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INTRODUCTION When I was growing up Lego animals used to be pretty basic and there were only a few kinds (horse, dog, cat, and fish for example). But Lego seems to have gotten the hint that we love new animal molds! The otter mold first showed up in the Harry Potter theme as a patronus. But this is the first time we've gotten an otter that's not translucent. So how does this set do at introducing otters to the Lego universe? SET INFORMATION Number: 60394 Title: ATV and Otter Habitat Theme: City Released: 2023 Part Count: 90 Box Dimensions: 15.7 x 14.1 x 4.5 cm Weight: 0.14 Kg Set Price (RRP): £8.99/$9.99/€9.99 Price per Part: 10.0p/11.1c/11.1c Links: Brickset, Bricklink THE BOX The front shows off the titular ATV racing through a forest with the otters enjoying what nature has to offer them. The back shows much of the same. CONTENTS OF THE BOX Inside are 2 bags and 2 loose plates. THE BUILD The build is basic and what you would expect for a $10 set. The piece of forest is meant to represent a waterfall flowing down a small section of rock. It's not very convincing as a waterfall. But it makes a nice slide for the otters if you can look past the design inconsistencies. The completed build allows the explorer to photograph the otters at play, or eat a fish, or drive up a "waterfall" with her ATV. Overall it's a nice compact build that allows a cheap way to get otters and display them. The parts aren't overly unique, but for $10 it feels like you get enough. I do like that the tires are still using the same white wheel-wells from when I was a kid. It's nice to see that even as Lego gets more specialized pieces every year, the old standards still hold up today. CAN IT BE A MECH? And just for fun, I used the parts to create a Mech for the otter. I incorporated as many of the parts from the set as possible but used other pieces from my collection to craft this simple mech. OVERALL This is a decent $10 set. I like that you get 2 otters, not just 1. And while the build isn't fantastic, it's decent for the price. SCORE How do I rate this set? DESIGN 6 The ATV is a decent, compact vehicle. The piece of forest is ok, but the supposed waterfall is lackluster. BUILDING EXPERIENCE 7 Nothing overly exciting, but nothing repetitive either. FEATURES 6 Lets be honest, the main feature is the otters. It succeeds there but doesn't do much else. PLAYABILITY 10 I have 4 kids. They love sets like this. There's enough pieces they can use to build other things they want (like a mech) and cute animals as a plus. This kind of set is Lego succeeding at reaching their target audience. PARTS 6 Again, nothing overly exciting beyond the otters. But also an okay collection of parts. VALUE FOR MONEY 10 The finished build feels like it's worth $10. FINAL SCORE: 7.5 If you want a cheap gift or just want to expand your animal collection this set is a good purchase. Though, the otters themselves are available on Pick-a-Brick for under $2 each (ID 6425514).

INTRODUCTION What's this?!? Two small city set reviews in one week? That's right! I've got my second animal battle pack... I mean city set with animals reviewed and compared. Here's the review for the otter set. So how do seals compare against otters? A warning before we begin, taking photos of white Lego pieces is very difficult. My white-balance varies depending on the picture. SET INFORMATION Number: 60376 Title: Arctic Explorer Snowmobile Theme: City Released: 2023 Part Count: 65 Box Dimensions: 15.7 x 14.1 x 4.5 cm Weight: 0.13 Kg Set Price (RRP): £8.99/$10.99/€9.99 Price per Part: 12.8p/15.7c/14.3c Links: Brickset, Bricklink THE BOX The front shows a frigged snowscape perfect for snowmobiling and seal watching. And we also see meteors in the background? Seems an odd choice for the cover art. We get a fun warning in the bottom left that the set does not float. My son actually helped me test this and I can say the warning is unnecessary. The snowmobile doesn't float, but everything else does! Ironically, the back of the box shows the parts float in the water. CONTENTS OF THE BOX Inside are 2 bags and 2 loose plates. THE BUILD The set spends the most effort on the snowmobile. The snow/ice landscape is extremely basic. But then, it doesn't take much to depict snow if you're using plates so it works. The snowmobile uses technic pieces for treads very effectively. I find it disappointing that the seat/standing area is so basic. Seems like an extra panel or slope would help complete the seat. There are a few unique or rare pieces in the set. But of course what we're all really here for are the seals. The undersides show the available stud connections. The mommy (or daddy) seal's tail has a small arch to it. All in all they look amazing. HOW DOES IT COMPARE? Compared to the ATV and Otter set this one has fewer pieces, but feels more substantial. It's very interesting to me that both sets include the same woman's face. My guess is Lego chose this face for the wink/closed eye to show when she's looking through a camera at the animals. CAN IT BE A MECH? Continuing my idea I made another mech with the Seal set. I like how this one turned out better. So in a fight I think the seal would win. OVERALL This is another good $10 (or $11 depending on whether your store is following the inflation trend) set. SCORE How do I rate this set? DESIGN 7 The snowmobile works really well. The ice section is simple but also works effectively. BUILDING EXPERIENCE 7 Same as the ATV. Nothing overly exciting, but nothing repetitive either. FEATURES 7 Most people will be getting this set for the seals. And why not, they are cute! But I think they will be pleasantly surprised by the snowmobile too. PLAYABILITY 10 This has all the right features for a $10 set. New, good animal molds, a cool vehicle and a bit of scenery to round it out. PARTS 7 While not a ton of parts, what you get are used very effectively. VALUE FOR MONEY 10 The final set is solid and certainly worth $10. FINAL SCORE: 8 This is a good buy. It's a great addition to the Lego animal collection with a good selection of parts. If you want just the seals they are available on Pick-a-Brick ID 6434764 for the baby seal and ID 6434763 for the adult.

