As promised weeks ago, I’ve finally gotten around to reviewing my first Life On Mars set; the coveted Excavation Searcher!
Set #7316 originally retailed for $50 USD. The set contains a seemingly unknown number of pieces because Lego didn’t like printing the amount of parts on their boxes in 2001. But we’re getting sidetracked.
The Excavation Searcher has it’s own gate/dock. This is meant to connect to the huge martian pneumatic dock. Unfortunately, you need to move the Searcher’s legs into a stiff upright position to dock properly.
(also nice computer detailing in this set)
The Searcher’s dock doubles as a mineral drop off point.
And speaking of those crystals, they’re pretty weird. Not what I initially expected them to be.
The defining feature of this set (and the Life on Mars theme as a whole) is the ability to break the sets down to swapable segments and recombine them however you want. This particular set really shows off this feature. Here’s some of what you can do with the Searcher alone.
Finally we’ll rap this up with a look at the figures.
I love the head prints in particular here. Really ties in the industrial feel of the set. For such plain looking figures, they’re surprisingly full of personality. I’m not sure I quite like how they clip into the vehicles, I’m deathly afraid I’ll break one of those fantastic teal arms.
Overall, I’d say this set is an 8 or 9/10. It’s a great build that holds up even against some modern sets. It was designed with both playability and buildability in mind. I highly recommend this set if you have any interest in life on mars, and the price increase ($80 USD) isn’t too bad.
I hope you all enjoyed my first set review. I might do more of these. Come back in 6 months when I reawaken from cryosleep and post a new topic here.