*GOLD BRICK SET*

Before reviewing 4997 I glimpsed that this set had a rating of 5.0 from 13 reviews, I have not seen that before! People obviously hold broad respect for the Transport Ferry so I doubt I can add more. Besides I've run low on adjectives! What we have here is a wonderful example of the very essence of our hobby. The Creator theme is indeed popular and a favourite of mine despite the absence of some historical variation. Its core ethos follows solid designs that will not reduce brick count or weight and make an instantly recognisable model of great quality, concept and that holds good play value. Creativity and imagination are the main ingredient. The minimal minifigure count makes a world of sets ready to populate (with our ridiculous numbers of minifigures) dependent on the scale and here is such a set. The main build is the ferry and I will just cover the two alternative builds briefly as the ferry feels the main article here.

Air Transport
The aeroplane is a prop-driven cargo beast that gets a mini truck to show its scale. Look at the size of the propellors and windows though. This actually would better yet serve minifigures. The red truck gets first construction that's decent and small. Faithfully plated together from one end to the other, the three separate cargo holds get walled strength and are tiled to great effect. The truck is just asking to get on board. The windows and colours are smart and the wings and tail, like the main structure are strong, plate formed designs. Its worth mentioning the detail bricks smattered over this model too including working doors and ramps. The lights and engines are among finishing touches.

The end result is a really strong design and holds up better than most alternative builds in Creator. It helps you perceive how you can realise other planes with the bricks as you wish. It is a chunky and satisfyingly solid toy. The build is pleasant and long enough that, with a mostly classic inventory of 1279 bricks, you achieve more accurate representations through the size of these models. Breaking out of the geometry of basic Lego like this, always feels like a building achievement.

Hover Transport
Accompanied by two cars, this is a seaport style craft that displays lots of power and function as a toy. Those cars get formed pretty easily, displaying a few of the very little bow bricks that this set contains. The main build is extensively makes up the vast side, front, rear and top surfaces that help this ocean-going box achieve form along with surface area. From its very solid base and skirting, the cavernous hold is ample for transporting the colourful cars. The bars and rails, radar dish and aerial look great and really well placed as do the windows. Rather than just rounded skid/slide bricks, a set of wheels enable the movement of the craft, hidden below its 'skirt'. Behind a brilliant bridge with windscreens is a play access roof of generous size and this can be removed by a thick housing area. The pillored engines are superbly slanted and with more large propellors, it is all ready to go. The Hovercraft again is a brilliant alternative build for the theme.

Sea Transport
Briefly, the essential passenger. An excellent red 4x4 with aerodynamic roof rack storage graces this set towing an equally good caravan. These slightly feel as if we are now back in 1970's territory which is a welcome touch. Really a pretty excellent vehicle, better than many city efforts. You can customise for minifigures or just stuff one in.

Following the required large base, wheel sets once more enable movement, hidden under a covered section with a couple of skid pads. As the hull forms, you materialise an unbelievable bulwark that is pulled up and lowered by hydraulic style technic arms, simultaneously closing the doors to make a double hull and it's locked shut. It is so thick! The mechanism is worked by turning a wheel on the side that rotates cogs to ingenious effect -technics unknown on most Creator models. Some turntables enable wind-up up anchor chains which is also an amazing bonus. Sorry, but does Lego get any better? Lights accompany the front and rear ramp, also reliably solid at the stern with even more mechanised chains to raise the ramp. These rear pillars are a superb design and show off the gubbins to make the job happen along with a further wheel for kids to turn. For a moment just appreciate that ship's bow; no curves just solid, brick formed diagonals that while jagged, work a treat. The design being this size does not suffer from blockiness but uses it to its advantage, studs and all.

As lifebelts adorn the hull, it is worth highlighting the colour scheme and detail because it is magnificent. Bright and suitably blue, white and yellow, the floodlights, radar, sirens, mast, flag, port and starboard lights, bridge control station, lookout post with binoculars and cool little lifeboat all compliment the fully comprehensive, working model. Incidentally you could get a crew of your people to sit down inside.

This is the best model yet released from the wholesome and, faithfully Lego, Creator theme. Remember there is not a single print, sticker or leering expression here. The whole Transport Ferry set is so genuine and well executed in design, it seems in my humble opinion to be the best set that The Lego Group ever produced also among the favourites for many of us. It does exactly what it shows on the box and feels huge despite the classic Town sized vehicle. The build is lengthy from a blend of basic, classic, technic and progressive pieces to result in a truly fine model that is playable, inspiring, a great display piece while hugely satisfying to build and re-build. Did I miss that the actions are incredible? The ship is customisable for more deck etc but you won't want to sacrifice much. The feeling of old classic Lego and modern set design is truly combined in this one set perfectly. Representing everything we enjoy about the hobby, the beautifully formed ferry is a real bar-raising benchmark that you may find yourself comparing all releases against. Just imagine what other sets are possible...

