Having foolishly dug out some of my old sets for my two year old daughter to 'play with', I though it would be interesting to review the only one that survived the encounter.

Box/Instructions

The instructions are a simple folded sheet, featuring a shot of the completed bus (bizarrely showing the least interesting side) and the 10 steps needed to put it together. Essentially each step is a 'layer', with bricks added evenly all the way around the model each time. The lack of variety and uncomplicated structure means that these instructions are more straightforward than others of the era (yes #148 I'm looking at you) and, unless you are red/black colour blind, there is little scope for confusion.

Parts

Unsurprisingly given the subject matter, this set is a riot of red. The usual 1xn and 2xn bricks dominate, but at the time it was also a good source of slope bricks and windows in a variety of sizes (so long as you wanted them all in red), and the 1x6 arches used as wheel arches were still a novelty. The stickers are a pain, spread as they are over several bricks - as a result, mine are long gone as the bus would have been broken up at some point, probably sacrificed for a spaceship... The wheels are great, surprisingly detailed and perfectly scaled without the exaggerated tread pattern of later Town models.

The build

We are firmly in the era of brick stacking here, with no unusual or interesting techniques on show. What it lacks in interest it makes up for in sheer sturdiness, with 1xn bricks making up the lower half of the vehicle body, and slope and 2xn bricks contributing to a solid roof, while plates bind the whole thing together at the base, mid point and roof.

The completed model & overall opinion

Despite the smaller, but very lovely and more contoured #40220 released earlier this year, this is notable for being a different (but no less effective) rendition of the famous vintage London Transport Routemaster. Double-decker buses are a relative rarity in Lego even now but, despite the blocky look inherent in sets of this age, it still captures the essence of the prototype. As with all sets of the time, it is scaled oddly as this was before the minifigure came along and enforced a degree of uniformity on such things, but thankfully this means that the designers main remit was to produce a large and solid model. It is actually tantalisingly close to being minifig scaled, but lacks any of the concessions to accessibility that would allow one to actually get through the door or move around inside.

It still looks great to my eyes and, as my two year old has extensively tested, impervious to a good deal of rough handling - the wheels occasionally drop off, but the rest is as solid as a rock (and the lack of easy access for people doesn't bother her as Minnie Mouse, Maleficent and Groundskeeper Willie from the Simpsons appear to be perfectly happy riding on the roof). It is very much of it's time and I imagine will be discarded for more exciting models as she gets older, but today still holds it's own as a highly engaging and playable model, over 40 years after its release.

This set looks great. It is without any doubt a London Bus. Anyone can see that. Is has a clear seat for the bus driver and a place for passengers to get on and off the bus. And with the stickers it looks even more like a real London Bus. Perhaps a bit short in length, but OK.
But the stickers are definitely also the flaw in this design. There´s al lot of stickers, and you what happens, they curl and get off real fast. So minus points for the stickers.
Design 4 out of 5.
Stickers minus 1.
Overall rating 3.