The Forest Tractor holds a lot of nostalgic value for me. My dad works in the forestry industry, and when I was little, I used to go on business trips with him into the woods to see machines similar to this LEGO® set in action. So, when I found out about this set, it joined my wish list pretty quickly. Now that I have had a chance to acquire and build it, let’s have a look at how it fares.
SET SUMMARY
NAME: Forest Tractor
SET #: 60181
THEME: City
COST: $24.99 CAD
BRICK COUNT: 174
MINIFIGURES: 1
RELEASE DATE: November 27, 2017
SUMMARY REVIEW: 86%
VALUE: 80% (Good value per brick, and decent build time for the price.)
BUILD: 90% (Fun little build with a realistic design.)
MINIFIGURES: 92% (One nicely designed Minifig, good brick:fig.)
ENTERTAINMENT: 80% (Fun set for play or display, but the cab is annoying.)
REVIEW
VALUE: 80%
The Forest Tractor set has a price tag $24.99 in Canada, and comes with 174 parts. This means that each brick in the kit costs $0.14. Based on all of the sets that I have purchased over the last few years, that is actually right on the average. City theme sets tends to be a bad value, so in that regard, the Forest Tractor is pretty good. I give it 4/5 (80%).
In the past, I have discussed the build time in the “entertainment” section of the review. However, I have decided to move that part of the review up here, since I am still talking about value. The Forest Tractor took me 32 minutes to build. At $24.99, each minute of that build time cost me $0.78. Again, that is pretty good, but not excellent. So, this set gets 4/5 in this category as well. Averaging these two scores gives the Forest Tractor an overall value score of 80%.
BUILD: 90%
The Forest Tractor is a great little build. I like the overall look. You get to build a couple of tree trunks, a sawhorse, a Minifigure-sized chainsaw, and the tractor itself. I give this design 9/10 (90%) based on my rating scale.
What I like about the Forest Tractor:
- The tractor looks realistic with an exhaust outlet, a bumper, and heavy duty tires for rough terrain.
- The crane arm has multiple points of articulation to simulate real movement.
- There are ladders built into the side for Minifigs to climb into the cab.
- There is a chain hitch built on the back to drag logs along.
- The cab has a steering wheel on one side, and crane controls on the other (which is a nice touch of realism).
What I don’t like about the Forest Tractor:
- There are no doors into the cab, you have to disassemble the whole roof to get a Minifigure inside.
MINIFIGURES: 92%
The Forest Tractor comes with one Minifigure. He is nicely designed with a hardhat and noise canceling earmuffs. His torso also has an orange work vest painted on, which is double-sided. I like the reflective safety strips on it. The face printing is not new, and legs are plain blue. In terms of accessories, you get a tree, a shovel, and a chainsaw. I give this character 15/15 for design (100%).
One Minifigure in a kit containing 174 pieces translates into a brick-to-Minifigure ratio of 174:1. That is not bad, and I give it 4.2/5 (84%). Averaging the design and ratio scores gives the Forest Tractor an overall Minifigure grade of 92%.
ENTERTAINMENT: 80%
The Forest Tractor is a fun set. As a little boy, I loved playing with trucks, so this would have fit the bill well. As an adult, it is a realistic design that will add a nice touch to my LEGO® world. I will be keeping this set built, but I wish the cab was designed a little differently for easier access to get a Minifigure inside. I will give the Forest Tractor 4/5 (80%) for entertainment.
OVERALL: 86%
The Forest Tractor brings back a lot of fun memories from my childhood. But, it is also a nicely designed set that I think will be fun for kids to play with. The set also comes at a good value in terms of both cost/brick and build-time. My only real issue with it is that the cab is poorly designed. You have to disassemble the whole thing in order to get a Minifigure to fit inside. Overall, I think this is a good buy, even at full price. What do you think about the Forest Tractor? Feel free to leave your comments in the space below.
Until next time,
-Tom
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