Hullo everyone! Poodabricks here and I'm here to talk about the new hospital, which I recently acquired. Though I took it apart and now use it for extra pieces. To set the foundation, I.....don't usually see medical themed sets in City like I used to and for hospitals, they usually had a six year waiting period. But then the 60203 ski resort set came in 2019 right after the hospital in 2018; messing up that system since it was technically a medical themed set. With that being said, this hospital actually came two years early, in which it should've been 2024 when they next hospital would come. I still prefer older hospitals however, with the one from set number 4429 being my favorite. I'm not at all complaining. Far from it actually! Matter of fact, it always annoyed me that the cops and firefighters got all the glory (the former getting the most) while the third first responder (the paramedics) were given the back seat. So kudos to Lego for giving the medical field more respect. For this review, I'm not only going to be talking about the good. But I'm also going to be talking about what I personally didn't really care about. Take note that everyone is entitled to their opinion. I'm not speaking for anyone else. So please take my opinions as though you were holding a grain of salt. So 👏🏾 let's get into reviewing this amazing set. 1. The Minifigs The minifig assortment is just perfect. I'm going to start off with the unnamed minifigs in this set. My favorite minifig from the available ones HAS to be the clown minifig. I'm assuming he is the mascot for the VitaRush soda company that is based in Lego City. Either that or they also specialize in clown clothes. My guess is that he is supposed to be influenced by Ronald McDonald who is also a clown character that represents a restaurant, the child friendly aspect of it that is. He's likely there to cheer the boy with the injured arm who is there with his grandma. There is also a new mother with her baby, which I actually think is kinda cute along with an older gentleman whom I believe is the father. There is also a cleaning lady, two paramedics and an elderly doctor whom is the chief medical officer I assume. Since I mentioned the paramedics, I'm going to say that I don't really care for the suits that they are wearing as it is a bit too.......British oriented for my liking. I preferred the medic suits that were available with sets like 60179, 60203 and 60204. I preferred those because they were more diverse and weren't really based off a particular country. Named characters are Dr. Spetzel, Dr. Fleiber and Wallop - who is one of the stuntmen in the series. I'm surprised they didn't include Dr. Contagioustein from the first season in this set though. But I don't know Lego's plan. Perhaps they'll include him in an ambulance set. 2. The Vehicles Vehicles included are an ambulance (duh) and helicopter (because Lego has to include a helicopter in almost all of their City buildings), a bike and a wheelchair (that counts as a vehicle as it has wheels and someone can sit in it. I don't hate the way the ambulance and helicopter look. People across the entire Lego community (not just here) have shown their dislike of the ambulance's shape. But to be honest......it doesn't bother me. Despite it being "American" style, it makes a nice change for Lego to go out of their way to make a cutaway shape instead of the traditional van look that they went with for the last four ambulances. It's fun when Lego decides to break tradition with its City sets sometimes thus why we got a school and we're getting a grocery store this summer. Sorry! I just can't stop talking about that set. Perhaps I shall look out for more surprises next year in 2023. But its a bit early to speculate there. Once again, I'm not fond of the colors of the ambulance or the helicopter. It seems like for this entire hospital, they were trying to make it look British style. The colors of the previous ones were much better as they matched the building. That's all I really have to say about the vehicles. Though I would've tried to make it longer so that it could fit another paramedic inside. But that's only nitpicking. 3. The Building First off, let me start off by pointing out the first of a two things; a CT scan room and a play area for children. Let me be one of the first people to say that I love that Lego literally went out of their way to put the first ever CT scan room in one of their hospital sets. I love that little feature where you can put a minifigure on the bed and roll him under the scanner to pretend like he needs an X-Ray. So that's a feature I adore. I also love the little play area next to the lobby for little children. That's just perfect for a child who is visiting. This is also the second hospital to contain a maternity ward. In this one, there is a lady with a labor gown included. It looks as though she has already had the baby as it is clearly out in the little baby hospital bed. I also love the lobby and desk area - which also acts as a snack bar where you can obviously buy one of two types of sub sandwiches. 4. Conclusion and Rating So overall, I give this hospital a B. I love the lobby area with the funny gag of the sub sandwiches. I also love the shape of the ambulance - though I'm not fond of the color scheme. I adore the play area, CT scan room and maternity ward being in this set and more time and space given to it. I also think the little clown coming to cheer up the injured boy with his grandma is pretty cute. I'd definately recommend this set to anyone who plans to build a table town with road plates as this is just right. Its not perfect - then again when is a Lego set perfect. But its definately better than some other buildings that we have gotten this year. ahem school ahem police station ahem. But anyhoo! That's my review for the day. Let me know what you think in the comments. I'm out.

