LEGO City Wildlife Rescue Operation 60302 review! Elephants & monkeys & oh my!

An unsponsored, independent fan's review of the good & bad of the 2nd-largest set of the LEGO City 2021 Wildlife Rescue subtheme, with new elephants & monkeys.
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[@gbpackers5578]

Feels like the designer of this set has been taking notes from lots of Jangs previous set reviews…great seeing such a variety of vehicles, figures, animals and structures/land all in one set! Awesome review Jang!! 👍😎

[@AkinduDasanayake]

Since they started developing this set around 2 years ago, Jang's critiques from back then are probably being addressed now, glad to see it

[@EvanMoon]

Jang has weekly branches with the designers and they focus on his ideas more than the food

[@MayoHosko]

Come to Denver Aaron Rodgers

[@IVIuggle]

Getting strong Dino Attack vibes from that helicopter! Looks pretty good

[@legobrickabrac]

I'm getting strong militery covertion ideas with so much tan there.

[@artturisairinen3255]

The new alligator Loki piece would make a great addition to the crocodile family.

[@MandoStudios]

Definitely!

[@artturisairinen3255]

@JGreer17 True, they could've of course made the helmet with a Lego friends pin connection, so it's removable.

[@Lordodragonss]

It was clearly made for this set but then pushed into CMFs so people would buy it.

[@legobrickabrac]

I'm thinking swap out some Colures for tan or Gray and there would be a nice military set with chopper and missile truck. Put Gray backpacks on those tan minifigs and they will look good as soldier's.

[@dnsstudios22]

Haha

[@tygovisser5626]

At 11:37 the left figure has the exact same head and hair that comes in this years speed champion ferrari, he is possible both racecar driver and animal rescuer

[@legobrickabrac]

There only so many faces in the world, some are bound to be the same. Maby He is a long lost twin.

[@MaxiSkaTaxi]

Same with the supra!

[@fxpijsfxpijs6598]

This set is all about imaginative play, creativity and immersion. Gives you everything you need for your rescue operation in one box, plus a lot of terrain so you could see the animals in their natural habitat. I love it. Thanks for the review JANG, this is the one I was waiting for since the reveal!

[@dinomation]

I'm so glad lego finally did a wildlife theme and made a new elephant.

[@khululyp]

Couple of years ago they had an adventure theme that had the new cat figured which was a cool theme.

[@coraldiamond1922]

I think Lego often see that there’s demand for particular animals to be made and the elephant is one that has been often bought up in regards to what should be made again, alongside others like the goat which Lego have stated that they cannot make currently.

[@cyanimation1605]

not happy with the new elephant

[@MH-ms1dg]

@@cyanimation1605 yea, i think it could've been more detailed, especially compared to the dinosaurs

[@saddamnixonirony482]

The terrain and animals make a great Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom add on pack

[@MG-sy8pj]

Great review on a well designed play set. Yes, probably 4 children could successfully play with it at a time, but probably only one AFOL can play with it at time :b

[@arcturionblade1077]

Elephant mold would be great for war elephants (olyphants) if Lego ever returns to the Lord of the Rings theme.

[@artturisairinen3255]

Maybe they should be bigger for that.

[@Kuchenwurst]

This mold would only work in micro scale. Oliphants are huge! But that's not to say that some microscale lord of the rings stuff wouldn't be welcome. :D

[@cyanimation1605]

@@Kuchenwurst imagine helm's deep. Hey, maybe with Amazon's Maybe-Silmarillion will prompt them to make some sets based on that (though I'd prefer Lego not partner with them) or just renew the license for the New Line films as interest could spike

[@chickenfilmsd113]

I actually want to buy this set to use the elephants for that HHAHA

[@Kuchenwurst]

@@chickenfilmsd113 There's some microscale lord of the rings figures from a boardgame they once released. You might want to look into those! There's many relevant heroes and various Uruk-Hai. Be aware, though, that they're outrageously expensive.

[@leftygurl]

the ppp is less than ideal on the surface, but i think the play value is there, like in the scenario that a kid is playing with this on the floor all spread out, that’s a ton of stuff for imaginative play, it’s very good

[@kentslocum]

I love the term "crocagator"!

