I love this set it may even be in my top 5 sets. i love how the turbine works and powers the lights on the bottom. i love how there are no printed elements in this set, i also like how the greenery was made from plants. However, if you have the set in front of you some people would say it is overpriced, as it has less the 900 parts. However, the price is so expensive because of the power functions used. So i don't think it is that overpriced only by £10 or $15.

When the first version of this set came out in 2008 as set number 4999, it was almost unheard of and had very limited availability. It was entirely absent on the LEGO site in North America so the only means I found it was through Brickset. As a result, when it was re-released in November 2018, I was pretty ecstatic despite its somewhat questionable price tag.

As the energy sector is practically the driving force of a better part of the world's economy, LEGO saw fit to release a set which would serve as a catalyst in promoting sustainability in their practice. They developed a new type of plastic sourced from plants last year and released prototypes in the inaugural set 40320 Plants from Plants. As part of their agenda, what better way to show that they mean business by re-releasing the wind turbine, which is possibly the best example of an alternative energy source?

The instructions manual is usually of little relevance other than its intended purpose, but in this case the first 18 pages are devoted to providing information about sustainably within The LEGO Group and some statistics on wind power and Vestas turbines specifically. There are also tidbits of interesting facts scattered throughout the instructions.

The bags aren't numbered and aside from size in general, the parts aren't grouped together in any particular way. At first glance I thought building such a set was going to be straightforward, especially after building modulars for several years now. However, the techniques used to build the turbine are pretty elaborate and I was pretty impressed overall with how the Power Functions included in this set was integrated. Unfortunately, I had some difficulty managing the wires. Placing the battery box probably took me a cool 45 minutes because I had no idea how the instructions magically tucked the wires out of harm's way. Luckily all that wire crimping and twisting did not affect the integrity of the electronics.

Three minifigures are included: 2 Vestas workers and a female civilian, who is accompanied by her pet dog. A Vestas van is included and comes complete with an equipment holder loaded with tools and a couple of gas tanks. The van has rails where you can slide the equipment holder through to keep it in place during transport. Four of the tools, one of which includes a weird cross-shaped tool which I have no idea what the name is, are too large to fit in the equipment rack. You can just throw them all in the back of the van with the rest of the equipment. The van is entirely white except for the Vestas logo on the sides. The van is reminiscent of the vehicle style first adopted in the mid 2000's.

The design of the cottage is one I haven't seen in a long time; it is simple yet appealing. Its style was popularized in the 80's, but the concept of open-backed buildings lasted for more than 30 years thereafter. Inside the cottage are a stove with pan, sink, lamp with cabinet, and a single bed. On the front is a tiled area with a table and chairs. Picket fences close off the property. By today's standards, the design may be considered insufficient by some, but if you grew up with something such as this the value is in the nostalgia. This is no doubt a vast change in scenery from modulars.

Behind the cottage is a hill which is built up of so called "Big Ugly Rock Pieces", or BURPs. Part of the building challenge was fully securing these gargantuan pieces on to the baseplate, which are very effective in providing contours and detail for the hill. Various trees, flowers, and a park bench provide additional detail.The wind turbine is mounted under the hill using a technic brick frame mounted laterally on brackets which are connected on to the baseplate by 20 studs. This system is presumably sturdier than the original mounting which simply consisted of four 2x2 plates with centre pins, amounting to a 16 stud attachment to the baseplate. The back of the hill is open which makes sense where the battery box is for easier access, but they could've covered up elsewhere. The red columns and extremely obvious 1x3 yellow bricks out back are very striking elements which probably could've been better off green, but this is something I'm OK with.

The wind turbine is extremely tall which I believe makes this set the tallest LEGO set ever in terms of vertical height. The blades produce a circle 72 cm in diameter while the height of the mast is 67 cm, so a little bit of math reveals a maximum height of 1.03 m. The wires run up the inside of the mast, through the hole in the turntable, and to the motor, all of which are concealed behind Vestas panelling. The turbine can rotate 270° but a technic pin at the bottom prevents full rotation so the wires can remain untangled.

The Power Functions used in this set include an ordinary size motor, two extension cables, lights, and a battery box. This system was introduced in 2006 and if you look carefully at the copyright engravings on the components you can see that such is the case. It may be surprising to see that a semi-obsolete system is used instead of the more modern technology which remotes in from apps and phones, but part of sustainability is reusing old components, so LEGO is remaining true to its word on that front (if you look at packaging on modern sets some bags date back to more than 10 years ago). The battery box, which demands 6 AA batteries, is turned on using a technic beam, and a black 1x2 plate with slide acts as a stopper so when you turn off the Power Functions you won't accidently flip the direction of the wind turbine, which by default rotates clockwise as seen from the front. The lights serve as the entrance lights to the cottage and can be turned on separately from the wind turbine so long as you disconnect the motor. This, and 4999 by extension, are the only non-technic sets to include Power Functions lights. The turbine rotates quite well at a reasonable pace but due to rotary inertia the mast will inevitably shake a little.

All the Vestas parts are printed, including the torsos of the workers. The box advertises that the large trees are made of the new type of plastic, but I'm not entirely sure if all the other plant components are as well. Since this is a set released in 2008, there are no special parts or colours which we have grown accustomed to today, but parts such as jumper plates, flower stems, and even the dog have been modernized. Aside from a few minor details, the re-release is more or less identical to the original. At $250 CAD, I thought the price was quite steep for 800-something pieces. However, if you account for Power Functions, branding, and promotions, I guess the amount adds up at the end. Overall this is a remarkable set and a truly wonderful addition to any city.

I have to say this is probably the largest lego set I've ever seen, not by number of parts but by the dimensions of the assembled model.

This set has no numbered packets, so you have to unpack all parts before assembly. I actually didn't mind, as the numbered packets makes building sets just too easy and takes some of the thrill of searching for the appropriate part away. It becomes more like a jigsaw puzzle this way.

They included a motor and lights, so the windmill is motorized, but I Think they missed a great opportunity with the lighting. I changed the model a bit during the build, I didn't put them on the small house, but lit up the marker lights on top of the windmill instead.

Another small complaint I have is that the gearbox for the windmill is extremely noisy, some of the build solutions prevent the gears from running smoothly and so it is rattling away like crazy when turned on. Being motorized is a neat feature but should've been done with more care.

On a positive note there are no stickers, all markings are factory applied. I don't know why can't we have that for all sets.

I'm not a fan of the prefab pieces they used for the building and the mound. They all could've been easily done with regular bricks. I understand using those for the windmill due to the sheer size of it, but the small house only needs a dozen or so bricks to replace the prefabs.

Overall I recommend this set because it looks great and it's sheer presence makes it really substantial.