Hello everyone! Long-time lurker, (relatively) first-time poster! With LEGO's latest Deep Sea lineup having taken longer than planned to come to the U.S. (wonder if there's any world events that might explain the delay?), I decided to browse through some of the old 1997 Divers sets earlier in the summer to see if anything caught my eye. Sure enough, I happened upon a MISB edition of Deep Sea Refuge on eBay. Having played with it at a friend's house as a kid, I decided to snap it up. But with the newest sets having a state-of-the-art underwater research station, does this original model still hold up? Let's find out as we go beyond the sea (just kidding, we're going under it. Sorry Bobby Darin.) Info Set # - 6441 Name - Deep Sea Refuge Theme/Subtheme - Town/Divers Year - 1997 Piece Count - 433 Minifigures - 5 Price - MSRP $60 US Links Brickset, Peeron, Bricklink, Bricksafe Box Aside from a few minor dents and scrapes, the box still looks pretty good. Love that sunshine pattern on the seafloor. Definitely way more inviting than the box art for Aquazone, Atlantis or recent Deep Sea sets. It gives off that peaceful tropical island vibe that quite a few of the 90s sets gave me, although it probably helps that the only foliage available at the time were palm trees or those little conical and spherical versions. We also have the very cool Divers subtheme logo in the upper right-hand corner, along with an old price tag sticker that's still on the box. I won't say how much I paid for this thing unless asked, but I can assure you it was far from the original $59.99 shown here. That said, that logo continues to be great, reeking of atmosphere. You can practically hear the Jaws theme playing as Mr. Mask and Snorkel here looks to the surface and sees the shark silhouette, wondering if it saw him, if he can make it to safety... Moving on, the back of the box gives you some very fun alternative LEGO models, including a goofy little water slide and diving board setup, along with a larger (and smaller) undersea research station. Overall, they all seem pretty good to me, even if the boat on the largest alternative model picture looks a little strange with the bubble windshield. But that's the fun of LEGO. Now here's the good stuff. Like most boxes from this age, we have a great inner flap with more set pictures and some flavor text to help unleash your inner Jacques Cousteau, which I transcribed for all of you lovely people. "The ocean depths hold many mysteries and dangers. Sharks, stingrays and possibly sunken treasure! With building sets from the LEGO SYSTEM Divers collection, only you, the LEGO MANIAC, will find the secrets of the deep." The same flavor text is also available in French and Spanish for those in the multilingual crowd. We also have the customary (for the time, at least) plastic window which has some of the specialized parts on the left, with a random assortment of parts in bags to the right, complete with fun little scenes of the divers trying to outswim an octopus while a possible Captain Redbeard shipwreck lingers in the background. I understand why LEGO doesn't do this anymore, but man, it'd be great to bring this back. The top of the box feature some attractive water patterns, complete with rays of sun hitting the waves and the top of the ship's antenna and flag, which suggests the boat sank. Guess the pilot should've read the legal notice on the side of the box, which clearly states "NOT FOR USE IN WATER." The bottom of the box has some more of that big beautiful water pattern, complete with a porthole-like window design for viewing the diver minifigures and all that sweet, sweet animal life. Plus a now-useless barcode. Finally, the sides of the box both feature another angle of the set, with a captured shark and a sawfish that's getting a little too close for comfort for one of the divers. Once you open it, the seafaring fun doesn't stop at the exterior of the box, with a blue tray that helps contribute to the aquatic atmosphere. Take all the bags out of the right partition and you get the instructions plus a small catalogue which shows the hottest sets of 1997. Had to take a photo of the Divers page, as it looks great, with none of the obvious computer backgrounds that most promotional art has now. Instructions No surprises here. It's about the same as the box front, except without the name or age range. On the back are those wonderfully goofy alternative models again, along with a small blue tag in the lower left corner, which would be cut out and sent to LEGO for a magazine subscription. It may be repetitive, but I'll take this over Win-Shouty Kid any day of the week. Here's a random page in the actual instruction booklet. As you can see, no call-outs for individual parts, although submodels do have little yellow boxes. This can make for a more challenging build if you're not paying attention, though it's what I'm used to, so no problems there. Given the limited color palette, you get very good color differentiation, along with some fun graphics of schools of fish swimming around behind the instructions. Pieces Here's the eight bags that'll make up the whole set, still freshly sealed from all the way back in 1997. While LEGO doesn't use the bags with holes in them anymore (presumably to ensure the parts stay fresh), they still have a nice tactile quality to them. As far as loose parts go, all we've got here is one long string that will make up the winch and one lone LURP, which were everywhere back in the day. Two tan 32x16-stud baseplates make up the last loose parts in the box. Not as exciting as some other aquatic baseplates, but