Review: 60420 Yellow Construction Excavator from LEGO® City

60420 Yellow Construction Excavator is the smaller of the two construction-themed LEGO® City sets that were released in June 2024.

An obvious companion piece to 60409 Yellow Mobile Construction Crane which I recently reviewed, there are a number of recolours, prints and minifigure parts shared between both sets. Even so, the Excavator is a fine model in its own right, boasting its own selection of unique and interesting parts. Let's take a look.

Products in this article were gifted by The LEGO Group; the author's opinions are their own.
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60420 Yellow Construction Excavator

• Price: US$54.99/ £49.99/ 54.99€/ AU$79.99
• Pieces: 633
• Release date: 1 June 2024

LEGO City 60420 Yellow Construction Excavator on LEGO.com

 

The parts

Technic, Axle and Pin Connector Hub with 3L Axle (LEGO part 5713)

The only new mould is Technic Pin Connector Hub with 3L Axle in Light Bluish Gray (6484902 | 5713). Surprisingly, it's currently exclusive to this set.  

All four included get paired with a Technic axle and pin connector with extension (53586, 65443) to form the various pistons on the excavator's arm. It's likely be a common paring, applicable whenever moving things need more friction – mech legs and arms are a prime possibility.

Its anatomy is similar to the existing 1L axle Technic pin connector hub (22961) but with an extra two modules of axle. It's a generic part so it will surely appear in LEGO Technic sets in no time at all. When it does, it'll have friends:

Taking a look at it's larger family tree, we find LEGO Technic connectors like part 10197 with 2 perpendicular axles and 27940 with 2 axles on opposite sides. The 1 x 16 Technic link (2637) also shares a lot of its design DNA, even though its axle is capped with connectors at both ends, tragically. 

Seeing as we're down the LEGO Technic rabbit hole already, let's take a brief moment to celebrate the fact the 1x16 link does have a friend in part 32172. Known to Bionicle, Slizer and Throwbot fans, the discontinued Pin Connector Block 3x3x1 from 1999 houses a ball socket with some odd, half-axle recesses that permit this funky pair-up.

Detour over. Back to the new kid on the block for a final comparison: 

5713 arguably has even greater kinship with one of the three parts that comprise a standard shock absorber (76138, 89953). It doesn't get out much, so it's a little shy – highly sprung in fact!

Recolours

Starting with black, these three elements are currently exclusive to the LEGO City construction sub-theme:

• 2 x Windscreen 5 x 4 x 1 1/3 (6468137 | 18972, 35300) – found in 1 other set, 60401 Construction Steamroller 
• 1 x Wheel Arch, Mudguard 10 x 4 x 2/3 (6491822 | 3166) – exclusive
• 5 x Bracket 2 x 4 - 1 x 4 (6491823 | 5175) – exclusive

Bright Light Orange next. This first batch appear in 1 other set:

• 1 x Slope Curved 8 x 2 No Studs (6491846 | 42918) – exclusive
• 2 x Technic Brick 1 x 2 [1 Pin Hole] (6186081 | 3700) – 1 other set, 40628 Miles "Tails"
• 2 x 1 x 2 Tile with Stud Notch - Left and Right (6510125 & 6510139 | 5091 & 5092) – 1 other set, 60409 Yellow Mobile Construction Crane

More Bright Light Orange parts, most returning after several years' hiatus:

• 3 x Slope Curved 4 x 4 x 2/3 Triple Curved with 2 Studs (6178466 | 45677) – 5 other sets, last seen in 2018, and now also in 60409 Yellow Mobile Construction Crane
• 2 x Panel 1 x 3 x 1 (6385484 | 23950) – 3 other sets 
• 2 x Tile 2 x 6 (6422094 | 69729) – 4 other sets
• 13 x Tile Special 2 x 2 Inverted (6132853 | 11203) – found in 2 other sets from June 2024, its only other appearance was 41179 Queen Dragon's Rescue from 2016

Now back to some rarer recolours, with these scarcely seen parts in Dark Bluish Gray:

• 1 x Technic Digger Bucket 4 x 7 (6325981 | 24120) – 1 other set, 42121 Heavy-Duty Excavator from 2021
• 1 x Grille with 1 x 2 Plate, Racers Car (4246898 | 50949) – also in 60409 Yellow Mobile Construction Crane
• 1 x Tile Round 1 x 2 Half Circle (6510078 | 1748) – 2 other sets, 76427 Buckbeak and 71818 Tournament Battle Arena

Colourless colours next:

• 1 x Windscreen 3 x 4 x 3 in Transparent/ Trans-Clear (6491972 | 84954, 35193) – 2 other sets, 60409 Yellow Mobile Construction Crane and 76286 The Milano 
• 4 x Bracket 3 x 2 x 1 1/3 with Bottom Stud Holder in White (6491605 | 73562) – 1 other set, 71820 Ninja Team Combo Vehicle

Also check out our LEGO Milano review by Kev!

