5591 - Mach II Red Bird Rig

Rating:
Pros: The overall look and detail make this a great set for any collector.
Cons: A Lego mini-figure can't fit in the jet (a very minor complaint).
Contents: 1166 pieces
Price: Discontinued
Reviewed: 07-Apr-1998
Reviewed by: Mark Bauer

After a long thought of whether or not I should buy a model team set, I finally decided to and picked up the Mach II Red Bird Rig. All in all I am very pleased with the Model Team category as a whole and this set really shows off what the best features of the theme.
The set is simply built in three sections: 1) The Giant Truck, 2) A back area that can attatch/detatch from the Giant Truck, 3)The plane.

First is the front part (the truck). This is the coolest part of the set in my opinion. It consists of many things found on an actual truck like side mirrors, windshield wipers, very cool looking motor and lots more. There are some cool functions in the front section as well. One thing you can do is pull the hood down to reveal the motor which looks really cool. You can also make the front wheels turn by turning the nob that is located on the top. The doors also swing open. This section will probably end up being your favorite of all three.

The next section is the trailer which can hook onto the back of the truck. This section is very basic, and as I said is a trailer and nothing more. The section is built nicely because you can pull out two long 2 by 12 pieces to create a nifty little ramp for the jet plane to pull onto. Another function that is worth mentioning is the two poles that can support the trailer in the front without the support of the truck.

The third and final part of this giant set is the jet plane which is very cool looking. It has a cockpit, a back storage area, and some very cool and realistic looking engines on the bottom of the wings. This section is the smallest but looks the best on top of a dresser.

Now you may think that you could get away with out any cons, but your wrong. I have only one very minor complaint to this set. If you take a Lego mini-figure and try to place him in the cockpit of the jet he won't fit. I'm guessing that the model is not for Lego mini-figures to use.
An interesting element I found in this set was a pre-printed piece that has a bunch of panels and radars on it. This piece is used in the cockpit of the jet and I have only seen it available in this set. Other than that, most of the pieces are nothing special although I did notice a lot of 1x1 round pieces.

There is also an alternative model which is basically a jeep, trailer, and a dragster but I found the main model to be more fun to build and display. You might give the alternate model a try if you end up purchasing this set (which is almost impossible since it's discontinued). If you do find this set somewhere I highly recommend picking it up, you won't be disappointed.

I was surprised and pleased with the detail and function which this set provides and am now hoping to purchase another Model Team set sometime in the future.