[@johnhammertron]

WOW! With all the praise you've heaped on this set it seems like the LEGO Group has been watching your reviews over the last few years. I like this one. I like the adventure themed sets they've made over the years like Jungle, underwater, Atlantis, Mining, Power Mining, Arctic, Volcano, Castle, Space, and many others. I'm sure the elephants and crocogators will end up in your zoo somewhere.

[@anishdatta7042]

It’s been a while since I’ve seen jang I’m so happy to still see you reviewing Lego I used to watch you all the time in 2013 thank you for so many memories

[@qrullgx13]

I think most of what are in this set is great. I specially like the build up background.

[@legobrickabrac]

First time I see this I thought Military convention. Swap out the red for tan or Gray, add a cupple backpacks to the tan figs and build a missile turret on the back of that truck.

[@hazelscully2874]

I used to get a lot of sets from 2004-2009 but kinda slowed down until the past 2 years, and seeing how far the animal builds have come is phenomenal. The animals used to have no articulation and no print and the ones I have are falling apart but these look amazing

[@yournutt]

great vid Jang! I love this theme and I'm glad we're getting spoiled with so many new animals lately, with the deep sea sets last year and this theme this year. I wish I had more space to build a zoo/aquarium but I guess for now I'll just have to settle for watching your zoo build! Keep it up

[@grootsyt]

Awesome, I've been waiting for this

[@veekleek7535]

Thank you for the review Jang :)

[@defenderprime8046]

Great play value in this set for sure, lots to do, despite the price, I think it's a hit, well done for this set, Lego!

[@kevina1084]

Thanks for the detailed review.

[@CarlosLopez-oc9nh]

Thank you for sharing, this reminds me an old series by Filmation: Lassie rescue rangers.

[@dynamosaurusimperious2718]

Awesome review on the Lego City 2021 Wildlife Rescue Operation set.

[@jonathancole2881]

I really enjoy this new sub theme, I like no love the animals LEGO makes, just something about them makes me happy, and the terrains and environment builds are great, cannot wait to get my hands on this set and the other ones as well, I already have the ten dollar one.

[@legobrickabrac]

I think it looks good and I can see some military Mocs or covertions with so much tan there. The truck could swap out the wheels to tan or Gray and put a anti air rocket turret on the back. Could swap out the red on the chopper for Gray and that can be a military chopper.

[@_M_-_H_]

Nice pfp

[@legobrickabrac]

@@_M_-_H_ 😀

[@TheRichrocker]

I gave this to my five-year-old nephew as a birthday present today and built it with him. He is already a quite accomplished LEGO builder for his age and absolutely loved the building process and the many options for imaginative play scenarios, which already came to him while building this thing. I concur with Jang here: The play value on this thing is really decent. Just compare it to any 90 $/€ Star Wars set. You would not get two nice vehicles, a building, terrain, creatures and figures there!

[@leannebear8842]

This set is finally on clearance and I’ve bought it, and can’t help loving the unintended references to a wonderful classic comedy movie from South Africa called “the God’s must be Crazy”. Have you seen it? It’s hilarious. The hero scientist becomes a bumbling ( and very funny) fool in the presence of a lady, and even when he is talking about her, paces up and down in his research tent (like this one here) banging his head repeatedly on a hanging lantern. His post-doctoral research is on elephant health, but he accidentally tells the heroine that he collects dung for a living. And the old jeep… oh dear…. I can see myself installing a lantern, turning the tractor into a tempestuous jeep, and the boulders into steaming piles of… never mind. Love it!

[@thrillhouse4151]

I come from the _fuuuuuture_ of two years and just ordered a used one for over half off! Pretty excited as that’s about how much the old Adventurer’s elephant costs. My niece kept calling her Duplo elephant a baby then that made me look up the baby elephant and fortune struck.

[@leroy1154]

2:45 That's not a Crocogator, that's an Allodile!

[@AldenG]

Really like this set. The vehicles look very paramilitary.

