Why Power Miners is better than Rock Raiders

[Zarkan]

I know, I know, some of you probably think I'm crazy. And back during the last few months of 2008, I would have believed the same thing. When the first clear pictures of Power Miners came out, they were almost unanimously panned (or highly criticized and disliked, if you don’t know what that means). People were simply dumbstruck at how wacky the color scheme was, and they were also worried about the seemingly heavy juniorization and other potential problems. I was among those who were upset – as I have been for years, I was cautiously optimistic that the original blurry photo’s did not do true justice to the kits, and I was shocked when the clear photos made the sets look worse instead of better! (the exact opposite of what happened with the Agents theme)

But now, nearly two thirds of a year has passed, and surprisingly, my opinion of the line has turned around completely. In fact, having bought both Rock Raiders and Power Miners sets, I can conclude that in my opinion, the latter, newer theme is better than the former! Now, I know this will seem like blasphemy to some people, but remember that I was once opposed to the theme as well. This complete 180 of my opinion about Power Miners has been a very gradual process, and there are still some things I don’t like. But, there are a variety of elements to the line that I do feel are superior to Rock Raiders, and I will go into detail about them in this topic.

Reason #1: Power Miners is less <insert that tiresome argument> than Rock Raiders

Just to be edgy, I started off with the reason that may seem the most crazy of them all. After all, when we first saw clear pictures of Power Miners, one of the first things that came to people’s minds after the initial shock at the color scheme was “bleah, specialized parts!” Giant drills, huge wheel pieces, big plastic sides – it seemed like the theme was heavily focused on playability and had in the process sacrificed the building aspect on a giant altar dedicated to the false gods of Juniorization and POOPs (or, Pieces of Only One Purpose). However, what some may not have realized at the time was that they were harboring a complaint that also applied to Rock Raiders!

Yes, in reality, Rock Raiders was in fact one of the forerunners in the juniorzation era, taking it to levels that had never been reached before. Although the kit designs were appealing asthetically, they relied on huge pieces like the infamous one piece vehicle chassis and the giant cockpits. Even the smaller vehicles like the Hover Scout and Rapid Rider also were built upon big pre-fabricated bases, and there really wasn’t much substance to their designs. Even though Rock Raiders wasn’t nearly as bad as some of the abominations that would come after it (coughjackstonecough), it unfortunately was filled with designs that were in many cases simplistic compared to what had come before, which may have been one of the reasons why it only lasted one year.

Now, of course, I still haven’t proved my point – because even knowning that Rock Raiders is <insert that tiresome argument>, can one actually show that Power Miners is not as well? In a word, yes, or at least I feel that way. Looking over the various kits in TLC’s current future-mining line, it’s actually not hard to see the difference between it and Rock Raiders. Gone are the giant two piece cockpits and one piece bases of the latter, replaced with designs made out of smaller and far more useable parts. Even the bigger molds introduced in the line have more MOCing possibilities than the ones exclusive to Rock Raiders – the big drill pieces have already been engineered to look equally good as wheels, for example, and the roll cages are certainly more versatile than the Rock Raider cockpit.

Yes, it may seem crazy at first, but I’m strongly convinced that Power Miner is less <insert that tiresome argument> than Rock Raiders, and in fact is far better in the building aspect than the latter theme. If you don’t agree with me, that’s absolutely fine, but I also hope you’ve actually bought and built some of the sets like I have (or have at least read some of the online instruction manuals). On the surface, Power Miners may seem simplistic, but the models are more complex than you may think.

Reason #2: Power Miners has more variety than Rock Raiders

Similar to the first reason, my second point is that, in my honest opinion, Power Miners simply feels more imaginative than Rock Raiders ever did. Now, note that this is not relating to the storyline factor (which Rock Raiders always excelled in compared to other lego lines), but to the actual set designs. And, when you compare the two lines, they couldn’t be more different.

Looking at Rock Raiders, the first thing that pops out at me is how similar they all look. The Granite Grinder, the Loader Dozer, the Chrome Crusher, the Tunnel Transport – all of them feel like they were created at the same time with not much thought given to individuality. The big reason for this is that they all use the exact same cockpit pieces and share other pieces like the bases, wheels, and drills. It’s not that there isn’t differences between them, it’s just that they don’t feel very creative in comparison to the wide variety found in previous Sci-Fi themes.

