8964 Titanium Command Rig Review

[vtoskala]

Hello everyone, I'm vtoskala, and today I'm going to bring you a review of the 8964 Titanium Command Rig from the Power Miners theme.

Measurements:

As it is the largest set in the Power Miners' theme to date, it isn't cheap at 129.99 CAN and only 706 pieces. The piece/price ratio is about 15 cents a piece. However, if you don't mind the price or the sad truths, what the rig lacks in pieces for the price it makes up for with a nice, clean design and extreme detail, groundbreaking features and exciting bonuses, all wrapped up in a sickly orange/lime green package. The rig is huge... over 40cm long, and when extended into a drill tower (more on that later) it's almost half a meter tall. It's about a ruler wide with the giant black wheels. No doubt, you'll need a large display area to show off this sucker. The giant rock monster, Tremorox, is 6 cm tall. With the throwing arm up and loaded, it's actually about 10 cm tall. Nothing about this set is small other than the minifigures.

Figures:

Three of the four Power Miners are included- Brains, Duke and Doc. Brains is an extremely well detailed figure, serving as a scientist on the rig. His pants are printed the same as the other miners, though his torso is unique and double-sided. He shares the same helmet type with Doc- a blue helm with a dark-clear visor. His insignia on the back of his shirt is a test tube. Duke is also well detailed, although he matches Doc exactly other than his helmet and insignia. His helmet has goggles rather than a visor, meant to suit the visor pattern on his face (likely due to the smoke and dust). His insignia is a drill, as he operates most of the machinery. The last figure included, Doc, is the leader and therefore has a star insignia on his back. His helmet is the same as Brains'.

All three figures are well detailed and also feature double-sided heads, showing their scared faces. This is done well, as the helmets fully cover the back of the head. The blue suits are very attracting to the eye, against the grey and lime and orange of the rig. On top of the minifigures, a Glaciator is included, although no blue crystals come with the set. Like any other Power Miners monster, he is very small but still an attractive figure. He can "swallow" crystals if you open his mouth (which opens very similar to a garbage can). The detail on the monster is superb- with grey stone patterning covering the icy body, it really looks like part of the earth.

But enough talk about minifigures and rock monsters. You're looking here to find out about the new Rock-Throwing monsters, aren't you?

Meet Tremorox, UFC heavyweight and Anderson Silva's worst nightmare. Weighing in at half a pound and made entirely of plastic, his gigantic muscles and shovel hands are sure to be a crowd favourite. Some call him the BURP, others call him cheesy.

Whatever you call him, he's freaking awesome. As the evil monster in this set, he plays the part well. His arms both move on click joints, and with the shovel shape of his hands, he can carry bricks; providing his arms are up. The transparent red that makes up his legs, teeth and back spikes make him a very attractive and interesting model, with lots of rock/muscular detail. As the Castle Troll equivilant, what really makes him stand out is his throwing feature. However, there's a slight problem. The hands are well designed, but they can have trouble holding the 2x2 cylinder brick included due to the size. It can rest comfortably inside his palms, but if you move the beast while he's holding the rock, it will most likely slide out. I've almost lost it three times over the last 2 days, just by getting a better aim. When you can get it right, however, throwing is a blast. Using the lever on the back, you can throw the arm forward (and launch the rock) to wreck the vehicle or knock over a few figs. While it takes some time getting used to, you can eventually comfortably aim and fire, getting direct hits every time. My best advice is to pull the arm back far, so that it arcs to hit its target.

He has trouble standing up on carpet, however. On flat surfaces he's perfect, but on carpets, it may take some patience to be able to set him up on his own. Due to his small feet and giant arms and head, balance can be hard to achieve. If you put him on a small plate, he's fine, and I find it improves accuracy with the throwing arm. Having two of these could be fun, as you could challenge your friend to a shooting contest.

The final detail about Tremorox worth mentioning are the 12 studs on the hump of his back. This could be good for MOCing, as you could really make him into anything- a steed, a chariot puller, a walking throne, or you could add in some more rocky detail. Adding these studs was a great idea. The crystals they put on his back (the back spikes I mentioned earlier) look great already, but I'm sure modding Tremorox is a possibility.

The Model:

So the figures are great and both Rock Monsters are perfection. How to describe the Titanium Command Rig?