[@carlosa7598]

I need some animals for my little zoo/safari😄 Glad Lego r making more molded animals✌️

[@migatron1]

Those plates have really added a lot to Lego builds, imo

[@trijetz3562]

They have; while the prices are a lot more now, the possibilities are now endless for children that can actually make a LEGO City.

[@Jack_Rockies5]

I bought this set on lego and I'm really excited for it because I'm a 15 year old and I still love the helicopters and trucks I'm going to use this as a military style set

[@MisterCasket]

It's 70 euros on the Dutch Amazon, around 65 on the German! For those interested who live in these parts. Edit: liked this clear review video, Jang👍

[@marcusjnorger3089]

Love this set

[@shemphoward666]

this set makes me kinda hopeful for the future of lego

[@trijetz3562]

I'm a helicopter fan, so I'd get this set for the helicopter; especially because it is larger than most of the ones LEGO has made.

[@SHADOSTRYKR]

I like this theme and hope it replaces the Police theme stuff since it's the same vehicles

[@kentslocum]

I want more dark tan and dark azure road plates!

[@AM.I.INACOMA]

Jang, that is without question an Alidile…so obvious 😆

[@planetdee3587]

That helicopter is beautiful.

[@saltytroopa6578]

It's pretty-jang purrfect~

[@zacharypugh4730]

Mother elephant, baby elephant, crocodile. I wonder if this is a reference to "The Elephant's Child" by Rudyard Kipling.

[@WOLKsite]

Way more interesting and fun way to do the actuator imo - make it one of the tree's roots.

[@DZstudios.]

I am going to Expand my LEGO ZOO

[@BrickstagePass]

love the elephants

[@andiebrodie3936]

Jang has successfully returned to monke!

[@themonkeyhand]

Sorry Jang, that flat space is needed on the elephants. Perfect place to mount some missile launchers. Those monkeys are so cute! Helicopter is such a waste of pieces. More animals!!!! Oh maybe this is actually a helicopter set!?!?! Now that I see it, yeah mostly the chopper for piece count.

[@cowmoosh]

The tan helicopter cockpit piece will be good for custom military builds

[@legobuildert909]

True ❤

[@justjustice8968]

I am now waiting for the 60307 Wildlife Rescue Camp set ($100). It Will be interesting to compare, I have to buy one of these sets

[@deskfanman1561]

Yo jang cool review but are you going to review the creator castle

[@luisemoralesfalcon4716]

Nice.

[@SuperSecretBricks]

This helicopter is definitely not a military vehicle, we know this because it has a sticker on it that says "rescue"

[@undead.rising]

That ATV is the funkiest looking thing I have ever seen. It also looks like it would topple over with the slightest bump.

[@frostedbutts4340]

There are some pretty large ATVs out there, and yeah rollovers can be very dangerous

[@mxes5938]

I wanna see that baby elephant in some Hannibal siege micro scale MOCs

[@ThatJaymsWisdom]

I'm pleasantly surprised by the price of this. I'd have expected it to be more. Especially given the UK price (which is the one I'm interested in)

[@amafangames]

Finally more animals in LEGO sets!

[@lechugo6617]

Good set

[@cheezy_breezy5899]

Did you know when I went to the Lego store I saw these and asked about the elephants and why there tusks are different and the small ones belong to the female and the male has the longer ones so you have to buy both large sets to get them same with the lions the white lion is in one set but the white baby is in another as well with the tan lions :))

[@thevectorcave3616]

Not to bad value, a lot of big pieces and animals 👍. I would rather have one less crate and instead have something for the winch to pick up animals and stuff 😊. Great set.

[@I-will-steal-your-knees]

Am I the only one who thinks the face on the third minifigure shown looks perfect for Jang’s sigfig?

[@arthurstrebel4424]

Duplo animals are round and look great these days! ;-)

[@NotHareemRoblox-content]

IAM getting this set tommrow

[@petersimpson8775]

Just picked this up for £41 which I reckon is a bargain, now tempted to get some of the other sets from this sub-theme

[@josefnitervol6415]

beautiful looking set

[@inkomi2142]

I still like the old elephant molds more, yeah their eyes are technic holes, but that can be filled with techic pins and printed eyes, and those had back legs that could be articulated. I don't like this new trend of big animals that can only move their heads, it works for the smaller ones but it takes away from the play when I want to imagine them walking and they just feel like a big brick going up and down...