Then, in contrast, I look at Power Miners, and I see such a huge amount of creativity. All the sets are unique and share little in common design wise. Sure, many of them use some of the same pieces, but they incorporate them in different ways (the new drill parts, for example, are used not only as drills but as wheels, components in the saw on the Crystal Sweeper, etc.). Also, while the Rock Raiders vehicles share the same basic theme, the Power Miners designs each have a unique theme of their own, whether being based on a classic tool (jackhammer, drill, saw, pickaxe, etc), while others are built around a function or playability factor (the folding up tower in the Titanium Command Rig, the crystal processing feature in the Underground Mining Station, etc.). It just feels like the Power Miners designers really had fun seeing how many different ideas they could think of that would both fit the theme and give the theme variety – a feeling that I don’t get from Rock Raiders.

Of course, I’m sure people can think of logical arguments against this claim, but I just don’t think I’ll ever truly get over how creative Power Miners seems to me, and I don’t know if I’ll ever attribute the same characteristic to TLC’s first mining theme.

Reason #3: Power Miners has better Rock Monsters than Rock Raiders

Another factor that, while not as major in my opinion as the first two, is still important is that of the two mining theme’s “villain” - the ever ferocious and loveable Rock Monsters. Okay, maybe not loveable, but you’ve got to admit that Sulfirix, Meltrox, Boulderax, and the rest of the gang are rather cute, as rocks go.

And that’s another reason why Power Miners triumphs over Rock Raiders in my view. Because, seriously, when you look at the latter theme’s rock monsters, you really can’t even compare them to the current iteration. Ugly, single colored, and having practically no poseability or functions, they really have no character at all in my view. Also, they were seriously underexposed in the line, and they lacked the variety that they could have had. The official game and books released alongside the Rock Raiders kit has not only monsters made of rock, but also ice and lava. This was always a big disappointment to me as a kid – why couldn’t have TLC made those monsters as well, by simply casting the rock monster mold in more colors?

In contrast, the Power Miners rock monsters not only have character, but also variety. In the first wave, we got a total of five different mini rock monsters, each with a unique color and a surprising amount of poseability. Moving arms, opening mouths – stuff like this would have been amazing in the Rock Raiders line! In the second wave, we also got two new giant rock monsters that were essentially better versions of the ones in Rock Raiders, adding color, printing, and better poseability to the basic formula. In just one year, TLC has managed to fix all the problems of the original Rock Monsters, and has also given them far more prominence in the line. They don’t just appear in the largest two sets, but in EVERY set! How cool is that?

Reason #4: Power Miners has more detail than Rock Raiders

One of the things that I’ve never liked about older kits is that, no matter how good the designs were, they just don’t have the level of detail that many of the more recent kits have. Things like greebling and complex cockpits just weren’t seen as much as they are now, although this only applies to certain themes. And in my opinion, Power Miners is one of those themes.

Just looking at some of the kits like the Crystal Sweeper and Thunder Driller, it’s easy to see how much more detailed they are than the Rock Raiders kits. Things like smokestacks, big headlamps, chains, mudguards, and multi-piece engines grace almost every kit, and the cockpits in some cases are much more detailed as well (the Thunder Driller, for example, has not only joysticks and a control panel, but also cool details like a furnace, control levers, and even a storage box with dynamite in it). It’s stuff like this that make the building process more enjoyable and that make the finished models seem more alive, which is something that I wished I had seen in the Rock Raiders line.

Reason #5: Power Miners has better functions than Rock Raiders

And finally, my biggest reason for liking Power Miners better than TLC’s first mining theme. Simply put, Power Miner’s play functions are simply miles better than Rock Raiders. This is something that I think will be harder for anyone to argue against than all my other reasons combined, because there’s simply no escaping how much effort the Power Miners designers put into making their kits alive and enjoyable. A perfect example is the new Granite Grinder – it is honestly one of the best small sets I have ever bought, simply because it has a surprisingly complex gear-driven function in the form of a jackhammer that moves back and forth as you drive it across the floor. The functions only get better as you go onto bigger kits - counter-rotating drills, spinning saws that collect crystals, a transforming vehicle that turns into a giant tower – it’s amazing at how well thought out these play features are. Even some of the more disliked additions like the dynamite launchers and net launchers add playability to the kits – at least for the kids, anyway. And that’s what TLC is all about, isn’t it – making sets that will attract kid with the promise of lots of playability. I don’t doubt that some kids from 1999 would have given a lot to have spinning drills on the first Granite Grinder and the Chrome Crusher – but instead all they got was a lightup laser and walking legs and magnets that had already been seen in kits from years ago. Power Miners, on the other hand, is filled to the brim with interesting and original play features, and I suspect that those will be some of the biggest reasons kids will be asking their parents to buy them kits from the theme.

