Normally, my Lego budget is saved for the SW line but occasionally, I like to pick up a different theme. My son has been an avid fan of the Atlantis line and I grabbed the Atlantis Exploration HQ at Walmart last weekend.
The Details
Pieces = 473
MSRP = $49.99
Price per piece = 10.5 cents
Minifigures = 3
The Box
The front of the box shows the HQ in its “transformed” mode with the base features fully deployed. The lower right corner gives a fairly small picture of the HQ collapsed into its more mobile, sub mode.
The lower left hand corner shows which Atlantis key comes with this set. It is the yellow turtle key, which also appears in the Typhoon Turbo Sub (8060) and the Portal to Atlantis (8078) sets.
The rear of the box gives us a look at the interior of the base, as well as a much larger picture of the sub.
Inside the box, we find four numbered bags, two instruction books and one sticker sheet.
Other sets in the Atlantis line have had rather extensive sticker sheets, so I was relieved to find that this sticker sheet was relatively modest.
The Minifigures
This set comes with two divers and one manta warrior. The divers are Dr. Jeff Fisher (the one with the mustache) and Captain Ace Speedman. Each diver comes with a diving helmet and flippers while the manta warrior is composed of a molded rubber head that fits over a normal sized headpiece.
The divers have identical torsos and legs with detailed printing on both the front and the back.
As with the other sets in this line the divers also have two set of facial expressions: the gritty/adventurous ones seen in the previous image and the “oh ****
” faces, which come in handy whenever there is a diving accident or encounter with an undersea creature.
The Build
The build of this set was fun. There was very little repetition. The first part of the build involves setting up the frame structure. It went quickly and when done, we have an asymmetrical platform with three evenly spaced stands and one taller structure. The base of the platform has a nice little poseable crane.
Bags two through four contain pieces for the sub/HQ. The front of the submarine is hinged, with the rear having some hidden linking pieces. Here is a shot of the interior of the sub/base early in the build.
The left side has a kitchen and computer station. The right side has some additional computers and a nice little treasure map. After the base level was constructed, the sides of the submarine were built up. Finally, the top of the sub is hinged and contains a set of lights. In HQ/base mode, these fold up and out, presumably to light the inky darkness of the ocean. Here is the finished sub in HQ mode.
You can see there is plenty of room on both sides for access to the work areas. Here, Dr. Fisher consults the treasure map.
When in HQ mode, the entire sub sits on the frame structure constructed earlier in the build. It gives it some height and size that are very visually appealing.
When it is time to go searching for Atlantis, the base easily transforms back into sub mode. Simply fold down the top and collapse the side and the divers are ready to go.
Some people might find overall appearance of the sub-mode blocky, but I think it is captures the hybrid base/submarine functionality of this set.
Finally, here are the extras that are left over at the end.
PRO’s
Novel functionality that is robust and stand up well to play
The frame stand makes a nice addition to the base
Shape of the sub is refreshingly different from other sets in the Atlantis line
Reasonable price point
CON’s
The red colors of the Atlantis line can be a little glaring
A second “bad guy” would have been a nice addition
Still has stickers. A few more printed pieces would have gone a long way.
Overall
This is one of the more different sets in the Atlantis line and that alone helps it stand out. Add in the fact that most “base” sets are stationary, I really ended up liking the unique playability found here. The aesthetics of the Atlantis line still don’t click with me (too much red, I suppose) but the shape and lines of the HQ Explorer all work well together.