does provide plenty of room for staging little dioramas. Here's my first attempt at creating a photo grid in PhotoShop, with four of the bags open. Again, much like the instructions, no neat and orderly numbered bags like they make now. Chaos reigns when it comes to what parts are in what bag, so you just have to open all of them. Depending on your point of view, it can be either incredibly frustrating or incredibly rewarding to scrounge around until you find the exact piece you're looking for. And here's my second attempt at creating a photo grid in PhotoShop. With another four bags open, we can get started...almost. In case you couldn't see what was in the one plastic window, which so ably displayed all the cool new parts from this subtheme, worry not, as I took another photo of the parts after peeling the film away. We get some more sea life, some seaweed, two minifigures that have been tragically bisected by the sawfish and a few printed parts. As for the parts of interest, we have not one, not two, but three light-blue bubble windscreens, which were the most common versions according to Bricklink and mostly appeared in Divers sets (and were always excellent to have). We also get some neat modified bricks which were quite rare, only appearing in two sets in white and five sets total. The white and yellow panels 4x3x3 with portholes are also somewhat rare, having only appeared in five sets total, and only two sets in the color white, both from the Divers theme. As for the white panel 4x4x6 concave, these parts only appeared in seven sets, including some older ones from the space theme. Both the white and yellow 3x3x3 corner convex parts are probably one the more unique items here, having solely appeared in divers sets, while the minifigure handjet was sprinkled among a number of themes and subthemes (no pun intended), including an Aquazone set and Alpha Team: Mission Deep Sea one. Perhaps one of the more surprising finds here was the bow top, 6x6x1, which only appeared in two Divers sets. All told, quite a catch. As befits LEGO's generosity, we get two separate DSS for this set. I opted to leave off the marine life ones that go on the LURP since we now have actual molds to fill the gap, but I ended up using all the ones on the larger sheet, as it helps give the set some more character. Fortunately, LEGO's not a complete monster, and does give us plenty of excellent printed parts to make up for all the stickers, including control panels, a diving flag and three fun sea life tiles that will be part of a play feature. While I don't think it's to the same level as Adventurers, we still get lots of nice accessories for the minifigures to use as they explore the depths, along with two baseball hats to wear when they're not. Minifigures After getting the minifigures into emergency surgery (otherwise known as my hands), they're back together and ready to go! While they work well enough as generic figs to play around with, the May/June 1997 issue of Mania Magazine saw fit to give them all names that, depending on your perspective, are either endearingly silly or irritatingly cute. From left to right, we have Cora Reef (I think), twins Tug Topside and R.C. Scooter, along with Diver Dan and Scuba Sandy. As befits minifigures from this era, no backprinting exists for any of these characters, although the front of their uniforms are on-point, with great little sub logos that suggests a level of financing and organization the blue divers from the same subtheme simply don't have. Here's the gang with all their uniforms and scuba equipment on. Now we have a little more differentiation among the identical ones, and some of the flippers come into play. Love how the red and black flippers contribute to the overall look of the uniform. A rear shot of Cora and Dan with their oxygen tanks on. Kind of wish LEGO still used these ones, instead of the dual tanks from space sets, which are smaller and less detailed. We also get plenty of aquatic life for this set, including two stingrays, the happiest (and rarest) dolphin I've seen, the common sawfish and octopus, plus a white shark that may or may not be great. Hard to say with the newer one from this year. The Build We start by building the boat, which fits in nicely with the color scheme of the overall set. Even the 1x4 red brick works given the color band that makes up part of the actual Refuge structure. Build it up some more with a crane boom and some steering... ...then after tying off the string to the winch and hook, which is one of the two most frustrating steps in the world... ...you'll have a boat! Though something's still missing. So, after the second most frustrating step in the world... The boat is complete! While I don't have too many of the larger brick-built boats from this theme, the design of the cabin is particularly nice with the raised platform for the sonar dish. Not to mention the stern of the boat works better than the one from Shark Cage Cove, which always seemed a little low. Some other angles of the boat. One thing I like here is how the number on the side corresponds to the set number, something that still gets done anytime you pick up a set that has a vehicle in it. Now to move onto the main course that is the Deep Sea Refuge itself. I was surprised the instructions had you start on the main model immediately after building one of the two vehicles, but so it goes. We start by building the base. The blue hinge brick in the center is part of a play function that we'll come back to later. Add some flooring and the all-important chrome silver knives... ...followed by some furniture and