Traintastic Value for Money (Lego 7997 City: Train Station)

Member Name: DavyMichelle

Product:	Lego 7997 City: Train Station
Date:	09/08/09 (109 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good Value, Fun, Detailed

Disadvantages: Lots of Pillars, Kiosk Could be Better

The Lego City Train Station retails at around the £30 mark from lots of places including The Lego Shop and Amazon. For £30, you might look at the picture and think you're not getting a lot for your money, but actually there is a surprising amount of kit included in this set. This is compatible with both the Lego Passenger Train (set 7897) and the Lego Cargo Train Deluxe (set 7898).

WHAT'S INCLUDED

Inside the box there are all the bricks, plates and specialist pieces you need to construct a substantially sized Lego Train Station. Along with these, you get four pieces of train track, so that you can build two pieces along the front of the train station and then another two elsewhere in the track circuit to ensure a proper fit. There are five minifigs included, as well as a little railway cart and a host of accessories. Obviously there's a full colour picture instruction leaflet as well.

ASSEMBLY

Assembly of the station is straightforward, but might be a little tricky for clumsier young hands to manage without assistance. There are three depths to this model, including a platform, a waiting area and a slightly hidden coffee kiosk area at the back. Then there's a little room on top of the building that sits behind the roof slates. Once fully assembled, the model stays together perfectly, but during construction some of the pillar sections can be easily knocked over. It needs a steady hand to piece the various sections too, as they are built up seperately and then pushed together bit by bit.

PLAY

There's loads to do with just this set alone, and it really opens up a whole new variety of games for a youngster with an existing Lego train set. There's a little ticket machine and a turning gate as well as a little ticket Minifig man on hand to help passengers make their purchases. There's a little map and plenty of seating for the waiting passengers to make use of, and even a little coffee kiosk tucked away out the back. I think the kiosk could have done with being that tiny bit more detailed, as it offers just two cups and one single croissant, which just isn't enough to serve a Lego town as big as ours is.

I think it would have been nice to have included a battery operated light or something as well, to compliment the battery operated trains, but they'd have probably had to raise the price quite a bit to incorporate a battery so possibly it's not such a bad thing that they didn't!

Although this is a passenger station, there is the little rail wagon and a man delivering a crate of cargo, so this helps to tie the station into being used with the Cargo Train set and not just the Passenger Train set. You can use it as a base for collecting important cargo hauls from, or special deliveries or the like. The upstairs area of the station has little table and chairs, so maybe this could be a rest area for the men who've been working hard on the railway all day.

SUMMARY

This is a great addition to the Lego train sets 7897 or 7898. It's relatively easy to build, and I felt we got good value for money. It's very versatile and can add a whole new dimension to Lego train play. I'm really happy with this set and I recommend it highly to others. Our grandson hasn't seen his new train station just yet, but when he does - I'm sure he'll absolutely love it, especially all the brilliant tiny details.

Summary: Highly Recommended