[@petkorachev3694]

Lego are getting lazy with that for shure

[@legobrickabrac]

They have simplified due to the younger target audience.

[@legobrickabrac]

@@petkorachev3694 less small parts and less braking.

[@petkorachev3694]

@@legobrickabrac Duplo is suposed to be for the younger audience...

[@inkomi2142]

@@legobrickabrac But kids can move legs too!

[@jezaillebrett1897]

İ like this set

[@nicholaslewis862]

I like the new elephant, but wish that it had more articulation, at least in the ears. I don't remember off hand whether the old Johnny Thunder elephant had some. I agree with you that this new elephant feels like a Duplo set. It's a real shame. Aside from that, the set is a great playset for kids. Nice pieces, too.

[@legobrickabrac]

I think as there sets target younger people it's probably better.

[@Gameprojordan]

The old Johnny thunder elephants ears couldn't move. Although the tail was a seperate piece that you could position in different ways, the head could also go up and down but you couldn't tilt the head side to side like the new one. The old trunk was two pieces so there was a bit more articulation in it than the new elephants 1 piece trunk

[@Wowpow64]

cool set but I don't think the elephant and the rode plates justify the price. Good job as always Jang🙂

[@ToxicAtom]

"That's tan"

[@danieldawson-smith2780]

i've always preferred the rubber treads over the plastic ones- no bothering to add cheater-wheels

[@frostedbutts4340]

I feel the plastic ones look better but play worse

[@strawberrana]

set good

[@Ttothet]

Hi Jang, great interview with J2G btw... I wanted to ask you, would you say this set is better as a set than the Wildlife Rescue Camp? They seem similar... But one is a little more in price... I try not to think about price too much, but I can't gather why there's a bit of a difference between them....

[@dkres82]

Out of the 2 bigger sets which is better in your opinion?

[@shadowminor]

I want the old monkies back!!!!

[@therealnuggetball]

I think the old crocodator mold lookd nore like a croc and the new one morr like a Aligator

[@ArchOfWinter]

Still like the fully articulated yee olde monkey from the olde System era more.

[@zarda1484]

I don't love the set but its a lot of good parts and gets it done.

[@ivannoneyah7888]

Crocigator works but so does allidile

[@jommysalami227]

Kinda want this set just for the elephant to put with the fairgrounds

[@frostedbutts4340]

Might be cheaper just to buy it seperate from Bricklink etc

[@dgray3771]

In the Netherlands this set is on discount 53€.

[@batmandalorian5504]

it's got a Crocigator Propigator

[@SpaceMonkeyBoi]

I like the old monkey more, better articulation

[@dalek4463]

I looked at this set and said to myself “I could militarise this”

[@SaturnCanuck]

Nice. Man I was I was 10

[@petkorachev3694]

please review the biggest set next , i have been waiting for your review for months... and take your time with it, we all don`t mind longer reviews ;)

[@ggoblin284]

I think this is the largest set of the wave but not the most expensive

[@jackthevoice7288]

In this set it’s a crocodil cause it’s in Africa but in the city police set it’s an alligator cause it’s in the Everglades

[@strangehermitman7898]

I feel like the rounded plates in modern sets with terrain is unneeded. I feel like simple rectangular plates are better as they provide more surface area even if they are less visually appealing alone.

[@bbcraz1226]

Compare this to general grevious star fighter...and it's only a $10 difference

[@jacobtamisari8570]

jang, did you just say that the designers very accurately depicted an elephant's bottom?

[@JANGsLEGOreviews]

Uhhh, yeah pretty much 🥴

[@legobrickabrac]

@@JANGsLEGOreviews ha

[@TheAnimatorOfOpallyon]

Minute 8:01 that's tan !

