I don’t usually do LEGO City, but how could I resist this particular little kit? Like it or not, it is way too reminiscent to the 42054 Claas Xerion in the Technic line for anyone at the LEGO headquarters to not lose some sleep because of that. You know, licensing and copyright stuff, possibly.
Having built the big version, the similarities are striking, though of course anyone would be hard-pressed to prove which Claas tractor model it is actually supposed to represent exactly. Personally I can’t wait to build the big version a second time (with the inevitable improvments and changes) and see both models side by side.
While the overall stability is okay, I guess, it seems to me that the cockpit glazing is too easy to accidentally snap off, especially the front part. It would probably have been a good idea to add two of those little curved bits that have those overlapping stairs to add a bit more fixation.
In my opinion the actual play value is a bit limited. Other than just rolling it around on the floor there’ isn’t much you can do with this model, as the crane unit is also rather fragile and a pain in the rear to open the claws. Arguably, though, the version on the Technic model isn’t that great, either. At least here it looks elegant.
Though I may be dreaming, I think what really would have helped here is a bit more focus on the tree. I can’t quite figure what you would do with the small “Christmas tree” while on the other hand there’s already a considerable number of cylindrical elements for the stem segments of a chopped down tree. It’s ironic that they didn’t opt for the ribbed version, or I could have created a real long tree trunk with the additional parts from the Technic set. I’m almost tempted to just order more plant parts from Bricklink and build my own little pine/ fir.
Naturally, this may be a one-off and I may never add another City model to my collection, but for what it is, this is not the worst model I’ve seen in this kid-oriented series. It’s almost too realistic to fit amongst the other kits there, but clearly I’m not the ultimatte authority on that.
Mylenium's Brick Corner 