Friday, July 2, 2021

Review: 10776 Mickey & Friends Fire Truck & Station

Oh, no! Goofy's summer BBQ is out of control, but Mickey and Minnie are on their way to put the fire out. 



This fun, 4+ set includes Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Goofy, and Pluto. Let's take a closer look at the figures before we get into the build.



Fire Fighter Mickey Mouse is an all new figure. A red fire helmet with a gold fire logo is molded as part of the Mickey Mouse head. His red torso and legs feature gold and black printing, with a small fire logo on the front and a larger fire logo on the back. The prints are very good. It's a nice, classic fire fighter look and exclusive to this set. 



Fire Fighter Minnie Mouse is almost identical to Mickey Mouse. She is wearing the same fire fighter outfit and uses the same head mold, but her long eyelashes and pink hair bow make her easy to distinguish from Mickey. The dark pink hair bow is the same as the one Minnie is wearing in set 10773 Minnie Mouse's Ice Cream Shop.

Our mice heroes are pretty cute, but you could easily swap the heads for regular minifig heads to make two new fire fighters for your non-Disney display. There is nothing specifically Mickey or Disney about the torso and legs. 



Our third minifig in this set is Goofy. His head is the same one that was used in set 71044 Disney Train and Station (2019), and his legs are a plain, unprinted blue. Goofy's torso, however, is a new, exclusive print. The orange torso features a lime and green checkered bandana and white apron with food splatters. The back shows the bandana and apron ties, as well as a lime spatula. I know some people consider the lack of opacity on the white printing as a quality control issue, but I don't think it detracts from the torso print. With all the food stains, it actually makes sense that the apron isn't bright white. 



Along with our three minifigs, we also get Pluto for the first time in system/minifig scale. Pluto is a yellow dog, with a bright green collar and red tongue. His black ears and tail are molded in a soft, flexible plastic. He has one stud on his back and a mini-pin hole on his head (Minnie's bow actually fits really well). The overall size has a 2 x 6 footprint and stands 4 bricks tall. The inside of the legs are very flat, but the overall figure is cute. 

Now that we've taken a look at the figures, lets check out the rest of the set. The build is broken into three parts. Like the other sets in this theme there is one booklet per bag of parts, plus a fourth bag with a few of the very large pieces. (The box contents can be seen here.)



Bag one starts with building Mickey Mouse, and he will mark our progress through the first booklet of instructions. This is such a fun feature of this theme. I love that the figure marking our progress in each booklet matches the figure built in that set of instructions. It's nice that they didn't just use a generic Mickey Mouse for all the instruction books through the entire Mickey Mouse & Friends theme. I really appreciate these little details. 



After assembling Mickey, we give him a fire extinguisher so he can keep the little fire from spreading while we build the fire station.



The fire station is built on an 8 x 16 x 2/3 modified brick with 1 x 4 indentations and 2 rounded corners. The is a new starter base for the 4+ line and is so far exclusive to this set in light bluish grey. It is the same piece used for the barn base in set 10775 Mickey Mouse & Donald Duck's Farm but that one was lime green. 



The main part of the fire station goes up quickly with a new red 4 x 16 x 10 panel. The front is printed with curved yellow windows, brick details, a yellow bell, and a hose reel. The Mickey Mouse logo is over each window, and the fire logo badge is over the arched opening. The opening in the panel has a sloped front and back edge which makes a good ramp for the fire truck to enter and exit the station. There are a few studs on the front of the panel for adding details, and there are pin holes where doors or gates could be added. 

From the front this panel looks good; however, the back is really plain. There are no prints, stickers, or even studs to add detail to the large red surface. 



A fire pole is added to the front of the station, and then we start building the roof. I like the stripe of yellow between the red building and blue roof. The ends of the roof use 1 x 2 x 1 curved slopes in blue. These were new in 2020 and have only been used in 2 other sets. 



We build up the center shape of the roof with two 3 x 1 x 2 curved slopes in red. These have been around since 2008, but have only been used in seven other sets, including set 10772 Mickey Mouse's Propeller Plane (2021).