[@user-ht1uq6lz6g]

Cute!😢/

[@cyanimation1605]

I'd love to be a fly on the wall in the boardroom meeting where they decided to make objectively worse versions of elephants and monkeys

[@frostedbutts4340]

Easy. They were only allowed so many moulds for a certain range, especially ones that will rarely be used. The Adventurers elephant is like 10 unique pieces, this is 4. If they wanted to do that again they'd have to cut some of the other new animals.

[@rc-fannl7364]

When is Lego going to revert to transparant stickers again, so there are no longer these mismatches between sticker background color and actual part color? The solution seems so simple...

[@CoolGuy74.ViralVirginia]

Transparent stickers make dust and air bubbles much more visible which can ruin the look of some builds up close

[@rc-fannl7364]

@@CoolGuy74.ViralVirginia perhaps, but a color mismatch looks bad too, even though you don't see any dust or air bubbles. Although dust tends to show as well, as a raised part in the sticker surface.

[@CoolGuy74.ViralVirginia]

@@rc-fannl7364 it honestly depends on the color, sometimes it’s not really noticeable and in this case it was very noticeable

[@rc-fannl7364]

@@CoolGuy74.ViralVirginia same with the new camper van. It makes the stickers look like some homebrew product, imho.

[@jacobtamisari8570]

does the large new mold affect the price somewhat? ie: because it's a new mold that they've constructed for this set, does lego try to regain some expenditure by bumping up the price of the initial uses of the mold? or is it literally just 'big animal = more mullah' ?

[@JANGsLEGOreviews]

It's more the latter. They make tons of new molds every year, it's just a regular price of doing business. They amortize them and spread the costs out just like they do with licensing fees. Individual set prices are based more on what they calculate they can successfully charge. That said, there are some things that do genuinely cost a lot more than average to manufacture, and big figs & large animals with joints are among those.

[@petkorachev3694]

Lego just want more money, so thay will charge you as much as they think they can get away with. Constructing a new mold is expensive but it should come from the investment budget of the company and it should not effect the price of the end product that much

[@jacobtamisari8570]

@@JANGsLEGOreviews thanks for the insight, that's really interesting to know..... and thanks for all the great quality reviews and content.

[@legobrickabrac]

@@jacobtamisari8570 I think it's also to do with the production cost in special assembly machinery and molds. It's not just new molds it's the machine that has to assemble the animal or big fig, each one has to have its own specialized machines to assemble them. That costs alot more then just making new molds.

[@legobrickabrac]

@@JANGsLEGOreviews I'd say the assembling machine that has to be specially built for every separate new animal or big fig is a big factor in production cost.

[@Animaniac-vd5st]

I like the flat-sides design of the elephant. Not only is it constistent with many other animals, it also allows for war-elephant armor MOCs parallel to my war-mammoths :)

[@ClawsAndTeeth]

My one complaint is that the bull elephant and the baby elephant aren't in the same set. I suppose thematically it makes sense, but still...

[@frostedbutts4340]

Yeah gotta spend a lot to get the whole family

[@ClawsAndTeeth]

@@frostedbutts4340 Yeah, almost $200. No biggie...

[@Mike__B]

$90 for the piece count seems a bit hard to swallow, even if some are larger pieces, it's not like there are that many large pieces.

[@Gameprojordan]

On bricklink that elephant figure goes for about $18 USD brand new, the baby elephant goes for about 5-6$ USD brand new. Not cheap considering overall those 2 figures make up only 5 pieces in the entire set (elephant is made up of the body, trunk, and 2 tusks, baby elephant is 1 piece)

[@supersamsquared8055]

I wish the elephants were brick-built

[@supersamsquared8055]

But I understand because single molds rather than many bricks keeps costs down, and the target audience is younger builders

[@bernielopez7429]

I don't understand why this includes recolored road plates at all, surely regular plates would work just as well in this particular application and be significantly cheaper?

[@ianbrickbod]

Lego designers talked about wanting the road plates to add rigidity to a set, just using plates connected with other plates over the seams would lead to this falling apart if you moved it. Road plates make it a little sturdier. These kind of sets are designed to be played with on carpet which again needs the sturdy road plates. Obviously you could use a double layer of plates but lego try to avoid having large plates pressed together, especially in sets aimed at younger kids as seperating them can be difficult.