12 replies to this topic

[ZO6]

Deep below the ocean surface, two sharks roam free - one made of flesh, the other of plastic.  The Deep Sea Predator is on a mission to find the all-important crystals hidden along the ocean floor.  Will he succeed?  Join as we go deep sea exploring with this exciting shark submarine!

Set # - 6155
Name - Deep Sea Predator
Theme/Subtheme - Aquazone/Aquasharks
Year - 1995
Piece Count - 99
Minifigures - 1
Price - MSRP $22 US

Brickset, Peeron, Bricklink, Brickshelf


Instructions

The front of the instruction manual displays all the contents of the set against a nice deep sea background:



The back of the instructions has another nice scene depicting the lone Aquashark minifig collecting one of the crystals.  Hopefully he is allies with the nearby shark.  The yellow corner could be cut off and used towards a subscription to the LEGO magazine:



Here we have a random page from the manual.  There are no piece call-outs, so you'll have to pay close attention to each step to spot which new parts are added.  Colour differentiation is perfect:



Pieces

These are all the pieces included in the set.  There is a wide variety of pieces, mainly in black and blue, and also some trans-orange:



The set includes a handful of wonderful printed pieces.  The trans-orange shark cockpit has always been a favorite of mine.  The second windscreen is black and non-transparent, and features some interesting blue and red printing.  The Aquashark logo can be seen located on the tail fin.  The blue computer with aquazone pattern is exclusive to only a few sets within the subtheme.  There is a yellow version of the computer that can be found in a few of the Aquanaut sets:



Here are some other pieces of interest that are prominently used in this subtheme, and well as the Aquazone theme in general.  Laid out here are some plant life, propeller and housing, pieces for making flexible arms, crystal container, crystal, and chrome plated harpoons and knives:



Minifigure

Included in the set is one Aquashark minifig.  The front of his torso features the Aquashark subtheme logo print.  There is no printing at the rear.  Overall, he is not as flashy looking as most figs in other underwater themes, but he suits this subtheme perfectly:



Here he is with all of his gear on.  At the back are two clips that can be used for attaching harpoons or knives to.  He certainly looks like he is ready for action:



Also included is a classic gray shark.  His jaws can open and close:



The Build

First up on the agenda is the container for holding crystals.  Located on top is a magnet for added play.  More on this feature later:



Construction on the shark sub can now begin.  We start things off with a sturdy base and add "fins":



A cockpit for the Aquashark minifgure is added.  This is equipped with a computer for navigation:



At the opposite end, the propeller and housing are added.  The prop can spin freely when blown on:



Harpoons and knives are attached at various points.  The arch piece helps create a low walkway from the front to the back of the sub:



We now assemble a pair of arms.  The sections pop together and the end result is quite flexible:



The arms are attached and receive some upgrades in the form of grabbing hand and a magnet.  A hinged canopy is added over the rear section of the sub:



With the front canopy added and the fin on top, the shark sub is now complete.  It is quite menacing looking:



Here are some alternate views of the sub.  If you imagine it without the arms, the overall shape is quite convincing as a shark:



Play Features

As mentioned near the start of the review, the crystal container has a magnet on top of it.  This allows you to pick up the box using the arm that is also equipped with a magnet:



When the rear canopy is opened, the crystal container can be stored in a holding area for safe keeping.  When the minifigure isn't wearing his flippers, they can be attached to the arms along the sides of the sub:



The cockpit has plenty of room for the Aquashark figure to sit.  Behind him is a passageway to the back of the sub, though it would be a very tight squeeze:



Complete Set

Here are all the contents of the set together and ready for action:



Final Thoughts:

Pricing and value:  At $22 US for 99 pieces when it was new, the price to parts ratio is quite poor.  However, the final product is on par in terms of size with anything else in the price range.  Overall value is satisfying.

Design/Build:  The designers did a great job of creating a submarine that looks like a shark.  Even with the arms attached, this thing just looks so darn cool.  Construction is solid and promotes plenty of swooshing around.  The build is short and mostly enjoyable - the arms however are slightly repetitive.

Pieces:  This set contains four fantastic printed pieces.  The two windscreens (especially the trans-orange shark one) are must haves.  The minifigure is common throughout the theme, but his torso and equipment are nicely detailed.  The rest of the pieces in the set are mostly common, but they are useful too.

Playability:  Because this set includes the shark sub, a crystal to be found, and some sea life, plenty of fun can be had.  The submarine is fun to swoosh around and the propeller is addictive to spin (preferably by blowing on it).  The flexible arms are easily pose-able and the attachments on the end of them are useful for collection the crystal.

Verdict:  6155 Deep Sea Predator is a great introduction to the Aquazone theme.  Great design and colour choice makes it look good on display, but because of everything that is included, it's a blast for deep sea play as well.


As always, comments and questions are more than welcome.  Cheers!

Edited by WhiteFang, 07 April 2010 - 01:34 AM.
Indexed

[CP5670]

This has always been one of my favorite Aquazone models. It looks sleek and has a ton of interior space for its size.

It's a pity the Aquasharks theme only had 3 or 4 sets. I think it was easily the best theme of the Aquazone.

Quote

At $22 US for 99 pieces when it was new, the price to parts ratio is quite poor.

