Lego City Police Patrol Car 4436: Catch me if You Can

One of the most enduring theme in Lego City is Police. Almost every year, there are a few police-themed sets available. For 2012, Lego has updated all of their police sets, with the new sets focusing on the forest (park) police. It is indeed a breath of fresh air (no pun intended) to see Lego offering a different flavor of the police theme, instead of an updated version of the previous police station, police cruiser or police helicopter…..etc.

The new entry (lowest price) forest Police set is the 4436 – Patrol Car. It consists of a police car, a gate along with 2 minifigs – a policeman and a bad guy. Consisting of 97 pieces, this set should be an easy build for most kids, with a target age group of 5-12 years old.

For this set, I have observed that Lego has addressed the main gripe with the previous police car offerings – it can only carry the policeman, without a space for the criminal. Well, if the policeman had arrested the criminal, he/she has to transport the badguy to jail, right? This is where the newly designed roof piece comes into play. Measuring 6 studs long and 4 studs wide, it provides enough clearance underneath for minifig’s wig and hat. Now 2 people can sit comfortably inside the police car. Kids will get a kick placing the bad guy (in cuffs, of course) in the back of the police car for his journey to the big house!

I highly recommended this set to any parents for their little Lego maniacs.

Overall scores:

Value: 4/5
With a MSRP of $11.99 (US), my suggestion is to wait for a sale, for a target price – $9.99

Build: 5/5
Quick and simple build, with a few stickers….nice.

Design: 5/5
Good color combinations, elegant design, new roof piece!