6595 - Surf Shack

Rating:
Pros: It isn't a police, fire, or Octan station; 3 surfboards and sails
Cons: Kind of expensive; looks like it could be blown down in an 8 mph wind; no parrot
Contents: 88 pieces including 3 mini-figs
Price: Discontinued
Reviewed: 16-Jun-1998
Reviewed by: G. M.

Bill's Cafe & Surf Hut was never any big news. It was located on an out-of-the-way sand bar a few miles out past the sprawling metropolis of Orlego, FL. But when the British punk singer, Mollie "Fire Cat" (named because of her bright red hair), came down to Bill's little beach to avoid the press, the little shop earned its spot on the map.
Mollie said that she would preform a private concert for the residents who lived around the sandbar but on the night of the small concert, with a turnout of forty-two, a freak storm blew in with six foot waves. Mollie was pulled into the surging waters.
When she was finally rescued she growled to Bill something he couldn't quite hear but he did hear one word: lawsuit. How could a small cafe that makes just a little over ten dollars a day stand up to a world famous singer? Would Bill's be forced to join so many of the other Lego buildings and sell out to the Octan Corporation just to get a fraction of the amount of money Mollie would sue for?

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The Surf Shack is what the story above describes it as: an extremely small cafe and surf rental outlet. The storm part could also happen because the place is just held up with some puny supports and palm fronds. But even though these imperfections are present the Surf Shack is still a good little set (although it may not be worth the $11 dollars I paid for it.)

The main building is a little hut that has an area of 16x6 studs. It has no walls (unless you count the sails for the windsurfing equipment which are stretched over one gap.) The rest of it is held up by 1x1x5 and 1x2x5 columns. In between the columns is a red, white, and blue bar with two clear mugs and two soda fountains. To the right of the bar is a life-vest rack made out of a black ladder. I have only seen ladders in dark grey and brown before this one. The roof of the hut is a 2x16 plate and it supports four palm fronds, giving the place a tropical thatched-hut look. On top of the whole thing is a 4x3 brick with a sailboat decal.

In front of the bar is a small rack made from six 2x4 space blaster bricks that hold three surfboards: one red, one white, and one blue. Six 1x1 hooks stick out from the back and hold poles to support a sail if the three surfers choose to go windsurfing. That is about it with the building except for a one brick high wall that spans the entire length of the left side of the building and surf rack. This wall also connects the two yellow baseplates that come with the set.

The Surf Shack comes with three mini-figs: one wearing a black swimsuit and sunglasses, a man with a moustache, blue and white striped shirt with a blue baseball cap, and a woman with a red dress/swimsuit who has eyelashes, lipstick, and bright red hair.

This set is pretty good if you like the normal town sets and have a thing for small shops and cafes. It is also nice getting three surfboards and sails with the set but there is one thing that I think is missing from the set: a parrot. Almost all Lego town sets have parrots and I found it strange that this one did not, seeing that it is a beach with palm trees.
Oh well, I have at least eleven parrots so I can do without it.