WesternOutlaw

That's great to hear DJ. I'm glad this review helped you decide to buy the set. OK, rub it in! I guess I'm a slow builder.

I was thinking about something similar with the HP Graveyard set.

Anything inparticular? I love the Studio monsters, esp. the vampire.

Are any of you planning on building a haunted house, spooky graveyard, or other frightfully fun Halloween MOC this season? With Halloween one month away, I'm thinking of building something but not sure what I want to do. I'd be interested to find out more about the spooky creations you might be planning?

(raises skeletal hand from somewhere in Grave Stone) I have. Playmobil Egypt is an awesome theme. I wish Lego would jump on the chariot. Here's some discussion from a few months ago: Playmobil Goes Egyptian

Thank you for the compliment Eilif. I do enjoy bringing up various topics for suggestion, which is probably more important to me than creating a lengthy critical essay with only AFOL in mind. As I haven't seen too many articles on EB, I would invite you to share an article that incorporates some of your suggestions.

Excellent thoughts on the subject IS. I did not factor in the baseplate at all. It's interesting (and a little sad) that we've moved away from the standard brick. Although I appreciate your thoughts and honesty: "Once again"? What would you call it if not an "article"? Are you looking for a "HOW TO" or some kind of historic review? Good list. I almost considered creating a poll, but wasn't sure how to best go about having each respondent rate each factor.

Set Design, Playability, and Other Considerations What Do You Value More? - An EB Trains & Town Article by TheBrickster If you could design or buy the "Perfect Lego Set", most Lego enthusiasts would prefer a set that is nicely designed, contains awesome minifigs, has a high degree of playability, and contains elements of "Classic Town Design". Unfortunately, it is very difficult to capture all of these qualities in a single set. Lego does a pretty good job at offering sets that incorporate these various wants, but must take into account other factors including the age of the target audience, the retail price of the set, and the theme/competition of other construction toy companies; to name just a few. The Historic Perspective Lego has always offered "basic building" sets that don't contain minifigs. These sets are generally sold in larger tubs and boxes and appeal to a wide-variety of Lego builders as sets used to promote creativity and learning, as bulk-brick sets for adult fans of Lego (AFOL), and sets that can supplement a tabletown, but not generally used as a single town/city set. These sets created Lego's first market niche and the sets that many AFOL remember as children. These sets contain mostly standard bricks with just a few specialized pieces. In the more modern variety; Creator, the use of more specialized bricks has expanded. Although bulk sets are great for "generic building", I doubt many AFOL or children get excited to see a a new 1,000-piece Blue Tub or even a Creator Creature set. The minifigs and detail that we've grown to expect is lacking among these types of sets. 3033 Special Value Blue Tub - 1998 4998 Creator Stegasaurus - 2008 Mega Models Over the past decade, Lego has enticed the advanced builder/AFOL by offering large, more complex models with outstanding design and detail. These sets, although not mini-fig scale, are valued for their design quality, but offer little in the way of playability. Rather, these sets possess "build-ability" and can be added to a Tabletown, but generally look better displayed in some other area within the house. The new term for these sets are "Exclusives" and in more recent years, the piece count and price tage of these sets has grown to un-obtainable levels, unless purchased by very serious AFOL. These are not sets that are purchased by parents wanting to give their child some Lego, and not generally found on store shelves. 10181 Eiffel Tower - 2007 Lego's Modern Market Strategy Only in the last couple years has Lego figured out the perfect recipe for capturing the eyes and pocket books of AFOL and the child who collects City sets. These sets include Lego's modular building collection: Cafe Corner and the Green Grocer. With a price point of $150 (USD) or more, they offer enough pieces for very nice detail, minifigs for play, and the look of a set that would look outstanding in any Tabletown. The main problem with these sets; however, is that set availability is again compromised as most retail/department stores will not fill store shelves with even a couple of these at a $150 price tag. They must be ordered from LSAH or purchased at a Lego retail store. 10185 Green Grocer - 2008 Lego Factory Another of Lego's strategies to capture a special market niche is their on-line Lego Factory and Lego Digitial Designer (LDD) software. Creative Lego builders can create their own models and purchase them from Lego Factory, printing their own instructions. A few Factory creations have been made into actual sets that can be ordered from Lego Shop at Home. These sets hold a higher price and piece count, but are nicely detailed appealing to the AFOL. More of these sets at a better price point may prove successful for Lego. 10200 Factory Custom Car Garage - 2008 The Fundamental Equation Taking into account Lego's more recent market strategies, what is more appealing to you? Here are a few considerations (in no particular order) when buying a set: Price (How much is it?) Value (Is the set worth the price/piece or other value ratio?) Playability (Will it give you some play or fun - swoosh value?) Design (How is the overall quality of the design?) Integration (Will it fit within my existing Tabletown or collection?) Theme (Is it a theme I value or collect other sets to?) Rating (How do other AFOL feel about this set?) Visual Quality (How "cool" does it look? or does it look like a Classic Town set?) Pieces (Does this set contain special pieces that you need or want?) Minifigs (Does this set have minifigs that you want?) Build (Do you prefer an easy or more complex build?) Other Considerations (you may have other considerations when buying a set). Considering these various questions, what do you consider more important when buying a set? Does the combination of all of these attributes equal a good set? Which of these attributes would you be willing to sacrifice for others? A moderate balance of all of these attributes is always good, but which is/are more important to you? Share your thoughts...

