Is this the first crumble tree to show up in VSotW?

The baseplate has a different code and dot pattern but it is otherwise the same as for 357/570 - which makes more sense (3 fire trucks in the same building make sense to me - I have never seen a building housing concurrently: fire trucks, ambulances and tow trucks). Neat set nonetheless for diversity and play value.

Should have maybe been called rescue station instead of fire station.

Yes, I seem to remember reading that combined rescue stations were fairly common in Denmark, which I guess makes sense!

I did like 357 too. Good progress with the vehicles.

@NotProfessorWhymzi said:
"forgive me for being a dumb American, but...
i feel like i should know what you're talking about, but i don't."
They were sort of lucky dip bags with a few cheap nasty sweats, like sherbet and bubble gum, and Christmas Cracker type novelties. Junk, but quite exciting at the time!

A fire station in the Cars universe judging by those driverless vehicles!

It's entirely a trick of the lighting, but tell me it doesn't look like that sidewalk is made with of 2x4 grey tiles.

I like the photo choices for this set--the second photo on the side from a "fig's eye view" (even if figs didn't exist) makes the tower and flagpole look quite tall. It's like a scene from a LEGO webcomic.

@Brickalili:
Must be where Cars 2’s Celine Dephare was spawned…

So many pieces Lego doesn't make any more. The tree, the doors and windows, the tow hoot, the baseplate, the flag. Not to mention the prints that are no longer...

Wasn't aware that that tow crane was already that old, thought it was more a thing of the early '80s.

While these old sets will always have a certain charm, can't say this was the most interesting one. Looking at the instructions, the only thing that stands out is that it shows you can rotate the ladder.....by just mounting that hinge at a 90 degree angle. Who needs turntables anyway?

@TheOtherMike:
The leaf, the other leaf, the other other leaf, the other other other leaf, the other other other other leaf…hey, um , does anyone know how many leaves the average crumble tree has? Er, had?

"Also known as Hospital - Lucy Lamb And Charlie Cat Visit Doctor Dog"

That can't be right. Also, the piece count is listed at 320 while the US version is 216. I'm inclined to believe the smaller number as it's printed on the box.

@MeisterDad said:
"I have this one, though unrecorded since I am missing some parts — the granular tree is in great shape as long as I don’t touch it"
I think the correct flag, with the smooth flagpole, was the part that took me longest to track down when I re-bought this set. So often broken, or replaced with the wrong cross-shaped flagpole version or, horror of horrors, the sticker version!

@xprojected said:
""Also known as Hospital - Lucy Lamb And Charlie Cat Visit Doctor Dog""
Yes, that's the other set of the same number... not sure how that's slipped in there! ( @Huw)

@PurpleDave said:
" @TheOtherMike:
The leaf, the other leaf, the other other leaf, the other other other leaf, the other other other other leaf…hey, um , does anyone know how many leaves the average crumble tree has? Er, had?"

A crumble tree with big crumbles or small crumbles? The box at least shows big

@VintageDude said:
"I do know that there were two kind of trees and two kind of bush"
I have 3 out of the 4 types of granulated foliage (my 355-1 has the 3 trunk bush, not seen the 2 trunk version)
All perfectly robust, except the tree trunks were a bit prone to snapping, due to their vice like grip on the baseplate! (Maybe Samsonite made a deciduous version!)

It's quite funny to read some of the Bricklink / eBay descriptions for sets like this.
Start by saying 100% complete or full set. Then end up slipping in, tree missing, later flag, undotted baseplate, no box, no instructions.... Basically a bunch of chancers trying to get £30+ for a handful of random bricks!

@sjr60 said:
" @NotProfessorWhymzi said:
"forgive me for being a dumb American, but...
i feel like i should know what you're talking about, but i don't."
They were sort of lucky dip bags with a few cheap nasty sweats, like sherbet and bubble gum, and Christmas Cracker type novelties. Junk, but quite exciting at the time!"

