60459 Airplane vs. Hospital Bed Race Car Pack LEGO Review - City, 2025

Even adults can do soapbox derby racing in LEGO City!

TL;DR:

• Original Price:  $9.99
• Pieces: 70
• Minifigure(s): Airplane soapbox race car driver, hospital bed soapbox race car driver
• Sticker Sheet: No
  
• Pros: Creative designs, useful minifig parts, easy-roll wheels
• Cons: Quick build

Assembly: 

Bag #1 - Airplane soapbox race car driver, airplane soapbox race car

Bag #2 - Hospital bed soapbox race car driver, hospital bed soapbox race car

 Leftover Pieces (the hospital bed driver comes with a head bandage as well as a plain white helmet)

• Interesting Techniques:
• Using an antenna stuck upside-down through the hole of the fence piece to hold a medicine bag is a simple but effective technique.

• Interesting Pieces:
• The 2x6x1 vehicle base and rubber-rimmed three-spoke tires, created specifically for the four soapbox race sets (three for purchase and one make-and-take). What's unusual is that they're designed for the axle part of the tan Technic pin to mount to the base, with the frictionless pin half being inserted in the wheels (usually it's the other way around, as most wheels that work with Technic pins have axles in their hubs). I'm curious to see what (if any) sets they get used for in the future, now that the soapbox derby sets have all been retired.

• Overall:  Given the nature of car racing, and the fact that each driver and car pair come with their own bag and set of instructions, I could see this being part of the Build Together approach, with each person building their own vehicle, and then racing them.

These little soapbox derby sets are all quite creative, and it's clear from the wide assortment of MOCs on Rebrickable that other builders have found them to be inspiring too. For such an inexpensive set, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the build process and the pieces. While the hospital bed driver is rather plain, the airplane driver's outfit is excellent. The airplane car is particularly nice, its biplane look and British green making it evocative of the classic Sopwith Camel, albeit in a miniature form. 

I would definitely recommend this set: you definitely feel like you're getting your money's worth (even if the builds are a little on the quick side), and the techniques are creative and enjoyable. Plus you get two cars with drivers to race around. I could see this being a great small gift (the box is a little too big to be a proper stocking stuffer) or travel set to keep young builders entertained.

Score (out of 5 🧱):

• Price: 🧱🧱🧱🧱🧱
• Process: 🧱🧱🧱🧱🧱
• Presentation: 🧱🧱🧱🧱🧱
• Play: 🧱🧱🧱🧱🧱
• Pieces: 🧱🧱🧱🧱🧱

• Total: 🧱🧱🧱🧱🧱

Lego Instructions: here