7885 Robin Scuba Jet review

[Batbrick]

Hello all, due to iamded's recent death refusal to change his avvie to an Indy one ( ), this review will be handled by me and my good russian friend: The Penguin - master of the penguins!

And what a wonderful set it is! I know there is already one review of this, but the Batfan in me just had to, and I wanted to add my own opinion and give Pengie here a new toy!

So here it is, my first of the 08 line, the 7885 Robin Scuba Jet: Attack of the Penguin:

I have to say this is a very reasonably priced set for a licensed one, it has much more included than what appears and as most see is a great way on getting the Penguin and Robin for a chep price. I now have three of each. It also has a great design on both sets bar the the launchers which unlike the 06 Batmobile are quite easy to mod as you'll see from me later.

First up as usual are the figs. As said before, a nice way to get these two cheaper. These two however are a little different from the batcave set. Robin has ditched the swishy hair in favour of the new Mutt hairpiece in black, and Penguin now has a larger umbrella:

(btw, I figured out how to make my camera to take good closeups, can you tell?)

I love these changes as it gives good diversity. While prelim and S@H pics make the umbrella seem rather ugly it looks actually quite good in real life, as the grey rod is a pearl silver actually, same as the castle swords, making it appear as if the umbrella is more practical and not all as it appears (sword or knife in the umbrella anyone?). Robin also looks great in this hair, I think both versions look fine, here is a comparison pic:

But my friend The Penguin reigns supreme over both birds!

And yes, this set does include two of those fantastic brickbuilt penguins, one with a spear gun and another with a fedora. I love revolvers and can never have enough of them, so people will be lgad to know this set comes with an extra one:

The great thing is the essential part to these birds (that yellow orange beak piece) is available twice more on the back of the sub, which is easily modded out and looks better without them anyway.

And now the first actual construction, all done in Bag 1, the awesome Robin Scuba Jet:

Now this thing is great. I mean it, it's awesome. While the first pics made it look as if Robin had to look totally down, he can actually sit up a fair amount more than I though he would, to the point where I don't need to mod this baby a single bit:

Now I know many people hate stickers, so you'll be glad this one doesn't contain a lot of them, but these little Robin symbol stickers are great. I scanned this sheet first thing so I could reuse them on other vehicles. The little thing also comes with green engines, which are very nice:

Having finished Bag 2 here is the main attraction, the new, the improved, U99 Penguin Sub!

The preliminary pics really didn't do this thing justice, it really is well designed. I love the sticker at the front, luckily it is the only truly necessary sticker for this set. You can see the two flick fire missiles here, which really couldn't be easier to remove, simply place two black 1x1 bricks in their respective places. I do like the new technic flick fire pieces though, as they have many uses as other members have shown. Here is the technic cannon:

Yes, pulling that red lever back fires the wretched missile. I have to say though I love how it is integrated, as you can see here is doesn't disturb the flow of the sub and a simple mod will make the rear portion perfect:

As a result of the cannon the side does suffer a little with those technic holes, but the engines are attached well so using a 1x2 brick with a technic hole for that in a mod, and the rest normal white brick will make the sides more cohesive. As you can see though the sub still maintains a wonderful sleek design, it is very superior to its predecessor from the Batcave: U98. The markings on the side indicating victories against the Bat is a great touch too.

And our ornithologically inspired villain looks great atop the sub tower, which is higher than the previous sub:

Better view of the front. I believe this set get a little too much flak for the two pieces used at the front - they are very well used and don't detract from the sub in any way, no could they just be replaced by smaller pieces. You can also see the engines in the background, these rotor pieces are also that great yellow/orange colour:

The functioning periscope. This one also works much better than U98 as it can revolve the full 360 degrees, It can also go down further and not stick up, so it can go unnoticeable when not being used:

The bottom, I don't mind the grey as it breaks up the two tone colour scheme a bit, but my mod changes these pices to white. Still, it really shows how truly brickbuilt this thing is, using not many specialised pieces at all. Here you can also see those two beak pieces I mentioned before to add two more penguins to your collection:

Here is the inside in which the controls lay. I love how easy the top is to remove, makes for great playing. The only gripe of mine is the lack of space, but this is easily remedied when the cannon is removed:

Now the Penguin seated, he may have to put that top back on however before he drowns!

My good friend The Penguin and I do battle. Alas, I fear my ship, though awesomely cute, will lose as not only is she a small thing, but my cape and cowl do not allow for a good view!

Wow! The Penguin REALLY enjoys his new sub! Please come down man, we have a review to finish, and stubby Penguin is still trapped inside!

