I'm curious, is there something you're doing deliberately that makes your photography seem so "2000s"? I wonder if you're using an older camera or if it's just the subject matter which gives that retro feeling. Something about your photography really reminds me of the box art from that era. I'm pretty ignorant about photography so sorry if it's a dumb question!
This set holds a special place in my heart; it's one of the earliest sets I can actually remember playing with as a very young Conner; alongside an Octan gas station and I want to say the Rock Raiders HQ. Sadly I did donate all of my childhood Lego to my middle school's Lego Robotics team, however I managed to find someone selling this very set in box a decade ago for cheap. Now it stays built along side my slowly growing collection
I think the large specialized parts and the general simplicity of that era of LEGO building helps to create a very industrial and clunky feel that works really well for the aesthetic that rock raiders was going for. Those prototype versions with the twin drills and the narrower cockpit look really neat too, very mad cat-esque.
I missed out on rock raiders at the time, but later loved the game and sets my friends had. That said, I had never seen the Granite Grinder from behind before. I never imagined there were turbines! It adds so much to the aesthetic!
I don't know if you already know this but in the creator 3 in 1 set 31139 releasing in March of next year, a mini built version of this set is included
I had this set at one time, back when I was still a kid - unfortunately at that time I didn't treasure my Lego very much, so most of the parts are gone. But I've managed to keep some of the unique parts, namely the rear plate with the downward protrusions with print. Making do with only the random pieces you had was like 90% of Lego's charm back in the day, that's for sure! While I didn't end up developing quite such nostalgia for Rock Raiders as I have for Aquazone, this particular set was very well designed for sure, there is quite little to improve even by today's standards, like you said.
The only Rock Raiders set I "own"! I should really try to find all the pieces for it in my collection and rebuild it. I just finished watching all your Rock Raiders videos and it was amazing. Love the music and the stop motion you do. Keep it up Slugger
@@RRSlugger Hey again! I didnt know where to send this message. But I wanted to let you know that because of you I finished rebricking the Granite Grinder AND I bought 3 Rock Raiders set from one seller in Canada on Bricklink. Very excited for them to arrive. I can wait to make my own RockRaiders mocs. Thanks again for your videos 🤘
This set was my pride and joy as a kid. I suddenly remembered owning this when I came across your channel, lol. I loved it SO much! I also played with it and took off the drill, pretending that it was a combat walker with a cannon instead. I was very inspired by Star Wars and Warhammer.
2:40, right on, I agree with you, and that Sphinx set was the first BIG LEGO set I ever got so I have great memories of it, the parts may be scattered to the wind, but I still have some of those papyrus pieces.
The Granite Grinder is absolutely the coolest Rock Raiders vehicle! It's just a shame it sucked in the game, it should've always been the real icon of the theme. I agree with your hot take too, people are too quick to point to stuff like the 1998 town sets being a little too simple compared to the earlier ones (and honestly that's more to do with their design than the pieces they use) and then lump in the rest of the late 90's and early 00's with that. I dunno, maybe I'm just biased since a lot of those are the sets I grew up with.
This series has brought back so much nostalgia for me!! These are the sets I grew up playing with! And to think I only googled Lego lore from some classic sets because I started playing Lego Worlds again! Great job on these vids! I'll definitely be coming back for more!
Fair enough! That design has a lot of fans too. Brian from Brian's Bricks TH-cam channel has built it complete with 3D printed roll cage, though he hasn't made a video on it yet. I should bug him about that!
At 5:51, there’s a very cool prototype minifigure! I’d really love it if you made a video listing off the prototype minifigures? I’ve been feeling lately that I’d like to make lots of extra Mocs, but with such a small cast of characters I feel a bit concerned about the vehicle - pilot ratio. But if we can made modern versions of those prototype characters, they could fit right in! This even could be a great place to document the alternate character outfits like the classic “bandit with gloves.”
I should do some more prototype RR videos. 🙂 Making custom miners that fit in with the established crew can be tricky because Lego used to have such different art styles for the faces; Rock Raiders, Star Wars, Alpha Team, Harry Potter, etc all came out within a year or two of each other but hardly have compatible face prints with each other. That’s one of the things that Lego does so much better these days, in my opinion.
@@RRSlugger I'd be over the moon if you did a video on that! I love the bits on prototypes, and prototype figures are my new fascination today since I love that prototype Doc at 5:51. I totally agree, the only face prints so far that I feel come close to fitting are the Johnny Thunder Jungle figures, and maybe Ice Planet.
totally agree re over engineering of some modern sets and miss the old imagination squint. Such a knife edge to walk, but when it is pulled off pure magic results. STEM meet art!
