4642: Fishing Boat

In this post I will focus primarily on the 2011 set 4642:  Fishing Boat, touching on the gender roles exhibited by this set (and other LEGO sets and advertisements), along with how this set compares to previous offerings.

This was a set that I instantly wanted to own as soon as I saw it.  I love sets with boats that actually float, like this one.  That may be due to the fact that two of the first sets that I ever owned are floating boats that were very similar to this model.  The first is the 1989 DUPLO set 2643:  Fishing Boat.

A simple but adorable set.  Similar to the 2011 set in that there are two people fishing (note the fish in the dinghy).  But 4642:  Fishing Boat is incredibly similar to a set released two decades earlier, 4011:  Cabin Cruiser in 1991.

Still one of my favorite sets.  Note the fishing pole, shark, and design of the boat in each set.  There are only minor differences.  Upon closer examination, both contain a small cabin (note the windshield on the deck of each.

As we have seen with many LEGO sets there are sometimes only a few small differences between sets released decades apart.  What I really want to focus on, however, is the father-son relationship we see in all three sets.

With the 1991 set it could be suggested that these are simply two men.  However, due to the common trope of a father and son fishing together, I argue that there is definitely a father and son.  Just look at the attire of the two.

One is dressed like a captain, with the appropriate shirt and hat, while the other is wearing a cap and a striped shirt, much like any young person.  In the 2011 set it is even more obvious due to the inclusion of the 'short legs' that were originally released with Harry Potter sets for the Gringotts goblins.

Note the short blue legs and cap.  Both sets include imagery of the two fishing together, father and son.

What is really interesting is that this father-son bonding ties directly into recent LEGO marketing.  Take a look at this ad from late 2010.  

LEGO is very clearly marketing towards fathers that want a toy that they can build with their son, or at least, a toy that establishes a father-son relationship.  They may not be able to take their son fishing, but they can give their son a LEGO set that emulates that experience somewhat explicitly.  Which I guess brings up the issue of why LEGO never produces sets that includes only females, or a mother-daughter duo.

But the overall lack of women in LEGO sets is another topic for another day.  For now, it's interesting to note how LEGO is directly going after this father-son demographic.

4030: Cargo Carrier

The 1987 set 4030:  Cargo Carrier is easily one of the most meta Lego sets that exists.  Here we have a cargo ship with the primary cargo being Lego.  A Lego set that is full of more Lego!  So meta.

I really enjoy Lego sets that contain references to the product.  This is probably one of my favorite ones though since a lot of Lego has to be shipped overseas.  The scale of the set isn't too bad, obviously the boat would have to be a lot larger to actually be at a minifigure scale, but it works pretty well regardless.

One has to wonder what the cargo is.  Perhaps boxed Lego sets, or maybe just parts that still need to be sorted and boxed up before sold.  Or perhaps the men onboard are the actual cargo, and they've escaped!  Either way, it's a very nice looking set and one that I would love to own.

Fire Fighter Boats Part 2

There was a gap of over a decade until the next fire fighter boat was released by Lego in 2004, set 7046:  Fire Command Craft.

Unlike other sets, this one contains both a regular boat and a smaller Zodiac style fire fighting vessel.  Additionally, the glass for the control room is now facing to the aft, instead of forwards.  It's definitely a smaller boat compared to past offereings, and is somewhat boring in general.

In 2007 7906:  Fireboat was released with a style much different from past offerings.

Again we see a cockpit with the glass slated to the back, but more importantly the set itself looks more like a speed boat than a fire fighting vessel.  While the inclusion of a motor at the bottom is an awesome feature, the boat itself looks sloppy.  It's missing the green and red lights (used for navigation so that other boats can tell where and in which direction another boat is moving in the dark) that any boat should have, and does not even have a roof for the captain.  This set also has a small craft that can be detached, another nice feature, but it doesn't make up for the other flaws of this set.  While I enjoy the design of it overall, it just doesn't work as a fire fighting vessel.

Finally, in 2010 Lego released 7207:  Fire Boat (note that the previous set was called 'Fireboat'.  The difference in the naming between the sets is a single space!).  This is a set that really does it right, that really captures that aesthetic of what a fireboat is and harkens back to the sets released in the 1980s.

What is there not to love about this set?  The hull is very similar to those released in the 1980s, being somewhat short and very tall.  It has a full functioning cabin with a windshield that leans forward, just as many real fireboats are designed.  Like the older sets, it also has an elevated fire fighting crane device, but also manages to include the small inflatable boat that appears in the newer sets, ultimately combining new and old beautifully.  And it includes four figures, a rare sight today.  One last homage to the older sets is the inclusion of a water line on the side of the hull, indicating how low in the water the vessel is riding.  Whoever designed this set clearly had an affinity for the older models, and was able to recreate that aesthetic while adding new elements and ideas.

Those are the major fire boats released from 1982 to 2010, nearly two decades of fire fighting vessels.  If you enjoyed this sort of post, please check out my series on The Evolution of the Lego Castle.

Fire Fighter Boats Part 1

Since the early 1980s The Lego Group has released several fire fighting boats of various sizes.  Prior to 1982 Lego released a few sets that were not minifigure scale, however I will only be focusing on the sets that are to scale.

4025:  Fire Boat is easily the smallest of the bunch, which makes sense considering it was the first one.  It has a fairly basic design but also includes an elevator device that moves up and down which can be seen in around half the sets.  One interesting tidbit about the first three sets is that they are all under the Boats subtheme, rather than the Fire subtheme.

Next is the 1987 release 4020:  Fire Fighter.  Like all the other sets a plastic hull that actually floats is included and is one of the main appeals.  Compared to later sets it is definitely less sophisticated and has fewer parts and features, but is still an interesting set.  The forward leaning glass is consistent for the majority of these sets, as is the inclusion of a water gun station.  Although the set is of a better scale than 4025, it's not nearly as interesting looking and has fewer play features.

This last set that I'll be looking at today was one of the first sets I owned, and is definitely my favorite fire fighter boat.  The 1991 set 4031:  Firefighter features a well-made cabin, four minifigures, elevated fire hose, and a helicopter.  The hull itself is longer than previous boats and overall feels like a more complete set.  The cabin itself is of the same style as the previous two boats, but this trend will change in the 2000s when the next boat is released.  The fire fighter sets have never been as popular as police sets which is probably why there was over a decade gap between this fire fighter boat and the next.

In the next post I will discuss the final three fire fighter boats.