2161 - Aqua Dozer

Rating:
Pros: A few worthwhile pieces.
Cons: Ludicrous price for a hideous model.
Contents: 133 pieces including 1 mini-fig
Price: $24.99 - Discontinued
Reviewed: 14-Jan-1998
Reviewed by: Joseph Gonzalez

Work on the new Aquaraider substation began over a month ago and progress has moved rapidly. One afternoon, worker Raymond Gizber and his bulldozing sub found something interesting. At first Ray didn't believe it when the powerful scoop made the sound of grating on metal, but after unloading a few more tons of sea floor he uncovered what looked like part of a deeply buried craft. The ship was saucer-shaped and too large to uncover completely by himself. He wanted to find out if he had found some sort of treasure before notifying any other workers.
Ray was successful in uncovering a good portion of what looked like a portal/hatch. Securing his dozer on some nearby coral, he exited the ship and approached the mysterious craft. He found strange symbols as he wiped away remaining dirt and debris and wrapped his hand around what looked like a handle or grip. It was then that light and sparks emitted from the alien shell and Ray's world went black.

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I'm really disappointed with the retail price of this set. I didn't purchase it for the model but rather to complete my collection of the Aquaraiders sets.
While buying the Aqua Dozer, I was confronted with the ridiculous price of $25.00 for only 133 pieces. (That's ten dollars more than the Crystal Scavenger with only twenty-six more pieces!) Compare that to the $20.00 tag on the 6444-Outback Airstrip (157 pieces) or 2152-Robo Raptor (220 pieces). Granted there are some pieces here that you might not find in other sets, but plunking down an extra six or seven bucks just doesn't cut it for me. Aaargh!

The Dozer is a one-man sub (fairly large for its single individual capacity) whose main feature is the loading scoop. The tail at the back of the ship can tilt down which lifts the scoop in front, though it doesn't lift it that much, and a central domed cockpit features an escape "tub" (for lack of a better word) for the pilot. The model is quite ugly (what's up with those two upside-down propellers on the side of the scoop that would only propel the sub down?) but affords fans some interesting pieces. The most unique of all pieces is the 10x10 trans-green octo-dome (hinging on two 1x2 hinges which makes it much more secure than the smaller 6x6 domes) and a 10x10 octagonal black plate with a cutout center that the dome hinges are based on.
Other fun pieces in the set are the large 10-stud-wide scoop and 17-stud-long chains which assist in the raising of the scoop, two 2x4 dark grey axle bricks, and two green jets. I should also mention that there are a few good-sized black plates that could be useful in other projects.

There are some good points to the set but none that deserves suggesting you pay more than sixteen or seventeen dollars, and NOTHING that can raise the rating above one star. Keep an eye out for this on clearance, you'll probably burn the instructions but love the assortment of pieces.