6558 - Shark Cage Cove

Rating:
Pros: A great set for those who don't have a boat or a decent sea-scape, with great potential for adventure
Cons: Unsmiling faces; rotten stickers that are a pain to attach to the models!
Contents: 185 pieces including 3 mini-figs
Price: $29.99
Reviewed: 20-Apr-1998
Reviewed by: Matthew Chappell

Captain Chester surveyed the calm blue waters that covered one of the wonders of the world The Great Barrier Reef.
Today, he and two students from James Cook University were on a University funded project to survey the coral reef for shark inhabitation. Captain Chester ushered one of the students, known to his friends as Boofer, into the sturdy shark cage while the other, Bungi, equipped with a miniature underwater sea-scooter, plunged into the water. The cage was lowered down and touched the sea bottom, revealing an eerie sea-scape of sharp escarpments, dramatic cliffs and magnificent sea-life.
Suddenly, without warning, three hungry predators were upon the students. Quick as a flash, both fired their harpoon guns and chased away a grey shark and an evil sawfish. But the great grey shark was still alive and getting hungrier by the minute...BANG!! The grey shark rammed the cage in anger and frustration. The door to the shark cage fell open...with Boofer and Bungi unprotected from those gnashing teeth! Can Captain Chester save the day?

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The 6558 Shark Cage Cove is a great medium-sized set for those who don't have a decent boat or a suitable sea-scape. In the set you get a medium sized boat, shark cage (of course!), a decent sized sea-scape consisting of two separate rocky outcrops connected by a natural archway, two sharks, a sawfish, and three intrepid explorers (one captain and two divers).

The boat, which is one of the nicest designed vehicles that have come out of the Lego factory in twenty years, is predominantly white in color with a blue trim down the side and a red crane thrown in for that added finesse! Fully equipped to explore any sunken treasure or rescue any poor soul lost at sea, you get a radar dish, monitor and two signal flags.
The shark cage that sits on the boat's rear deck is very simple but effective in design. All it is really is four yellow ladders attached to two yellow square multi-purpose base plate doohickies (I canna describe 'em, Cap'n!).
The sea-scape is full of wonderful features like seaweed, coral, a treasure chest and barrel, a shark net, and of course, hungry predators of the deep!

The figures that navigate the boat and dive in the deep blue sea are quite pleasing as well, the captain wearing his typical blue cap and tank top. The divers subscribe to the blue and black club, as opposed to the red and black club. The only criticism I have with these two figures is that they are not smiling...but then again, having to face hungy predators of the deep, I don't think I'd be smiling either!

Interesting or unusual pieces in this set weren't many, but pretty significant. These included a red 2x2 plate with grey rotating disk (for the radar pre-printed element, which is an unusual piece in itself), the green opaque seaweed elements, the clear elements for the windscreen of the boat, and finally the three beautifully designed bricks that make up the bow of the boat...such ingenuity and style I have not seen in a quite a while.

Finally, if you're curious, alternate models on the back of the box more or less play upon the same theme, and, if you're not "instructionally challenged" like me, then have a go.