LEGO City - Fire Station (60004)

The Lego City - Fire Station (60004) set was released back in late 2012, building on the success and popularity of the Lego City series, with plenty of new features not yet found in prior fire station playsets. Like other sets in the City series, it's loaded with exclusive figurines, assorted accessories, vehicles and plenty of points of interaction.

The core of this set is the fire station itself, standing a scaled three-storeys once fully assembled. With 752 individual pieces, putting together this station is no small feat, but clear instructions are on hand to help even the youngest Lego fan get to grips with construction. Aimed at children aged 6-12 years, Lego City - Fire Station (60004) is a logical next step for those who've already tackled the Lego City - Fire Truck (60002) and Lego City - Fire Emergency (60003) sets, both intended for slightly younger users.

The product tester "Kontroversial Keith" had plenty positive to say about this particular set. Singling out the sheer scale of the set - the completed fire station stands at 38 x 31 x 25 cm - the tester was also highly complimentary of the level of detail to be found here, offering welcome improvements over the more simplistic Lego City sets that have gone before it. The diverse assortment of figurines, accessories and vehicles also drew high praise, although the tester was slightly critical of some aspects of the design, such as incomplete walls and rooms. The reviewer also pointed out that some of the vehicles share one too many features with the 60002 and 60003 sets, so if you already own either of these, some elements of this set up may be a little repetitive.

Overall, this offers a big step-up from previous fire station sets from the manufacturer with impressive dimensions once completed. This set also introduces more female Lego figurines into the mix, a relatively new development, particularly when it comes to the law enforcement and emergency service range of playsets from Lego.

To sum up, this prodcuct is a welcome addition to the City series of playsets, with plenty of new components and characters exclusive to this collection. The introduction of active female characters also broadens the appeal of the range, ideal if you're looking for something to cater to girls as well as boys. There's a lot of individual parts here, so adult supervision is a necessity for very young kids. If you're after something much younger Lego fans can get to grips with, try the Fire Truck (60002) and Fire Emergency (60003) sets first.