7 replies to this topic

[Tom Bricks]

After recently reviewing two sets that I rather liked I decided to review a set that I don't like at all, 6110 Solo Sub. Solo Sub was part of the Hydronauts theme and even though I didn't like this particular set the theme as a whole was decent. Because I bought it secondhand mine came with a trans-light green propeller instead of a regular trans-green one. It also came with 2 sets of black flippers (4 overall) and I decided to photograph it like that because it looks better. Believe me, this set needs all the help it can get. I no don't have the box or instructions for this the so the images provided are from Peeron, and Brickset.

Name: Solo Sub
Set: 6110
Theme: Aquazone, Hydronauts
Year: 1998
Pieces: 22
Minifigs: 1
Price: USD $4.00
Bricklink
Peeron
Brickset


The Box

From the box you should be able to see how boring this set looks, the "Sub" is shown sitting on a rock. Thats some playability there.   The Hrdronauts logo is located in the upper right corner.

The Front of the Instructions

The Instructions have the same picture as the box front. In my opinion the most interesting part is the fact that they seem to be on a cliff under the sea, which is rather boring in itself.

Minifig from the Front with Helmet

The Minifig in this set is a generic Hydronaut, with the same helmet included in other sets. I believe that the trans-orange studs are supposed to be lights to help him see in the trenches of the ocean floor but I can't really tell. Oddly the visor on his helmet has a gaping hole in the center which beggs the question, "Whats the point?" Truthfully I have no idea.

The Minifig from the Back with Helmet

From this angle you can see why I call him the hunchback of the sea. His helmet weighs so much that he must be leaning very far forward to balance. There is no back printing but you can see the silver arrows better from this angle. Not sure what their there for but I do know this destroys my light theory.

The Minifig from the front without Helmet

The torso is one strong point of the set as it is detailed with plenty of gauges and other diver things. The face also seems to have some breathing apparatus printed over what looks like a classic smile. The problem is that the angle that it crosses his eyes gives him a permanently angry look. I guess he should be angry though having to carry around that helmet all day.

The Minifig from the back without Helmet

From the back there is nothing to see except a better example of the bad posture that this guy needs to balance with the helmet. For this reason I call him Quasimodo.

Interesting Part

The best part of this set by far is the inclusion of this wonderful chrome helmet. Not very rare but still nice.

The Sub

No real build to speak of (took me about 30 seconds) so we'll get on to the model itself. Seriously you don't even need instructions, if you gave a monkey enough time they could do it. Probably one of the worst models TLC has ever released. None of the colors work very well together, the light grey is random. A combination of black and yellow would have been better.  


The Side

Nothing to see. This is one set that I would have welcomed stickers with.

The Back

From here you can see the propeller that moves the sub. It may need some help though as it's not very aerodynamic. You can also see another flaw in this set. Looking through the yellow turbine we see dark green. That is in fact the front of the sub. I don't think that subs getting very far full of water.

The Attempt to Enter the Sub

Here we see Quasimodo trying to get in his sub. Not sure why though, as you can see there are no controls, maybe he just wants to sit in it. Also just to get in it he has to step on the wind shield of the sub.

Inside the Sub... Kind Of

After jumping into the sub and somehow closing the door Quasi realizes that he does not fit while wearing his headlights. Apparently thats what the grey headlight brick at the top is for.

Really Inside the Sub

This is apparently how Quasi is supposed to fit inside. It wouldn't have been too complicated but it wasn't in the instructions. I can only imagine the number of kids who never figured this out for themselves.  

Overall

The overall look of this set is disappointing. Here we see Quasi looking angry that all TLC gave him was a sub he couldn't fit in very well.

Overall Rating

Minifig: 6/10 He can't even stand up. What kind of minifig is that.
Parts: 5/10 Poorly designed with no great pieces for MOCing
Price: 5/10 For only $4 I can't rate it lower than a 5 but if I had the choice I wouldn't buy it again.
Playability: 3/10 Uh.... the propeller spins but thats about it.
Overall: 5/10 Obviously not very good, I'd buy it for $1.00 but thats about it.

With his helmet weighing him down and his Sub at the bottom of the ocean Quasimodo calls the coast guard to bail mim out.


Pictures can be seen here:Flickr

[xenologer]

I bought one of these off ebay. Mainly for the windscreen and cockpit piece at a relatively low price.
Also it was the cheapest way to get that minifig with his cool face print.
I figure its a good Space parts pack.

[CP5670]

I never liked that angled Hydronaut cockpit, which is basically all this set is. The rest of the Hydronaut sets all used the same thing. It is possible to put in some controls and still have the minifigs sit upright in it though, despite what the instructions suggest.

The Hyronaut minifigs themselves were great. There were three different torsos and they all used that cool chrome helmet with the orange lights. Unfortunately, the larger sets in this theme included too many enemy Stingrays and not enough Hydronauts.

[Clone O'Patra]

CP5670, on Jun 10 2009, 11:55 PM, said:

Unfortunately, the larger sets in this theme included too many enemy Stingrays and not enough Hydronauts.

In the large base, there were only one or two Stingrays, I don't think that that is that many (that's a lot of "that").

Anyway, I never liked any of the underwater lines, but it's nice to have a Hydronauts review.  I feel like I've seen this review somewhere before, hmmm…

[CP5670]

Clone O'Patra, on Jun 10 2009, 11:28 PM, said:

In the large base, there were only one or two Stingrays, I don't think that that is that many (that's a lot of "that")

There were three Hydronauts and two Stingrays, which didn't make much sense considering that it was a Hydronaut base. The Stingray sets, in contrast, contained only their own guys.

Edited by CP5670, 11 June 2009 - 04:46 AM.

[The Cobra]

I rated it "average"; it doesn't look that bad to me (especially for such a low price), but the colour scheme is really odd. Thanks for the review.

[just2good]

Good review.
I don't think it's to bad, so I rated it a 4. It does come with a cool face, silver oxygen thingy, and a mini sub just for $4. I want it.

[Dannylonglegs]

The stingrays were beter!!!!