hooks that will make up the changing room for divers... ...and we're well on our way. But first, a sub-model in the form of an X-ray machine. Obviously sleeker versions can be made now, but it works just fine and fits in nicely. Now it's starting to take shape. The machine on the opposite side of the X-ray machine is supposed to be a microscope, though it may not be the best version I've seen. The changing room for divers looks good, and fits all the extra scuba accessories that come with the set. Once that's complete, the Refuge gets closed up and we start working on the rock formation. Add a LURP and a roof to the Refuge... ...and we're done! While Sebastian and Flounder may be missing, there's still plenty of room on the two 32x16-stud baseplates for the sea life and divers we do get from the set. Some more angles of the Refuge itself. While it's quite bulbous, the shaping actually works for the structure, even if the greenery is a little samey compared to the diversity of parts we're spoiled with now. Now that we've gotten through the appetizer and main course, time for dessert, in the shape of a yellow submarine. We start with the base... Add in some branded compartments and that fishy computer screen in rear... ...and the sub starts to take shape once we add the last bubble windscreen and the porthole panels. Much like Aquazone sets, this sub comes with two moveable arms, even if it's missing a magnet hand. Unlike Aquazone sets, the joints that make up the arms seem to be slightly sturdier and less breakable, since they use fewer finger hinge parts. Guess time will tell if they break as readily. Also of note are the parts they use for the hands of the arms. I've only seen the towball piece used as part of a winch before, so it's cool to see a different use for it here. And there we are, one yellow submarine! While not as fancy as the one used by The Beatles, it still pops nicely. Another two angles of the sub. If you can ignore my crooked sticker placement on the rear and the shoddy PhotoShop job I did, you'll see this is one sleek machine, a far cry from the Crystal Explorer Sub's bulbousness. The fence pieces on top, along with the light gray bar adds some nice greebling detail. Hats aside, the two spare parts here include a Technic axle and a trans-clear 1x1 round stud. Pretty basic. Play Features While lacking in such traditional fun-filled action features from our "enlightened" age like flick-fire missiles or stud shooters, there's still some good solid stuff here. The most interesting feature that springs to mind is how easy it is to get inside the Refuge. With two hinge bricks, the structure easily swings open. There we go! Plenty of room for Sandy to do her research and for Diver Dan to get a new oxygen tank. Here you can see the cleverness of using trans-light-blue for the bubble windscreens, making it seem as if they're actually underwater, instead of an ad hoc photo studio. The placement of seaweed right outside both of the windscreens is also a solid design choice, giving the illusion of swimming to a stingray on the left and Cora on the right. So I'm cheating here, but didn't want to figure out the proper exposure for a printed tile on black under a dark blue window, so I'm stealing from the instructions. All three tiles, much like the Exploriens gimmick (and maybe a few others) look scrambled under normal light, but once you look at them through the dark-blue window, you can see bones and other fun-filled secrets. Curious about what the Refuge looks like when closed up? Simply open up the roof and you'll be able to see the structure the way the minifigures would. Kudos to the designer for making the entrance to the Refuge four studs by four studs to fit an actual minifigure, although they lose a few points once you realize there's no easy way into the structure given the placement of the struts. The bubble windscreens are also big enough to accommodate a minifigure as well, which probably comes in handy if you want to do some lounging, and can open up. Much like the Refuge, accessibility is the name of the game with the sub too. The bubble windscreen opens wide to place R.C. in his comfy blue chair... ...and thanks to four hinge bricks in the rear, it's a snap to place another minifigure in the back, although this is clearly the less comfortable position given how there's no chair. And if a diver finds something they want to stow away safely, all they have to do is open one of the two boxes on either side of the sub. Admittedly, I don't know if the printed tiles would fit in here, but the coins definitely would, along with whatever other knicknacks they happen to come across. The arms on the sub are also just as capable as a minifigure's, and can grasp a number of things. You'll also notice that there's plenty of room to display the sub on the baseplate without needing to take something else out. And thanks to the miracle of trans-clear bricks, I can make it seem as if the boat is floating on the surface of the water, where our last few play features reside. But before I forget, the boat does have a nice little compartment near the bow for placing spearguns, hats, and whatever other accessories aren't in play. While lacking a hatch on the top to seal the compartment (along with an accessible way for the pilot to get to the compartment short of clambering around the outside of the bow), it's still nice to have. Last but not least is the boat's winch, which has plenty of string to reach the (imaginary) seabed. That 41L string piece can also attach quite easily to the roof of the Refuge, even if it's not exactly clear what it's