Picked up an Aquaraiders kit from Walmart when I saw they had them in, and since I enjoyed it so much, I had to do a review for it. Here goes…
The Box and Instructions:
Front of Box.
Here, you can see the front of the box. It’s very nice, and all the little details like bubbles and sea grass really add to the underwater feel. The back shows the whole kit in a different position, and since it’s such a small kit, smaller boxes showing all the features were not necessary.
Instructions.
The instructions are also very nice, and the color changing sea background is beautiful. As for color confusion, the pieces were fairly easy to tell apart in the instructions.
Score: 10/10. Very clear, and very well done. Really makes it feel like an underwater kit.
The Pieces:
Pieces.
Here’s all the pieces included. For 5 dollars, you get quite a lot of pieces (including an extra bushing), and a lot of them are very useful.
Interesting Pieces.
Interesting pieces include two Exo-Force robot arms in black (new color!), a new printed computer tile, 2 yellow curved slopes, 2 small black wing pieces, a printed yellow tail and a black fin, and my favorite, a trans-green seaweed piece! (Note that it is not flexible due to it being clear)
Acessories.
Accessories are a must, and this kit has a lot! A new brown treasure chest, a set of coins, two jewels, a skull, two snakes, two dark gray harpoons, a pair of flippers, and a helmet with a blue trident on it (the Aquaraider symbol, presumably). Love that the scuba mask is in trans blue! ;)
Score: 10/10. 75 pieces for $5 dollars, including many good parts and accessories make it an awesome parts pack!
The Minifigure:
Front of Minifigure
You get one minifigure (obviously). He’s very standard in the line, but the details on his torso and helmet are great.
Back of Minifigure.
Back view. Note that the blue plate is not included in this kit. X-D
Score: 9/10. Very nice, but I would have liked a new head. Oh well.
The Finished Model:
The whole deal.
There are three main elements in this kit: the rover vehicle, the rock, and the treasure chest.
Rock.
The rock is simple, but looks good. The plant being trans-green and not just green adds a modern spin on this line (when compared to the old Divers line).
Overall sub view.
Front view.
Tail view.
The sub is very cool. It also is not extremely futuristic or unrealistic, which is one of the things I love about this line. The propeller shafts are nice, and I love how the pilot’s equipment can be stored on the sides of the cockpit. It’s odd though that the instructions have him stand up, as he can not reach the control panel in that position.
The other stuff.
The treasure chest is, well, a treasure chest. But all the accessories fit into it fine, and we also have two sea snakes (eels?) to guard it!
Score: 9/10. Very nice sub-models, especially the sub! Looks very underwatery (is that even a word?), and a has a fair amount of detail. I just wish it looked more intense and scary like the other Aquaraiders models, but with just two sea snakes as monsters, that’s not very possible.
Playability:
This kit is essentially a mini adventure. You have a diver, vehicle, monster, and sub, which all adds up to a lot of play time for kids (and me, since I still do literally “play” with Lego’s). It will go even better with larger kits, no doubt, but alone it still is a lot of fun. ;-)
Score: 10/10. Three words: really, really fun! X-D
Final Score: 9.6. Superb!
This kit really brings out the true spirit of Lego: creativity and playability, plus a lot of great pieces and models. I highly recommend this kit to all Lego enthusiasts, and especially to parts monkeys and MOC’ers. Great job, TLC! ;-)
BTW, with all tha Aquaraiders topics and reviews being made, I think it's time for an offical theme index. Anybody agree?
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