Set Review: 7236-2 Police CarName: Police Car
Set Number: 7236-2
Theme: City
Year: 2008
Pieces: 59
Minifigures: 1
Price: USD 5.99
Before I start with this review, there are a few things that I want to note that’s special about this set. This is a unique set in the sense that there have actually been two different versions of this set that have been released. One version was released in 2005, whereas the other version was released in 2008. However, the only difference between the two versions is the color of the stickers. The 2005 version used black stickers, and the 2008 version used blue stickers. The version that I am reviewing is the 2008 version.
Without further ado…let’s get started!
The LEGO Group has released countless police cars throughout its long history. Some of you adult fans of LEGO who may be reading this may remember the classic police cars from the 1970s – 1980s. Obviously, the police car has come a long way over the decades, and today we’ll be taking a look at one of the more recent versions of a LEGO police car.
The Box
The box is rectangular in shape, simply showing a police officer using a speed radar with his police car parked right next to him.
The back has the police officer in his car (albeit not looking at the road…) and the officer with his radar. As usual, the “Designed for easy building” message is present as well as the LEGO site address. It also has a punch-out tab for opening the box. Nothing too special.
The Pieces
The set contains two small plastic bags, with the pieces roughly separated by size. Also included is a large piece used for the chassis of the car, a sticker sheet with the word “POLICE” in English and German, and a fold-out instruction sheet.
There are some nice pieces included with this set, like transparent cheese slopes, mudguards, and windshields. I’ve never been a fan of the chassis piece – I feel that it’s juniorized and using a couple of normal plates for the chassis would suffice. Seeing as CITY is a “gateway” line, I suppose it’s appropriate when introducing younger builders to the wonderful world of LEGO.
This is an interesting piece that I thought was worth noting. It certainly has many possibilities for SNOTing and whatnot.
The InstructionsThe instructions are on a single sheet of paper folded up into segments. It also seems to be recycled from the first version of this set (the one with the black stickers).
In the very first step, there is a misprint. The police officer’s hands should be yellow, instead of grey. It isn’t a big deal really, but it’s just something I wanted to note.
As you can see, the instructions use the black stickers instead of the blue stickers the 2008 version came with. I am guessing LEGO did this so that they didn’t have to produce a new instruction sheet just for the blue stickered version.
Step eight of the instructions. The only thing left to add at this point are the tires and the stickers.
The Build and Design
The minifig that comes with the set is a standard police officer with an orderly uniform and a white hat. He also has a rather…oversized radio with him.
Unfortunately there is no back printing.
The first part of the instructions involves building the radar gun. The construction is basic and not really noteworthy, although it’s nice that it has a printed tile in it.
The officer with the radar gun.
The entire build is short, taking only a few minutes.
Three transparent cheese slopes and a lever are left over after construction - pretty decent!
The side of the police car. The overall look is pretty basic.
The front of the car uses some basic SNOTing using the piece I showed you earlier.
I do find it a bit ironic how a law enforcement vehicle lacks a license plate…
Unfortunately there really isn’t a space for the radio, so I just placed it in the little area behind where the officer’s sitting.
The rear of the car has a police sticker on a 2x1 tile. There also is a bit of SNOT here, much like the front.
The blue band on the top of the car looks very nice and complements the 2x2 tile with the police sticker on it. The 2x4 wedge piece in the front also seems to make the car less blocky.
I think using some white cheese slopes in between the antennae would complete the sloped appearance on the top of the car. It would also cover up a tiny little gap that exposes a little bit of the interior.
The mudguards add to the overall clean appearance of the car. I also like how the wheels subtly protrude from the car without looking too noticeable.
Here we find our officer monitoring the roads for any speeding drivers.
Looks like he’s caught a speeding driver…perhaps he’s late to work?
Nonetheless, he still gets a ticket for failing to observe the law.
Final GradeDesign: 8/10 – A few design flaws here and there, but overall the set has an appealing look and design.
Parts: 7/10 – The pieces aren’t particularly rare and the set does come with a juniorized base. The set does however come with transparent cheese slopes, mudguards, and SNOT bricks.
Minifigs: 7/10 – It just comes with an ordinary police officer, which LEGO has released tons of over the past few years.
Build: 6/10 – Quick and simple.
Playability: 8/10 – It was generous of LEGO to include a radar, which definitely adds to the playability factor to this set.
Price: 10/10 – USD 5.99 is the perfect price for a set with 59 pieces.
Final Grade:46/60 or 7.7Considering that this set was released in 2005 and rereleased in 2008 with a different sticker sheet, its shelf life has been considerably longer than most LEGO sets. If your LEGO City or LEGO collection is lacking some law enforcement officers, then I suggest you get this set before it goes out of production for good.