Hello everyone, LEGO fans! It's Gabriel here, or, as my username suggests, grsotnas. This is my first review in Brickset. I always appreciate critics and suggestions, to improve them even more! As I'm from Brazil, my English may not be perfect, but I'll do my best! I look forward to add pictures to this review, so check back in a few days, if you want!

I got this set years ago, when I was about 8-10 years old (I'm 15 now). I built it back then, and after a few months, I took it apart, and stored it until a few days ago, when I finally rebuilt it. Since early 2014 my interest in LEGO has grown again (the 1st time was 2009-2011), and now I must say that I simply love the bricks, and will definitely be a AFOL in the future.

This is a 3 in 1 set, but I've only built the main model. The other two look very good as well, and, in comparison with the 2nd and 3rd build of the most recent Creator set, are much better.

Box/Instructions

As I bought this set a long time ago, I don't have the original box any more. But from what I recall it was pretty big adn had great art!

The instructions for the main model (the Ferry) come in 2 separate big (A4 size) booklets, and are well organized, and pretty straight forward. If I remember correctly, you also get the printed booklets for the 2nd and 3rd model for it, but, anyway, these cam all be downloaded at lego.com

Parts

You get a lot of parts, actually almost 1300 pieces! However, if you compare the parts from this set with the new sets, especially the Modular Buildings, the parts are simpler, and not so specialized.

Most of the parts are regular bricks, with some plates and slopes as well. Despite the bricks, you also get a few Technic parts, more than most Creator sets.

Besides, most of the parts are Blue, which isn't the most useful color for MOCs, at least in my opinion.

So, I think that 4 is a good rating. You get lots of parts, which is cool, especially for kids. But in a more Teen/AFOL perspective, the parts aren't that cool, but are 1300 parts, which is a very nice amount.

Minifigures

No minifigures in this set. In my opinion it is far from minifig scale as a whole, but the cabin and the car are in minifig scale, roughly.

The build

The build wasn't difficult, at least for me. It's pretty straight-forward, but it takes some time. Kids will probably enjoy it. It is, however, a simmetrical model, so expect a lot of "mirror building", and is a little repetitive. But, it is most enjoyable. Took me about 2-3 hours.

The completed model

The model is really big. It is just huge! Kids are the main target for this model, and they will certainly enjoy the completed ferry. Not only is it big, but it also looks good and accurate to a ferry, especially if you take into consideration that this is a Creator set.

It has a few play features, the main one is the Transport of the car you get with it. The mechanism is really smart and works brilliantly. As you turn one knob, located on the side of the ship, the front opens, while the little ramp is lowered.

The cabin is also really nice, but not as detailed as it could. But, for kids, it is just perfect.

Overall opinion

Overall I'm extremely pleased with this set, it offers a good number of parts, a huge ferry, and 2 alternate builds that also look very nice. It has some playable features as well, and especially younger kids will enjoy it.

I must take into consideration that this is a long retired set, therefore it is hard to find at the review time (2015). However, if you find this set in a garage giveaway/sale, or at ebay for a nice price, just get it.

The original 70 dollar price tag is a really good deal, and its value is very good.

If you are a parent, be certain that your children will love this set. If you are a teen or an adult, this may not be the best set for you, as it doesn't offer the best parts in the best colors. But for someone looking for a fun build, a huge set and lots of parts, this is the set for you! Just get it!

Finally, a 5 star rating for this set. Huge vehicle, a lot of parts, great playability... what else would you expect from a Creator set!

Thanks for reading, and I hope to have helped you!

I'm currently in the process of deconstructing all of my Lego sets due to a move and being a fan of Creator sets, I have numerous sets from different years. In my opinion, the design and playability of sets in Creator line is getting worse and worse every year and I thought I should write a review to praise this set and express my desire to see similar sets in the future.

Starting from the box, this is one of largest sets in Creator and you can find a good selection of special pieces (for me, windows and orange colored pieces were especially nice). If you don't own any Technic sets, you may be interested in the Technic pieces and if you are making strange constructs, you will find all sorts of oddly shaped pieces in this set. Unfortunately, it's a very popular set and you can only find it for very high prices, so piece/price ratio may be a bit high. (I bought mine from Ebay UK using a freight forwarding service.) However, I still believe that it's worth it.