Excellent review VBBN. Thanks for sharing. You provided some very nice close-up images of this set. I actually bought this set last Christmas, and have not yet taken it out of the box. Years ago, I had a thought that Lego should offer a Christmas train set, but one set/car each Christmas for a few years as part of a special limited collection; maybe even a Christmas station. It was nice to see Lego finally offer this set. Now I need to move the Playmobil train over this Christmas to make room for Lego's Holiday Train.

Actually, I believe it's a "Sawtooth Shark" or a "Sawfish", not a swordfish. I have a habit of calling it a hammerhead shark. Thanks WhiteFang. A good review is only made better by comments/analysis from you and others.

Interesting thought to compare the two diving factions. I never really separated them thinking they were all part of the same diving team. On another note, it's ashame most of the new Coast Guard figs are all orange and blue.

Thanks for the information. It took me about a half hour to get through this morning, but I was able to order one.

I really enjoy reading all of the great feedback about this set. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. That's the 2nd time I did that. I don't know what I was thinking. Yes, when I bought it in the late 90s. I just wish I had picked up a few more of these great Divers sets. I remember a really impressive display of the Divers theme at my local Toys R Us. At the time, I wasn't really into the theme, but now I've grown to really appreciate it.

I think it's a great addition consistent with the style and colors of other Diver sets. It is the only land/wheeled vehicle though.

Divers Deep Reef Refuge Set #: 6441 Year Released: 1997 Piece Count: 433 Minifigs: 5 List Price: $60 The largest of the Diver sets was this gem, the Deep Reef Refuge. I remember visiting a Toys R Us store here in the US during the late 90s, seeing a huge plastic display with this set and others. I had to have it! For playability, this set is the best. It includes an underwater lab, reef/underwater rock formation, a fishing/treasure hunting boat, yellow submarine, and lots of accessories. I've broken this review into four (4) parts since it will be picture heavy. The first part of the review is the box, instructions, and accessories. PART 1: Box and Accessories Check out this great box with wonderful boxart: The top lifts open revealing special parts and this picture: The back of the box shows some alternate models, all very nice: The instructions show the same images (front and back): Front Back The set includes two small sheets of decals for the submarine and reef: Five figs are included within this set. I love the divers! The set has some very nice accessories including spear guns, hand jets, a camera, and other items. More items will be pictured in parts 2 & 3 of this review. This set includes an abundance of underwater life including: Two Sharks Two Manta Ray One Smiling Dolphin And a Glowing Eyed Octopus End Part 1 PART 2: Fishing Boat I really like the ship that's included within this set, one of my favorites in the Diver collection. Take a look. I've always loved the blue and white color combination with trans. blue window: On top is a printed radar/sonar that turns, a red antenna, and a printed flag: The front end has a small compartment to store a few smaller items: Here's a shot of the complete front section: I love the control room complete with a navigation computer and treasure map: At the back is a winch to pull up the fishing net: The net seems to have snared an old ship's steering wheel. Perhaps treasure is near? A side view of the ship with accessories: And the ship at a different angle: This little fishing boat also appeared in the Eurobricks thriller, Mystery Ship: End Part 2 PART 3: Exploration Submarine A really nice component within the Deep Reef Refuge is the exploration submarine: It has a great little one-seater cockpit with printed 1x2s: Here's a side-view. I love the port holes. On each side of the sub is a non-printed container for storing small ocean items and/or equipment: The two rear window sections open allowing access to the sub: One stud holds the window section in place: Inside is another section for 1-2 figs and a great printed computer with fish read-out: The back section has two black jets and propellor. Little details like the 1x2 red bar pieces for the divers to hold on add to the sub for great playability: Watch out for the HAMMERHEAD! End Part 3 PART 4: Underwater Lab and Reef Once the divers go below the water, they can venture to the depths of the ocean floor to an underwater lab: A large viewing bubble stands on either side of the lab: From outside, one can see inside the lab: In case of emergency or underwater connections with the submarine, two large hatches can lift open: Two hinges allow the lab to be opened for playability: The left side of the lab holds all the equipment for the divers: And the right side, lab equipment including a working X-Ray machine: The X-Ray machine includes three "undersea creature tiles" that are printed with blue and red colors: NOTE: The blue does not look as visible regularly - the camera flash enhanced the color. You can place the tile in the X-Ray machine: And the trans. blue X-Ray piece makes the blue look white revealing the bones of the sea creature: The underwater lab rests next to a large reef, a lair for sharks and sunken treasure: Right Front Some other rock/brick formations: Left Front Left Rear See the exploration sub as it makes its way into the depths of the reef: The undersea refuge is filled with aquatic life: Will the exploration sub and divers make it to the undersea lab with the shark infested waters? My favorite image, a picture of some of the Instruction Art showing the undersea refuge: This concludes my review of Set 6441, Deep Sea Refuge; and as this is my last Divers set, also concludes my reviews of the Divers theme. Hope you enjoy this and other Divers set reviews. I highly recommend them for their detail and high level of playability. May your swimming pool and bathtub always be safe from sharks!

