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Blackshark technicians race out of a hidden outpost in response to a bogus
emergency signal from their commander while hidden enemy Raiders chuckle to
themselves. Giving the gullible Blacksharks a few more minutes to position
into the sites of electro-net launchers, the unsuspecting sub is dispatched
with an EMP charge that immediately deactivates the ship's energy systems and
drops the sub into a deep sea gorge. Nullifying that closest threat, the
Mauler moves out from its cave of surveillance and rolls menacingly toward the
station.
A minimal number of techs left behind will never have the opportunity to call
for any nearby assistance as the I-Wing minisub detaches itself from the back
of the Mauler and lifts off to race ahead and destroy the station's
communications array. Arriving at the walls, the Mauler begins spinning giant
gear-faced drills that jut from its face, tearing into protective energy fields
and the outside wall. A sudden explosion of released pressure announces the
breaching of the outer shields and wall. The blast throws the Raider machine
back a few yards, but it rolls forward and begins tearing anew at the station
walls, burrowing in like a giant worm. Soon, a few surviving Blacksharks are
taken prisoner along with over 30 new crystals as the Mauler turns from the
gutted station and proceeds to their pickup point.
While Aquanauts have never been more appealing to me than an occasional
purchase, the 1997 release of Aquaraiders (with lots of green bricks) has been
enough to encourage me to at last pick up a larger model. The price wasn't too
much more than what one pays for a medium-size space ship and while I think the
principal model is kind of ugly, it did have a lot of bricks which made it
worth the purchase.
The Hydro Reef Wrecker (neat name) is a rather bulky model comprised of a
three-wheel surface roving unit (much like the 1728-Crystal Crawler) with a
detachable minisub that fits nicely on the back. Two crystal boxes and a
spacious 6x9x3 area for storage are located just beneath the minisub's docking
base. Three giant drills on the face of the rover unit give it a very nasty
appearance. Also, there are two wing-like appendages that can hinge back to
make the rolling unit look a little more sleek but they really don't help much,
still these hinges add up to useful elements for your own creations.
Unique pieces that come with the set are mainly the trans-green vertical dome
halves (top and bottom) including optional sticker/decals, but there are also a
great amount of regular building bricks: plates, sloped, octagonal (straight,
elbowed and jogged) both in green and black.
The set comes with two of the new Aquaraider minifigs (mustache guy and the
kid) with standard chrome daggers and spears, plus a dark grey shark and an
octopus.
I gave the set three stars because I think a cooler model could have been
assembled (maybe adding or changing a few bricks), but it is a nice collection
of bricks in itself and it makes for a great introduction to more green
elements.
!!!4x2ReVu Stats!!!
Rating: Four out of eight studs
Thumbs up for: A nice array of green bricks. The small sub model is pretty
cool.
Wallet-wise: Approximately $40.00 for 279 pieces.
Original review date: 7/28/97
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