Finally, a trio of remaining odds and ends:

• 4 x Brick Round 1 x 1 x 1 1/3 Quarter Dome in Medium Stone Grey/ Light Bluish Gray (6395504 | 1871) – 4 other sets
• 2 x Slope Curved 2 x 1 No Studs [1/2 Bow] in Transparent Red/ Trans-Red (6508252 | 3593) – 3 other sets
• 1 x Beam 1 x 2 with Ball Joint Holes in Ball in Dark Green/ Green (6462446 | 67697) – 2 other sets, 60409 Yellow Mobile Construction Crane and 71426 Piranha Plant

Prints

More danger stripe print options? Minifigures have never been safer! 

• 1 x Tile 2 x 4 with Blueprint of Ice-cream Parlour print in Bright Blue/ Blue (6480745) – exclusive
• 2 x Tile 1 x 6 with Red Danger Stripes print in White (6480739) – also in 60435 Tow Truck and Sports Car Repair
• 8 x Tile 1 x 1 with Red Danger Stripes print in White (6493199) plus 1 spare – also in 60409 Yellow Mobile Construction Crane and 60440 Yellow Delivery Truck

The off-centre print registration on most of these tiles is unfortunate. Hopefully it's not a common issue because they're lovely decorations otherwise.

Minifigures and side builds

Two figures each sport a new Reddish Orange torso (6492292) and (6492300) as well as one set of printed legs (6480747). These were also seen in the construction crane. Like the one in that set, this boss has also foregone a high-vis jacket but is sensibly keeping themself the right side of the safety barriers.

Also note the aforementioned 1x1 light gray quarter-domes (1871), generously included as part of the scoopable rubble pile.

The build

Smart SNOT combinations and satisfying subassemblies are dotted throughout the build. The boom arm has the best of both, with two points of interest:

Firstly, the method used to set the angle of the boom is pretty neat. The 1x3 rounded plate (77850) continues to prove its worth.

The second is another instance of a recent element flexing its metaphorical muscles. All five of the included 2x4 - 1x4 brackets (5175) secure the Technic pivot points and the centre joint firmly, in one fell swoop.

The completed model

The LEGO City Yellow Construction Excavator definitely looks the part, with excellent colour blocking all over. Highlights include the black trim on the boom and the interface between various 45° elements on the turret.

Its functions work well too: 

• The boom isn't remote-operated but the actions are smooth, with a realistic range of motion. 
• The treads roll impressively, without the cheater wheels present on other sets. 
• Some downward pressure is required when turning the turret to prevent the whole thing sliding. It's a bit of a hindrance for easy 'scoop-rotate-dump' play but the friction is useful for drive mode.

With just a couple of anti-stud surfaces, the non-display side looks good too. The pivot point at base of the boom arm could be called unsightly. However, from a distance it simply reads as an appropriately mechanical detail. Speaking of which...

Recent LEGO City vehicles tend to have an emphasis on what makes them tick. The excavator follows suit with a removable engine. Which, considering it's just a few parts, looks surprisingly authentic. The only thing missing is a basic tool or two so the minifigures can do more than stare hopelessly at the imaginary fault.

Tiles, slopes and thoughtful colour choices are everywhere, with noticeable effort taken to close gaps and smooth surfaces. A minor exception is the boom arm joint (above top left) but the cables effectively disguise the gap. The colour match to the bright light orange plastic on the stickers is pretty good too - although it seems the quality varies from region to region, which is unfortunate. 

Closing thoughts

At its retail price of US$54.99/ £49.99/ 54.99€/ AU$79.99, it's not the greatest deal but it's far from being terribly overpriced. The finished model is more substantial than it appears in images, and most of its functions work smoothly.

All that and it comes with a scoopful of new and interesting parts!

LEGO City 60420 Yellow Construction Excavator on LEGO.com

  

READ MORE: 76923 Lamborghini Lambo V12 Vision GT from LEGO® Speed Champions

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