And ‘transfers’ were decals designed either for paper or for skin - because you really want to encourage kids to get tattoos, right? Things were different then… Don’t get me started about chocolate cigarettes aimed at kids! (I’m not kidding)

@Zander said:
"Don’t get me started about chocolate cigarettes aimed at kids! (I’m not kidding)"
Well at least there's no such thing as sweet cigarettes anymore... It's not like 'Candy Sticks' are remotely similar. No red tip, so now they're 100% child friendly!

Admittedly an improvement on when the local newsagent used to happily sell school children individual real cigarettes!

@Zander said:
"
And ‘transfers’ were decals designed either for paper or for skin - because you really want to encourage kids to get tattoos, right? Things were different then… Don’t get me started about chocolate cigarettes aimed at kids! (I’m not kidding)

"

The sticker sheet on our childhood 7745 had a missing or damaged sticker, so we used transfers to make good the deficiency. Sparkly green transfers. I still see that door floating about in my parts collection from time to time.

@Zander said:
"Don’t get me started about chocolate cigarettes aimed at kids! (I’m not kidding)"
Had so many of those back in the '80s....yet never in my life felt the need to try a real cigarette.

in Japan those are still being sold. As are little bags with powder to make "beer" for kids. Obviously it's just lemonade with foam on top, but still...

This was one of my first sets. I still have the baseplate and always wanted to rebuild it. (I did once with the police station from the same period). Memories, memories and these bulky cars were fun!

@sjr60 said:
" @NotProfessorWhymzi said:
"forgive me for being a dumb American, but...
i feel like i should know what you're talking about, but i don't."
They were sort of lucky dip bags with a few cheap nasty sweats, like sherbet and bubble gum, and Christmas Cracker type novelties. Junk, but quite exciting at the time!"

I laughed out loud at this "explanation", because while I generally understood the original post, this "clarifying" one is filled with so many Britishisms that it's far more confusing than the one it's trying to explain! :)

"lucky dip bags" = ?? Surely they weren't giving smokeless tobacco to kids...?
"nasty sweats" = ?? Sounds quite gross, tbh
"sherbet" = ?? In the US, sherbet (also spelled sherbert) is an ice-cream type dessert made with fruit juice. Surely that's not what was in these "dip bags"? Although that might explain how the bags got so "nasty" :)
"Christmas Cracker" = ??

@illennium said:
""sherbet" = ?? In the US, sherbet (also spelled sherbert) is an ice-cream type dessert made with fruit juice. Surely that's not what was in these "dip bags"? Although that might explain how the bags got so "nasty" :)
"Christmas Cracker" = ?? "
Oh come on... next thing you'll be claiming you've got a liquid called gas....

@sjr60 said:
" @Zander said:
"Don’t get me started about chocolate cigarettes aimed at kids! (I’m not kidding)"
Well at least there's no such thing as sweet cigarettes anymore... It's not like 'Candy Sticks' are remotely similar. No red tip, so now they're 100% child friendly!

Admittedly an improvement on when the local newsagent used to happily sell school children individual real cigarettes!"

Lot's of sweet cigarettes (chewing gum / chocolate) in Denmark with cigatte look alike packets. :D

@illennium:
“nasty sweats” - That’s a typo. It should be “sweets”. Eating nasty sweats sounds way more repulsive.
“sherbert” - I’ve always understood that to be a spelling/pronunciation error, and have never seen it packaged as such. Both Wikipedia and Dictionary.com acknowledge its use in the US, so that is one pervasive typo. Up next: Italy’s reaction to “bascetti” being shortlisted for inclusion in the list of new words for 2023!

@sjr60:
Nope, but we commonly abbreviate a liquid with a low vapor point to that. It helps keep youngsters from trying to squeeze a jar of Vaseline into the fuel port.

@PurpleDave said:
"“nasty sweats” - That’s a typo. It should be “sweets”. Eating nasty sweats sounds way more repulsive."If you ever find yourself in Japan, you might wanna try Pocari Sweat. Better than it sounds!

Or if you're feeling very brave you can go for som Cow Piss....euh, sorry, Calpis.