Review - 3180 Tank Truck

Welcome to the next installment of my City reviews, the Tank Truck.
(Tank Truck? What kind of name is that?! )
I bought this as it is another one of the latest additions in the City line. I bought it from K-Mart for $29, which kicks butt over S@H. It's a little harder to build as opposed to the Repair Truck with just under 100 more parts, but its still fairly easy, so the little ones can build it as well. It takes about 30 - 40 minutes to go together and looks pretty sweet once finished.

Name: Tank Truck
Theme: City
Year: 2010
Pieces: 222
Minifigs: 1
Price: AUD $34.99 (S@H)

The front of that rather large box:


The rear of the box:


The contents. Look at that Lego loveliness!! Strangely, the bottom half of the trailer is loose, while the top half is bagged.


Some new parts. The hat now has a moulded brim and these 1 x 1 bricks have a stud on 1 side. According to Bricklink, they are called "Brick, Modified 1 x 1 with Stud on 1 Side".


Staying with the theme is this fantastic piece. It allows a SNOT grille with doors on the cab!!


Another shot:


"Just hold that roof up while I bolt it down...!!"


The first bag complete. I didn't put the sticker on the bowser, as I might break it up. Between the Service Station and Town Plan, I've got enough bowsers!


The rear of the cab. I like the window in the back:


About another 25 mins, you end up with this:


The yellow bricks in the locker are wheel chocks. I'm going to ditch my chocks and replace them with some witches hats, like in the Tow Truck set. When offloading, a tanker always uses witches hats, but I never seen them use chocks:



The front of the trailer:


The rear of the trailer:


The completed set:


The truck by itself:


The other side:


The leftover bits:


3179 and 3180 together:


A busy day at the Service Station. There is a fuel delivery and a broken light to attend to:


Finally, a few shots showing the clearance through the Service Station. Luckily the truck has electric mirrors, otherwise it would have to back in!


Plenty of height clearance:


But a little squeezey around the trailer:



Overall, it's a great set. The truck and trailer build up nicely and is a breeze to assemble. It compliments the Service Station really well. The only issue I have with the kit is the ends to the trailer. The rear end is covered nicely with the access ladder, but the front misses out, leaving it exposed, warts and all. It's a shame a capping piece wasn't devised although it may have jacked up the price a little more for a unique piece that wouldn't be used much in other sets.

Other than that, this is a great addition to a City layout and is reccommended!!

It seems there are a heap of juniorized parts in the tanker section, but the cab looks nice. I especially like the red and yellow things under the window at the back of the cab, nice attention to detail. How does it go navigating corners?

Not sure yet, haven't had it on any road plates.

Made this up yesterday. Moved tank pivot pin back one hole. Still plenty of clearance when turning. Turned tank rear bumper/lights piece upside down so that ladder doesn't cover number plate and lights. Only three hatches on top of tank to match the three curved sections. (Hi octane, low octane and diesel).

I really enjoyed building mine, and although the tank is made of large parts, it looks better than brick built tanks so I'm happy with it.

AllanSmith wrote:Made this up yesterday. Moved tank pivot pin back one hole. Still plenty of clearance when turning. Turned tank rear bumper/lights piece upside down so that ladder doesn't cover number plate and lights. Only three hatches on top of tank to match the three curved sections. (Hi octane, low octane and diesel).

Cool! You'll have to share some pics!!

Great review marvin!

I'm considering getting this set, But if I get it I'll feel like I need the rest of the Airport line to go with it.

marvinblue wrote:Cool! You'll have to share some pics!!

Don't have pictures of the minor changes mentioned earlier. But do have pictures of major changes below.

I really like these mods that you've made Allan! It looks like some shorter tankers that I've seen about the place and the back is covered up nicely. Well done!!

I particularly like the hose and cabinette you've put on the back Allan.

I've just finished building mine this afternoon, only one modification was made being that I converted it to right hand drive like all of the other trucks I have built during the past twelve months.