Okay, so you may disagree with me on some of this, you may be opposed to everything I’ve said, or you may wholeheartedly agree with me, but whatever the case, I think we can all agree that Power Miners has merit. The color scheme may be a bit gaudy, a few of the sets may be poorly designed, but there’s still a lot of good things about the line as well. You may still like Rock Raiders better, but I’m simply saying that we shouldn’t automatically view the old mining line as the superior theme. Because, when it all comes down, Power Miners is yet another example at how first impressions are not the final say on whether a line is good or not.

Edited August 10, 2009 by Grevious

[Luke McAwesome]

I've always thought PM was better than RR, and this makes my opinion proved even more.

Power Miners are cool, especially the lime. (Can you say life-size green apple?)

Rock Raiders was cool, too, but PM is cooler, for one reason, because they're waaaay more heavy-duty.

Thanks for posting this in-depth "essay", Grevious!

[Patriot720]

You bring up many interesting yet controversial points in this article. I too, thought power miners was going to be an Orange and Green nightmare when we saw the preliminary pics. But after getting my Hands on some of the lines' sets, My opinion changed dramatically. And come to think of it, you're right about rock raiders being more <insert that tiresome argument>. I have some of those brown cockpit pieces lying around in a bin somewhere that hasn't been touched in years

Thank you so much grevious, for providing the community with such an in depth report of the "PM" vs "RR".

Edited August 10, 2009 by Patriot720

[Tom Bricks]

I in fact believe that you have converted me. Those are some good points that you bring up in a very well done article.

[Bfahome]

Reason #6: The colors aren't nearly as sickly

There have been a lot of complaints about the seemingly hideous colors on the Power Miners vehicles, with little complaint about the Rock Raider color schemes. I don't get this. On the Power Miners' vehicles, the main colors are pretty much lime green, orange, and the grey/black/white monochromatic elements that can be expected. In the Rock Raiders sets, there were teal, yellow, brown, grey, black, and chrome. From my point of view, lime and orange don't look half as horrible as teal and brown.

[prateek]

Great essay! I agree on every point touched on this essay I liked PM better than RR from the beginning and you just enforced my opinion

[UsernameMDM]

I wholeheartedly agree. Plus I prefer lime green over teal any day. Haha.

[doctordark]

I agree even though power miners are lime green the sets look good next to each other.

[Eilif]

Great Article. You make a great case, and one that I mostly agree with. I still prefer the minifigs, color schemes and slightly steam-punk'ish vibe of Rock Raiders, but after acquiring 4 of the first run of Power miners sets, I have to say that I'm sold on the PM set designs being far superior. Also, even though I'm not thrilled with lime green, it has been shown pretty conclusively that it is a very realistic color for underground construction and mining vehicles. There are a few "dud" sets in the line, but overall, LEGO seems to have designed a very well designed and cohesive theme.

[Dannylonglegs]

yoooo sicken me

JK I like both in different ways

I don't usualy comare the 2

[saberwing]

I think you're right.

Power miners is way better than rock raiders.

[Batbrick]

Very good points made. I agree Power Miners is a better theme overall than Rock Raiders, but I still prefer the latter's minifigs, and theme in general just because I love the concept more. That quasi-steampunk, slightly Journey-to-the-Center-of-the-Earth feel is what I loved about ock Raiders, and that feeling of childhood glee that I got form the recent Castle line and Rock Raiders so many years ago isnt their ith Power Miners for me.

To the Brickmobile!

[Lordofdragonss]

I have just two points why Rock Raiders where better than Power Miners:

- More Rocky Colorsheme (i like Orange-lime too, but I think dirty colors like brown and gray are better for underground theme

- Boulder pieces with crystals in it- That was fun to break them to uncover crystals!

[Fluyt]

I think they are about equal. They both have some good and bad points, like colourscheme-wise, I think RR is more "realistic", as in: more earth-like tones, more what you would expect, but I like the appeal of the lime/orange better.

And the rock monsters of the power miners are hideous as well (maybe even worse than the RR ones).

[muffinman42]

i really like the idea of the lime and orange, there under ground so they should be in bright colours, i can just see the dark RR vehicles crushing people because there practily invisible in the dark underground world.

so the PM vehicles are actually more realistic in colour.

[The Green Brick Giant]

I don't hate lime green, actually it's one of my favorite LEGO colors, however EVERY set is ONLY lime green, there needed to be more colors involved to bring the full sets out.

