Review: 5934 Dino Explorer

[ZO6]

The hunt is on! Will Johnny Thunder be able to track down the Pterodactyl using his trusted Dino Explorer? Or will he fall victim to distraction due to his trusted partner, Dr. Charles Lightning, and his delicious cooking!?

Set # - 5934

Name - Dino Explorer

Theme/Subtheme - Adventurers/Dino Island

Year - 2000

Piece Count - 90

Minifigures - 2

Brickset, Peeron, Bricklink, Brickshelf

My box is safely stored away, however the pictures on the instructions are the same. On the front is an entertaining scene in which Dr. Charles Lightning appears to be using his force powers to make several objects levitate:

The back features a couple alternate models. Further insight into how to build the boat is even provided near the end of the manual:

The last two pages of the instructions show some interesting pictures of the dinosaurs, as well as what sets they can be found in. Here is a sample:

Though it doesn't have any piece call-outs, the instructions are still straight forward and easy to follow. Again, being an older manual, this features perfect colour differentiation - no problems telling light gray, dark gray, and black apart!

All the pieces laid out. The set has a nice variety of useful parts:

The usual suspects as far as Adventurers sets go. We are given Johnny Thunder and Dr. Charles Lightning - both featuring nice torso printing and exciting hats!

Not much to see at the rear as back printing wasn't really around yet:

We now meet our little red dinosaur friend. The instruction manual refers to it as a "Pteranodon". The mold, while not as hyper-detailed any many things today, is still quite nice. It's entire construction is hard solid plastic, and it features studs and clips to attach other pieces - giving it an authentic LEGO feel.

The bottom of our friend. As you can see, it's quite compatible with other pieces:

Here are the accessories in the set, as well as a couple other parts of interest. The instrument panel and windshield are the only printed pieces in the set:

Construction can now begin on the vehicle. We start off with a very sturdy base for it all:

The top side is built up. The cockpit receives the control panel and a steering wheel - handy!

The vehicle is topped off, treads are added, and supplies are thrown in . It is now complete:

Front view. It is indeed a powerful looking beast and has a nice wide stance:

The back end is pretty simple - a bit more detail would have been nice:

The supply box sits on a pair of red 1x2 grill tiles allowing it to be easily removed:

We now move onto the camp. The rock formation takes up the bulk of this build:

The rock formation is built up more and some accessories are added to the camp. The modified 1x2 brick with handle will later be used to add some vegetation to:

The camp is now complete. The faucet on the top of the barrel is a nice touch:

The whole set. As mentioned earlier, the dinosaur can be attached to other parts - in this picture it's sitting on the black 1x2 slope:

Final Thoughts:

Pricing and value: Dino Explorer is a nice little set. At $15 US when it was new, this 90 piece set didn't offer a great price per piece ratio. However the size of finished product is on par with anything else in price range, so it still feels like you're getting your money's worth.

Design/build: The vehicle features nice sturdy construction and is a breeze to assemble. Thanks greatly to the treads, the vehicle has a strong presence for it's size, but details (especially at the rear) are a bit lacking. The camp has lots of nice little details and even the rock formation doesn't look too bad.

Pieces: There are not a lot of really interesting pieces in this set, but they are all useful never-the-less. The minifigures are definitely not unique, but their inclusion is to be expected. The accessories are appreciated as always, and the Pterodactyl and treads are a fun addition.

Playability: The highlight of the set is how much fun it can be to play with. The treads make driving the vehicle around a unique and satisfying experience - they even produce a nice rumble when pushed around. The inclusion of the dinosaur gives the set purpose - capture that Pterodactyl! The camp gives the set a more complete feel and adds even more playability.

Verdict: Overall 5934 Dino Explorer is a wonderful set and in my opinion one of the stronger entries in the Dino Island subtheme.

As always, comments and questions are more than welcome. Cheers!

Look Ma, I can fly!

Edited March 18, 2010 by ZO6
Indexed

[Nerd Commander]

that's weird. the last pages on the instruction booklet looks lik it's from a preschooler's non-fiction book

[Capt. Redblade]

You, sir, are a reviewing machine! Stop before I buy every set you review!

[lightningtiger]

Thanks 'ZO6' for another review - interesting set - this is what you get when you cross a tank with an old 1920's car !

Nice idea - nice big treads and man a long bonnet must have a monster engine in there.

Anyway thanks again and I'm a conformist! !

[Princess Muttonchops]

Thanks ZO6 for the great review. What a great little set. Makes me wish Lego would give the Adventurers theme another go, but I can't see that happening anytime soon, even with the phasing out of the Indy theme. Maybe in about two to three years time, fingers crossed. At least we managed to brick-link the zepplin, which should be arriving in the next couple of weeks...

[squidman85]

Nice set.I like the vehicle and small camp.

[ZO6]

Glad to be of service in the reviewing department Thank you for the comments. I'm having a great time disassembling, washing, and then re-building all these sets. The Adventurers theme is just so satisfying!

Thanks ZO6 for the great review. What a great little set. Makes me wish Lego would give the Adventurers theme another go, but I can't see that happening anytime soon, even with the phasing out of the Indy theme. Maybe in about two to three years time, fingers crossed. At least we managed to brick-link the zepplin, which should be arriving in the next couple of weeks...

In the LEGO world, there is little that would make me happier than the return of the Adventurers. Can only dream.

When your zeppelin arrives, you two will have to be sure to post any mocs you do using it.

[Algernon]

I love this set. The Dino subtheme of Adventurers was really great, I'm sad I never indulged in it; I love dinosaurs (mostly the science behind them) and I love Adventurers, so this was a good mix for me. This set has a nice aesthetic and I like the execution as well; only drawback for me is that the playability seems a little low. Still a cool looking set though, worth the price for sure.

Awesome reviews, keep them coming!