Galaxy Squad 70704 Vermin Vaporizer - Review

[Algernon]

70704 Vermin Vaporizer

• 506 pieces
  
• $59.99 USD
  
• 3 minifigures
  
• Ages 8-14
  

Next in my series of Galaxy Squad reviews is the 70704 Vermin Vaporizer, one of the most anticipated Space sets in some time. When it was first revealed, it drew many comparisons to the 6989 Mega Core Magnetizer. It remains to be seen if 70704 will live up to that classic, but the stage is set for LEGO Space's next knockout set - could this be the ticket?

As I stated in my review of the 70703 Star Slicer, I am far from a professional photographer, so I don't have a dedicated LEGO documentary suite sitting beside my bed. I try to do the best with the technology I have, however. Who needs a tripod when you have a cell phone camera and bedspread? Only the best for you, my dear.

* Edit: I noticed that the image hosting website I used appears to have lowered the quality of the photos somewhat. Sorry about that.

With that out of the way, I present to you the Vermin Vaporizer!

We'll begin, as always, with the minifigures. The Vermin Vaporizer comes with three minifigs: a squad hero, an android, and an alien.

Firstly, we have the Squaddie. I know he has an official name, but since I'm a little too lazy to find out what it is, for now he'll be Joe.

Our friend Joe sports some very nice printing. As of Winter 2013, he's the only green squad figure.

I'm particularly fond of the respirator covering his mouth. A nice touch that appears to be consistent throughout the theme.

Back printing as well! You can also see that he has a double-sided head.

Personally, I hate double-sided heads. However, it works alright here since his head is fully covered by his helmet.

Next up we have my favorite Galaxy Squad minifigure so far, the green android.

This guy looks like he's curb stomped a few grubs in his day. I love the energy shield and trans-light blue weapon assortment.

On the back, you can see his armor sports some connector points that go unused for now. I'm sure you wonderful little MOCers can find some ingenious purpose for them.

Here he is without his armor. The torso printing is unique, even though you're not likely to see it. Wonderful attention to detail!

He even has back printing. Absolutely phenomenal figure.

Finally, we have the alien. This is probably the least exciting figure, as he appears in several other sets.

Nonetheless, he's still a great little alien.

You really need a side view to do this figure justice.

Dude could be trying a little harder to improve his posture.

Just for giggles, here's a side-by-side with the red alien that comes with the 70703 Star Slicer.

I'm not sure which color scheme I prefer. They both look great.

And now, on to the alien "scorpion".

I'm not really that impressed by this model. It's wonky, poorly proportioned, and annoying to play with.

The best thing about it is the Technic leg pieces it includes, which I haven't seen before.

Next, we have this little buggy here. Nothing too exciting.

Just your average day, cruising for b*tches in yo pimpin space kart.

BUT WAIT!

OUR HERO IS BEING DEVOURED ALIVE BY A ROGUE MOON BUGGY!

As you can see, the scouting kart actually functions as a cockpit of sorts, and parks neatly into the canopy of the Vermin Vaporizer.

The Vaporizer itself is a beastly vehicle, showcasing some very sturdy construction.

Some splattered bugs on the windshield. Apparently, windshield wipers are too advanced for futuristic war machines.

The Vaporizer has a nice look to it. However, I must confess that it seems a bit small to me. Maybe I'm nitpicking, but for $59.99, I was expecting more wow-factor.

One cool feature is the laboratory imbedded in the rear of the Vaporizer. It seems intended to analyze those alien pod thingamaggigers (scientific term).

As far as laboratories go, this one leaves a bit to be desired, but the fact that it's even there is a nice enough surprise. It's a cool touch.

Here, you can see that the Vaporizer is easily defeated by flipping it over onto its back. Curse you, Insectoids!

Now on to my favorite part: the mech!

It's small, but it's attractive. LEGO's come a long way since Exo-Force.

Though it appears to be topheavy, the mech stands up pretty easily. My only complaint is the lack of knees.

I can understand the oversight for a model this size, but still. I would prefer that it didn't appear to be constipated as it walks.

Unfortunately, the cockpit is pretty bare-bones. Nothing but a stickered cheese slope.

And finally, the full monty!

I have to admit that the set looks quite nice when it's put together like so. It seems much less front-heavy with the mech docked into the back.

One possible low point is that the set gets much of its look from the stickered slopes along the side. If you don't apply stickers, your Vaporizer is going to look rather bland.

In order to dock, the mech has to twist around 180 degrees. He probably does yoga.

And finally, the whole shabang:

MAN THE BUG SPRAY! I REPEAT!

So, how does this set fair against all of the mounting expectations? I'm gonna have to be frank - I'm a tiny bit disappointed in 70704. It's kind of hard to put my finger on why. It could have something to do with the unexpectedly small size of the set - it's rather tiny for $59.99, even when compared to the Star Slicer. However, the Vaporizer is competently designed, and I can't really identify any outstanding issues. I'm just not floored by it. I was expecting brilliance, something to stand toe-to-toe with 7066, and the Vaporizer falls a tiny bit short of that revered status.

I don't want to sound too negative, however. The set is still quite good. It's got a beefy, off-roader kind of look to it. The included mech could easily be it's own set. The minifigures are fantastic, including two highly detailed exclusives. The alien scorpion isn't the greatest throwaway vehicle we've had, but it's far from the worst. All in all, it's a good model, and I'd recommend it. I just don't think it's quite earned the status of modern classic.