The overall set (note: The Penguin and Batbrick minifigs DO NOT come with set):

And a sub comparison with my modded one and the old one:

Let me just say this set blew me away! Not only does it provide excellent vehicles and a great way to get expensive figs, but it is loads of fun and great for display. Here's how I rank it:

Design: 4/5 - Not perfect, but when modded it truly is. For now it is Excellent.

Playability: 5/5 - Yes, this set is the funnest I've had in a long time, I swooshed the vehicles and compared the figs to the earlier releases, and I'm not finished!

Figs: 3/5 - A mixed bag, on one hand a cheap way for expensive figs, on the other, the only set without a new one, take this your own way

Build: 5/5 - Quick but not too quick, and a lot of fun. I wanted to pull it apart and build it again at the end!

Price: 4/5 - It's a licensed set so boohoo! Still, for a licensed set it really is nicely priced in my opinion.

Total: 21/25 A flawed but brilliant set that defied all doubts form us when we saw the prelims. Thanks for reading the review, hopefully I've swayed some opinions, and thanks The Penguin for letting me include you!

Batbrick Away!

[MagPiesRUs]

Thanks for the great in-depth review, Batbrick

This is a great little set, the sub is nice, and the minifigs are stunning. Since I didn't get the Batcave, this set is a must for me. Although I do feel TLC should've taken a new approach to the Penguin, and gave him a different vehicle. I'm sure many owners of the Batcave would be disappointed at the similarity of the vehicles to their Batcave equivale. Despite that, the interior looks nice and I love the periscope. The turret (?) looks great too. Thanks for the conparison pic of the two subs too. While I do prefer the brickbuilt approach to the beak in the original, other than that I feel that the new one is superior.

Thanks again Batbrick, although...

And yes, this set does include two of those fantastic brickbuilt penguins, one with a spear gun and another with a fedora.

What on earth??

[iamded]

And yes, this set does include two of those fantastic brickbuilt penguins, one with a spear gun and another with a fedora.

A fedora? Is that a special Indy Month penguin then?

Just wanted to get that outta the way. Great review, Batbrick!! This set is a lot better than I originally thought, the sub is quite roomy (when modded), and a lot larger than the Bat-cave one, which is great. Robins sub is fantastic, with a perfect colour scheme. An easy way to get these two great minifigs as well.

Thanks again for the great review, it certainly swayed my opinion on this set! Still a bit overpriced for me though, and I spent the last of my money on castle sets, without realising I have no way of getting any back. Back to mowing lawns I guess.

~Peace

[Batbrick]

What on earth??

:laugh: :laugh:

I am ROFLing a heap at the moment, so much I'll leave that there, I guess my Joker custom affected me more than I first thought!

Batbrick Away!

Edited June 9, 2008 by Batbrick

[WhiteFang]

Batbrick, thanks for this wonderful review of yours.

You had certainly attracted me to get this Batman set. I love the Penguin henchmen, walking around. As TinyPiesRUs said, this is a good chance for people to own it if you had missed the Batcave earlier like me. I like the idea of an extra revolver and Mutt's hairpiece. I always wanted it to, in "Black". I believed this is the only set that have this hairpiece so far. In addition, I like the submarine pretty much. Anytime, I can match it with my Aqua Raiders.

Well, at the moment, I can't really expand into Batman theme. But I certainly hope to get this set by the next few months.

[Dragonator]

Thanks for the review Batbrick, that is a nice set! I might even be tempted to get it, and I don't own a single other Batman set! Shock horror!

Then again, I would like to get a set with your sigfig in it...

I'm a little busy writing an English Exam right now, so I'll keep this short. The figures are nice, as are the vehicles, so this could be a set for me! I could use that Penguin suit...

I like the little brick-built penguins, although Killer is much nicer, and cuddlier! I guess green is just better.

Oh yes, and I'm glad it comes with two fedoras! Where are they exactly...

[The Penguin]

Ahoy there! )

Great review, Batbrick! )

And I'm trully honored that you included me into it! ) Thank you! )

BTW, that Tommy gun with an umbrella piece looks great! May I use it? )

And now you make me want this set even more! ) I can't wait to get my hands on it! ))))

And I guess that it's not really a problem that it looks like the one it a Batcave: I think that they look good together, and if you place a mechanical penguin as a captain for the smaller one, then it will look even better.

