As a kid my town would usually have some kind of emergency going on - either a fire or a riot! This set fits in perfectly and makes the whole scene look just right. It now features in my town and is filming the Indiana Jones movie (well its the only way I could add some indy stuff to my town!)

This model was one of my favourites as a kid. The colour really caught my eye and the features really appealed to me. Nowadays my collection is much larger and LEGO have got cooler things for their models, more colours and features but this one will always be a classic.

The van itself is pretty basic and boxy but it has old school features like quarter panel windows, opening doors and a sunroof make it extra special. The back-door opens up leaving lots of room in the back for the camera equipment. It has head lights and tail lights. It has a satellite dish on top of the van which can turn 360 degrees and move up and down. It comes with a camera on a stand made from blocks not like the solid one piece ones we have now.

The mini-fig is dressed in white pants and jacket, with a blue peak cap on. His face is the standard smiley face. Very standard but I feel for this model that is all that's required.

Overall it is very basic, but is from the old days for me and all of its little features were what made it so special. It has no cons but plenty of pros. I feel this model is a 6/10 by today's standars but if you asked me back in the day it would have been a 9/10, so I'm going to give it that rating to be fair. I would recommend this to any LEGO fan, as all LEGO towns need a TV van and camera crew.

The mobile TV studio is another Town vehicle that shines because of it's extras. The van itself is a standard design, though the solid front and squinting headlights do make it look more like a small van than a full-sized truck. It is fitted with a satellite dish that can be both tilted and rotated, has two doors, an opening sunroof and working rear hatch. The camera is a unique design which looks surprisingly accurate for such a small model.

A very nice set.

This is one of the earlier incarnations of the media industry despite the lack of television sets although a few were probably easily custom built.

Minifigures:

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He is pretty straight forward and the blue baseball cap is a likeable piece. That white zipper suit suggests a rather 1980's look. Think jumpsuit or white biker leathers? Oo-er.

Roll Camera

The mini build makes an awesome little film camera. The 'camera' brick helps but its lens, lever and nodule controls make an obvious outcome. The blue and contrasting yellow is pleasant theme for the TV station carried throughout parts of the set. The number '2' is also a good tile for putting on the side, numbered and lettered tiles sadly all too absent for signing and numbering in Town streets. The camera may have benefitted from a transparent lens piece but it matters not.

The van is an incredibly run of the mill two small chassis base in grey, much underused in vehicles I feel. It certainly compliments the blue. The easy flat lights design and standard steering wheel, yellow chair and door arrangement are all very familiar with a tinted windscreen to match the sunroof which is a cool feature. The back has pleasantly thick small window panels that with the large 'TV' signed panels make an accessible space to stash the camera. Here a pretty sought after upside down computer printed slant makes a monitor for instant playback for quick broadcasts or instant editing and it simply hangs there behind a tinted rear window and hinged door. A sizeable white radar dish does suggest the need to transmit news and receive office communications but children could make him film whatever though: Doctor Who, A David Attenborough nature program, anything they like. This smart dish and a blue and yellow aerial finish the van's top and make it so much more interesting. The grey hubcaps add suitable style.

In The Can

As vans go it manages to hide a very standard and borderline boring template. What improves everything is the uniqueness of the set, the printed logo, the monitor, the aerial and radio dish and the excellent numbered camera. The playability is really good, kids being able to film anything going on around Town and collectors adding a dimension of media in their custom Town scenes. Its not the most exciting vehicle set but as an industry or job related set it was one of a kind and still of use in modern City settings.