Farseer Petriel Posted December 4, 2019 (edited) Hello there! Recently I've become a lucky owner of almost all LEGO Life on Mars Martian sets, and I want to make reviews of them some day. Previously I owned only Aero Tube Hangar and Recon-Mech RP, but published only the review of the first set here. Now it's time to show you the second one. - A meteorite is detected south of the hangar. It is probably rich in biodium. Antares, bring it to the base. - Acknowledged, General Riegel. Pneumo pump, destination point - Recon-Mech RP bay. Antares in Aero Tube Hangar by Farseer Eldar, on Flickr Recon Mech RP Parked by Farseer Eldar, on Flickr Antares near the Cockpit by Farseer Eldar, on Flickr - Full speed ahead! Mech Deployed by Farseer Eldar, on Flickr Set Name: Recon-Mech RP Set Number: 7314 Year of Release: 2001 Number of Pieces: 194 Number of Minifigures: 1 (Martian) Price: $ 20.00 ($ 0.10 per brick) Recon-Mech RP (the acronym probably stands for Red Planet) is made for scouting and meteorite gathering. It cannot take as much meteorites as Excavation Searcher (7316, now I own this one too!), but is more mobile and has a burner for ore extraction. Life on Mars is the first LEGO series that contains walking mechs, so it can be seen as a predecessor of Exo-Force. Box The box is rather usual, without any special features. It has a set name, a pieces count and a reminder that it is a building toy but not a cauliflower soup. This means that I got an American variation of the set (meanwhile, my Aero Tube Hangar was European one and did not contain writings on the box). Recon Mech RP Box by Farseer Eldar, on Flickr On the back side, the transformation process is shown (I will demonstrate it later): Recon Mech RP Box Back by Farseer Eldar, on Flickr Instruction Booklet The instruction is small and bears the same image as the box does: Recon Mech RP Instruction Front by Farseer Eldar, on Flickr The first pages: Recon Mech RP Instruction First Page by Farseer Eldar, on Flickr The end of the assembly: Recon Mech RP Instruction Assembly Completed by Farseer Eldar, on Flickr Then the transformation is shown in steps: Spoiler Recon Mech RP Instruction Transformation by Farseer Eldar, on Flickr Recon Mech RP Instruction Transformation 2 by Farseer Eldar, on Flickr The last pages contain the combinations of different sets, and one of them is a hybrid between Martian and human technology: Recon Mech RP Instruction Combination by Farseer Eldar, on Flickr On the back cover all LoM line in boxes is depicted: Recon Mech RP Instruction LoM Ad by Farseer Eldar, on Flickr Minifigure This set contains only one minifigure, and this is Antares the Martian: Antares the Martian by Farseer Eldar, on Flickr As the others of his kind, he is named after a star. Antares is a healer. He also likes to invent and created the Aero Tube Hangar. His favorite food is vegetable cubes (I don't know which vegetables do they have on Mars, but still). Antares has large, clever and slightly tired eyes. He wears some kind of cap on his head. This figure is unique for this set. Model The Recon-Mech RP looks cute and has pleasant colors: Recon Mech RP by Farseer Eldar, on Flickr Why do not LEGO produce sand red parts now? The mech with its little brother from Aero Tube Hangar: Recon Mech RP with Aero Tube Hangar Mech by Farseer Eldar, on Flickr The pilot sits in the cockpit with transparent windscreen: Recon Mech RP Cockpit by Farseer Eldar, on Flickr The windscreen can be lifted off: Recon Mech RP Cockpit Windscreen Open by Farseer Eldar, on Flickr Antares holds the handles on the control panel: Antares Acrobatics by Farseer Eldar, on Flickr Although it is rather difficult to seat him properly, this is the best way to fix a Martian (or battle droid) minifigure in the cockpit. The left and right flashlights are a bit different: Recon Mech RP Pilot by Farseer Eldar, on Flickr It should also be noted that the Mech's arms have the same symbol as on the red/pink Hangar bay. The cockpit without the pilot: Recon Mech RP Cockpit Without Antares by Farseer Eldar, on Flickr The arms are very flexible. The tubes are fixed well and do not constrain the movement. The right arm wields a burner for ore extraction from meteorites. It can also be used as a flamethrower: Recon Mech RP Burner by Farseer Eldar, on Flickr Here a rather unpleasant construction defect can be seen: the red pipe is not fixed properly and freely moves on the dark gray axle, and the burner jet is not connected firmly and can fall off easily: Recon Mech RP Burner by Farseer Eldar, on Flickr The left hand is equipped with a claw for meteorite gathering: Recon Mech RP Claw by Farseer Eldar, on Flickr Meteorites are very important for Martian civilization, since they contain energy-rich biodium ore. The claw is as iconic Life on Mars part as transparent futuristic cockpits. Two parts of it are pulled together by a rubber band: Recon Mech RP Claw by Farseer Eldar, on Flickr Its shape is perfectly suited for meteorites (the meteorite not included and taken from 7317): Recon Mech RP Claw with Meteorite by Farseer Eldar, on Flickr The legs are movable too, though they do not bend in knees: Recon Mech RP Legs by Farseer Eldar, on Flickr Two holes are designed to connect the mech to the Hangar bay. The feet have prints, not stickers. An interesting design - the hips have ladders for the pilot to climb: Recon Mech RP Leg Joints by Farseer Eldar, on Flickr Behind the cockpit there is something like a fuel tank with signal lights (again, its roof is a print): Recon Mech RP Back by Farseer Eldar, on Flickr The mech body can rotate in any direction: Recon Mech RP Turning Body by Farseer Eldar, on Flickr Despite the legs being flexible, it is hard to pose the mech without falling down. However, the next photo illustrates its capabilities. OP, OP, OP! OPPAN GANGNAM STYLE!!! Recon Mech RP GANGNAM STYLE by Farseer Eldar, on Flickr Now let's talk about transformation. The mech can be disassembled into these huge parts: Recon Mech RP Disassembled by Farseer Eldar, on Flickr Combining these blocks a bit differently, you can get this weird flying machine: Recon Mech RP Flying Mode by Farseer Eldar, on Flickr To be honest, I'm a bit disappointed, because this is not proper transformation like in 2005 Alpha Team sets and requires some reassembly. There are no extra parts, except for some additional rubber bands and a black Technic part of unknown purpose: Recon Mech RP Extra Parts by Farseer Eldar, on Flickr Pros/Cons Pros: + Style and color scheme + High mobility + Interesting and non-standard parts + NO STICKERS! Cons: - Burner construction - Legs do not bend in knees and are hard to pose - Transformation requires disassembly and rearrangement of parts - No meteorites Bonus - General, I have found the meteorite. Recon Mech RP and Meteorite by Farseer Eldar, on Flickr Antares tries to grab it with the claw, but suddenly... - CAW!!! Someone Steals the Meteorite by Farseer Eldar, on Flickr - Oh no! I thought it has CHI energy, not biodium! CAW! by Farseer Eldar, on Flickr (It is ironic that the set with Razcal was new when I filmed this set. Now it is a rarity too - not so rare as Life on Mars, but still.) Thank you for reading and watching! And what can you say about this set? Edited December 4, 2019 by Farseer Petriel Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ShishOK Posted December 14, 2019 Thank you for this review! I can feel the old school of this set and that's great! I love the colours of it (especially and red (or pink) like Gilderoy Lockhart's clothes) Looking forward to reading new Life on Mars from you =D Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Farseer Petriel Posted December 14, 2019 ShishOK, thank you very much for your comment! I like the old school feel of this set and sand red color too. And I hope that my reviews will be made soon! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
