It may very well be nostalgia speaking, but I have (and will continue to) expressed my undying love for mid-to-late 2000's Lego numerous times. Apart from a few outliers, throw a dart at a list of themes available during that time, and you'll find a wealth of sets that have so much to offer in just about every facet. City is no slouch, not being bound by the accuracy requirements of licensed themes or the sometimes restrictive nature of more specific "yellow" themes. And man, do the flagship sets deliver. 7744 is the epitome of everything that went horribly right during this era, featuring the perfectly delicious blend of minifigures, realistic (but not excessive) detail, and a smattering of play features and just all around fun. Is it the greatest set of all time? No. It doesn't excel massively in any one area to put it in the running for such a title. But I'll take a handful of near-hits over one bullseye and a load of misfires.

Box/Instructions

The least interesting part of any set. Like the rest of the City range, the box for 7744 is no-nonsense, simply giving us a view of the set in its entirety and showing off the various features on the back. Nothing to exaggerate or fantasize. The instructions are similarly efficient, splitting the job up between several manuals in full-color with clear, easy-to-follow steps. Good stuff.

Parts

Much like the set as a whole, the parts selection features nothing particularly interesting but plenty of useful elements to still make it worthwhile for that aspect alone. The various large wall sections, car parts, garage doors, window panes, antennae, car parts, and more, not to mention the large gray road baseplate and the smaller plate, are all useful for creating a variety of structures and vehicles for a city, town, or maybe even a moon outpost. The station makes sure to hit all the basic notes, and more, for a building that it lends itself well to customization, expansion, or total rebuilds (barring the rather limiting [but obviously optional!] police stickers, of course).

Minifigures

Five cops, two crooks, and a canine companion is a perfectly adequate assortment of fellows for a single police station. All the minifigure components have likely been used dozens of times across various City sets as well as in other themes, but they so carefully walk the tightrope between generic and specific that they still seem fresh here. Three rather optimistic and friendly officers contrast well with the more stern motorcycle driver and his zip-up jacket, while the heroic and sculpted chief of police squares off with the rough-looking crooks. The police dog, likewise, has been featured in a variety of sets, with its simple but charming sculpt featuring molded-in eyes. Additionally, the set contains a wealth of handcuffs, radios, flashlights, as well as some other gear and even a wanted poster for the minifigures to play around with.

The Build

Relatively simple structures that are approximations of real-world buildings such as 7744 are rarely difficult to put together. Nevertheless, there are still a few interesting elements to the construction, such as the angled skylight windows at the top of the main building, and the overall build of the prison cells and their pair of play functions. It shouldn't be a challenge for builders of any ages, but it still does provide an element of satisfaction to see the sometimes- complex support systems to ensure the model remains sturdy come together. Working at a steady pace and without error, this set shouldn't take more than a couple hours to finish.

The Completed Model

Here, of course, is where the set shines. Starting off with the smaller and less impressive components: The trio of small vehicles. All of them share a basic build with similar or identical vehicles found in standalone sets or as part of other large sets. The motorcycle is mostly two pieces, just the chassis and fairing, with some headlights added as well as the saddlebag section that is standard for police bikes. A radio or any other accessory can clip back here while the officer's hands are occupied with the handlebars. The police cruiser is similarly efficient, using minimal parts to get the necessary details and shapes. It sits one officer comfortably but you might have luck jamming a partner or a captured crook in behind them. The K9 truck predictably follows the simple style of the other two, with a hinging bar window on the back that allows the police dog in or out. With a little effort, a criminal can be crammed in there instead, allowing for more secure transport to and from the station. The cabin will only hold one figure and only really needs to. Three vehicles send three officers out, the chief must stay behind to tend to affairs, and he could probably use that last guy as backup in case something goes wrong.

The proper model is impressively large and expansive and the two main sections, the prisoner area and the station itself, can separate easily. Technic pins and pegholes allow for an alternate combination that puts the cell block behind the main station instead of being next to it.