function is. If you're a fan of the movie The Abyss, you could treat it as an electronic tether and recreate the scene where the drilling platform slides deeper into the oceanic trench by pushing the set off the table. Final Thoughts Pricing and Value - According to Brick Insights, which I use for this sort of thing because I'm lazy, the price-per-part for this set is $0.22, which is a slight improvement over its price-per-part back in 1997, when it was at $0.24, which makes it good overall. That said, I think this set was still worth it even if the score was worse, given how many rare and exclusive parts you get in this set. Speaking of... Pieces - You get three bubble windscreens, eight panels with portholes, some parts that are nice to have such as an anchor and a chain, along with plenty of seaweed, string and sea animals. I'd say that's a pretty good deal, especially when you look at how much you get, and the rarity of some of these parts. Design/Build - This might be one of the more satisfying builds I've gone through recently. With two vehicles, you have something to show for your efforts without it taking too much time. With a lack of small plates and tiles, you can quickly assemble one model after another, and it's all well thought out. The sub is longer than some of the other ones from this...ahem...subtheme, but still looks sleek with plenty of room to access the interior, and the Refuge is similar. No matter if your hands are large or dainty, LEGO made sure grubby digits of all sizes can get into the Refuge. While lacking some of the more homely touches that make up 2020's Ocean Exploration Base such as a bed, coffee maker or lamp, this one has the edge by actually making it seem watertight, something that is frustratingly lacking in more recent underwater sets. And the boat is a nice addition that didn't need to be included in a set whose main focus is underwater anyway, so adding one in is a nice touch, which I can't say for the more recent line. Playability - This review took me a little longer than planned, since once the Refuge itself was complete, it was hard to get back on track and finish the sub. There's so much to do, with all the divers, accessories and sea life that you can have a number of adventures and not once get tired. Swoosh the boat. Swoosh the sub. Swoosh the aquatic animals into the Refuge. Even if this is the only set you have, it's still enough to have a good time (although I might have to recommend picking up a set that comes with a shark cage). Verdict: There's a reason this is a flagship set, one that, judging by The Brickster's review, is still widely loved and appreciated. If you compare the more recent Ocean Exploration Base to this set, it's almost no contest in terms of what you get. LEGO Divers may not always sell as strongly in the aftermarket as other retired themes, but it's well worth your while to seek this set out. Heck, it even integrates quite nicely with more modern underwater City subthemes, yellow colorschemes and all. While this set wasn't the first one from this subtheme I was looking to buy, when I saw it, I figured it was worth the price. And boy was it ever. I suspect this will stay in my collection for quite some time. Thanks for reading! Comments and questions always welcome!

After a whole lot of filming and editing, here's my video review of 75180, Rathtar Escape. Very interesting set. Final set I have to build and review is The Arrowhead, which should be coming out in a couple of days time.

Today I present to you all my thoughts on 75173 Luke's Landspeeder! Photos are from brickset.com. Remakes, remakes, remakes. This is a remake of the 2014 Mos Eisley Cantina's Landspeeder, and they look really similar, minus some minor aesthetic changes. The newer one is on the left and the older one is on the right. Perhaps only the addition of macaroni tiles and dark red astromech heads are the differences visible at first glance. You get 4 minifigures: Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan "Ben" Kenobi, C-3PO, and a Tusken Raider. These have all appeared before. Oh, more remakes! Luke previously came in the Death Star, Obi-Wan in the Mos Eisley Cantina and the Death Star, C-3PO in the Droid Escape Pod and the Death Star, and the Tusken Raider in the Skyhopper. Luke looks good, getting the balance between simple and detailed just right, in my opinion. Ben is mediocre. His hair is rather plain and the leg printing is pretty bad. C-3PO is a good minifigure, but really needs dual-moulding for his right leg. The Tusken Raider is a good minifigure as always, but the head might be just a little oversized. Here is the landspeeder. All hail the glorious macaroni tiles on the front! The engines look good with the addition of the dark red droid heads too. Engine detailing relies on stickers wrapped all around. I like the tubes on the front, but that is an old technique. There is seating for two plus space for Threepio at the back near the central engine, which can be lifted up to reveal a hidden storage area. All in all, I think this is a good-looking set, but it largely rides on the success of the previous Landspeeder. This does have minor aesthetic changes which do help it to look better, but remaking a speeder in just 3 years and not changing much isn't that great. If they couldn't find much to improve, they should've waited a couple more years before rereleasing it. Also, at 149 pieces, the value is worse than other $24.99 sets. Verdict? Get it if you don't have the 2014 Landspeeder AND if it is on discount. I probably won't be getting this, considering I'm going to get 75159.

