Red Flash Station - The Perfect Jack Stone Accessory
Written: Dec 16 '02 (Updated Jan 16 '03)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Durability: |
 |
|
|
Pros: A great addition to any Jack Stone collection, 2 figures, fire hose.
Cons: Not much fun as a solo set.
The Bottom Line: This set has a very cool vehicle as well as a multi-functional deck that can be used as an entryway, sub-platform or as an addition to any Jack Stone building.
|
|
|
| Freak369's Full Review: LEGO: Flash Station 4621 |
The Jack Stone series was introduced to bridge the gap between Duplo and Lego sets. Comprised of elements that are larger than regular Lego figures, and very cool building elements, the set gained a lot of popularity with little boys. The sets work well with other Lego sets but have some very unique elements to them – especially the columns that help to build the side supports of the buildings. The vehicles, figures and accessories are all well made, sturdy and will hold up to a lot of use and abuse. Since there are several themes within the Jack Stone line – Res-Q, Planes, Fire and Police – all of which allow your child to explore different avenues of creative play.
Red Flash Station
The station itself is small and might not be very much fun as a solo set. Unlike other Jack Stone sets, the support columns [two] are red instead of white. This is a nice change and can really help to enhance an existing scene. These columns are extremely sturdy and are great when building large structures since they are able to support a lot more weight. The Red Flash Station is constructed on a 4x10 thick base plate that can be used in a variety of ways. If you have other Jack Stone sets this base plate makes a great platform for a diving deck, access to the back of a building or loading ramp. The white safety rail can be attached to any section of Lego element or used as a free standing object providing that there won’t be a tremendous amount of movement – it tends to fall over easily if not attached to other Lego bricks or base plates.
Fire Cruiser
The fire cruiser is one cool looking vehicle. The four chunky style wheels have nice rubber grips on them and while the white rims stand out a little – they really give the vehicle a great look. The red flip top canopy is unique and accents the overall color of the fire cruiser. The two side fins are removable but trust me – it looks a little strange with them off. There is a nice bit of stenciling on the front of the vehicle – a design that is seen from time to time within the Fire portion of the series. Inside the fire cruiser there is enough room for either the fireman or Jack Stone himself to sit comfortably but not much room for anything else. The funky bluish purple top attachment looks a little out of place and so far I haven’t been able to figure out what this is supposed to be used for – but in any event – I removed it and used it on one of the Star Wars ships. This shouldn’t be confused with another similar looking Lego Jack Stone vehicle – the Fire Cruiser – set number 4601. This set retails for $3.99 and while it looks like this vehicle, it doesn’t have the red flip top canopy or red side fins but rather white ones.
Jack Stone
This is the ‘generic’ Jack Stone figure that appears in several of the sets in the series. His blue uniform is plain and only has a small amount of detail to it but for this set it is adequate. From his black slick stylish hair to his big blue clunky feet – Jack Stone is ready to lend a hand when needed. I was a little disappointed with this Jack Stone figure since he didn’t have the flair that the other figures had. Since the figures are all the same size [within the series of course] you can interchange them and use the accessories with all the characters. Jack doesn’t have any accessories of his own but he can use the fire hose and fire axe that belong to Fireman Jim with no problem.
Fireman Jim
The fireman comes in a basic yellow uniform – ready to serve and protect. His nice bright red hat compliments the uniform without taking anything away from it and can be removed in case you want to put on another accessory [scuba gear, breathing apparatus etc] from the other Jack Stone sets. The detail on the uniform is very nice and shows the pockets, belt, walkie-talkie and gauges. The fireman seems a bit older than Jack Stone and his facial details are a little better than most. Most Lego figures seem like they have a blank and vacant stare – not Fireman Jim! Fireman Jim also has a nice fire hose complete with a small stream of “water” coming out of it. This is, of course, a blue flame element that is used to simulate water. Be sure to look for the fire axe that comes with this set, I forgot to check the plastic bags before tossing them out and spent about fifteen minutes digging through trash looking for it.
Instructions
The Jack Stone line has never been known for its great instructions. Since these are geared towards younger kids, the designers of both the sets and illustrations felt that it would be better to keep things simple so instead of elaborate instructions you are given a fold out page that shows what the elements look like when completed. Most kids can simply look at the box and figure out what goes where – but kids who haven’t had much experience with build blocks or constructions sets might need a little bit of help. I found that letting kids give it an honest try was much better than rushing in and trying to ‘help’ them with it. Let them play around with the pieces and figure out how it is assembled – but let them know that if they need help with something you are more than happy to lend a hand.
The Bottom Line
This is a mid-sized set in the series and makes a great add on to the larger sets like the Res-Q Super Station and Res-Q Copter Transport. With the holidays fast approaching I am trying to find a few more of these for stocking stuffers since they work great with all the sets in the series. If you have a child that likes the Duplo line but is getting a bit bored with the limited number of building applications, the Jack Stone line is a great way to give them a little more creative freedom without having to worry about small parts, difficult instructions or a large number of pieces. This set retails for $9.99 however I’ve found them at Wal-Mart for a few dollars less. Since these are at the bottom end of the series price wise, I wouldn’t wait too long to pick them up because chances are that once they are out of them, they won’t be restocked until after the holidays.
The Stats
Set Name: Red Flash Station
Family Set: Jack Stone
Lego Set: 4621
Number of Pieces: 30
Age Recommendation: 4 and older
Ease Of Assembly: Easy
Time Of Assembly: 10 Minutes
Cost: $ 9.99
For more information about the Jack Stone line, please visit http://www.lego.com/jackstone
As always, thanks for the visit …
^V^ Freak ^V^
© 2002 Freak369
Other reviews of interest ...
Jack Stone Fire Response SUV [4605]
Jack Stone Res-Q Super Station [4610]
Jack Stone Police HQ [4611]
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): $7.99
Type of Toy: Blocks
Age Range of Child: Whole Family
|
|
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.