4201- Loader and Tipper

I'm not very impressed with the larger sets of the Mining theme, so this will be my most expensive set.  Mining in general doesn't feel like it belongs in my Lego Universe, so I easily can pretend that these vehicles are just construction ones.  The yellow colour certainly aids in that.  If the crew happen to find some gold or gems during the daily grind, then that's nice a nice bonus for them.  To fill out the crew, I've also purchased set 4200- Mining 4x4.

The stickers on this set include one licence plate for each vehicle, a picture of a hardhat with crossed pick-axes for the top of the loader, and a picture of an explosion for the warning sign.  I actually got two sheets of stickers with my set.

This set comes with two minifigures: one loader driver and one tipper driver.  They both have silver hardhats with clear, flat, round studs as lights.  The designated loader driver has the look of a gruntman as he is clad in blue overalls and a white long-sleeved shirt.  From his stubble, it looks like he forgot his morning shave and the scratch on his right cheek doesn't look very pleasant.  The tipper driver is wearing dark khaki pants with a blue button down shirt with a pen tucked in the breast pocket.  He has a few belt/buckle things and there is a little spanner (wrench) rested in a utility pocket.  The drops of sweat rolling down his face show that this hard work is taking a toll on him.

The loader is my favourite of the two vehicles because it looks so accurate and the lifting bucket can be positioned just about anywhere.  Firstly though, there are two orange lights on the top of the vehicle and one clear one on the front.  In the back, there are two more orange lights on either side of the licence plate.  That clear light in the front is hinged with a holder, so you can tilt it down a little.  The frame covering the top is also hinged on, so it's easy to swing it open and set your person to work.  It's operated not by a steering wheel, but two red and black levers.  The loading bucked can move in two ways.  First, the piece connecting the bucket to the loader can move up and down.  There is enough clearance over the top of the loader so that you can bring it all the way over and down to the other side.  Second, the bucket itself can move up and down, so it can easily scoop up rubble and deposit it into the tipper.  I also like the design of the bucket, as the end that would be on the ground scooping up things is teethed so you can really get at those rock pieces. The tires are the thick, ridged ones you would expect on such a vehicle and the sound of it rolling along fits it as well.

I think the tipper looks a bit awkward, but it is functional.  The only real lights on this vehicle are the two orange studs at the top.  However, there are two lesser noticeable ones on the bottom of the loader bed and two more in the front construction of the cab.  To give the tipper a bit more pizzazz  there is that hard hat and cross pick-axes sticker on the roof.  The roof of this vehicle is snapped on, not hinged.  The cab features a steering wheel and what is known as a clamp 1x2 in the Lego parts world (used as a back rest here).  The side mirrors are a cute idea, but look a little bulky next to the small cab.  The loader bed is a nice size and tips down quite well.  The top edge is even studded so you can put on extra lights or whatever your little mining/construction heart desires.  My big gripe with this vehicle is that the shape of the cab makes the whole vehicle look really odd. The oversized side mirrors don't help this, either.  I think the cab should be a bit larger (or at least sit higher) and have more of a rounded shape in the front.  Next to the loader, this vehicle does look quite small.  The tipper in set 4204- The Mine certainly looks a lot more accurate.

Front of the box

With this set, we get a nice big boulder that can easily crack open to reveal lots of grey and dark grey rock studs (8 total) along with two gold nuggets.  My set came with a couple extra grey/dark grey rocks, and I've thrown in the extra orange round studs as gems.  I love that the boulder can hold so much and that it is so textured.  The warning sign is a nice deterrent away from the area for too-curious passersby.  I've never had a Lego stick of dynamite (or any other kind for that matter) and I love it.  The timer piece goes onto a holder and that snaps onto the dynamite, looking explosively awesome.  Lastly, we get a pick-axe because life would be far too simple if everything blew up cleanly.

Back of the box

I wouldn't have purchased this set if I didn't love it, even though I think the tipper could have had a slightly better design.  The minifigures and accessories are fantastic and the two vehicles work beautifully with and apart from one another.


Description:

• Miner wearing blue overalls with white tee and silver lighted hardhat.
• Foreman wearing blue shirt, khaki pants, and silver lighted hardhat.
• Functional loader with levers.
• Functional tipper with steering wheel and side mirrors.
• 4 stickers for vehicles and accessories. 
• Large breakable boulder containing several grey/dark grey studs and two gold nuggets.
• Pick-axe tool, warning sign, and dynamite with timer.  

Year Released: 2012

Retail Price: $17.99

Pieces: 139

Minifigures: 2
My Purchase Location: Toys R Us