Divers Scuba Squad Set #: 6556 Year Released: 1997 Piece Count: 72 Minifigs: 2 List Price: $8.75 Aside from boats, submarines, sharks, and underwater reefs, the Divers theme also offered this little beach van set with trailor and raft. It was a nice addition to the Divers collection, and the only wheeled-vehicle in the line-up. The set included a van, trailor, raft, two figs, and some nice exras. Starting with the box, I love the Divers theme boxart: Some alternate models on the back. I love the water skier: The same image on the box appears on the instructions: Here's the back of the instructions: These stickers are for the sides of the van: I love the figs in this set, my favorite from the Divers collection. Most of the figs that appeared in the Diver sets were red and black, but these were blue and had different prints on their torsos. Is that Diver Dan? (Mystery Ship Reference ): This set also includes blue flippers (the ones I remember as a kid). Here's an image of the accessories: A yellow raft is also included within this set: Here's the van and trailor: Decals intentionally left off The trailor uses the rare hitch piece found in other classic Lego haulers: Here's the van. I like the use of the trans. blue moon roof piece: There's a second one used in the back: The complete Scuba Squad set: Final Thoughts: I think Scuba Squad makes for an excellent starter set to the Divers theme (or) even an outstanding addition to a Classic Town bringing a vacation/day at the beach element to any table town. The set offers a great amount of playability, esp. for a set this size. I love attaching the trailer to the beach van and pulling the raft around in search of that favorite treasure hunting location. The colors of the set look great and the set only takes a few minutes to build. Lastly, the set reminds me a little of 7737 Coast Guard 4WD & Jet Scooter: Happy snorkeling without the sharks!

Yes- good catch.

Awesome review Dunamis. This set looks like the gem of the Star Wars collection. Do you have some images of the completed set?

Thanks everyone for the great feedback. Thanks for sharing these FreeBee - great MOC cars!

Excellent interview Bonaparte. I really enjoyed listening to this, more so than others. It's always neat to hear what long-time EB member sounds like. I particularly laughed with your comment in regard to the plate of spaghetti in the background of an image review. I'm really glad you talked about the Reviewers Academy though, and thank you. Great interview!

Divers Sea Hunt Set #: 6555 Year Released: 1997 Piece Count: 30 Minifigs: 1 List Price: $4.50 (USD) Sea Hunter was the smallest set of the Divers theme. It included one minifig, a hammerhead shark, a small motor boat, undersea rock formation, and treasure chest. The set was a great starter set that even had a few accessories for treasure hunting. With a US price of $4.50 (under $10), what more could you want in a little set like this? Starting with the box: The backside of the box. Even this little set has an alternate model pictured: The instructions have the same photo as the box: One little Diver Dude is included in the set: Here's a shot with his helmet off so you can see his head: Accessories include a spear gun, treasure chest, and three round 1x1s that serve as treasure. Gems and/or gold pieces would have been a nicer addition. And this printed flag so that the diver can remember where the treasure is if he needs to come back to the site: But watch out! Treasure waters are infested with sharks: The set includes a nice little rock formation with undersea plant: Here's the Diver's bright yellow motor boat. I always wondered if these really float? Lastly, the complete set: I think this is an awesome little set packed with lots of extras for great playability! It can be compared to Aqua Raiders #7770: Deep Sea Treasure Hunter with 75 pieces - released ten years later in 2007: Hope you enjoy this classic DIVERS set. EDIT: For those of you looking for some American movies related to the Divers Theme, here's a few movie references: Into the Blue (2005) Fool's Gold (2008)