Looking back on it in this retrospective I can't disagree with your analysis of this machine, In fact it's actually making me quite nostalgic right now. But for me I really wish the legs had some up-and-down movement, The Chrome Crusher was my favorite, Despite its lop sided and bulky nature. That alternative wide articulated build instantly made me want it!
I just put my childhood Grinder together after meaning to for ages, and I forgot how easily the top comes off. I have to think of it as some kind of escape pod/jet - it would also explain the thrusters and tiny wings!
Modern design philosophy, and especially moc design, is very much "why use 1 piece when we could use 30!" In particular I think the disdain large-scale moc builders have for Burps and Lurps is an excellent demonstration of this. Those pieces are part of the core visual identity for classic lego series' like castle, pirates, western, ninjas, and have had consistent usage in the *decades* since. But go to any brick-fair and I doubt you'll see a single one, even in mocs of those classic series'! I just don't get it, it's cost effective, weight efficient, and I agree with the sentiment in the video that using more pieces just increases noise
Yeah, I had this one as a kid! And ist still on my shelf over 20 years later. And it isn't gonna leave, even tho nowadays I mostly collect 90s adventurers and pirates sets. When it comes to juniorisation: Jack Stone was one of the only themes were it was too much in my opinion. Other themes were made out of mostly standart pieces and then had a few Signature Elements that gave each theme a unique look
I honestly don't mind jack stone, it was very explicitly marketed towards children that are too old for duplo but too young for other sets, and lego still uses this practice to this day
When I was a kid, my mom got this set for a huge discount because the box was torn open. Unfortunately it was missing the missing the iconic chrome drill piece.
I agree with your hot take. Many builds today are too complex and have too many pieces (and too many specialized ones). Back in the day it felt like there was less pressure to build a "perfect" MOC because being more limited by the pieces (or lack of pieces) was a good thing. Though Idk how young Lego fans feel about that nowadays, cause I'm speaking from an adult perspective. And wow I really like the Granite Grinder now. I never had this set but I used to like looking at it on the catalogs. Your video highlights the good details and how it represents the whole theme so well.
Thanks Cris! I feel like I would need an engineering degree to design Lego sets today, haha. 😅 And I'm glad to see the love for the Granite Grinder spreading! ❤
Man your sub count is skyrocketing as it should be, went from low 500's to 699 in a couple of days. At 1:32 I had that construction set on the right as a little kid. One of the first Lego sets I ever got, I was probably 3. What a throwback. But yeah awesome video, amazing job.
That is sure one of my favorites from my collection! Even though it is not 100% complete anymore, I still love it to pieces. And I will track the missing pieces sometime. A fun fact is that it was my very first set that I noticed the use of Technic pieces mixed together and didn't mind at all, and it is a cool looking set. I like the minifigure too. I wish LEGO would come back to their roots and released more Rock Raiders
I got this set at a garage sale years ago and it started my love of the concept of Lego's futuristic mining themes (at the time rock raiders was the only theme that fit it several years later power miners came out and I got almost every one of those sets) I wish they made the drill, colors, and cockpit in more sets.
2:22 I'm glad I'm not the only one who has noticed this. Especially Lego Ideas submissions are very guilty of this. They always make these HUGE sets with wayyyy too many pieces, which would cost like 800 bucks if they were real sets. And you're right, if there's way too much detail, the whole thing ends up looking messy and structureless. Even if the design is genuinely good, often times the same effect could be achieved with half as many pieces. And even if you got the set for free, it still wouldn't even really look like a lego set anymore. I mean look at that castle you showed. That doesn't look like lego. If you tried to pair it with any other medieval lego set, it would never fit visually. It could only stand on its own. And then sometimes these Ideas submissions have things like gigantic brickbuilt trees that would take forever to put together and raise the price by at least 30 bucks... when a much smaller, less repetitive tree would suffice just as well. And said tree isn't even the focus of the set. Like the current staff pick Christmas Theater. It looks real cute, but there's no need for those giant expensive trees. It looks like someone just went "wouldn't it be cool if I built a big pine tree out of a bunch of flower stem pieces?" ...with no thought for cohesion or anything. I mean a tree that big was literally just sold as its own set... I know the sets get redesigned when they get picked, and usually are downsized a lot... But the first impression would be much more convincing if it actually looked like a set someone would wanna buy and build. ...but I digress. I know Lego can take it too far in the other direction as well. Like the Lego Pirates 2015 line, which had so few pieces that all the sets looked cramped and stifled. Or the current lego city sets, with their tiny excuse for a school, which is only a quarter as big as it should be. But yeah, there should be more of a balance. Have a lot of pieces, but give them all a purpose. Don't make your set look like it broke off from a bigger set, but also don't spend 20 bucks on a pedestal that doesn't need to be there.
