Oh boy was I happy to see a new vehicle on display when I visited the Lego store. I purchased it right away but then put it aside due to time and "life" happening. After months of collecting dust, I finally had the time to enjoy making this beautiful London Bus.
Let me first say the build was fun and not tedious. Details are wonderful and small features of the bus is a definite plus, such as the ticket box, fire extinguisher to name a few. Size of the vehicle was perfect and proportionate to previous Creator Expert vehicles. This definitely was a beautiful addition to my collection.
Build time took about 5 hours while I was watching some TV, so I was not 100% focused which is why it took a bit longer. The build is divided into 4 groups with bags numbered from 1~4. I've added some pictures for each group finishes, along with the extra left over pieces that Lego always includes. Whole process was very straight forward and enjoyed every bit of it.
Full disclosure, I'm pretty OCD when it comes to attention to details. Instructions #64~#66, there is 2 pieces that require dark grey 2x2 but one of the 2x2 turned out to be lighter color that matched color of #65 piece, but in the picture it clearly was not. Definitely not a deal breaker but just sayin' :) Also, there were a lot of stickers so take your time, especially the adverts on the side of the bus. I did mess it up (because I was watching TV) and had to peel it off and put it back on correctly. I wish they were printed on the pieces like the "NASA Apollo Saturn V", or include an extra sheet? :) One last thing was that the roof was dull plastic and not shiny, which kind of made me think this is non-Lego like (cheap look).
With that out of the way, I did take out a star for this, however, it is a great set and a must have for all Lego fans! For my next build, I'm planning on getting the James Bond Aston Martin DB5.
