6559 - Deep Sea Bounty

Rating:
Pros: Incredible amount of fun pieces
Cons: Not a lot of bricks for alternate sets but for simple playability, it can't be beat
Contents: 5 mini-figs, 4 sea creatures, and 1 parrot. I have no idea how many pieces as it seems to be a European set and they almost never print the number of bricks on the box.
Price: About $39.00 - Discontinued
Reviewed: 5-May-1997
Reviewed by: Joseph Gonzalez

Courageous divers of the Nivotni are combing the treacherous reefs of Kenlon Bay in hopes of turning up some evidence of the infamous illegitimate offspring of the legendary whale Moby Dick known as Maybe Not. Their efforts prove to be fruitful as the outline of a mammoth skeleton has been spotted near a small grouping of sea caves. The divers approach cautiously with cameras and tools in hand, unaware of watching eyes in a cave beyond the skeleton.

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Previous purchases from this particular sub-theme only included 6599-Shark Attack and 6442-Stingray Explorer, and I thought I could wrap it up at that saying I had purchased the "necessaries" of the Divers sub-theme (the large white subsurface laboratory in 6441 looks tasty but expensive), but further scanning of catalogs and snooping around the news group rec.toys.lego turned up news of the 6559 which at that time was only going to be available through outside U.S. outlets. Later rumors sounded favorable and the set has proven to at last be available through Lego Shop at Home inside the U.S. (but for how long?). The main attraction to this set for me was the layout of a whale skeleton and the inclusion of blue divers (which I didn't yet have), but now that I have the set, there is a lot more to like about it and I strongly suggest it to Diver collectors and avid Townies alike.
The 6559's main models are a small section of reef with a whale skeleton, one-man bubble-sub, dive boat with a shark cage and the divers' other odds and ends that are going to make this set the one to acquire if you choose to buy only one Divers set. The reef section is a rudimentary pile of rock pieces (three of which create a small cave for hiding treasure goodies) and the reposing mammal carcass. The giant skull has a booby-trapped mouth (which you've probably seen in catalog pictures) that chomps down on the unlucky diver that tries to take out a treasure chest wedged in there.
The bubble-sub is an identical design to the one found in 6599 with only minor alterations. The divers' main control center seems to be the pontoon-and-platform style dive boat with a winch to lower the shark cage, but they also command a dinghy with an outboard motor, and the goofy mobile light sled (this is similar to that found in the 6442 minus the chrome pieces) which I personally have no use for, but the yellow jet engine elements on these are great for alternate models.
The set comes with five minifigs: two divers, a sub-pilot and two guys to stay up top and take care of things, and an additional two baseball caps for the SCUBA dudes when they're out of their diving hoods; also, it was nice to include four sea creatures (octopus, gray shark, saw fish and manta ray) which only increased the set's value in my opinion.
The kit portrays a scenario of divers finding treasure, and this set is loaded with treasures of minifig elements: two yellow cameras, two spear guns, the personal diver mini-jet (looks like a big spotlight but works as a mode of transport for me), two treasure chests, two pirate sabers, skeleton head, two chrome daggers, fishing pole (my first and I'm in love), a tool wheel (wrenches, hammer, etc.), fishing net, two transparent goblets, the new chain element, the one-piece dinghy, a communicator and even a strange piece that looks like an old dumbbell-style telephone (used here to hold a couple of lighting spotlights on the mast of the dive boat). There are also three 2x2 tiles with a picture of an eel, seahorse, and conch shell that can be placed under a little x-ray machine onboard the boat (a la decoder elements found in Exploriens sets, but these tiles are preprinted and not magnetic). Other worthwhile pieces include the yellow shark cage walls/ladders, a blue winch, both types of green seaweed elements, and four gold coins.
This set is outstanding not so much for its building bricks as for its sheer number of invaluable non-brick elements (then came the hailstorm of purists' stones). Play value is incredible here and it's available at an affordable price.