk of the fuselage of the plane. The second bag finishes the fuselage, wings and tail-booms. The enclosed sticker-sheet is fairly sizeable for this size set – seventeen (!) stickers are intended to be applied to the plane, with one on the motorbike. My feeling, however, is that in this case all the stickers enhance the look of the final model.

The build is straightforward with no unexpected techniques or novel pieces used. I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of detail included in the wing and engine sections, and very pleased that not only does the tail-ramp open, but that the rear fuselage also hinges upward. This allows easier placement of the stretcher, as well as of the accompanying medic, who can comfortably sit with and care for his or her patient. (Unfortunately the dirt-bike rider’s friends will have to arrange another means of collecting his bike.)

The completed model looks very good in my opinion, with a great colour scheme, which is only enhanced by the stickers. The general shape of the aircraft also looks great, particularly with the curving lines of the aft fuselage and tail-booms. It is robustly built and eminently swooshable! (And the propellers look great when they spin!) The one area I’m in two minds about is the very ‘boxy’ housing for the main undercarriage, which looks very ‘un-aerodynamic’. This is very easily remedied by removing two layers of plates, though by doing so one loses a splash of colour and the “I can cope with the roughest of landing strips” look.

Minifigures: The set comes with the dirt-bike rider, with a front-and-back printed torso that nicely matches his bike, and a black helmet with visor. You also get two Air-ambulance crew, a male wearing reflective shades and a cap, and a female wearing a helmet and an outfit which features a carabiner. In my thinking the latter is better suited to the role of rescue-medic and the former to the role of pilot, whereas the box-art reverses these roles. (I wonder, was there miscommunication between the set designers and the packaging designers at Lego in this instance?)

I readily recommend this set both as a stand-alone with good play-value, or as an addition to an existing medical, aircraft or general Lego city collection. Happy building!

In 1988, the Med-Star Rescue Plane took to the air. It's updated version nearly 30 years later is a worthy heir.

Box/Instructions

It has a box (bigger than it needs to be), and instructions. Nothing to see here, folks. Move along.

Parts

Green motorcycle. I really want to build a motorcycle shop, and the more colours I can find, the better.

You may or may not like the large nose cone piece. I can see the validity of disliking them for BURP and Juniorized parts reasons. However, it does add a streamlining that I would be lying to say I didn't find pleasing. Having said that, I don't mind the blockiness of older, brick-built nose cones, either. I think you'll really have to decide how you feel about it.

Same goes for stickers. Stickers rarely bother me, and I'm fine with these. But putting the winged blue cross on the nose cone was not easy. I can't stand crooked stickers, and make far too many of them askew for my pleasure. I almost leapt for joy when I got this one on straight the first time.

Minifigures

TLG continues adding more female heads to sets, and that makes me happy. It's never been difficult to simply add a female head to any minifigure, and chalk one up for equality. But it's nice to see it on the packaging and the presentation as well. These are the little things that will see the next generation of little girls dream of being pilots and astronauts and anything they dream of.

Three minifigures with three different torsos. Each role is easily identifiable by the costuming. And the detailing has come a long way from, say, those available on 6356. The pilot is an air-rescue pilot, obviously, not a commercial liner pilot. Folds and creases, dangling straps, open collars. The relative simplicity of the set offers a wonderful opportunity to appreciate these kinds of touches that are often overwhelmed by the wonder of bigger, more expensive sets. And who doesn't love variety? People who hate freedom, that's who.

The Build

This build is pretty easy, and I don't recall anything particularly astounding about it. In a set this size, that's not a deal-breaker. It's meant to add to one's flourishing city, or to let a six-year-old girl swoop down and rescue the injured motocross rider. Modular building and Creator sets are there to offer challenges.

The Completed Model

It simply looks nice, and helps address a dearth of ambulance planes in a sky full of helicopters. Only three have been released since the late 80s.

Overall Opinion

It's a great little model. It's fun to play with, and you get a motorcycle, too. If you missed them when they were in the shops, and can find one, you really should pick it up.

The Ambulance Plane is a clear reincarnation of the famous 1988s "6356-1: Med-Star Rescue Plane".

Unlike the "Police" and "Firefighters" themes, the "Ambulance" theme is not that expanded, so it is nice so see that LEGO gives it another try.

The only other decent "Ambulance sets" are:

• 1987s: 6380: Emergency Treatment Center
• 1988s: 6356-1: Med-Star Rescue Plane
• 2012s: 4429: Helicopter Rescue
• 2012s: 4431: Amublance

Box/Instructions

Normal LEGO City Box. On the backside there are several images of playability.

There is 1 booklet. The instructions are very simple and the building progress is very basic, about 2 or 3 pieces per built. Ideal for young builders.

Parts

There is perhaps one "special" part, a blue injection needle.

A sticker set is added and apart from the plane's dashboard computer, there are no printed bricks.

By the way, on the sticker sheet, each sticker is numbered, for example, 1, 2, 3 ... so builders know the sequence of the stickers.

Minifigures

There are 3 minifigs.

• 1 Ambulance pilot (female)
• 1 Ambulance staff (male)
• 1 Dirt biker (male)

The build

For an adult, a plain simple built. Nothing out of the ordinary.

My daughter (4 years and 4 months) was very happy. This was her second built. I picked out the parts and she followed the instructions, step by step. I had to help a few times (this was a bit harder that the 2016 60113-1: Rally Car.

The completed model

The color scheme is great. The back of the plane can open via a cargo-door. Here you can load your injured passenger on the stretch into the plane. There is just enough room to fit the Ambulance staff minifig (seated).

The engine behind the propeller looks very good.

The plane in its whole looks nice however, for me there are some drawbacks. The biggest of all is the end of the plane, the body is just to short. I'm not speaking of the tail, which is massive, but the body of the plane is just to short for me. Another drawback is, to seat the pilot, you have to remove the cockpit in its whole. When the cockpit is removed, by figure of speech, half the plane is gone.

Perhaps I just yet to make a mind shift of 4-studs LEGO to 6 studs LEGO. When I compare it with other planes of my LEGO days, like for example "1985s 6392: Airport", (hello, it's a passenger plane) the size of the planes are very off.

I'm gonna finish with a big "this puts a smile on my face", and that are the yellow stickers on the propellers. When spinning the propellers, it just looks ace. Nice job designer.

Overall opinion

Great playability with a theme "Ambulance" that is not that common among the LEGO themes. A reincarnation of the 1988s: 6356-1: Med-Star Rescue Plane. The built of the 2016 model could have been better (the body is to short) but overall, it's nice and a very fun addition to my daughters LEGO collection (and yes off course, to our combined LEGO Town/City collection :o)).

Overall, this set is a good build and a nice addition to the City theme, especially given how few medical sets there are. It's fairly quick and easy, but solid. It looks pretty nice, though the design is odd and it looks a little cut-off at the back.

My main issues with the plane are that you have to take the cockpit off to get the pilot in, and the other EMT does not fit in the back, both of which I feel could have been worked around fairly easily.

That said, the minifigures are good, especially the motorcycle rider. The stretcher does slide quite neatly into the plane, and that aspect is nice. The motorcycle itself is also cool, with a kickstand to keep it upright.

I think this set is a good deal for the price, as this subtheme is limited. Some aspects could have been better constructed, but overall it looks nice and has good playability.