REVIEW: 6814 Ice Tunnelator

[ADHO15]

Hi. This is my first review in the Space Forum. I picked a small, simple set: the 6814 Ice Tunnelator!

Theme: Space (Ice Planet 2002)

No of pieces: 19 (excluding fig)

Release Date: 1993

Minifigs: 1

RRP when released: $3.00 USD

Bricklink

Peeron

This is the official picture of the set. Though I have lost the box and instructions, I'm pretty sure this was the picture printed onto them.

Build

These are the 19 pieces included in the set. The trans-orange pieces and the wheels are probably the rarest pieces. Not being a huge and varied LEGO collector, I'm not sure how rare the pieces are

After 3 stages into the build, the model will look like this. This is the underside of the buggy showing where the four wheels attach.

A few stages later and the buggy will look like this. The bumper, the seat and the 'ski rack' have been attached to the main frame of the vehicle.

Towards the end of the build, after the chainsaw and skis have been attached. The buggy will look like this.

Vehicle

The finished buggy looks like this. It is accompanied by a single minifig you will see later. If only TLG made sets this small for Star Wars!

The buggy has four big wheels, a chair for the driver to sit on, a basic bumper at the front and a trans-orange chainsaw to 'tunnelate' through the ice.

A side view of this little vehicle. It looks small and cute from this view, dwarfed by it's big wheels.

A front view. The bumper could use some SNOT techniques to make it look smoother, but the chainsaw sticks out far enough in front to cut ice at a safe distance.

A back view. The skis securely clip onto the back of the chair, allowing the wheels to still turn easily.

Minifigure

This is the spaceman that is included in the set. He has a nice torso featured in about 6 different sets. His trans-orange skis and visor look nice too. They remind me of a certain Wallace & Gromit film.

The spaceman has a typical smily face with a blonde fringe when he takes his helmet off (though that's not a good idea in space).

The air tanks are a nice (and essential) addition to the fig as well.

Action

The spaceman can store his skis on the back of his buggy when driving. This is very easy to do as they just clip on the back.

Here he is cutting through a large piece of ice with his chainsaw. (Ice is from 7412 Yeti's Hideout)

Thoughts

Build: Short and simple. Not much to it at all really.

Minifigures: A nice spaceman who really looks the part. Another fig to interact would be better.

Playability: Not much good. All you can really do is push it around. You could take the man off and put his skis back on, but without anything else included in the set, such as a breakable ice wall, it lacks playability.

Design: By today's standards, it has a really basic design. The chair is placed too far back for the man to reach the handles. The chair allows him to sit down with his tanks on, however, and the way the skis can be put on the back is good too.

Price: A little overpriced if an average of $0.10 per brick is applied. Not too far off when counting the fig, though.

Overall: Not an awful little set. It's small so doesn't take up much space, and can be fun to fidget with while doing something else. I suppose it would be a good addition when accompanied by the rest of the Ice Planet 2002 line, but it's not much on its own.

Ratings

Build: 4/10

Minifigures: 5/10

Playability: 4/10

Design: 5/10

Price: 7/10

Overall: 25/50

Edited June 30, 2009 by ADHO15

[Algernon]

Ice Planet 2002 is my all-time favorite Space theme. I like this set, although it's nothing special as an impulse.

[ILikePi]

ADHO15, you're not supposed to post your Reviewer's Academy reviews until you make three and all of them pass.

[UsernameMDM]

This is one of the only two Ice Planet sets I got. I remember being fascinated by the trans neon orange elements and chainsaw. Nice review.

[Eilif]

Nice review. Not an amazing set in retrospect, but I remember that when I got it, the trans pieces, and the white hair (I was a white-blond haired kid when young), seemed quite amazing to me. It was also my first set with the ski's and white space wheels.

[xenologer]

I like it, nice rover with some tough looking wheels.

Only thing is I wish the controls were separate from the chainsaw accessory.

[CP5670]

This is okay for what it is, but there were better small, impulse-style sets in other themes. It should have had a steering wheel or control panel of some sort.

By the way, I think you have the wrong head there. It should be this one. That other one appeared later on in the Divers theme.

[salty tbone]

This is one of the few Ice Planet sets I own. At the time, I really liked the skis and chain saw.

Looking back, I guess Lego's vision in 1993 of what 2002 would be like never quite panned out.

[Section8]

By the way, I think you have the wrong head there. It should be this one.

Wow, good catch. Those look so similar it's easy to see how they could get mixed up.

This is one of two Ice Planet sets I have. As the smallest in the line, it was a good way to get the new parts like the skis and sawblade. The set lives up to its name but isn't terribly exciting. It's shame they never made that visor in a non-transparent color.

[ADHO15]

ADHO15, you're not supposed to post your Reviewer's Academy reviews until you make three and all of them pass.

Thanks for pointing that out. I hadn't realised.

This is one of the only two Ice Planet sets I got. I remember being fascinated by the trans neon orange elements and chainsaw. Nice review.

Thanks a lot!

Nice review. Not an amazing set in retrospect, but I remember that when I got it, the trans pieces, and the white hair (I was a white-blond haired kid when young), seemed quite amazing to me. It was also my first set with the ski's and white space wheels.

Thank you, Eilif!

I like it, nice rover with some tough looking wheels.

Only thing is I wish the controls were separate from the chainsaw accessory.

This is okay for what it is, but there were better small, impulse-style sets in other themes. It should have had a steering wheel or control panel of some sort.

By the way, I think you have the wrong head there. It should be this one. That other one appeared later on in the Divers theme.

I agree. Additional controls would make it better.

You've got good eyes. I didn't know there was a difference! That must mean one of my divers or cowboys has the wrong head too.

Looking back, I guess Lego's vision in 1993 of what 2002 would be like never quite panned out.

Not quite.

[CP5670]

It looks like the heads are more similar than I thought. I noticed the difference only because the hair on the Ice Planet head slightly covers the eyes, which somehow gives it a different overall facial expression.