8057 Wreck Raider Review

Sisco · January 18, 2010

Leagues upon Leagues under the sea, something stirs.

The Wreck Raider comes to investigate.

What is lurking so far under the waves?

Is it hostile?

Will the Wreck Raider find horror?

Or something even worse?

Darth Vader is Luke's father?!

Ahem. Sorry. :blush:

Anyway, here is my second Reviewer's Academy review, 8057 Wreck Raider. Enjoy!

Set#: 8057

Name: Wreck Raider

Theme: Atlantis

Year: 2010

Pieces: 64

Minifigs:2

Price:9.99 USD, 7.99 GBP, 12.99 CAD

The Box

Front, showing basic information. The Atlantis logo looks Brilliant!

It shows off the set nicely. Looking at this in the store, I just couldn't resist.

This being my first Atlantis set, I was nervous/excited about getting this.

Back, showing the features, such as the missiles and the Atlantean disc thing. A child looking at this on the shelf would probably beg his mother to buy it for him.

The photo shopping is good, and it has a nice, clean feel to it.

The instructions

Front. Folded instructions again :hmpf_bad: . At least it's easier to stand up to photograph.

The picture is the same as the box, nothing new here.

They are nice and clear, just as they should be.

Random Instruction page, showing how to put the front on.

The build was simple and fun, just what you'd expect from such a small set.

There are some interesting techniques, but nothing mind blowing.

Minifigures

Diver

Front. The helmet is two pieces, and has the oxygen tanks in back.

The torso printing is actually pretty nice under the helmet, and it has leg printing. :wub:

The Head is double sided, I just forgot to take the picture.

Back. Notice the gap, right between the air tanks.

Can anyone say, total cranial collapse?

The torso actually has some very intricate printing behind the air tanks.

Shark Man

Front. The head has a rubbery feel to it, but it feels solid. The torso is interesting, though the only use I can see is what it is already being used as. It is very hard to photograph the eyes, and I had to give up on that. The teeth are nice and sharp looking.

Back. The detailing on the head is absolutely Beautiful, IMHO.

The fin is a little wobbly, though. No back printing, which is okay seeing as the head dominates the entire back.

Wreck Raider

Hmm...What to say about this. Well, it's certainly very broad in the front.

It also looks sort of disproportionate. I'm not saying I don't like it, it's just surprisingly blatant.

NOTE: I opted to not use stickers on this, I thought it was just too much work.

Front. Not a good view for a Shark Warrior. But for our purposes, it looks pretty nice and symmetrical.

The log piece used as the central part looks horrible at this angle, but I guess the designers couldn't do much about that.

Back. Notice the engines, how they look big? They really aren't that big of a deal, but I'm a nitpicker.

No seat for the pilot, but I guess it wouldn't do much good underwater :tongue: .

Set in Full

Is it just me, or does Sharky over there look a little out-I don't know- gunned? Of course, he does have 3 rows of teeth, a trident, and an Atlantian Artifact. But then again, the diver has a small vehicle and missiles.

The Final Verdict

Design: 7/10. A good design, but it seems a little disproportionate.

The front is very broad, and it doesn't have a seat for the pilot. But it is a cute and lovable little sub.

Build: 8/10. Quick and easy, with some interesting techniques.

Nothing too very interesting, but it's fun all the same.

Playability: 9/10. It's a mini-sub, and a shark man. You can probably think of 99 different things to do with this relatively small set.

Minifigures: 9/10. Pretty good minifigs for a small set. The shark man is awesome, and the diver, which my mother just lovingly named Bob, is very nice.

Price: 7/10. 64 pieces for $10? I guess it's fair, but... never mind, I'm not going into price ranting.

Overall: 7/10. A pretty good set for a cheap price, with 2 good minifigs, an interesting sub (even if a little off), and an ok start to an ok theme. Overall, a completely average set.

Parting Shot:

Are you sure you're not an Atlantean?

Edited January 18, 2010 by WhiteFang
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