It's been awhile since I've reviewed a LEGO set but I'm back today with a pretty neat little set that was originally released in 2020 for $40 suggested retail price. I'm quite certain I bought my personal copy for this review sometime last year, and almost definitely at a discount from the original $40 price which is a good thing since the set only contains 286 pieces which puts it more in line with a typical $30 price tag (at least before LEGO's upcoming price hikes on the majority of their sets).
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Anyhow, I digress a bit. Back to today's review.
The Ocean Exploration Submarine set contains 286 pieces and four minifigures. It's part of the LEGO City line with the additional distinction of supporting National Geographic Explorers plastered on the box. In addition to the sub for which the set is named, you also get a small rock cave which is home to the glow-in-the-dark anglerfish (more on that in a moment).
Once you open up the box, you are greeted with four plastic numbered bags, three separate instruction manuals, an advertisement for LEGOLAND, and a small sticker sheet. I used to hate the multiple instruction book idea but now that I build sets with my son, I love the fact that I could give him one of the books (and corresponding bag of pieces) to work on while I built the rest of the set. In this case, he got to work on book 1 while I did the rest - and as a result, we both got to enjoy the building process!
The stars of the set (in my opinion) are the two minifigures you see above - each has a full scuba gear kit to go along with some nifty accessories. My son enjoyed building each of these and he was particularly fond of the guy's "scared face." I have to admit, I also like that face!
The main reason that I wanted this set when I saw it on the store shelf was this anglerfish. I thought he looked super cool and I am such a sucker for various LEGO animals! As it turned out, my son ended up loving the anglerfish the most as well - mostly because of how cool it looks when glowing in the dark. Also, he greatly enjoyed the "stick lever" in the back that you can use to make the anglerfish pop out of his cave and attack passing swimmers (or other fish/crabs).
The set is supposed to be grounded in some sort of reality (there's even pictures of real-life submarines and scuba divers in the instruction manual) but then the actual model has this "search for crystals" aspect that I don't quite understand. Now, I don't hate it (the crystal you see above is actually hidden by that coral piece that can flip over and obscure the crystal). I guess it's an additional play feature to have the submarine search for crystals but it doesn't quite make sense to me in a set that is plastered with National Geographic logos.
Finally, we get to the submarine itself.
The sub has a pair of arms with decent articulation (plus working pinching claws thanks to the rubber bands). There are four propellers on the top of the sub (each can be spun around in any direction) and the cockpit opens up easily. In fact, the entire roof of the sub can be popped off as well for play though my son found it a bit tricky to get back on correctly (that being said, he's only 4 and this set is designed for 5+ so I'll let that slide here).
The back of the sub is open so as to allow a small single-man motorized explorer to get out. The small explorer clips to the red clips you see on the back of the sub. In front of where the explorer stays is the fourth and final minifig sitting at her computer. You have to use your imagination quite a bit here because there's no wall between the minifig and the mini explorer...if a sub were actually built that way the lady figure would be underwater (and she, like the sub's driver) does not have any sort of scuba gear included in the set). Don't get me wrong, I think the play value here outweighs the logistical jumps but it's worth mentioning.
Overall, this is a fun set with plenty of play value. As I said earlier, my son loved the anglerfish as well as the submarine. Getting four minifigures was a pleasant surprise and does help to justify the original price tag a bit. Honestly, at $30 this feels like a decent purchase but at $40 (or above) you really have to either love underwater stuff or have a real desire to acquire that awesome glow-in-the-dark fish!
The Bottom Line (out of 10):
Fun: 8
Play Value: 8
Kid Value: 7
Adult Value: 3
Overall: 5
This is a solid set with plenty of fun and play value for kids. That said, there's not a ton here for most adult collectors though getting a pair of crabs, the anglerfish, and even that clear technic beam are probably worth mentioning. The main thing holding this set back is the original price, simply put this should have been a $30 set (even if that meant getting rid of one of the minfigures which wouldn't have been terrible since there aren't any studs inside the back of the sub to hold the fourth minifigure in place as it is)!
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