4012

Wave Cops (us) Politibåd (da) Motoryacht (de)

Floating Boats / (Boat)

Ages 6-10 / 101 Pcs
11 page manual: 1 models, 15 steps. ©
Price Range: $22.99 CAD at Eaton Center Toronto

Review Written: 6 February 1996 by Calum Tsang

Special Features / Compatibility Really Floats

Extra Elements Two extra lights 1x1 round plate etc. (usual stuff)

Decals: Yes, single bricks/hull Scale: Mini-Figure Scale, 401x boat class size hull Errors: My hull somehow rattles inside (?)

Ratings:

Set: Excellent

Models: Must-Have

Playability: Must-Have

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Conclusion
I would certainly buy it again, and I wouldn't hesitate recommending it as a good gift for children or adults.

Description

Further aft is the bridge, again with a windshield, crammed with tons of crimefighting equipment. Apart from the standard steering wheel, there's a radar screen, and a telecom package, which includes phone, tape recorder and video conferencing monitor-with an image of a fellow police officer (now, the question begs to be asked, where are the LEGO cops getting all this bandwidth?) To the left and right are attachments for a walkie talkie and megaphone. Over top is a "wing" with loran/surface radar dish, horns/loudspeakers, a mast with light, a long whip antenna and what seems to be a infrared lamp. (I suppose for nightvision equipment.) Also, a small winch assembly for towing/rescue is included on the back.

The entire craft is nicely decked out with new generation Police logo stickers, (italicized white with red underline) and is done in the usual black and white colour scheme with sharp red trim. Two officers, have black vests, white arms, with the new disheveled Police look (tilted badge etc), white caps and sunglasses. For once, I think those new sunglassed heads are appropriate here. I can just see these guys smiling, as they're whipping along at 40 knots chasing some smugglers in the bright sunshine.

Impression

Fortunately, while not on sale, Eaton's flagship store at the Eaton Center store in downtown Toronto brought in a new shipment of LEGO to fill their redesigned Toy section this week on Thursday, with a pile of 4012s. I'm glad I'm the first in Toronto to get one, because this is one great set. Now, I have to say, I'm not as awestruck as that day I got my Metroliner, or even my 4031, or when my girlfriend gave me a 6397 Gas and Wash Express. And there are telltale signs of The LEGO Group cutting corners. But, this is a pretty good try, and certainly a better value than the other 96 boats-4002 and 4022 (from reports on the net).

Let's take a look at some of the details of this model.

Ratings

Set Rating:Excellent

If you're new to Boats, or own a Town and want to expand into Boats, then 4012 is a must have for crucial boat parts-mast, winch, weight block, lifevests and hull are all Boat staples. Another benefit of the 4012 (and the 4022) is the clip for the Playmobil 7201 thruster pack, which adds a little motor and propellor for added action! This was an incredible oversight of the 4002 hull designers, and I'm glad they reused the solid 4011 concept. The hull, from past experience, does take on water if you're not careful. The 4002 and 402x/403x hulls are a bit better in this respect.

Model Rating:Must-Have

One bug I have with the 4012 is that you can see The LEGO Group cutting some corners on the design. The mounting of the engine control panel below deck was poorly done, as was an exposed piece on the weight block (ie, the block looked like it was moved at last minute for weight adjustment, leaving a 4x1 area showing. There are two pieces missing in the bridge area. Not a big deal, because none are visible from the outside, and not even noticeable unless you're looking. I felt the inclusion of these few pieces could be better for completeness, but don't really make sense. Just gives me the chills, like when my Amiga is missing screws, or a SCSI chain is improperly terminated.

Playability Rating:Must-Have

Unlike the Riptide Racer, they've done a fantastic job at adding extra value into the set. For instance, all you can do with the Racer is race, and possibly look at the engine. With Wave Cops, you have two minifigs, a below deck area, a hatch, a searchght, all the groovy hardware up top, the antenna, the towing winch, the cockpit parts. You have two "stations" of play, and possibly more-the bridge, the cabin, the foredeck, etc. And while kids don't often play directly with a radar screen, they can "pretend" to be searching for accidents or bad guys. Why does it take $7 extra to get this? If not for the just cool looking factor, Wave Cops is highly playable for all the extra "features" they've put in.

And you're not limited to the "Wave Cops" situation-you could build a cabin cruiser just like 4011, or a more docile search and rescue ship. It's not like the 4002 hull, where you're more or less restricted to a racing boat concept. I miss the shark from 4011.

Likes

Dislikes

Elements

• 401x Class hull, black with white deck, 10 by 25 dots
• Mast piece, white, like 4021 Police Patrol and 4025 Fireboat
• 2x2x1 45 degree sloped radar screen, like Surveillance Squad
• 2x2x1 45 degree sloped telecom screen ^*
• 3x3 white wing (four)
• 6x1 white flat tile (two) ^*
• 10x1 grey (two) ^*
• 2x2 grey flat tile, engine readout ^*
• 2x2x6 black weight block, found in all recent boats
• 2x3x1 black angled pieces (two) ^{*
  *} Presumed new.

Decals

You know, 95% of everything I build ends up on my desk. I should really get to building up that Town again. Oh foo. I really like to get things to fit in there though.