Power Miners is a much better theme, but also much different than Rock Raiders. LEGO took the time to make sure the sets look really nice and it's very well thought out. My only complains are some of the sets seem really small, and I wish there was more colors. The two different rock monsters are both very nice and the moving drill pieces is just perfect.

All that said I like the idea of Rock Raisers more, I like the futuristic underground mining idea, it was different and it was fun. However it was horribly executed. I had a lot of the sets because like I said the theme was a great idea. 4970 comes to mind for what made the theme a failure... juniorization! The whole bottom is one piece and then the 4 wheels, then the cockpit is two more pieces, then the sides are 2 more pieces and the dumpster thing in the back. The light is really nice, more so because you can change the batteries, but as a whole it's just a few huge pieces slapped together. There are even 1x2x2 pieces, what was the point of those? Two 1x2 didn't work? I do like the RR colors more through because it feels like futuristic and old fashion at the same time. Plus the small amount of teal was really a nice touch. I also like the big rock boulders.

Ill give Rock Raiders major credit for having a female figure, that was really nice to theme.

Edited August 18, 2009 by The Green Brick Giant

[Nuju Metru]

I gotta say I agree with you... That small article you wrote pretty much summed up what I would've said, as well as brought up other advantages I hadn't thought of. Nice job!

-Nuju Metru

[The Green Brick Giant]

I'm glad, Aquazone and Rock Raiders were favorite themes of mine besides City. I had all the small sets for each one, and have high standards of things that fallow. I'm also a huge fan of Divers and the new Aqua Raiders, and can't wait to see what Atlantis brings, but so far I'm not thrilled with it, I feel it will have the same mistakes as Power Miners does now.

LEGO really needs to either make futuristic underground subs and miners, or modern day, they seem to want to mix them. While I'm complaining more women LEGO!!! :)

Edited August 19, 2009 by The Green Brick Giant

[Svelte]

Thanks for this very enjoyable and well-argued overview of the two themes, Grevious.

I was well into my dark ages when Rock Raiders came out, so I don't have any nostalgia for that line. Before Power Miners was even announced, I never understood RRs popularity - the line seemed both <insert that tiresome argument> and ugly, and you're right about the appalling colour scheme I am not a huge Power Miners fan, but I do like the rock monsters and great-looking figs

Thanks again for this great little essay

[ziljin]

I like the minifigs, and the lime green, while for the theme is great. But to me it gives off more of a contruction type feel. Or advanced aliens with neon colored tech. I am more of a fan of earthy colored and medieval to modern type tech. But I will buy more. Since I intend on making alieny type mocs later on.

[JimBee]

Excellent article, Grevious. You've definitely convinced me that PM is better than RR, and you even made me want to go out and buy every single set (I don't have any yet). When the prelim pics came out, I was completely disgusted with color scheme, but later, I realized that it was something new, and that the set designs were great. Plus, orange and lime green were some of the rarest colors until PM, so that's another reason to be thankful. I agree with you that the rock monsters are better than their older counterparts. While I still like he older version, it pales in comparison to the new, and now that I look at it, the design was pretty amateur. The grounded arm was connected to the back legs, there was only one movable part, and it didn't have a place for minifigs to sit on (only two pairs of studs, versus four grouped studs).

Thanks once again for this article .

[Whittleberry]

This is a great analysis of the two themes. Yes, I like PM better despite having no sets from either themes, but RR had some pretty nice pieces. Printed parts, chrome drill pieces, and the uncommon colour that is Teal.

[muffinman42]

thinking about it i only buy the sets for the helmets and rock monsters, and the lime green and orange.

[Zarkan]

Thanks for all the replies everyone! Actually, I'm rather suprised that this many people shared the same opinion I do about the two themes, as I previously had thought that Rock Raiders was more popular around here. Either I was confusing this site with BZPower, which has a small but strong Rock Raiders following in the Lego general discussion subforu, or I was just plain wrong.

Oh, and for those who have yet to purchase any sets but are interested, I highly reccomend that you start out with the Granite Grinder, Claw Digger, and maybe the Thunder Driller. Those are among the best and most detailed in the first wave, and they aren't nearly as expensive as the Crystal Sweeper, which I sadly may never purchase due to it's high price. It's unfortunately probably the most overpriced kit in the line - which is a shame, because it might also be the very best.

[Bfahome]

Oh, and for those who have yet to purchase any sets but are interested, I highly reccomend that you start out with the Granite Grinder, Claw Digger, and maybe the Thunder Driller.

I also suggest this, though the Stone Chopper is also good for upping your Rock Monster/Miner/crystal count.