6472 Gas ‘n’ Wash Express was one of several re-releases in 2001; it reprised 6397 of 1992. The set combines a sense of nostalgia, conveyed partly through its architecture and partly through its classical components, with an excellent play experience.

Nostalgic design

Deliberately retro even in 1992, the Octan service station looks back to the streamlined architecture of Lego’s early days, for instance the classic arte moderne 310-5 Esso Filling Station of 1958. If 310-5 itself felt slightly retrospective even in 1958, by representing a style that reached the peak of its popularity in the 1930s, it contributed even stronger nostalgic sentiments when redesigned as part of 10184 Town Plan of 2008.

The basic design of 6472 is hardly novel. Its immediate predecessor, 6378 Shell Service Station of 1986, also offers a small building and an oversized canopy covering a set of pumps that can service cars on either side. Unlike 6378, however, the Gas ‘n’ Wash Express eschews the flat and blocky canopy characteristic of many contemporaneous service stations in favor of its distinctive angled canopy. In an era of Shell stations, 6472 also stands out for its Octan branding. Octan service stations tended to be more interesting than their Shell counterparts; did the "house brand" of Octan offer a greater degree of design freedom?

Visiting the service station

Hardly anything that one might want to do at a service station can’t be done at the Gas ‘n’ Wash Express. The drive-through car wash uses light grey hoses so that the vertical spinning brushes snap back to their original positions once the car has passed through. The blue jack piece, common at the time but unusual now, provides a simple but effective mechanism for lifting up vehicles. The three pumps are simple and evocative. A hairbrush masquerades as a window squeegee.

The designers have prioritized access for small hands: the building lacks a back and the canopy is high enough that one can reach under it to manipulate the pumps. The 8x32 green baseplate at the rear of the set is an unusual but useful shape. An excavator head in light grey has been creatively repurposed as a sink at the back of the station, but the small computer with a wheel sticking out of its side puzzled me as a child. Its function is far from self-evident.

The tow truck is robust relative to other vehicles of the same era. It includes the larger tires that have now become standard, a pair of SNOT headlights, and a raised cab. Its towing mechanism works well. The design is hardly unique to 6472, and has been imitated in more recent sets that use more parts less efficiently to similar effect.

From the perspective of 2001, let alone 2020, 6472 suggests a different era of Lego. The printed white slopes that serve as terminals and computers bear only black, green, and red square buttons. The instructions offer no piece call-outs and require attention lest one miss a piece. Relative to the original images from 1992, the depiction of 6472 on the front of the instructions has been uglified in an ironic but no doubt well-meant effort to lend the set greater contemporary relevance. Happily the gorgeous secondary image on the back cover has not been altered.

6472 offers excellent playability and a classic design. Four stars.

this set has a lot of things to play with and some cool features, but theres some things that arnt that great.

pros
-cool car and tow truck
-lots o detail on the gas pumps
-has an interior
-car wash
-cool baseplate

cons
-very hard to pick up without breaking
-pretty simple design
-all the mf have the same face
-car wash is hard to put together and breaks often
-could use a bit more detail on the empty entirior

this is a good set and is intresting, it looks like its old and is still good.

It's sets like these that take me back to what Lego is all about. It's not Harry Potter, it's not Spider Man, it's simply a nice gas station.
PLAYABILITY (10): the set offers a nice working garage with pumps and a great car wash. Included is a nice towtruck and great little red car (like a VW) + 3 figs. DESIGN (9): original and creative design. I love the covered roof with slanted windows and the car wash. Design of red car is simple but great. I love these kind of cars. PIECE ASSORTMENT/COLORS (9) good combination of standard bricks. Some specialty pieces include the car wash parts, the slanted windows, the tow truck arm that extends the rope, and the car jack. I like the white, red, and green to match the OCTAN colors although not common in the US. ALTERNATE MODELS (9): this set offers a lot of different ideas some of which are pictured on the back box. Nice thing with standard pieces is you can make a number of other items. PRICE (8): Not the best price, but reasonable and worth it for a good quality set as this. OVERALL SCORE: based on the above, I rate this a 9. Great town set and a good Legend or semi-Legend. These sets are classic and go well with your towns and cities. I would definately buy again.
DISLIKES: Upon opening and building, the set was missing a single window (glass portion) for cover/roof windows. Don't like stickers. The base plate is a different shade of gray compared to new roads (much too light). Aside from this, a truly fun and detailed set.