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One of three floatable boats issued in 1982 (one of the others, the 4005 Tug Boat model, is also reviewed at this site and has some ramlbings about the history of this subsection of the Ships sub-theme), this smaller cargo ship has been overshadowed in most memories (and most collectors' affections) by the much larger 1987 Cargo Carrier. Which is a shame, as this is a cute little ship. As a freighter it doesn't especially convince, being about 2-3" longer than a tugboat, but it still looks quite cool. It can't hold much cargo, so I personally tend to think of it as more of a 'courier' ship - something like a mail boat. The design is lovely, and I especially like the low-tech craning system on the deck. Nice colour scheme, too. While I don't have the money for the larger boat to judge this with complete authority, I'd wager it makes a nice companion piece, and also it doesn't overwhelm a smaller harbour. As I noted in the Tug Boat review, it's nice to have a bit of commercial shipping as well - it's not like there are thousands of kits of this theme out there, and it makes a very good fist of it for something of this size. While not reaching the triple figures the larger version does, this is still a pricey kit. This is largely down to the hull - the blue stern and bow were only used on one other set, an older and rarer Container Ship, and the middle section was only ever used on this kit full stop. I managed to grab a bow in a parts lot on ebay, and then spent six months fruitlessly hunting for the other two parts before just spending £30 on the full kit - piecemeal is not the recommended way of getting this one. Nothing else is that rare, aside from the captain's torso - for some bizarre reason, this is the only set to get the black torso with pocket/button pattern. While this is a minor point for most people, it does drive the price up. Ironically, having paid the price bidding against someone who probably rather anted that torso, I promptly stuck it on a civvie and crewed this thing with the same sailors found on the larger, later set. About the only other change was adding a more modern lifting ring. Like the Tug Boat, this has aged well, and is a fine addition to any Lego harbour. However, like most of the floatable boats it doesn't seem to have been produced in particularly large numbers (odd, considering it was listed in the catalogues for five years - I suppose the high RRP meant these just weren't big sellers - around £20 was a lot for a bath toy), and the cheapest, easiest way to get the thing is to have got it in the early 1980s and have hung onto it in good condition. That said, if you luck onto a hull, it's quite easy to cobble together. Hell, give me a yell if you want a bow section... Review
Written: 06/07/2006 |
