LEGO® Set Review: 6397 Gas N’ Wash Express
6397
![[6397 Set Photo]](../pix/6397.jpg)
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Gas N' Wash Express (us)
Station-service Octan (fr)
Octan Benzinestation (de)
Octan Service (uk)
OCTAN Tank- und Servicestation (it)
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Town System / Recreation
Ages 8-12 / 453 Pcs
28 page manual: 3 models, 9, 15, 23 steps.
©1992
Price Range: $50.00-$55.00
Review Written: 29 September 1997 by Joseph Gonzalez
Special Features / Compatibility
None
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Extra Elements
None
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Decals: Yes
Scale: Mini-Figure Scale
Errors: None
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Ratings:
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Set: Very-Good
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Models: Excellent
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Playability: Must-Have
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Conclusion
A very fun to look at and fun to play with set that fits into any town scene (even if it’s just a highway stop).
Description
The LEGO Group brings together all the familiar aspects of a contemporary gas station in classic Octan colors (primarily white, with red and green stripes) with outside mechanic area, indoor cashier and snack area, an automated car wash stall and three fuel pumps partially sheltered by a large carport roof. Vehicles included with the set are a tow truck and an automobile. The three included Mini-Figures include two station attendants and a customer.
Impression
This is a very cool model that is worth looking for if you are a town collector and you missed out on purchasing it when it was available.
Ratings
Set Rating:Very-Good
Mostly white and black bricks of varying sizes with green and red plates add up to a pretty good selection of building materials along with eight slanting window frames, a swinging door and two store windows. Additional accessories like the brush, wrench, hammer and tow truck winch add to the useful town elements included with the set.
Model Rating:Excellent
The last solid gas/service station the LEGO Group has come out with since the monstrous 6394-Metro Park of 1989, this station is more comparable to the 6378-Service Station with the most noticeable difference being the color scheme used. I really liked the room inside the cashier area that gives the feeling of a mini-mart type gas station. Minor details of a brush, extinguisher, waste can and stop/go lights on the carwash add to the realism of the model (all we need is a squeegee element now!). With the combination of colors and lots of window elements the set makes for a great display piece.
Playability Rating:Must-Have
I give it a very high rating in the playability department because it’s a fantastic stand-alone set, and it fits well with almost any other town set – even if it is placed across the street from a rival gas station. The cars are fun to push through the carwash stall and the inside cashier area – containing what looks to be some sort of soft drink dispenser – is still spacious enough to add a couple of shelves for candy and maps. Very cool and fun to play with!
Likes/Dislikes
I like the all-around solid design of the station. One small dislike is that the cars don’t have a 1x1 brick with lateral hole in which to stick the gas pump nozzle. Also, I’ve yet to find a good way to have the tow truck securely hook to the bumper or underside of the car being towed.
Elements
Flexible blue carwash brushes and brush holders, tiny wheels for mechanic's cart, blue car jack accessory and green pump hose/threads.
Decals
Octan Logo stickers that adorn the station and fuel pumps cover one element each except for the signs that stand outside the station which cover multiple bricks. The Mini-Figures are preprinted with the Octan logo.
As a longtime LEGO fan, I enjoy seeing new models come out each year (although most recently, the Town selection has not been too much to get excited about), and collecting older sets for playing and displaying.
Copyright
This review is Copyright 1997, by the author as named above. The author grants publication rights for all uses, public and private, with the following exceptions: all information in the document must be published in full; any for-profit use requires express written permission by the author for publication in full or in part.
This is a fan created web site. LEGO® is a registered trademark of The LEGO Group, which does not sponsor, authorize or endorse this site.
All views expressed in the reviews on this site are those of the review author, and do not necessarily represent the views of Joshua Delahunty or the University of California.
Set names and photos are copyrighted materials owned by The LEGO Group, used according to its Fair-Use Policy. Set photo scans courtesy of Pause Magazine.
Background imagery supplied by and Copyright © Todd Lehman. Used with permission.
3-D Element bitmaps supplied by and Copyright © James Jessiman. Used with permission.
All product line and theme banner graphics hand-drawn (not scanned) and Copyright © 1996 Joshua Delahunty.
Send comments on these pages to the editor at dulcaoin@alumni.cse.ucsc.edu.