Hello everyone! Just sharing my thoughts on the Rogue One sets from 2016. Just a note to say I don't have any of the Rogue One sets from 2016 at the time of writing. 75152: Imperial Assault Hovertank Price in my region: $69.99 This set looks pretty good to me. The spring-loaded shooters are really well integrated into the build. Chirrut Imwe, currently exclusive to this set, is a great figure to have. The Hovertank Pilots are good too, I like the sand highlights. Unfortunately, the ship does seem a too low down, plus it lacks one crate. Aside from the crate, it just looks like a flat grey build. 75153 AT-ST Price in my region: $99.99 Sorry, the images are kinda blurry. I like this set too. It's likely the best version of the AT-ST to date, albeit slightly a little too tall. Well-integrated spring-loaded shooters seem to quickly become a staple in 2016's Rogue One sets. I love that Baze Malbus figure! It's really detailed, the only complain I have is his hair is too short, but it was arguably limited by his backpack. The only main complaint I have about the set is that it's a little too small for $99.99. 3 bags only? Even the Hovertank has 4. 75154 TIE Striker Price in my region: $129.99 I take back what I said about "Well-integrated spring-loaded shooters." They really seem stuck on on this one. However, I really like the rest of the ship. The folding wing play feature looks smooth and tight, and the cockpit seems better than the one in the First Order TIE Fighter. I feel like the back is a bit of a waste of space, as they should have allowed space for another minifigure. On the other hand, the round shape of the TIE Striker is really well captured. I love it! 75155 U-wing Price in my region: $149.99 This image -------^ is of Jyn with her poncho, the next one is without the poncho. The minifigures in this set are good. You get two named main characters in currently exclusive garb. Also, you get a named minor character (albeit not named on the box). Bistan looks good too, plus the U-wing's pilot. It is noteworthy, however, that Jyn and Cassian are dressed wrongly, as both are wearing thick woolly clothes that they wore on Eadu, while the presence of the Corporal Eskro Casrich and Bistan indicate this is meant to be from the Battle of Scarif. Also, Jyn and Cassian did not arrive on Scarif in a U-wing, much less the one with Bistan. But I digress. The build looks marvellous. We have more well-integrated spring-loaded shooters, activated using blue pieces on the front. I like it when the missiles are near cannons (to simulate cannons firing) and that is true of this set. I'm not too sure what I feel about the cockpit-opening mechanism, but without it it may be hard to open the cockpit, which unfortunately does not seat two. The storage at the back does feel kinda tacked on, but the troop carrier section looks good, and even has guns which fold out. However, the guns which fold out seem inaccurate to me, as Bistan fired the guns in a U-wing through a window, not by opening a door and folding a gun out. This, though, seems like a worthy compromise in my opinion, as a troop disembarkation with covering fire play feature works. I really love this set! 75156 Krennic's Imperial Shuttle Price in my region: $169.99 Hooray for sleek black ships! I love shiny black Star Wars stuff (my love for Darth Vader is not without reason) and Krennic's Shuttle looks really good. Currently, all the minifigures are exclusive, and they are Director Orson Krennic, Bodhi Rook, Pao, K-2SO, and two Death Troopers. The spring-loaded shooters are not completely integrated, but are hidden under the wings and look okay. Krennic's seat in the cockpit does make his cape a little squashed and thus make him look slightly uncomfortable. There are also four seats in the shuttle, two of which can be used by the Death Troopers. The panels fold open, but the interior is ugly with a lot of Technic pieces. However, when folded up, the shuttle looks great, especially with the wings in flight mode. I absolutely adore this set! To me, the higher the prices, the better the sets in the wave are. However, all of the sets are good to a certain extent for their price tags! Now, it's time for me to go buy these :) Let me know your thoughts about the sets in replies!

