Summary

True rating: 4.5

This is an interesting example of a set that's actually really great, but where the stock photo does not put its best foot forward.

What the stock photos imply: this is another wasted "road plate" set where the 16x16 plate takes up most of the item's cost; the police station looks like a 2-dimensional facade; there are few interesting parts or building techniques; overall it is very juniorized.

The set in reality: This set is actually a rather excellent value. To summarise the rest of the review, the building is far more substantial than it appears. By placing the jail and guardhouse behind the main structure, you can see that the building portion of the set takes up a full 16x32 profile and is quite impressive. See the images in my remodel, which (at time of picture taking) incorporates only a sparse few extra tiles:

https://imgur.com/a/j0ZxUD5

Detailed Review

Building experience: The police station is a standard three-level building with a sparse interior and no back wall, but it's quite a bit bigger than expected - the dimensions are 20 studs wide; the multiple terraces are nice, the triangle backdrop is not overly wasteful, and the top floor even has a roof (not always the case in these city sets). Compared to Shopping Street, with the disappointing pretzel stand and bike shop, 60316's building feel 3-d and substantial, with room to play (or in my case, to add a more interesting interior). The jail cells include a mildly interesting "breakaway wall" that tessellates very well with its surroundings to create a flat roof. The garbage vehicle includes a very good dumping mechanism that lifts the dumpster up and flings its contents inside.

Parts: Few of the parts are individually interesting, but together they are a very nice parts pack that includes enough to rearrange floors and walls, spread across a full 16x32 space profile before counting the road plate, and provide other flexible building uses. Individual interesting parts include door and window frames, glass doors and window panes, a squirrel, the crook's unshaven facial hair piece, multiple donut tiles, and of course the included 16x16 road piece. Besides classic white and bright blue, there are a few pieces in the new "lego city service" neon yellow, which can be cross-used with other fire and police sets (maybe also hospital?). Altogether, the effect is of a highly useful police parts pack that is substantial enough to modify as you choose.

Playability: This police station meets all the requirements for playability that prior stations have offered. There is a patrol car that effectively holds a captured crook (a rarity among lego police cars). The dumpster and garbage truck work together in a way that is very pleasing. There is a helicopter and landing pad. There is an equal balance of officers and criminals, and a variety of activities for the inmates and officers to partake in - weights, coffee and doughnuts, the taking of mugshots, and two training courses for the police dog. The only complaint I can see is that the inclusion of just 1 and a half jail cells might feel light compared to prior years, but it's actually enough for the two included criminals. Anyway this did not bother me as I have an excess of jails from prior police, ninjago, and batman sets.

Value for money: I'm listing this as a 5 for value for money because, as I do for just about every lego set, I was able to purchase this for 20% off just a few months after its release. (Major retailers consistent discount lego sets by 20%, and Brickset makes it easy to see when this happens). I might have been disappointed by what I got for the full $70/60E, which includes the inflated pricing to accommodate the 16x16 road plate that we are now used to; but for 20% off, I was pleasantly surprised by and ultimately pleased with the value.

Overall, I originally would have overlooked this set, but the dumpster and its use in my city compelled me. I learned from a LEGO sales rep that the price to purchase only that bag (Bag 6 I believe) would be $40, and I decided to buy the whole set for just a few dollars more, and I am so glad I did. The structure is much more substantial than it appears, and the set is incredible worthwhile. I strongly recommend that folks pick it up.

I must say after years of absence from collecting I started again last year.

This set has great vehicles that you build from the brick up. No special piece but solid building techniques. That is the mayor plus for this set.

The only downside is the empty space up front and the very odd placement of the parking booth. Which suggests vehicles go to the " invisible back".

It is not very big but has everything for a child to play scenes with policeman and criminal.