Instead of doors, we use the studs on the front of the panel to attach a bar that will swing out of the way when the fire truck leaves the station.

Finally, we add the new 2 x 2 x 2/3 round Mickey Mouse Head brick. This is an exclusive piece to the Mickey and Friends theme, which is used in all five of the new sets. Check it out in detail in our piece spotlight.



There is only one spare yellow tap piece at the end of our first section. You can see all the parts from bag one here



This is the center section of the fire station. Side extensions will be added in the second and third sections of the build. I like the primary color scheme for the fire station, and the printed panel adds a lot of detail. Around back the build is very plain. There is a hose reel, and a place for Mickey to store his fire extinguisher, but not much else.



The fire pole is one of the main play features of this set. Mickey (or any minifig) can easily attach to the bar handle to slide up or down the pole, but this has to be activated by hand. It would be great if there was a catch at the top of the station to hold the slider in place. Then you could release the catch and let Mickey slide down the pole. I'm guessing that would be too complex for a 4+ set, but it would fun. 



Moving on to the second booklet of instructions and bag of parts (which you can see here), we start by building Minnie Mouse and give her a water gun. In my imagination, the water gun is attached to the fire truck with a hose. This seems like a feature to include if I ever have time to upgrade this set. 



Just as Mickey guided us through the first section of the build, Minnie takes over for the second part. We will be building the fire truck and the right extension of the fire station. 



The fire truck is built on a 4 x 10 modified brick chassis with 4 pins, just like the tractor in set 10775 Mickey Mouse & Donald Duck's Farm. As we start to build up the truck, we add a 1 x 4 printed tile for the headlights and grille. This is an exclusive print, but it would look great on any fire rescue vehicle. It has the fire logo, but does not have any Mickey Mouse or Disney specific logos. It's a great print, and I just realized that I put it on upside down. Oops. It will look even better with the fire badge right side up. 



As two chair pieces are included in the bag of parts, I was expecting the fire truck to hold both Mickey and Minnie Mouse. Unfortunately, the two red 3 x 1 x 2 curved slopes used for the shaping of the back of the truck make it too narrow for a second figure behind the driver. There is room, however, for Minnie to carry her water gun.



We finish up the fire truck with a yellow ladder and new wheels. These all-in-one wheels include both the wheel hub and the rubber tire in one piece. They are the same wheels used for the front tires in set 10775 Mickey Mouse & Donald Duck's Farm. This time we get four matching tires instead of just two. The instructions show them with the spokes facing in for a more rugged look, but you can put the spokes out if you like that better. 



I have mixed feelings about the finished fire truck. I don't have big expectations for a 4+ vehicle. It needs to be quick and easy to build with easy access for the minifig. While is ticks all those boxes, fire trucks are complex vehicles and this feels too simple. Plus, I really want it to hold both fire fighter figures. 

But we can't stop here to play with the fire truck, because Minnie still has to guide us through the right side extension for the fire station. 



The fire station has two extensions that attach to either side of the center section. The little half-round extension uses a red 3 x 6 x 6 half cylinder panel with an exclusive curved yellow window print. The print quality on this curved panel is good and it matches the windows on the center panel.



The back of the cylinder lacks any of the printed detail from the front, but we add the second chair and mug to create a small break room. 



The yellow stripe and blue roof details from the center section are repeated for the top of the side extensions. The 3 x 6 half round plate in yellow creates the stripe. This was a new color in 2020 and has only been used in three other sets, including 43179 Mickey Mouse & Minnie Mouse (2020).

On top of that we place a 3 x 6 x 1 curved blue windscreen piece. This is a new color for the windscreen and creates a nice roofline for our cylindrical extension. 

A second of both of these pieces and the printed cylinder are included in bag three for building the left side extension. 



We finish off the right side extension with a loudspeaker and siren on the roof. 



Bag two is now complete and there are no spare parts left. 



With Minnie sitting in the chair, the lack of detail on the back of the curved panel is less noticeable. The space is just big enough for Minnie to sit back and relax. 



