LEGO CITY 60154 Bus Station review

Every LEGO CITY needs a bus station, and anyone looking to add one to their table top town has a new opportunity – but it feels expensive 

Price: £39.99 / $49.99 / €44.99 Pieces: 337 Available: Now

There are certain CITY sets which are like exotic cars. Whether it is an attractive modular building which elicits awe due to a level of detail, a type of set that has not been seen before or in a long time or a perfectly crafted addition to the Great Vehicles line up, these Ferraris of the theme really get the blood going; it is exciting to place them in a CITY layout. On the opposite end of the spectrum are junkers, sets which are either terrible or unnecessary over which we all breathe a sigh of relief on behalf of our wallets. Somewhere, on the spectrum between those two extremes, lie the family sedans, sets which are necessary and get the job done but are just not exciting. 60154 Bus Station lands squarely in that category.

The simple fact is that every CITY layout, whether you are a kid or an AFOL, needs a bus and its associated station in order to be authentic. The LEGO Group has covered all the essentials here by including that very same mode of public transport in a moderately appealing colour palette consisting of black, yellow and green, a (barely) covered station, and a newsstand to peruse while minifigures are waiting for ride.

Detail is achieved almost entirely though stickers and a couple of printed parts on both of the two structures – they are constructed of basic bricks and feel a bit juniorised. Having introduced wheelchairs last year with 60134 Fun in the Park, designers elected to use the component again here prompting the inclusion of a wheelchair ramp adjacent to the station. Unfortunately it too feels juniorised and is sorely lacking some sort of caution marker printing or sticker on the yellow tile.

Fortunately, the simplified structures are not without redemption. It appears to have been the price for the bus to be excellent. In keeping with the theme of making public transport wheelchair accessible, this latest bus includes dual doors midway down which allow for the wheelchair to be loaded. Further refinements have been made to the bus from previous versions as well, most notably new roof components which create a much more uniform shape across the top. There is however, an issue with the bus. Perhaps because of the double doors, the roof is not attached on top of tiles with the occasional stud to hold it in place as would be expected. The result is a roof so solid that it has to be popped out from the inside, section by section. This is extremely cumbersome, and could easily have been avoided with a row of tiles. It suggests that the part count must have really been pushing up against the limit.

The main challenge that this set has to overcome is its price tag. At only 337 pieces, and with the bus being the only part of this set which is up to snuff quality wise, the set feels like a bit of a rip off. If you are lucky enough to have one of the previous LEGO buses, this set is not something you need to fork more cash over for unless more public transport is something you are looking for. If you do not have any other buses, this is a fine vehicle which will add a nice touch to your CITY streets – but it doesn’t feel like a great deal.

60154 Bus Station is available now from shop.LEGO.com. You can help support Brick Fanatics’ work by using our affiliate links.

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