LEGO® Set Review: 4546 Road N' Rail Maintenance
Trains / 9v
Road N' Rail Maintenance (us)
Draisine (fr)
Schienen- und Straßenfahrzeug (de)
Rail and Road Combi-Vehicle (uk)
Spoorbaan Inspektie-auto (nl)
Ages 8-12 / 74 Pcs
1 page manual, leaflet: 1 model, 13 steps.
©1991,1993
Price Range: (trade) $8.99 US / Toys R Us
(Traded for three Canadian catalogs: 1985-87)
Special Features / Compatibility
9v Trains. Runs on 4.5v and 12v track as well
Magnets
|
Extra Elements
- Control Stick
- Grey 1x1 Round Plate
- Transparent-Yellow 1x1 Round Plate
|
Decals: Yes
Scale: Mini-Figure
Errors: Extra Decals
|
Conclusion
I would have bought both [it and 4525] last summer, if they had [had] the 4546 :)
Description
[I'll admit I wasn't going to write this review originally, but my
girlfriend said "So I will see a review of this in my mailbox soon?",
reminding me I usually write like six pages on a 10 dollar set. Because
you can't readily find the 4546 anywhere, except little pockets of stock
around the country, I wasn't going to review it. But I figure, hey, if I
can convince ONE person to go and buy one....and they have one at their
local store etc.]
4546 is a high rail (or landrail), which is a vehicle with both tires
for land and wheels for rail. These are found in the real world: CN
(Canadian
National) actually has a few of these in our area, where the main tracks and
passenger platform merge in a station with the Toronto subway. The 4546 is
much like these vehicles, it's a little yellow pickup truck mounted onto a
special red chassis that includes a pair of bulbous medium sized tires with
yellow hubs, and a pair of reduced sized train wheels. It also has a magnet
coupler to be dragged along by a train or to tow the 4525 Road and Rail
Repair
digger, which fits in nicely.
The chassis is well done, with a spring suspension that adds to
play value, and makes the truck easier to get off the track without
actually lifting the thing off the rails. Other cute bits include a
trashcan, shovel and brush broom, which sit in the back. 4546 also has one
minifigure, a man with blue pants, blue shirt with warning strips in white
and red and train company logo printed on the front. He has brown hair.
It's more or less the same as the 4525 person, except that one has a white
(!) hard hat (loaders are more dangerous I suppose)
The box was very interesting, it had subtle differences which
struck me as extremely odd when I got it in the mail. For instance, there
was no piece count on the front, but instead on the bottom. It was listed
as made in Denmark and the entire package had more blank space
(silver/grey) than the 4525 had. Oh well. No big deal, we don't buy for
the package anyways. Or do we? :) I have my 4558 Metroliner box propped
up on my other desk as a monument to gross overindulgence.
Impression
When I saw the 4525 Road and Rail Repair set this summer at the LEGO
Creative Play Center in Ontario Place here in Toronto, I immediately
bought it.
What a great set, I thought. I'd never seen it in stores but only in the
catalog, I knew there was a set previous to this one, which was a pickup
truck. When Doug Finney offered one in trade for the catalog auction I was
having, I jumped at the chance to get a 4546, the Maintenance truck.
Thanks, Doug, this is great!
I'm certainly glad that I did, because 4546 is another one of those
nifty sets. It's proof that not every LEGO set has to be expensive to be
good. Perhaps I'm being overly critical of my past reviews, but I've felt
that I rate smaller sets worse than bigger sets. Maybe this is because I
spend more time selecting larger sets than the quick purchases of little
ones. Or maybe I'm just biased to spending more money :) Whatever, I'm at
least confident that if you're a Train fan, you'll want a 4546. And that
I can rate a set good even if it's under $15.
Ratings
Set Rating:Must-Have
For train fans, 4546, like most train sets, is a must-have. I've
deviated from this rule before-I wasn't so crazy about the 4537 Twin Tank
Transport, but in general, when it's Train, you gotta have it. But it's
not just that-The Road and Rail Maintenance has a successful blend of
design, features and value.
Model Rating:Must-Have
My review of the Road and Rail Repair, 4525, rated it as an
EXCELLENT design. I think I'll have to move both to MUST-HAVE
status, because I forgot to take into account how really innovative these two
models are. It's more creative than say, the 4564 Railrunner, which is
really an incremental upgrade than a bold new design (like the 4559, like
it or not).
The 4546 has solid design, and looks nice. The colour scheme is
cute and the chosen pieces add good detail. I've actually had a chance to
look at one of these highrail vehicles up close, and chat with the driver.
The LEGO Group has done a pretty good job of modelling the features of these
trucks.
The rail wheel mechanism is done right, and the overall "look" is correct.
It fits in nicely with a Train layout, and adds a certain
authenticity to a railroad. (those Metroliner tracks don't maintain
themselves! :) Even without a freight train, the Road and Rail Maintenance
works well. It also matches with the 4525, and they compliment each other,
as if the 4546 tows the digger around.
Playability Rating:Must-Have
Like it's successor and other train sets, the 4546 is low cost, yet
fun addition to the Train line. While the 4525 has the digger arm and
bucket, you get a trash can and a set of tools (brush and shovel) which can
also be fun to play with (and adds realism). Also, there are the usual
truck features like the opening doors and the flip up top to put the figure
into. Of course, you can tow the 4525 or have the 4546 towed by a train,
and that in itself is a lot of fun too!
Likes/Dislikes
I liked just about everything about this set, except the front of
the truck looks a little odd and the magnet blocks the rear train wheel
from flipping up totally.
Elements
magnet, newstyle train type (ie, missing the hook on the bottom)
small sized black train wheels (4)
red 2x2 with hinge part (2)
dark grey trashcan
brown broom
dark grey shovel
red axle/suspension pieces (2)
Decals
Attractive, over doors.
I buy LEGO sets for their integration
into my town, but truthfully, they end up sitting on my desk. :)
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