Each year as the new sets are slowly revealed, either official or not, I decide what I wouldn’t mind buying. Sometimes new parts or Minifigures play a role in my decisions. Then I see a retailer selling sets early and end up buying stuff I hadn’t planned to. I have to admit that’s the case with this set. However, after building it, I’m glad I picked it up as it’s a fun build and it has plenty of play features. So without further ado, here’s a look at the LEGO City Crane.
Product Description
Here’s a great playset for kids with a fascination for construction vehicles. The LEGO® City Mobile Crane (60324) is packed with authentic features and functions. They can lower the support legs, rotate and extend the boom and raise and lower the winch. Just add the crane operator and driver minifigures for hours of realistic role play. Includes a LEGO City Road Plate.
- Set Name: Mobile Crane
- Set Number: 60324
- Pieces: 340
- RRP: £34.99/$39.99/39.99€
- Mini-dolls: 2 x Construction Workers
- Availability: LEGO.com, LEGO Stores & Toy Retailers
Despite LEGO City’s penchants for releasing similar sets every few years, we haven’t had a crane in quite a while. One thing I did find odd about this set is the colour scheme used. Construction vehicles are normally yellow in colour, but this new LEGO City crane is an unusual mix of blue with yellow trim. But it turns out it’s not as unusual as you’d expect. Instead, it’s a nice callback to the late ’80s and set 1489 (image from Brickset). Although a much smaller set, it also features a blue and yellow crane. The similarities can’t be a coincidence instead they are a nice throwback. I’ll rather see more sets inspired retro builds instead of the constant stream of slightly tweaked sets being released every other year.
Now onto the actual build of the set it’s split across a couple of bags and focuses on two main sections – the main body of the crane and crane arm. The body section includes an interesting feature, a set of four stabilising legs which are built into the flatbed rear section of the crane. Those four legs are built into a sort of block section, with an odd connection point. There is an element with a click joint connection, but it’s joined to a stand 1×1 clip.
Normally these two differing connection points aren’t usually found as they don’t offer a secure connection. But once they are enclosed within the crane, they work well. With each stabiliser being able to be pulled out and the end using the opposite click joint to provide a section that can be raised upwards when the crane is moving and clicked downwards to secure the vehicle whilst the crane is working.
The cab of the vehicle uses two windshield pieces, which give it a unique look and help to recreate the wide frontage often associated with these sorts of cranes. Plus the cab has enough room to fit in both of the Minifigures included in the set. Within the base of the crane is a turntable plate, this is used to connect the crane arm.
All the working elements needed to create the familiar motions of a crane of build into the arm section. It can be moved in four different ways. Firstly the entire arm can be rotated on the turntable plate. Then there are two knobs on the righthand side of the arm. One caused the arm to move up and down, whilst the other winds the winch. You can also extend the boom, but this needs to be done manually.
The combination gives a realistic and fun set of play features. One complaint I have is there, should have been something used on the base of the arm to centralise the string of the winch. As it is, it easily slides off to one side, this doesn’t affect the operation of the crane but just looks a little messy. The winch can be used to lift one of the new road plates, which is included in the set can be combined with similar ones featured in other sets.
The opposite side of the crane arm features a small cab, which is where the operator of the arm can be seated. This has enough room for one Minifigure, although it feels like it’s missing a seat. Despite that, it’s a nice little bonus to be included in the set. The whole set is quite fun, I like how the play functions have been implemented although, there are a could of tweaks that would have made it even better. But for me, the throwback to the ’80s set is a real bonus and a nice touch to a cool little set.
The two Minifigures featured in the set are generic construction workers, both use previously used parts to create them, with the torso introduced in 2015. Of the two heads, the one used on the male character is the most uncommon, only being used in a couple of sets. I also like the use of pale blue legs on one of the Minifigures, these are also fairly rare so look a little different to what’s normally used on these sorts of characters.
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