Vintage set of the week: Lorry and Fork Lift Truck
Posted by Huwbot,
This week's vintage set is 381 Lorry and Fork Lift Truck, released during 1973. It's one of 28 LEGOLAND sets produced that year. It contains 86 pieces.
It's owned by 283 Brickset members. If you want to add it to your collection you might find it for sale at BrickLink or eBay.
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22 comments on this article
Looks like at least one of these vehicles is autonomous.
The 70s were the cutting edge of technology.
There was a simplicity, an innocence to LEGO back then.
The long lost art of making coloured trans-clear doors match the colour of solid bricks!
Apparently the paint was mixed by a 110 year old and the secret recipe died with him, never to be successfully recreated.
I think it's rather clever how they were able to get a steering mechanism into a set of this size. The simplicity of the design helped with that, but still... Y'know, it's sort of a shame Lego opened the tops of the 1x1cylinder bricks. Now fluids have to be delivered in opened containers!
@TheOtherMike said:
"it's sort of a shame Lego opened the tops of the 1x1cylinder bricks"
But now we get to use them to make roasting marshmallows!
since it says lego on it what if those cylinders are barrels filled with the raw plastic beads that they make lego with
"Time to load up the nitro-glycerin. We don't want the containers knocking against each other, so we just set them loose on the pallets, with plenty of room between them, and no restraints that might put undue stress on the bottles."
Hmmm..."Cars '73...":D
Seriously (more/less): Looking at the 'scale', driver of 'the truck' would have trouble with 'the forklift'; and vice versa. Why? Look at the size of the Lorry's cab vs. the that of the fork-lift. Truck's cab indicates the operator should be playing basketball, while the 'lift's' cab would be easier for someone who play on a jungle-gym...or is that just me:)
Although, will give it props: it appears to 'steering mechanism' from its 'Lego' brick to its wheels. Also: miss those wheels.:)
In the US this is called “Truck and Fork Lift Lorry”.
I'm looking at these sets like todays teens look at the sets from my childhood: Crude and uninteresting. Times change. Not some of us can change that fast. I, for one, didn't and don't want to...
@MrGurt said:
"since it says lego on it what if those cylinders are barrels filled with the raw plastic beads that they make lego with"
Now that would be appreciably meta. Given some of the previous vintage sets we’ve had though, I wonder if this is yet more milk
Did not realise the specialised fork lift piece was that old.
Interesting to look at the subsequent evolution: 674, 7733, and 60020. With an honourable mention to the fantastic but rare and expensive 60169.
@sjr60 said:
"The long lost art of making coloured trans-clear doors match the colour of solid bricks!
..."
As we seen on 76908, not!
I seem to remember this being one of my first ‘big’ sets. I must have been about 7.
I used to live that steering mechanism and spend hours driving the truck around.
@cm5878 said:
"Did not realise the specialised fork lift piece was that old.
Interesting to look at the subsequent evolution: 674, 7733, and 60020. With an honourable mention to the fantastic but rare and expensive 60169."
I like the way the forklift is bigger than the lorry in 674. The driver would probably need to lose their arms and legs to fit into that thing!
Woe betide anyone who expected the self-centring function of the steering to last for more than a week, with even slightly enthusiast play!
@Brickalili: If it was milk, some of it was blue milk. Lego was making Star Wars sets even before the movies came out!
Not the most interesting set of that era, but nice to see that steering mechanisme with surprisingly specialised parts, most baffling to me is that they made not one but even two plates with a single hole in it, both 4x6 and 5x6. And nothing in the instructions to make sure you put the latter one in the right orientation. Nowadays kids (or adults) probably wouldn't be able to build this ;-)
And again those painted doors. I also never knew there was also a 6 wide version of that printed headlight/grille piece.
@PurpleDave said:
""Time to load up the nitro-glycerin. We don't want the containers knocking against each other, so we just set them loose on the pallets, with plenty of room between them, and no restraints that might put undue stress on the bottles.""
Sounds like a line cut from the Sylvester Stallone disaster film "Daylight".
Truck driver: "The bridges are all backed up, should we take the tunnel instead with all this explosive stuff that isn't even tied down?"
Truck Dispatcher: "10-4, tunnel is a go."
Reminds me a lot of the old Lesney Bagnall forklift. I bought one at an antiques store about a decade ago and found the only thing I had that was designed to fit it was the shipping container from the Mercedes truck. Provided, the forklift was in the 1:64 range, while the Mercedes was likely N scale, so it looked strange. The Ford Transit had a crate, and there was a Superkings truck that came packed with the Lansing Bagnall and two pallets.
I recently picked up a modern Maisto Volvo set that I'd bought for its HO scale Volvo FH16 and low bed trailer, but it also included two pallets (designed to go with the set's Volvo L25H with forks) that fit almost all my 3-inch forklifts like a glove.
Turn the Lego sign to steer, using a special turning brick with pole which disappeared when they invented the Technic axle.
@ambr said:
"Turn the Lego sign to steer, using a special turning brick with pole which disappeared when they invented the Technic axle. "
Actually, Technic axles existed before Technic, for use with those big colorful gears like in 800. But I guess they lacked other parts to make this work, therefore those specialized pieces.