Weekly Set Review: Smuggler's Hayride

[architect]

Join the weekly Classic Castle set review discussion. Please post your opinions on the set play ability, piece selection, design, etc. Which sets stand up to our catapult of critique and which ones crumble in shame!

This week’s set is 1974 Smuggler’s Hayride.

Smuggler’s Hayride, part of a three set bonus pack, was released in 1989. This hay cart comes with a peasant, a forestman, a hidden treasure chest under hay, a pitchfork and other accessories.

[stuifzand]

ok, so I never was aware of this set. When I saw it on the frontpage I was surprised in a good way. I would really love to have this set...
The cart, well those fence pieces seem a bit weird, but the set has a pitchfork

[David Girard]

1974 Smugler Hayride ! Haaaaaaaaaa !

Splendid, splendid ! What can I say more. The peasant is my favorite minifig for since I seen and bought this set back in 1989. And he have the great and legendary pitchfork...

All is so well done in this set. They made a very reaslistic hayride. There is a small error, however, the 1x2 brick on the horse back should has been blue and not black. That's the only thing that isn't ok. But the rest is so well done that it hide this small error.

9.9 out of 10. Almost perfect !

Please Lego don't forget these great creations !

[architect]

ok, so I never was aware of this set. When I saw it on the frontpage I was surprised in a good way. I would really love to have this set...

Hi stuifzand,

This was an set only in America, and maybe Canada. It came with a town helicopter and a space hovercraft.
http://guide.lugnet.com/set/1974

I agree that the fence pieces look strange. Maybe they are slightly out of scale, or the wheels are too small.

Overall, this is a great small set with wonderful figures. It is one of my favorite carts.

Ben

[LEGOFREAK]

I loved this set when I got it way back when - It was the only way for me to get the single pitchfork I own. It was also the only way for me to get a hood at the time. For the longest time that was the only hood I had (until the wolfpack of course) so that peasant became at various times a headsman, a ninja, and a wizard. I think he was very rarely a peasant.

[rogue27]

I got this set back in the day and I still have it. The fence parts fall off easily. That would be my only real complaint with this set. Conceptually, I love the idea of a guy smuggling treasure under bales of hay.

The peasant, hood, and pitchfork all give this set some "rare parts" appeal too. The Forestmen figure put this on my "must buy" list immediately.

Great cart, but I would not give it a perfect score because of how easily the fences come off.

[David Girard]

You are true. The fence fall easily. I forgot to talk about this. So I have to revise my note.

But, I don't think It look strange and out of scale.

9.5 out of 10.

[Jojo]

Hello!


Like stuifzand I never knew this set existed until the day when I discovered www.BrickSet.com . So this means I'm not able to reminisce about it.

However, it's a nice little cart with a truly civilian theme: It's the one time that we see a Legoland peasant at work. ...even if he combines his work with some smuggling for his outlaw friends in the Sherwood Forest. Long live King Richard!

The cart is unique in its design. Though I agree that the fences on the hinges are quite slack.


Bye
Jojo

[Dragon Master]

I never owned this set. Again, made before my birth
I don't know if I have the right to comment.

But if I do, the set really looks fun. I wish I had it. I could have much fun with it. There are many play possibilietes from the small amount of pieces.

Great set,

Dragon Master

[wlister]

This was a nice little set, the cart was a little rickety, but it had some appeal. The Peasant, Pitchfork and of course the Forestman made it more than worth it back then. I enjoyed having at when it came out, a nice little set. 8/10

Will

[JoshWedin]

Fun little set. The last forestmen set I needed. I got it off Ebay last year. I agree that the fences pieces fall off easily. One thing I never really understood was why they made it with a green whip. As far as I know, all the other carts came with black whips or nothing. Any thoughts on this?

Josh

[Jojo]

Hello!

One thing I never really understood was why they made it with a green whip. As far as I know, all the other carts came with black whips or nothing. Any thoughts on this?

I think this has been the very first cart that had a whip at all. At that time those whips were only produced for for Forestmen camouflages, so they just came in green. 1974 is a US-only (or maybe North America only) set, so they just produced few of them. Possibly they didn't want to produce a special black whip for just one little set that came in a small, limited edition?


Bye
Jojo

[JoshWedin]

I think this has been the very first cart that had a whip at all. At that time those whips were only produced for for Forestmen camouflages, so they just came in green. 1974 is a US-only (or maybe North America only) set, so they just produced few of them. Possibly they didn't want to produce a special black whip for just one little set that came in a small, limited edition?

Hey Jojo,

Thanks for the info. That would make sense. Now I have to do some research on which carts came with whips and when they were released.

Josh

[jeff_o_rama]

I never owned this set. However, looking at it now, the sides of the cart (made from fences) do not seem out of scale at all. Hay wagons usually are very tall.

-Jeff

[Formendacil]

Ignoring the fact that, like so many great sets of yore, I have never seen this set in person, I think it is a marvellous little fellow...

A very much non-military set. Just a peasant, haycart, and someone sneaking along in the hay. I like the cart, and think it looks fairly good. And with both a black cowl and a black plume set, this comes with some rather nice- rare- pieces.

Parts: 7.5/10
Playability: 8.5/10
Figs/Accessories: 9/10
Design (then): 7/10
Design (now): 8/10
Nostalgia: 7.5/10

Overall Score: 7.92/10