Minifigs: 9/10

Parts: 6/10

Price: 6/10

Design: 8/10

Conclusion: 8/10

Thanks for reading, folks!

Edited December 28, 2012 by Algernon

[Endgame]

Another great review, Algernon.

Having recieved this myself for Christmas, I would personally rate it higher. I personally love the green robot to bits, it has a decent price point and comes with a lot of nice parts to counterbalance. I personally prefer its size: shelf space is a rarity, and I love compact, feature crammed sets like this one. Second favorite set in space (topped only by the Earth Defense HQ) and definately high on my list of favorite sets ever.

[Ceroknight]

Thank you for the review!

I agree, I was blown away by this set when I first saw it, but looking how small it actually is, I'm hesitant to buy this..

[Sir Walter Maugham]

Wow. I really like this set. Something about the front of the "Vaporizer" really appeals to me. And the detachable mech is great.

I absolutely love the green android. He almost looks like a Bionicle in minifigure form. (A tiny relative of Lewa's perhaps?)

And a better energy shield is something that we've been missing too. I never really liked the one from this set: http://www.brickset....ail/?Set=7115-1 (Its possible a better one was released and I never noticed it though.)

I've never really bought any sets other than castle. (Bionicle used to be the one exception) But, with LotR being overpriced and lacklusterm (IMO) I might just venture out of the medieval ages and pick up some of these Space sets.

Thanks for the review!

Edited December 28, 2012 by Sir Walter Maugham

[DraikNova]

Heh, he does kind of resemble Lewa.

Anyway, from what I've seen, I would rate it a bit higher. Thanks for the review!

[M'Kyuun]

Just got this for Christmas, and it is a nice set. The little mech is a cool touch, and hopefully a harbinger of things to come should LEGO continue to give us mech sets, or even revive Exo-Force someday. However, although I don't own the Mega-Core Magnetizer, I fail to see how this compares to that iconic set. The classic was larger, had steering, a crane, multiple cargo boxes filled with accessories, magnets, a cargo hold in the rear with a small deployable buggy, and that awesome cockpit design. All around, far more bang for your buck. Frankly, this set doesn't come close.

My biggest nitpick with this set is the ramp design. While it's cool that it's there, it hinges low on the frame, so the buggy basically falls down onto it. Moreover, because of the sloped parts forming the center of the front of the vehicle, the ramp sits quite high off the ground. It's a toy, I realize, but even as a young kid, I loved ramp and cargo functions, and LEGO's classic space designs always incorporated this feature beautifully and functionally, so that your little vehicles could drive in and out of the ship easily. Unless one mods their little buggy with jump jets, it's purely a one way ticket for our intrepid green explorer.

Although I'm not a fan of gun arms, the little mech in this set is great, lack of knees notwithstanding. It can hold some neat poses, and looks good doing so. I love dark green, and it's used nicely here. As a big fan of mecha, I hope to see more of this sort of thing in future sets.

[ZO6]

Thanks for another review, Algernon.

This is my favorite set from the first wave of Galaxy Squad. I've been playing around with it and the Bug Obliterator for a couple weeks now - they're a lot of fun!

I don't know why, but I've always been a sucker for land based sets in space themes. Sure I love the flying ships, but we expect them whenever we get a space theme and there are usually an abundance of them. The land based vehicles are arguably rarer and for whatever reason, I usually find them more interesting. The Vermin Vaporizer is a perfect example of this - though it's not even the "flagship" set of the current wave, it's the most interesting set and has the most going on. Big rugged vehicle - check. Small buggy that can be deployed - check. A mech that integrates into the main model and yet can also be deployed on its own - check. Control station/lab - check. Enemy vehicle - check. There is a lot of content packed into this relatively small set. It's made out of lots of useful pieces, the finished product looks great, and its got loads of play value. Win!

Now, I do have a few nitpicks. As mentioned, the front ramp from the buggy is next to useless. I appreciate that it's there, but it needs a redesign for smooth operation. The red bricks for the mech to sit on are a huge eyesore. I know TLG wants it to be easy for us to see where the mech is suppose to sit, but those red bricks stick out worse than a sore thumb. That was an easy fix as I used them on the bottom of that stack and placed the grey bricks on the top layer where the mech sits. Finally, the insect vehicle is pretty ugly. It's got some great parts and adds another element of play value to the whole set, but in my opinion it's a throwaway in terms of design.

Overall I really like this set. I'm not sure where I rank it in terms of land based space vehicles yet, but it's a great set regardless.

[Brinstar]

This is one of my most anticipated sets of 2012. If truth be told, Galaxy Squad as a theme has left me a little cold. The Vermin Vaporiser is the exception to that, I think it is an outstanding set at the price point. The main vehicle has an interesting design and looks very powerful. I love the way the mech integrates with the main vehicle but can also be seperated and used as a stand-alone model. I think the comparison with the Mega Core Magnetiser is slightly unfair, that was the largest set of that theme. The only slight drawback with this set is the number of stickers which I always find to be a total nightmare to apply.

[RedBrick1]

Nice review, well done.

Not really into space that much anymore, but I like the set. The price seems a tad on the high side though as you mentioned. The android is really cool, and the way the two vehicles combine is well thought out. Your comment about the constipated mech made me laugh.