Set Review ➟ LEGO® Pickup Truck 10290
With the Classic Van set (10290) LEGO® wants to take us back to the 50s where this type of van was so common, especially on American farms. Personally, the classic red Dodge Pickup comes to my mind. The model recreates the retro shape of the van thanks to its rounded lines, a hood that can be opened to view the engine, the doors and tailgate also open with the wooden side barriers that are removable.
Since the van belongs to a farm, it comes with certain elements that represent the production of a farm throughout the 4 seasons of the year:
A wheelbarrow with flowers and a watering can for spring.
Two wooden boxes with tomatoes, carrots and a bucket of milk for the summer. We highlight the white carrot (probably a turnip) since it is the first time that this piece appears in white.
An advertising banner and a crate of pumpkins for fall.
A Christmas wreath and a festive gift for winter.
When building the wreath, you have to be careful as it can be disassembled quite easily and we also found a printing problem in the instructions that distorts the colors. It begins to be worrying to find this kind of thing in the instructions.
Next we will start with what really interests us, the van. We begin the assembly of the chassis, a solid base where the use of technic parts abounds.
Next we will make the entire steering mechanism that allows the movement of the front wheels by turning the steering wheel, and the hinges that will allow us to open the doors.
Little by little the compartment where we will house the engine is taking shape as we recreate the rounded shapes of the fenders and mudguards. Inside we mount the brake and acceleration pedals, we place the steering wheel on the small dashboard, to which we add a printed instrument panel with a speedometer, fuel gauge and a mileage indicator. I have to say that the steering wheel doesn't quite convince me, I don't think it manages to recreate the aesthetics of classic steering wheels. We will also add the moving shifter.
The rear of the cabin is a set of parts to which we add a small window and where we find the detail of the gas cap.
It's time to do one of the parts that I liked the most and that motor lovers usually like….the V8 engine of the van. The V8 is a very common configuration for trucks and large cars. We recreated an engine that reminds me of a Flathead V8 model, with the typical fan, using the new part "Propeller 3 Blade 3 Diameter with Pin Hole" in black, the belt connected to the generator, the oil filter, the originality of using a black sausage to simulate what I guess is the oil filter return line and the big silver round air intake filter to the carb.
Now we just have to put the engine in place and add the front radiator. Interestingly, the use of claw pieces, coupled to a flexible tube, achieve a good recreation of the front grille, to which we add a "curved 1x2 slope" with the V8 printed on it.
The next step is the construction of the doors, that can be opened and closed thanks to the hinges that we made before. The detail of the inner lever, using the blades of the ice skates, is really cool.
Now comes the turn of the truck platform that we will incorporate behind the cabin. The tailgate is also practicable and has a 2x4 tile with the “LEGO” serigraphy as a detail.
A good classic seat with its upholstery cannot be missing. The combination of Tan and Dark Tan colors seems very successful and achieves a good recreation.
In the next steps we will build the hood, with its rounded parts and to which we will add a Bar piece that will allow us to have the hood open to see the engine.
We will finish the rear mudguards, which will be connected by a bar clip connection. In this part I have found the unpleasant surprise that the clips used are marked, possibly due to the injection point of the part. No one who buys a new car likes it to come scratched or dented :(
Now we only have to add the removable roof and side barriers, and the 4 wheels with their silver hubcaps. On the roof we will add the interior mirror, to which we will place a sticker that will show us the landscape that we would see in it while driving through American farms.
CONCLUSION
As a negative part, the bad impression of some sheets of the instructions that distort the colors. Luckily it is a zone where it is easy to recognize the parts to use, I do not want to imagine this in a modular building with different shades of gray, brown...
Another point is the detail of the marked clip parts. This causes certain marks to be seen on the rear fenders, breaking the color uniformity. We already had a similar experience with the Fiat 500, only that on that occasion the problem was in the different shades of yellow. On the other hand, the set, although not based on any particular model, perfectly captures the essence of a classic van from the 50s, with its rounded lines. It also has a large number of details that give a high level of realism, such as the headlights, the door handles, the interior of the cabin and the V8 engine. The Dark Red color is a hit on the whole and having a bonnet that can be opened to view the engine, as well as the doors and tailgate, make this set a worthy candidate for your display shelf.
# We wish to thank LEGO for providing this set for review. The opinions in this article are neither approved nor endorsed by LEGO.
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