It's actually listed as $16 in the S@H catalogs I have. The P/P ratio is still poor by today's standards, but it comes with a lot more special/printed pieces than modern sets do. The black windscreen with the printed patterns was unique and only appeared in this set.

[edit] Never mind, I just checked it again and you're right about the price. I was getting it mixed up with the price I paid on ebay.

Edited by CP5670, 06 April 2010 - 07:00 PM.

[Mr. Elijah Timms]

AQUASHARKS RULE!!!  I always wish I grabbed at least one more of these-- one is great, but a full wolfpack of three or four would've been awesome!

Funny you should review this now-- I was just debating on whether or not to switch up some of those great Aquasharks heads with the newer City heads.  Love this guy with the bangs, and that other Aquashark guy with the stubble that blends into his hair.

Either way, thanks for the fun review.

[Big Cam]

Thanks for the great review of a set I missed out on due to some dark ages.

Your reviews get better every time and are a joy to look at

[WhiteFang]

Great review as usual! I enjoyed reading this review very much and it's a pity that this sub theme was actually released during my dark age. The playing mechanism for this set is fun and I really like the overall aquatic camo taking the cover of the shark.

[ZO6]

Thank you for the replies everyone!  I'm taking a short break from Adventurers sets to cover most of the original Aquazone line  

CP5670, on Apr 6 2010, 02:51 PM, said:

This has always been one of my favorite Aquazone models. It looks sleek and has a ton of interior space for its size.

It's a pity the Aquasharks theme only had 3 or 4 sets. I think it was easily the best theme of the Aquazone.

The Aquasharks definitely deserved more.  When they were first released, they caught my eye immediately and have since remained one of my favorite aquatic factions.  They always appealed to me greatly, and I would have loved to have seen a larger base for them.  6190 Shark's Crystal Cave is a fantastic set, but it doesn't feel like it should be the biggest set in the subtheme.

[Rufus]

Wonderful review, Z06!  This set isn't my cup of tea, but it's great to see its details shown off so well.  

[Princess Muttonchops]

Great review Z06!  We were very fortunate to score a heap of Aquazone sets from a seller on ebay who must have been cleaning out his closets or something.  Ah, good times...  There were so many interesting pieces in the theme, like those crazy hexagonal columns and huge cockpit pieces.  I love the trans orange colour, it's so pretty...  Can't wait for the other reviews.

[Skulls_Eye_Schooner_Sailor]

Awesome, you reviewed another Aquazone set.  This one is one of my favorites and another one I had as a child.  My brother and I had a great deal of fun with these.  And I agree those minifigs rule!  

I look forward to the rest of the reviews.  I hope you do Neptune Discovery Lab because that one is simply awesome, I always dreamed of having it and would love to see all the inner details!

[funkybrick]

ZO6, all your reviews are excellent! It's always a pleasure reading one, so is this!

By the way, am I right in assuming that you buy most of your sets new? Or do you just treat them very well and keep 'em in like-new condition? :)

funkybrick

Edited by funkybrick, 23 April 2010 - 07:49 PM.

[ZO6]

Thanks again for the feedback everyone!  I'll have my review of a MISB 6195 Neptune Discovery Lab up in the near future.

funkybrick, on Apr 23 2010, 03:49 PM, said:

ZO6, all your reviews are excellent! It's always a pleasure reading one, so is this!

By the way, am I right in assuming that you buy most of your sets new? Or do you just treat them very well and keep 'em in like-new condition? :)

funkybrick

Lots of the sets that I have been reviewing I've owned since the year they were originally released.  The sets have seen better days, but for the most part they are in fairly good condition.  For the past ten years I've been especially careful about the well-being of my LEGO collection.

Whenever I do a review of a set, I always take it apart and wash every piece.  I like to post lots of in-build pictures, so it's nice to be working with clean and shiny parts.

I had decided that for the first half of this year I would concentrate one picking up sets that I still very much desired, and that is why I've done a handful of MISB reviews as well.

Edited by ZO6, 23 April 2010 - 10:10 PM.

[tkf]

This set is special for me. Lego and this set are forever binded with, because this is first lego set i have known. And also the most favorite one.
I even made a review of this set in Russian. This review is wonderful, i think i won't try to translate my old review to english because EB already have great review for this set. But may be someone interested in photos. They could be seen on brickshelf
In addition to this review i would like to submit rear part of the box with the alternative models. It is slightly bigger than 800x600 so i want embed it. You could see it here
The scuba suits of aquanauts and aquasharks have one minus - if your try to lift minifigs hands it will try to jump from minifig ^_^

[ZO6]

tkf, on May 27 2010, 10:36 PM, said:

This set is special for me. Lego and this set are forever binded with, because this is first lego set i have known. And also the most favorite one.
I even made a review of this set in Russian. This review is wonderful, i think i won't try to translate my old review to english because EB already have great review for this set. But may be someone interested in photos. They could be seen on brickshelf
In addition to this review i would like to submit rear part of the box with the alternative models. It is slightly bigger than 800x600 so i want embed it. You could see it here
The scuba suits of aquanauts and aquasharks have one minus - if your try to lift minifigs hands it will try to jump from minifig ^_^

It's always nice to hear from others who like this often forgotten theme.  This is an extremely well designed little set, and it's hard not to really appreciate it when you get one in hand yourself.

Thanks for sharing your pictures.  It's been a long time since I have seen the back of the box, it brings back many memories...