The science themed wave of City sets is a highlight for me every year. The kits often contain neat Minifigures, animals, or LEGO® interpretations of scientific instruments. However, this year’s offerings struck a chord, more so than other years. Summer 2021 took the City theme out on an African safari. It was not just any safari though. The figurines offered in the series pinpoint the adventure to the Timbavati/Kruger National Park region of South Africa. How do I know this? Wildlife Rescue Camp (60307) includes white lions. White lions are a rare genetic variant of Panthera leo that has only documented in the wild around Timbavati. Once upon a time, I studied them in a past career. Since I spent time among them, this set holds particular meaning for me.
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WILDLIFE RESCUE CAMP (60307) SUMMARY
- NAME: Wildlife Rescue Camp
- SET #: 60307
- THEME: City
- COST: $139.99 CAD
- BRICK COUNT: 503
- MINIFIGURES: 6
- OF INTEREST: One adult elephant, two adult lions, two lion cubs, two monkeys, one eagle
- RELEASE DATE: August 1, 2021
WILDLIFE RECUE CAMP (60307) QUICK REVIEW
- VALUE: 40% (Really expensive bricks and build time.)
- BUILD: 60% (Passable set design from an AFOL perspective, better suited for kids.)
- MINIFIGURES: 97% (Excellent Minifigures, animal figurines, and accessories.)
- ENTERTAINMENT: 80% (The animals make this set very entertaining.)
- OVERALL SCORE: 69%
WILDLIFE RESCUE CAMP (60307) REVIEW
VALUE: 40%
Wildlife Rescue Camp costs $139.99 in Canada. Additionally, the set consists of 503 pieces. The resulting cost-per-brick is $0.278. That is astronomically expensive, even for a City set. In general, this theme is expensive. The average cost-per-brick based on all the City sets reviewed at True North Bricks is currently $0.177. Wildlife Rescue Camp cost $0.10 per piece above that. Compared to LEGO® themes in general, it fares even worse. The True North Bricks average cost-per-brick across all sets is $0.139. This set earns a cost-per-brick rating of 40%.
Wildlife Rescue Camp took me an hour and 18 minutes to assemble. At full price, the resulting cost-per-minute of build time is $1.80. Again, the set fares poorly. Comparatively, our average cost-per-minute for the City theme is $1.08, while it is $0.85 for LEGO® sets in general. This set does not provide a lot of build time for the price, earning a score of 40% again. This is not a set you buy for value or build time, but we will return to that point later.
BUILD: 60%
Wildlife Rescue Camp was not a set I bought for value. Similarly, it was not a set I bought for build. The constructs in this set are rather uninteresting. As with many other large City sets, this one contains too many small builds. With so much going on, the set does not have enough spare bricks to make anything detailed. Right off the bat, I would ditch the pile of rocks with the flame sticking out of it. Additionally, the small plane is a waste. I wish this set consisted of one large Baobab treehouse, or one pride-rock type build. What you get is not ugly, but it left me underwhelmed.
On the plus side, you gain some nice bricks. The trees are interesting wall elements with built in arches that function as branches. This is the first time these pieces appear in the City theme. Previously, they came in Disney Princess, Friends, Harry Potter, and Jurassic World kits. With ten of them included in the kit, you could make your own larger tree. Additionally, the river piece is a blue version of the new road plates.
On top of the nature scenes, you also assemble a vet truck. I like this vehicle more than the primary builds. It has a small lab in the back with a microscope and a computer. The counter also has a peanut pack to feed the elephants (though I would not recommend doing that with actual wild elephants). The cab does not have doors, but that is not implausible for a vehicle such as this. The side openings are large enough for a Minifigure to conceivably enter through. Additionally, I like the large back doors, but also the roof opens up nicely on a hinge to allow play.
Ultimately, much of this build is probably uninteresting for most AFOLs. There are some interesting bricks, and the truck is okay. It likely holds more appeal for kids and will provide them with an age-appropriate build experience. For my purposes, I want something more. Even for a kid-oriented theme like City, we have gotten large sets that include nicer builds, like the Jungle Exploration Site from 2017. I rate Wildlife Rescue Camp at 60%.
MINIFIGURES: 97%
With a merely passable build and a failing value, why did I buy this set? Probably for the same reasons as many others. The Minifigures are awesome, and the animals are even better. You get six Minifigures in this set, one of which features a new hairstyle. However, the set also includes an adult elephant, a male white lion, a tawny lioness, a white lion cub, a tawny lion cub, an eagle, and two monkeys. The elephant and adult lions have moveable parts. Consequently, I count them towards the brick-to-fig ratio. Nine characters in a 503-piece kit means 56 bricks per figurine. Whether compared to just other City sets or to LEGO® sets in general, that is an excellent number of characters for a set of this size. I rate the ratio score at 97%.
In terms of the actual Minifigures, they all feature the standard parts. There are no stumpy, unmoving kid legs in this set. Additionally, each character has front and back torso printing. However, only two come with leg printing, while only one has a double-sided face. In terms of accessories, Wildlife Rescue Camp comes with 19. There are various medical supplies, tools, and food pieces. Additionally, there is a motorbike, a rubber raft, and the aforementioned smaller animals that do not have moving parts. In terms of Minifigure design, Wildlife Rescue Camp earns 97% again.
ENTERTAINMENT: 80%
Oddly enough, despite the bad value and the lack-luster builds, Wildlife Rescue Camp is an entertaining set. The animals are phenomenal, and you get so many of them. While the set would benefit from a nicer build, the animals are the real reason to purchase the kit. The last time the LEGO® Group produced an elephant was in 2003. Not to mention that this is the first time we see a male lion and lion cubs in brick form. Finally, the set includes new monkeys. Granted, they do not feature moveable arms or legs like the monkeys from the Pirates theme of old. But I will take them in a pinch. Just imagine all the AFOL photography these characters provide. Or the MOC value in a zoo or nature build.
The set itself will also entertain kids. I might have appreciated the build more when I was younger. However, even then, the animals would have been the main draw. Whether you are an adult, teen, or child animal lover, this is a great set to acquire. However, since the builds are all slated for brick recycling in my collection, I rate the entertainment value at 80%. I normally would have rated it lower, but I love the animals in this set so much.
OVERALL SCORE: 69%
Wildlife Rescue Camp (60307) is not a set you buy for the build or even the bricks. Granted, you gain some nice pieces. However, the cost-per-brick is through the roof. Additionally, the builds you get are not that great for adult fans. Kids might enjoy the play value, but the builds left me wanting more. The real reason to pick this set up is the assortment of animals. You get a large number of fun African creatures that make up a lot for the undetailed builds. The Minifigures and accessories are nothing to balk at either.
In the end, animal lovers should certainly pick this up. If you want to buy all of these animals on Bricklink, you will easily pay for the whole set anyway. Just the lions and elephant will cost you more than half the kit price already. If you want the animals, my advice is buying the set. However, City sets often go on sale, so wait for one of those. What do you think of Wildlife Rescue Camp? Feel free to comment below or reach out social media.
Until next time,
-Tom
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