Before we move on to the third section of our set, we can attach the right side extension to the center of the fire station. With the gate open, there is plenty of room for the fire truck to zoom out of the fire station.



Now let's see what Goofy is up to in bag three. He will be our progress guide in the third booklet of instructions. 



After we build Goofy, we give him some sausages for the grill. But before Goofy can start up the grill, we need to finish the fire station. 



The basic structure for the left side extension is just mirrored from the right side. As stated above, we get a second red printed panel, yellow half round plate, and blue windshield. The details of the left extension are what makes it different. Inside is a monitoring station with a printed console (not a new piece). On the roof is a radar dish and viewer. 



Once the left side extension is finished, we get back to Goofy and his sausages. We build a small scene with a grill and a sunshade. The sunshade is anchored in a new 2 x 2 x 2 cone in bright green. Bright green is a new color for this cone in 2021. It is also used for the trees in sets 41677 Forest Waterfall and 41679 Forest House.



Finally, we give Pluto a box with a bone, and he joins Goofy for lunch. I like the use of the box instead of a bowl for Pluto's food dish; it seems less likely to roll out.



Bag three is complete, and there are three spare parts. All parts from bag three can be seen here; note the number of duplicate parts from bag two for the second side extension.



All that's left to do is attach the left side to the fire station. Mickey slides down the fire pole, while Minnie races out with the fire truck. These mighty mice are ready for action. 



The side extensions are attached with clips so they are easy to add or remove. They can also be angled slightly, which I think is a little more interesting when viewing the inside/back of the fire station. Each side room has just enough room for one of our heroes. 

Before we take a final look at the entire set together, let's check out the packaging. 



The box front shows our set against the faded backdrop of a town. Buildings are silhouetted in a yellowish/tan color. A strip of grass winds from the town around the fire station, where Goofy is happily grilling sausages while his grill catches the sunshade on fire. A road curves out from the fire station, where we find Mickey and Minnie coming to the rescue. Minnie climbs the ladder of the fire truck, while Mickey follows with a fire extinguisher. Pluto is crossing the street in front of the fire truck. 

The LEGO and Disney logos are on the top left corner with the 4+ logo in the bottom left. The bottom right corner shows a classic illustration of Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse next to the Disney Mickey and Friends logo. 



The background image wraps around the box on the left and top. Matching the style of the front illusion of Mickey and Minnie, Goofy is illustrated on the left side and Donald on the top. Fire fighter Mickey Mouse is used for the actual size image. 



The back of the box shows all the sections of the build with the minifigures and accessories. Everything is presented in two neat rows, so you know exactly what you will be building and what accessories are included. 

Below that there is a "Learn to Build" callout showing how easy the major parts of the fire truck are to build. There are also two inset images showing the play features. One image shows Minnie driving into the fire station while Goofy has a snack and Mickey watches the monitoring system. The second image shows how Mickey can slide on the fire pole.

In the bottom right corner is another classic illustration with Pluto, Minnie Mouse, and Daisy Duck. 

I like that the Mickey and Friends branding includes Donald and Daisy on the box even when they aren't included in the set. It really helps tie the sets in the theme together. 



In the completed build, all the small elements come together to make a fun play set. There are many ways to pose the figures from a friendly get-together to a fire emergency. There is a lot of room for imaginative play. 

I love the bright, cheerful, primary color scheme of red, yellow, and blue, and this will be a fun set for the targeted 4+ age group. 



I think AFOL fans of Disney will be most interested in the minifigs, especially Goofy and Pluto. The actual builds are simplistic, but the parts will be useful for other projects. The large, easy to build starter pieces have fun prints that could look good in a larger Disney-themed fire station. 

Happy Building!
-prrbrix

---

Disclaimer:
This set was provided by The LEGO Group for the purpose of sharing set details with fans.
Opinions provided here solely reflect those of our reviewer.
Photographs are property of Friends Bricks and are not directed by TLG in any fashion.

No comments:

Post a Comment