For the building experience, I can say I was thrilled. It was the only Creator set I was unable to finish in one seating. This is not just because it's a large set but it's because every detail is cleverly designed (even life buoys are there!) and there are "moving sections", which require some "Technic"al work.

For the playability, both the front and the back sides of the ferry can be opened/closed with well designed mechanisms and it's really fun to load and unload cars. As a small but crucial detail for improving playability, the ferry itself has wheels at the bottom. There is also a car with a caravan and a lifeboat so you don't need to combine the ferry with another Lego set to play. Although the set doesn't have any minifigs, captain's quarters are minifig friendly. The car is not directly suitable for minifigs but only small modifications would be required for placing minifigs. (The ferry can also be a good addition to your Lego City.)

In addition to all positive things about this set, the second and the third models are also very good, unlike today's Creator sets where some model designs seem to be there just to keep in line with 3-in-1 feature of Creator and you feel no urge to build alternatives. Especially, you may find the second cargo plane design as good as the ferry with high playability.

Creator sets released in the recent years (2011-2012) lacked most of the good features this set had and I had to focus on City sets seeking a similar experience that I had with this ferry.

I just bought this set a couple days ago in a Toys Fair in my city. When this set firstly launched on 2008, I prefer the 7994 (harbour) over this set, cause on the photo, the boat in 7994 seems more smooth and I got a couple of minifigs. That is why I never look at this set as something that I must have.

But, a couple days ago, I met again with this set. The box are torn everywhere, the part is scramble here and there. But the price, so cheap. It only cost me around USD 30 for buying this set. For that price, I just go buy it, since I was thinking that I was buying bulk bricks, and for that price getting around 1200 pcs, it was very cheap.

Before I parting out the parts, I tried to sort what parts that I was missing from the set. That's when I tried to build this set. The building process took quite a long time. Around 3 or 4 hours. And it was really fun to build.

The boat is really a large boat. With very nice colors. I think the combination of blue, yellow, and white is really nice and making the set looks very attractive. What I never notice before is the mechanism of opening the front hull. Turn out that you can open the hulls using a rotating horizontal axle. The hulls will open to the left and right and the ramp inside will fall out. Really nice details that amaze me.

I also like the small details that they are putting in the set, such as the life-rings around the ship, the dishes on top of the control room, and the control room itself. I really feel that the designer for this set is really putting a lot of details and it really works.

One detail that I have to mention is that the ferry own four supporting wheels on the bottom. So even though the ship is quite large, you can push it around without worrying about scratching, cause they have wheels. Once again, a simple small details that really works. Great job!

Recap :
If you are a city fans or a MOC maniac, you should have this set. For you city lover, this set will really look nice if you put it somewhere around the horizon of your city. For MOC lover, this set really gives you a lot of bricks that you can use in your MOC.

Though the title starts out with "arguably", there isn't any argument in my book. It just replaced the car hauler as my best Creator set.

With 1279 pieces, I expected this to be a big set. I was NOT disappointed. I built the ferry model (don't have the heart to disassemble it for the B and C models). I ended up with a MASSIVE ship to add to my Cityscape. Though it's a huge ship, the scale is good and it actually fits in really well with other vehicles.

Perhaps the best feature about this set is that it's all BRICKS! No preformed pieces (like the new Police and Fire boats). The entire hull and superstructure are brick-built. What a wonderful selection of bricks it is, too! Most of the bricks are standard pieces that can be used in a multitude of other projects and there are copious amounts of many elements in usable colors.

Another great feature is that there are no stickers! I love that part.

The realism is excellent. For example, the bridge is very detailed, right down to the bridge wings complete with "big eyes" binoculars. For those fortunate to have served in the Navy, you will know how nice this bridge looks.

The rear stacks look great. I can see using these on a cruise ship project.

Now for the bow. This was a true pleasure to build. While many parts are the same, it never got repetitive. The doors are solid! The mechanics that went into the loading ramp and door operation took sheer genius to implement. This would make any Technics builder proud and amazed! I was. What a great touch to this set.

The smoothness of the wheels allow for great maneuvering on both carpet and hard surfaces that help mimic the real currents and docking procedures used by ferries around the world.

Though the yellow stripe is too high to accurately match, this could represent several of the wonderful Alaska State Ferry System ferries that I grew up riding.

Truly excellent, LEGO! Please, please, please continue to incorporate the detail, resourcefulness and ingenuity in your future models and I will continue to buy them.