The Titanium Drilling Rig is gigantic. Made with many beams, technic parts and large plates, the base of this model you start out building grows bigger and bigger with Bag 1. The wheels are huge, all eight of them big enough to crush Power Miners and regular Rock Monsters alike. The planetary drill on the front is larger-than-life as well, and is made up of three parts (although only the first two rotate). The drill rotates as the rig rolls, although if rolling backwards, the rig will often get caught on its gears and skip. When upright, the rolling gears no longer work, however, a turning gear is still left on the tower which can be rotated to power the drill. The drilling features in general work very well. Also part of the set is a giant crane, which can carry very heavy loads, such as Tremorox. The detailing on this set, from the fire canisters around the front to the cabin is huge, and fun to build. Everything about this set is larger than life.

As well, this is definitely the most practical model I've ever built. With many special features, most of which are powered by gears and technic beams, it's difficult to get bored with the set. With the planetary drill, working crane, back winch, tower feature, crane prop, net launcher, dynamite shooter, rolling wheels, mini labratory and docking station, there's enough in this set alone to keep you busy for hours. It's the kind of set that would be fun in a sand box. Every single one of these features works perfectly, save the net launcher and dynamite shooter, which are somewhat inaccurate but still fire very easily. There are loads of accessories- a pickaxe, shovel, jackhammer, oxygen mask, buzzsaw, banana and radio. The tower/drill feature (which could easily have ruined the model) is flawless and easy to use. The stickers (a smaller sheet, thank god) are well placed and although unneccesary really make the model look good. The set has a cool steam/industrial sort of look to it, although it's lime and green.

While many people disliked the lime green and orange colouring on the Power Miners vehicles, it really looks amazing on this model. If it were in a really boring colour, like white, then the model would be difficult to appreciate. The outrageous colour scheme is actually one of the best parts of this model, it makes it look very attractive and fun to look at.

Finally, the model has lots of room for extra figures. Although most of the figures in the line are included in this set, there is still Rex to collect to finish the team. As well, if you're not picky, you could always just put anyone on who you want from the smaller sets. I'm planning on buying the Crystal King to give the giant drill of the rig a true foe to face, as this gives me Rex and an extra, unnamed miner. The set lacks extra smaller vehicles, and as there are only three figures, many of the features and tools are never used as Doc is always using the crane, Duke is always in the command center, and Brains is always down in the lab. This is an excellent centrepiece for your collection, and with a few extra figures, you can really put the rig to its full potential.

Conclusion:

Design: 8/10

Durability: 7/10

Figures: 10/10

Features: 10/10

Unique Parts: 10/10

Accessories: 9/10

Compatability: 10/10

"WOW" factor: 10/10

Size: Very Large

The set is slightly expensive, and with news of vehicle 9 and a Power Miners base coming out, you may be tempted to buy another set. Don't be. This is one of the most ingenious and unique building experiences you will ever have, and as well, it is a long build. It took me 3 hours and 45 minutes to complete the rig. I have a hunch that this will be another sleeper hit, another set just forgotten about, but sleeper or not, it's still a hit. If you're bored of the same build over and over, the same uninspired City Car or the same duplicate Bionicle, than this set will be like a mad science experiment to you. It's a breath of fresh air. A masterpiece. A work of art. A true beauty.

Beauty at a cost.

EDIT: NEED HELP WITH PICTURES. BRICKSHELF ACCOUNT IS vtoskala. ALSO NEED HELP RESIZING PICS!

http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?m=vtoskala

Edited July 3, 2009 by vtoskala

[just2good]

Great review!

I like this set, but I most likely won't get it.

BTW, can you please release the folder to the public?

Edited July 3, 2009 by just2good

[ILikePi]

BTW, can you please release the folder to the public?

He can't; the moderators at Brickshelf decide when to publicize the folder.

Here is a tutorial on how to deeplink images:

http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=18451

[UsernameMDM]

Tremorox looks pretty sweet. Could you do a comparison with the old Rock Raiders monster and/or large castle troll?

[vtoskala]

I am sorry but I don't have the troll or the original rock monster. I've also never seen either of them in real life. However, judging by the pictures, the rock monster is shorter but broader than the troll, and at around the same size as the original monster. It has a much larger head however, and its arms look bulkier. It can also be posed, unlike the original.

[UsernameMDM]

It can also be posed, unlike the original.

You can move the right arm and that's about it. I use mine as rock elementals for my dwarves. Would like to get the new big rock monsters for the same.