As the prison block is elevated, there is a large amount of dead space underneath the pillars that hold it up. It's a useful area for play, or it could be used to store extra vehicles like the motorcycle, which has no designated parking area. The far end of the block features a simple watchtower design with large windows that allow the officer at the control panel to oversee the whole station. A simple spotlight up top provides additional visibility. A catwalk of decent width lies outside the cells, allowing for easy play or display of criminals escaping or being imprisoned in the cells. Security cameras and the keys "required" for opening the cells ensure the crooks (probably) aren't going anywhere. A satelitte tower at the other end of the block completes the look, featuring a trio of dishes of assorted sizes on a single large beam. A fire hydrant, a bush, and a mailbox dot the fenced-off courtyard down below. The main attraction of this part of the set is the prisoner escape feature. The cells, identically constructed with a bed, toilet, and small table on the inside of each, as well as a sticker with tally marks on the back wall, feature a red switch on the back. Pushing it upwards will "blow up" the back wall of the cell and allow the prisoners to escape. It's a simple feature that works well and provides a window for storytelling, as well as simpler access into the cells for positioning figures. The only real downfall is the lack of a dynamite or crowbar piece for the prisoners to "use" to make their getaway.

The main police station is much more impressive in my opinion. A simple bar gate out front, complete with red and green lights, ensures that only authorized vehicles get access to the station. The short road, lined with a handful of flowers and bushes, leads to the twin garages that are intended for the car and van included in the set. A few simple tools and other details are present down here to complete the look. Sirens, lights, and another spotlight are also present from the exterior, as is a small area on the second floor where minifigures can stand, although there is no official way to access it. A staircase on the right leads to the second floor, which features an adequately-detailed reception area and break room, featuring all of the amenities typical of City sets of the era, such as a computer screen, a cabinet or two, and a water cooler. Both rooms are large enough for a handful of minifigures each, allowing for many more than just those included in the set to interact here. The break room leads out to another catwalk, which allows for another way to get to the prison block. This particular area splits in half when the two chunks of the set are separated, and so details are sparse. The third floor houses a perfectly claustrophobic interrogation room, complete with articulated lamp and a corkboard of leads, and another room for detective work with a tape recorder and coffee machine. This room leads out to yet another catwalk, which provides access to a rack of tools and a pair of megaphones as well as the control panel for the satelittes should they need any kind of tuning.

Summary

I cannot stress how well-made this set is. Every component is wonderfully complemented and accomodated by the others and it just creates a perfect "ecosystem" in a sense, but one that is also easily modified or expanded upon with other sets. It has just the right amount of details to be charming and realistic, but not too many that it doesn't seem "Lego". The size of the structure, the vehicles, the cells, and the variety of available rooms provide so very many opportunities for storytelling and play that a lot of sets before and after this period just seemed to miss. 7744 doesn't do anything perfectly, but it does everything right. It plays well, it displays well, everything about it is just such a treat and exemplifies the power of Lego as a toy, as something to do and something to have fun with. That spirit is lacking in so many more recent sets and tracking one of these down just to experience it is well worth it.

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This set is among the best in my city collection!

Box/Instructions

Easy to follow, well thought out and a joy to build!

Parts

The parts here are what really make this set good. Just some include a police dog, TWO searchlights and even 2 garages complete with unique sliding plate pieces!

Minifigures

I guess the minifigures are nothing overly special, but more crooks and another police dog are worth collecting!

The build

The build is extremely fun! There are 2 repetetive parts, but other than that, pretty amazing1

The completed model

ONE WORD-AWESOME

Overall opinion

This is, by far, one my favorite Lego Sets of all time! Where to start? Well, the number of pieces for the price is a little above average at 9.5 cents a brick. There are 7 minifigures and 2 of them are criminals which is the exact amount of cells. The thing I don't like about all the police sets is that there is a lack of jail cells, but that's with all Lego police sets, so I won't make this look bad for it. The police dog was a nice addition, and theres even a K-9 Unit to go with it. The police car is average, like the other one in the City Series. Also the ability of the criminals to break out is humorous, and unlike other sets. The search light and satellite dish are realistic touches, and the cop's place to stay and rest are just like in a real jail. when I was almost finished this my pop noticed a problem and I had to rebuild it. If you have the money buy it! It's a must-have for display and an ever-expanding City!

this lego set is one of the best sets i own it has alot of uniqe pieces such as th garage door

it comes with 2 keys for the jail cells
a comunications antea
a dog van and police car
a motercycle
and 2 search lights

it splits in half so you can move it with out it breaking

so over all I give this set a 9/10 beause it is sturdy and a bit of a chalenge to buld but it a bit big so if you only have a small space to put your city on or your city is to full get a bigger space.