Divers Shark Attack Set #: 6599 Year Released: 1997 Piece Count: 55 Minifigs: 2 List Price: $10 In 1997, Lego introduced a new aquatic theme called DIVERS. The theme included simple but nice brick-built ships, shark cages, underwater reefs, submarines, and sharks. I picked up a few of these sets back in the late 90s including this bonus pack (my first Divers set review) known as SHARK ATTACK. Here's a picture of the box that looked pretty slick with the submarine and sharks: Side view: Back of box: Here's the instructions: And the back of the instructions: The set includes a decal sheet with some stickers for the submarine: The set includes two figs; one submarine crewman, and one diver: Also included are some accessories: speargun, flippers, and an oxygen tank: The sub is a one-man mini-sub but nicely detailed and great for lowering down off a small ship: Details included a large white camera piece: Here's the sub with a fig inside: And the tail end: Three sharks are included within this set; a sawtooth, great white, and regular grey shark: The complete Shark Attack set: Divers was a great theme, and I regret not buying a few more sets when available in the late 90s. Hope you enjoy this review. I've got a few more Diver reviews coming soon...

Sure, here you go: Thanks for sharing. That was the mech I was thinking of. Oh, that's exactly what I meant - not sure why I typed hammer head.

4789 Alpha Team Aquatic Mech Set #: 4789 Theme: Alpha Team - Mission Deep Sea Year of Release: 2002 Pieces: 164 Minifigs: 1 Price: $20 (USD) In 2002, Lego released a new underwater sub-theme called Mission Deep Sea. The sub-theme was part of Alpha Team with some of the same characters and villains from 2001 (e.g. Ogel and others). Although I don't think the theme was too good, this limited release Mech was a pretty slick set. It included a large robotic underwater mech, a small "Tee Vee" probe, Alpha Team hero Dash, and a hammerhead shark. This collection of components made for a nice set with a great play value. I think the mech served as an early proto-type for Exo-Force mechs that would come many years later. Let's take a look at this set in better detail. The front of the box had some nice artwork with a look that reminds me of Aquaraiders: The back of the box provides inspiration for two different alternative models: Here's a close-up: The set includes one minifig (Dash as named on the box) that has a brown hairpiece and diving equipment: A nice extra is this little camera probe that has a sharp printed brick. I like it's name, "TEE-VEE": The set also includes a black hammerhead shark and some underwater sea life: And these extras: The best part of this set is this large industrial mech that reminds me of something from the movie Aliens: The cockpit is pretty slick with a yellow stretcher holder that covers the see-through piece: The cockpit includes two levers and the nice printed sloped bricks: In the back of the mech are two underwater propellors that can swivel up and down: The strong legs of the mech utilize this unique printed piece found only in a few Alpha Team sets. They swivel similar to the first Star Wars AT-ST set: 41525px1 Each legs also includes a container/safe piece: Here's a shot of the front of the mech with its two long arms: Each arm utilizes two arm sections: The right arm has a claw that remains closed until manually opened. A small rubberband keeps it closed: The mech's left arm has two trans yellow saw blades: A shot of the mech in action: And lastly, the complete set: Summary: I picked up just a few Alpha Team Deep Sea sets back in the early 2000s, none of which I really liked; but after finding this set for $20 at my local TRU store, I had to buy one. I like this set in that it has some great pieces, none of which have stickers. As I said earlier, this particular mech reminds me of the mech that was used to fight the Alien in the 1986 sci-fi flick. I think it looks good in yellow giving it a real industrial look plus adding an element of underwater use to its design. I think this set is the best among the 2002 Mission Deep Sea collection. Share your thoughts.

Yes, thanks for bringing this to my attention. I had listed the set as Cafe Corner in the article and thought I had corrected the reference in the other two areas, but must have missed it. It's corrected now.