The reviews continue!
We’re more than halfway through the first wave of Power Miners sets now, having arrived at the Thunder Driller, the most iconic set of the entire theme.
We’ll start with a look at the figures - three this time as opposed to the usual two.
From left to right, we have Duke, Doc and Firox. Duke is a highly skilled veteran miner, and the Thunder Driller’s operator. His figure is wearing the most basic outfit, with both standard torso and legs, however his helmet has a new addition - a pair of goggles which can be lowered over his eyes. His face matches these goggles, being completely covered in soot and dirt aside from a goggle-shaped area around his eyes. Apparently a lot of people thought this was a beard? He’s got a thick unibrow on the go, but otherwise his expression is quite basic.
Doc is the team leader of the Power Miners, and recruited the rest of the team himself. He sometimes questions his own willpower to lead the team, and worries about their safety. Like Brains, Doc sports an exclusive torso piece featuring a star symbol in place of the standard drill, and wearing a collared shirt under his overalls rather than a vest and gloves. He only appears in one other set, which was the biggest set of the theme, making this the cheapest way to get him.
As usual, both Duke and Doc have alternate horrified expressions. Doc’s in particular is hilarious, and Lego seemed to think so too, as it’s one of the only Power Miners heads to be used outside of the theme.
Firox are the fastest breed of Rock Monster, and are very curious by nature. They constantly steal the miners’ supplies and sabotage their machines, and are seen by miners as general nuisances. When exposed to intense heat, their body blackens and sets alight with an orange flame as they turn into a Firax. The Firox figure is the rarest standard Rock Monster, being exclusive to this set. He functions exactly the same way as all the other Rock Monsters, only his body is moulded in transparent orange. Two orange crystals are provided for him to feast on, or for the miners to collect.
Upon eating orange an orange crystal, a Firox’s speed increases even further, to the point that they become merely an indefinable blur.
The Thunder Driller, like the Claw Digger before it, is remarkably large for its price point. I forgot to mention it with the Claw Digger, but these huge plastic wheel pieces were brand new at the time and designed for the theme - here we see four used as wheels and a fifth in dark grey as part of the drill. However, the Thunder Driller’s wheels are made even thicker by use of an equally new extension piece for the wheels. Again, a fifth one is seen in orange for the base of the drill. Even the drill itself was brand new for the theme, cast here in light grey.
Other than the new parts, we can see some of the Thunder Driller’s other standout design features - the two huge mudguards with glowing caution stripes, the roof-mounted floodlights and the angled air intakes at the sides.
From the side, we can see just how bulky the machine is. Much of this bulk is accomplished by the use of three aircraft fuselage parts in lime green, an exclusive recolour, with their rounded shaping matching with the drill. Exhausts from the engine stick out of the sides, along with a chain and fuel injection cap. Neither of these latter details are replicated on the opposite side, making the vehicle very slightly asymmetrical.
I’ve always found the vehicle to look very mole-like, with the floodlights as eyes and the drill as a snout. Did anybody else think this or was it just me?
The rear houses the operator’s cabin, protected by a roll cage made from a pair of ladders.
The roll cage can be folded up for access to the cabin. There’s plenty of room inside for Duke to stand and drive the vehicle with the two control sticks. Due to the big drill in the front, Duke has very little visibility of what’s ahead of him, so a tunnel-mapping screen has been placed in front of him for easier driving. More engine detail is present here, along with a jet of fire spewing from what I presume is more engine parts inside the machine. A box off to the side houses a pickaxe and stick of dynamite for less heavy-duty mining.
A second figure, Doc in this case, can hitch a ride on the exposed studs opposite the box. He’s provided with a radio for communicating with the rest of his team, although this accessory doesn’t store anywhere on the vehicle.
The entire roof of the Thunder Driller can be lifted off to reveal a roomy storage bay for any collected crystals. While the space is largely empty, there is a fairly conspicuous gear sticking out of the floor. I wonder what that’s there for?
The Thunder Driller’s function, of course! When pushed along, the drill spins - and not just in one direction. While the tip turns clockwise, the back section turns anti-clockwise, resulting in a very pleasing effect. This is achieved through gear teeth moulded into the inside of the wheel piece coupled with a simple Technic mechanism.
Right then, onto the pricing.
This set retailed for a mere £21.99, an excellent price for the size, amount of stuff included and play value provided. It’s currently selling at around £28, making it the first Power Miners set to be worth more than the retail price. However, even with this price increase, I feel it’s still fun and substantial enough to still be good value.
This is easily the most iconic Power Miners set, and perhaps even the most iconic set of the late 2000s. It’s got a chunky, indestructible, near-perfect design alongside somewhat rare miners and an exclusive Rock Monster. If you only ever buy one Power Miners set, make it this one. It’s so good. 10/10.