Hello everyone! Today I will be sharing my thoughts on 75169 Duel on Naboo Photos are from brickset.com. I have yet to purchase this but I am sure that I will. Here is the box… Let's begin with the minifigures, arguably the main draw of the set… Qui-Gon Jinn is my favorite minifigure in this set. I do not have him yet, so he is good to have. The lack of a cape is excusable in my opinion as none of the characters in this scene were wearing their capes at the duel near the reactor shaft. I like the grey highlights on Qui-Gon's beard and his alternate face. The only complaints I have are that some of the printing isn't the best (the torso part which shows Qui-Gon's overly tanned skin and the leg printing). Obi-Wan Kenobi is my second-favorite minifigure in this set. I also do not have a Padawan Obi-Wan, so this is welcome. I stand by the fact that LEGO should make a new hairpiece for Padawans, as Obi-Wan's hairpiece in this set is grossly inaccurate. I do like his face and robe printing, however, but the same skin tan problem is present here. Darth Maul is definitely my least favorite minifigure in the set. His front torso, back torso, and leg printing are all excellent, and I like the Zabrak horn headpiece, but his face is awful. I know they were going for a grimace, but it ends up looking like a crazy Joker-like maniacal grin. On to the main build next… Does look like quite a mess, doesn't it? I wouldn't want this set if not for the awesome minifigures. Here, the play features are all visible, the Technic beam for the laser gate, the plasma purification chamber, and the reactor shaft with the catapult's lever jutting out. Laser Gate Function… Push the axle in, door opens. Pull the axle out, door closes. Simple enough. However, the laser gate is really inaccurate in my opinion and a drop-down, solid brick-built trans red panel would look better. Despite this, the play feature definitely works well. Here is the plasma purification chamber. It is really tiny compared to the humongous columns present in the scene. The clear piece can open and the plasma can be removed, however, it is evidently not too easy as the cockpit bubble cannot be opened too much. There is also a golden grille piece next to it. I personally feel the pink and the gold clutter up the appearance and color scheme of the set, though others may beg to differ. See? THOSE are the purification chambers. The LEGO one looks really tiny in comparison. There is a clear 6x6 radar dish piece to simulate a hole, but flicking the lever enables Obi-Wan to jump up… or at least it should. Check out JANGBRiCKS' attempt at it (though Maul's lightsaber did block the way for Obi-Wan to jump out in his review): The price… … is $24.99, which provides good value for just over 200 pieces. Verdict: So, do I like this set? Yes. I already said I want to get it. But why do I like this set? It is solely because of the figures. The build, whilst okay, isn't really all that great, and looks kind of messy to me. Therefore, in my opinion, you should get this if you want the minifigures. If you don't want the figures, I think this deserves a pass. But what do you guys think? Let me know in a reply

Comparison between 75121 Imperial Death Trooper and 75523 Scarif Stormtrooper. Photos are from Brickset. Notice the high level of detail these both have. The Death Trooper is on the left; the Scarif Stormtrooper on the right. Note: As "Shoretrooper" and not "Scarif Stormtrooper" is the accurate name for these troops, I will henceforth refer to 75523 as a Shoretrooper. Boxes: Both are $24.99 (or $44.99 in my region), but the Death Trooper has 105 pieces; the Shoretrooper only has 64. Therefore, the Death Trooper easily wins in terms of value. First, we shall compare their helmets. Both are amazingly detailed and enormously accurate, but the Shoretrooper has a better helmet in my opinion, as all the little dots representing battle damage are superb. Chest pieces! Both look really good and detailed, but I just slightly prefer the Death Trooper's because you can add and remove the pauldron. Speaking of pauldrons, it's time for the comparison of the pauldron and the faulds! Both look really good, but the Death Trooper's pauldron has more printing and has the bonus of 3 printed tiles which can be attached, so I think the Death Trooper's pauldron wins. However, it must be said that the Shoretrooper's faulds are really great too. Time for the legs! Shoretrooper wins this one. More printing on the lower leg panels, plus the addition of the great plastic faulds. One thing I do not like about them both is that they use dark grey feet extensions. Surely they could be made in black and brown? Another noteworthy thing is that the Death Trooper has 3L beams in his legs to cover up the holes, the Shoretrooper does not. Time for the Weapons! The Death Trooper has two weapons: A blaster and a pistol. The Shoretrooper has a double-barreled E-22 blastser. Both look really impressive, and thus I think it is a tie. The Shoretrooper's gun is more detailed than the Death Trooper's gun, as it has two shooting functions (missile AND stud shooter) plus a blue rangefinder on the side! However, the Death Trooper has the advantage of two weapons, minus the fact that the pistol doesn't look too good in his hand. The pistol can be clipped to the side of the Trooper's leg, however. VOTE TALLY: Value = Death Trooper Helmet = Shoretrooper Chest pieces = Death Trooper Pauldron vs Faulds = Death Trooper Legs = Shoretrooper Weapons = TIE Overall, the Death Trooper wins in my book, but only narrowly. Which do you prefer?