60115: 4×4 Off Roader Review

City has always had an element of 4WD race vehicles with origins stemming back to 673, Rally Car from 1978. With the introduction of the 37×18 tyres it makes for an even bigger presence for a vehicle on a LEGO road. I have written before here on BF that I was quite pleased with the number of City sets for the first half of 2016 and once again another set has tickled my fancy, which is 60115, 4×4 Off-Road Racer. Initial images gave me the impression that this has a good build feeling about it. And thus it had to be on the shopping list.

Set Description

Get the 4×4 Off Roader ready for the big desert race! Check the spare tire and make sure it’s pumped up and then fill the gas can. Use the tools to check out the truck and then strap the driver in. Excitement roars around every corner in LEGO® City!

• Includes 2 minifigures: a driver and a mechanic.
• Features a 4×4 Off Roader with opening doors and a removable spare tire .
• Check the tire and gas levels in the 4×4.
• Cross the finish line and win!
• Accessory elements include a spare tire, tool wagon, Octan pit flag, sand bar, scorpion and a gasoline barrel.
• 4×4 Off Roader measures over 3” (8cm) high, 5” (13cm) long and 2” (7cm) wide).
• Tool wagon measures over 1” (5cm) high, 1” (5cm) long and under 1” (2cm) wide.

The Review:

There is an immediate familiarity about the completed model – as soon as I finished it, it just reminded me of the 1992 Mitsubishi Pajero (Shogun in the UK) Rally Raid which won the gruelling Paris-Dakar Rally in the early 1990s. I was impressed with recent sets such as 60083 Snow Plough with the level of detail and this set also hits those high notes which I am beginning to love here. Firstly the wheels and tyres. These are the bain of my life in LEGO building as I cannot understand why all trucks and cars seem to have the same sized rims and tyres. It doesn’t happen in the real world and is a pain in the backside within a LEGO City world as well.

 

But thankfully faith has been restored a little with this desert dueller using those 37×18’s. It looks the part. Front detail is splendid – we have a makeshift bull-bar in the form of a 1×3 pipe, front fogs and adjustable roof spotlights.

 

Add the sidestep rails with the 1×2 rail and the foundation of an excellent model is being built. The rear of the vehicle is even more impressive. The 1×1 yellow lamps (cylinders) within the chassis of the vehicle recreates those solid shock absorbers that such a vehicle would use. It may be lost on the younger builder, but I love these accents here. A rollcage and a spare tyre added to the back of the truck and the mudflaps are just a very nice touch and a nod to authenticity in replication of the real world.

Let us not forget the peripheral parts – the tool trolley is fully equipped is a good addition as well as the flag and scorpion giving that desert/ rally-raid feel about it.

The minifigures are nothing special IMO. I like the Octan uniform – smart and functional, but that is about it. Once again, they serve a purpose and I simply cannot get excited about them.

There are a few things I would like to have seen changed within the build. Rally Raid vehicles are a two man/person affair and the cockpit should have been designed to accommodate driver and co-driver within  a 2×2 seat configuration rather than the one man centralised position.

Whilst Octan ‘sponsor’ the truck, it would have been better to see a few more ‘sponsors’ added as other race vehicles have displayed as well such as the recent Rally Car.

Another idea would have been to have a full race truck support vehicle. Rally Raid vehicles are normally have a tractor cab and trailer unit following them as the service truck so that would have given extra value as a playset. Chuck in a canopy as a tent build for where the car could get serviced and I reckon you have the makings of a great City set.

Looking at VFM, 10.2p per piece is a little too expensive for my liking. My advice is as always to check the likes of Brick Badger to look for that discount via the likes of Amazon. At the time of writing the set is currently priced at around £13 which brings the price per piece to a better 7.3p per piece. I am sure that the likes of Tesco and Sainsburys will also have some daft discounting at one point in time.

I think I already have a nomination for the BF Awards for this year. 60115 is a lovely quick model to build with a subtle amount of good detail and eludes to real world realism. Very impressed and a good add to my City racing line.