Review: LEGO Vintage Taxi (40532)!

When it comes to GWP (gift with purchase) I’m a sucker for them and usually base my spending around there release. The latest freebie, the LEGO Vintage Taxi (40532), surprised most fans as it avoided leaks and blurry images and was revealed by LEGO shortly before it became available, a whole three weeks after the LEGO Boutique Hotel (10297) set that it should have obviously been accompanied with!

Thankfully after a swift message to LEGO support I received one in the post and I couldn’t be happier or more grateful.

As always with these smaller sets I like to build them live via our Instagram account (@thebrickpost), which usually is a couple of times a week. To be notified of us going live and of course the latest news, reviews, and more, please follow us.

Now, lets get into the review of this classic but cool Vintage Taxi!

The Box & Contents:

The box itself is relatively small and the contents fills the insides almost to breaking point, when taking photos for this review I had to pop the bags back into the box and it was definitely a tight fit and had to go in a certain way so the box wouldn’t bulge. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing as it means LEGO are somewhat conscious about wastage and the environment.

Being such a small set there aren’t numbers on the bags but there are three of them in total and an instruction manual, which again is nice and small, perfect to slip into the box.

After the bags have been opened, the set built, and photos taken, lets review it!

The Build:

You start of by constructing a portion of the pavement (sidewalk) which all sits upon 4×8 Tan plate. Covering the plate in matching dark grey tiles it will happily sit next to other LEGO Modulars, although it is a smidgen higher I don’t think that necessarily matters much.

It features a very simple signpost that resembles the colours of a traditional Taxi, yellow and orange, its a great addition to the base and gives it that extra little something. Alongside that is a green rubbish bin, inside you’ll find one of the relatively new ‘poop‘ pieces, officially known as a Swirl, I can only guess that this particular bin is for Dog waste!

Cracking on with the Vintage Taxi itself you start off by utilising the moulded base and building upon that, as indeed how most other LEGO vehicles are started. Adding a slice of yellow here and a dash of black there, the Car soon begins to take shape and before you know it you’ve got some really beautiful flowing curves that run along each side of the Taxi.

Whilst building. The set you obviously see what goes into its construction and the hidden details you may not see or even find from just looking at it.

Under the bonnet you’ll find a very basic motor, using a 2×2 moulded engine element, it’s a very nice touch and one that LEGO didn’t really to include but glad they did. The other is the somewhat hidden boot/trunk inside the Taxi itself, located just behind the passenger seat. The included suitcase fits perfectly in this space and happily rests in place secured by the use of a 1×2 yellow cheese slope.

Focusing on the front of the Taxi you’ll see a handful of 1×1 clear studs that represent the headlights and such, you’ll also see the very impressive grille piece that is again moulded and not build-built, which is fine as this element isn’t seen to often and does fit the look and feel of the era the Car is from. The curves that run along each side are again seen at the front and add to the whole aesthetic.

Whilst building this live via our Instagram account we were asked a few times if two Minifigures could fit inside at once, and I’m happy to report that yes two Minifigures can indeed fit inside, it is a Taxi after all!

Speaking of Minifigures, there is one included, let’s take a look him below.

The Minifigure:

Including a Minifigure in these GWP sets is always a nice touch and one we’ve come to appreciate, as not only are most exclusive, or at least exclusive combinations of parts, to the set and pull in collectors, but they’re an important part of the whole play experience

From building the character, standing him at the Taxi rank, hailing a Cab, popping him inside and driving off, it’s great fun even for a thirty-something AFOL (Adult Fan of LEGO) like me!

During the Instagram live stream our viewers gave him a name, Steve, which I think suits him do to the ground.

I must say that this Minifigure is exclusive to the set, but as i mentioned above it’s only the combination that is unique as the printed torso and other parts have all been seen and used before in many other sets. This doesn’t detract at all from the wonderful design work LEGO have done on the Head and torso parts as that is top notch as always and done to their high standards.

The inclusion of the flat cap is very nice and just adds to the characters look, along with the suitcase, that of course has a donut inside.

The Conclusion:

Overall the LEGO Vintage Taxi (40532) GWP set is great and well worth getting, although the spend limit needed is, in my opinion, way to steep and so makes the decision to grab a very difficult decision to make.

Take the amount needed out of the equation and it’s totally worth it and a joy to build and display, it sits perfectly alongside the LEGO Boutique Hotel (10297) and rightfully so, its from the same are after all!

The Minifigure, Steve, looks cool in his padded brown jacket and flat cap and is technically exclusive to the set.

Having a portion of the pavement is a nice bonus although it does stand a little proud of the LEGO Modu baseplates. Maybe a MOC could remedy this and somehow build the Taxi rank into the Boutique Hotels walkway?

We highly recommend grabbing this soon as it will leave stores around the 13th February, or whilst stocks last, but only if you intend to make a substantial purchase that is.

Thank you for reading through our review of the LEGO Vintage Taxi (40532) set, we hope you e joyed it as much as we did.

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Link to our Instagram Live Stream: https://www.instagram.com/tv/CZfQfBNAxu4/

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