I can understand those, who say that thay expected something else.... Well I think that Penguin's dirigable (blimp) could be great! ) Gust imagine it! ) With a sticker: "Visit Iceberg Louge"! ) (Mental isn't it? )

Thanks again, Batbrick! )

Good day, gentlemen! )

[???theriddler???]

Thanks batbrick!

[Siegfried]

Thanks for the review Batbrick. As you say, the prelim photos didn't do the final set justice. I'm still not sure if I'll buy this set though; but I'll be sure to come back to this review if I'm considering it in the future!

[Adam]

Great review, Batbrick! I wasn't sold on this set when I saw the first pics, but now it's a must have for me. Is that thing really a fedora?! I didn't know that! You're right, the two penguin beaks do look better off than on. !

[Svelte]

Thanks for the awesome review, Batbrick!

I have to concur, I really love this set. It's the best of the 08 Batman sets and one of my favourite small sets this year. It has great figs, 2 penguins, Robin's scuba-jet is small but well-designed and sleek, and the Penguin's vehicle is a fantastic medium-sized sub. The periscope idea is neat and the Penguin looks great peering out the top. As Batbrick says, the technic shooter is easily modded. Best of all, I think the price is reasonable ($AUD34.95) for what you get. Buy it on sale, Sinner! You won't regret it!

[Asuka]

Thanks for that fine review, Batbrick. Up close that set looks indeed better that I first thought. Robins craft looks

pretty cool like some kind of multipurpose aqua-jet, well suitable for both elements. And the Penguin´s sub´s pretty smooth too....

[Big T]

Thanks for the review Batbrick, this gives a great little insight into the set. The Robin scuba jet looks so much better than is did in the preliminaries, and with a little modding like you said the Penguin Sub will rock too

[hollisbrick]

Wow this set isnt as bad as it was believed, pretty cleverly designed and very playable good work TLG! How much is it btw? oh and thanks

[Zarkan]

See Batbrick, I told you this looked like a great set!

Thanks for the great review - looks like you've really gotten the whole scoop on this set. Robin Jetski ON!

[Oli212Lego]

Do you mind if you put up the box art?

Great review

[Brainbox]

Thanks for the review Batbrick. This is a great set. So there aren't any new figures, but it's nice to get more penguins and I have a use planned for the Robin fig. The jet-sub is cute and neat, and is very 'Robin-y'. Pengy's sub is also very nice, save for the shooter and flickfire missiles. But like you said, easy to MOD. The original sub was pretty cool, and this is only an improvement.

Even if it still isn't available on UK S@H...

[Batbrick]

Wow this set isnt as bad as it was believed, pretty cleverly designed and very playable good work TLG! How much is it btw? oh and thanks

It is 35 Au

See Batbrick, I told you this looked like a great set!

Thanks for the great review - looks like you've really gotten the whole scoop on this set. Robin Jetski ON!

When did you tell me this!? No, it is a great set, and I love just how darn easy it is to mod.

Do you mind if you put up the box art?

Great review

Sure, I'll try and get it up sometime.

Thanks for the review Batbrick. This is a great set. So there aren't any new figures, but it's nice to get more penguins and I have a use planned for the Robin fig. The jet-sub is cute and neat, and is very 'Robin-y'. Pengy's sub is also very nice, save for the shooter and flickfire missiles. But like you said, easy to MOD. The original sub was pretty cool, and this is only an improvement.

Even if it still isn't available on UK S@H...

What are you doing with poor Robin? Actually, though I loathe to admit, in real life the flick fire missiles out the top actually look kind of cool

It isn't available on Aus S@h as far as I know too.

Batbrick Away!

[Zarkan]

When did you tell me this!? No, it is a great set, and I love just how darn easy it is to mod.

Well, we did get into a quick discussion about this in Deino's Hammer Truck Review. I said that this set looked great, and you said it looked kinda like a rehash. Nothing more, but hey, I did tell you.

[hollisbrick]

It is 35 Au

35 ay..pretty cheap, might get it when I get enough money

[Brainbox]

What are you doing with poor Robin?

'Good Soldier' epitah, and the hair is likely to be used elsewhere as well.

Actually, though I loathe to admit, in real life the flick fire missiles out the top actually look kind of cool

It's amazing how quickly you can go off someone isn't it?

[Batbrick]

Here finally are the promised box pics:

Front:

Back:

Comic Strip:

Batbrick Away!

Edited June 19, 2008 by Batbrick

[zero1312]

HEHEHEHE!!! Nive review.

[LegoLyons]

Nice review, thanks, good pictures and nicely written.

Not sure I will be getting this set though, as I have the figures already.