[REVIEW] 60394 ATV and Otter Habitat

[MKJoshA]

INTRODUCTION
When I was growing up Lego animals used to be pretty basic and there were only a few kinds (horse, dog, cat, and fish for example). But Lego seems to have gotten the hint that we love new animal molds! The otter mold first showed up in the Harry Potter theme as a patronus. But this is the first time we've gotten an otter that's not translucent. So how does this set do at introducing otters to the Lego universe?

SET INFORMATION
Number: 60394
Title: ATV and Otter Habitat
Theme: City
Released: 2023
Part Count: 90
Box Dimensions: 15.7 x 14.1 x 4.5 cm
Weight: 0.14 Kg
Set Price (RRP): £8.99/$9.99/€9.99
Price per Part: 10.0p/11.1c/11.1c
Links: Brickset, Bricklink

THE BOX
The front shows off the titular ATV racing through a forest with the otters enjoying what nature has to offer them.

The back shows much of the same.

CONTENTS OF THE BOX
Inside are 2 bags and 2 loose plates.

THE BUILD
The build is basic and what you would expect for a $10 set.

The piece of forest is meant to represent a waterfall flowing down a small section of rock. It's not very convincing as a waterfall. But it makes a nice slide for the otters if you can look past the design inconsistencies.

The completed build allows the explorer to photograph the otters at play,

or eat a fish,

or drive up a "waterfall" with her ATV.

Overall it's a nice compact build that allows a cheap way to get otters and display them. The parts aren't overly unique, but for $10 it feels like you get enough.

I do like that the tires are still using the same white wheel-wells from when I was a kid. It's nice to see that even as Lego gets more specialized pieces every year, the old standards still hold up today.

CAN IT BE A MECH?

And just for fun, I used the parts to create a Mech for the otter. I incorporated as many of the parts from the set as possible but used other pieces from my collection to craft this simple mech.

OVERALL
This is a decent $10 set. I like that you get 2 otters, not just 1. And while the build isn't fantastic, it's decent for the price.

SCORE
How do I rate this set?

DESIGN 6
The ATV is a decent, compact vehicle. The piece of forest is ok, but the supposed waterfall is lackluster.

BUILDING EXPERIENCE 7
Nothing overly exciting, but nothing repetitive either.

FEATURES 6
Lets be honest, the main feature is the otters. It succeeds there but doesn't do much else.

PLAYABILITY 10
I have 4 kids. They love sets like this. There's enough pieces they can use to build other things they want (like a mech) and cute animals as a plus. This kind of set is Lego succeeding at reaching their target audience.

PARTS 6
Again, nothing overly exciting beyond the otters. But also an okay collection of parts.

VALUE FOR MONEY 10
The finished build feels like it's worth $10.

FINAL SCORE: 7.5
If you want a cheap gift or just want to expand your animal collection this set is a good purchase. Though, the otters themselves are available on Pick-a-Brick for under $2 each (ID 6425514).

[Sarles]

This is a very fair review of the set. I think it's a great set for the money. 

[LEGO Train 12 Volts]

The otters are lovely! 

Great review!

[SpacePolice89]

I like this set very much. it's exactly what a small City set should look like and the otters look very cool. The only thing I don't like is the double face print.

[The Reader]

Thanks for the review!

For me it's a 10/10 in its class. IMHO you get a decent little playset for a fair amount of money. Just a small City set with nothing to complain about.

[MKJoshA]

Thanks for all the feedback! If you want to see how this set compares with another animal focused City set check out my Arctic Explorer Snowmobile review.

[RichardGoring]

I don't know why this isn't a standard measure of any set.

Can it be a mech?

Pure genius, and a lovely build too. Nice review, thank you!

[Clone OPatra]

Thanks for the review.

To me this set doesn't have enough going for it apart from the otters, so I opted for the BaP otter option, spending just the couple of bucks and avoiding more parts that would've wound up in a (neglected) parts bin anyway.

The seal set packs a lot more value with two different animal moulds and better minifigure parts, in my opinion.