You’re totally right. It’s going to be different for every individual, but it sounds like we’ve got similar tastes in what we look for in Lego sets. 😊 I wonder when we’re going to be able to admit to ourselves that the old Lego palm trees are vastly superior to any of the brick built nonsense that’s come out since their retirement…
@@RRSlugger You kidding? The old palm trees were great and they need to bring them back! I don't even know why they discontinued them. Were they too expensive to make? Were they not compatible enough? Did they not look modern enough? Sometimes the replacements look fine, but they usually look spindly and just don't have the same presence as the classic ones. And of course, you can't bend them. They should bring the old ones back and sell them in those "Xtra" polybags. They'd sell so many! Especially to hobbyists who wanna build big landscapes. That whole Xtra concept has been pretty underutilized so far. Bags that should never go out of fashion, like with plants and trees aren't even being sold anymore. At least not on Lego's online store. They should also make ones just containing animals. I bet there are a ton of people who would love to get some sheep and pigs and such but don't wanna buy an entire farm set just to get 2 of each. I know there's Pick a Brick... but those are often sold out really quick... So at least that shows the demand is there.
I feel like some of these prototypes excited at the same time. Explaining why some had pipes and one drill and no pipes and two drills. They were deciding one which one to go with and decided to mix the two concepts. Instead of going back and forth between one and two drills
What a fantastic series! Thank you for this blast from the past. I think this one is probably my favourite out of all the rock Raider videos you made (though they're all really good!) 3:28 - I'm subscribing so that in 2024, if you're still up to it, I can get to see the robo force retrospective!
Thanks for checking out the channel! I was really happy with this video too, though I am definitely biased towards the Granite Grinder, haha. You’d better believe we are getting a Roboforce review in 2024 - I haven’t forgotten! 😉
@@RRSlugger You've actually inspired me to pull out my Rock Raiders sets from my childhood collection! I've made a video on them, and gave you a shout in it. Here's the link if you want to check it: th-cam.com/video/zNlbQmNku88/w-d-xo.html But definitely don't, the ending might shock you 😅
Yes! I really get your 'hot takes'! I thought I was a weird, one-off case when it came to my thoughts on really detailed sets, so I'm pleased that someone else gets it. Aside from how it bumps prices up, I think it can be off-putting, especially for younger children, when it comes to taking sets apart and building MOCs (and in my humble opinion, why some children aren't doing that anymore). It sort of sets a standard that can be daunting for your alternative builds to 'live up to', but also if a set looks really good and has complicated play features, it can be hard to bring yourself to disassemble it for parts. But that's just my thoughts. Anyway, this, the nostalgic retrospectives, and your high production value settles it. I've subscribed.
Nice, a kindred spirit! I’m glad to hear you enjoyed the video! 😊 I think there is a balance to be struck between simplicity and complexity in a Lego set, and it differs for everyone (and at different stages of life!). As an adult, building Pirates of Barracuda Bay completely blew my mind, but would I have loved the set as much as a kid? Impossible to say… Still, it’s an interesting concept to think about!
@@RRSlugger It's definitely a case of preferences and balancing acts. Don't get me wrong, I'm not against detailed sets or anything, and I'm not saying I think Lego should stop making them, but I agree with you when you said that some feel as if they were 'in the oven too long'. Food for thought indeed...
I wonder if this set got a callback in Dva's mech in the Overwatch theme, as it also got clips to the sides of the walker's legs. These can hold her gun too as the cockpit is much smaller than the grinder's.
Ok... I've been forced against my will (by the quality of your content) to accept you're the BEST lego content creator. Any chance of you making content about sets I can buy? Like current sets? Like Rivendell? That would consolidate my lego youtube stream. :)
Haha, thanks - though I hope you weren’t forced to watch my videos! 😅 I plan on reviewing the 31139 Cozy House sometime next month, so hopefully you can look forward to that. 😊
I actually agree a lot on Lego’s insistence on more parts nowadays. I was building a set for Christmas called winter town square or something and I noticed in several areas, they used multiple smaller then necessary pieces instead of singular larger ones. Like a couple incidents of 2 1X4 plates directly up against eachother. I also remember building this creator octopus and submarine that had a safe and instead of using a couple Pearl gold 3X1 plates and 1 4X1 plate, it used 10 1X1 plates for both the bottom and top rim, inflating a part number from 6 to 20. I assumed it was just for the alternate builds that time but I’m not sure.
I think it’s for cheaper packaging. It may be simpler to replace a couple 1x1s with the appropriate plate, but if those same pieces are present elsewhere, it’s probably easier to include more than to increase the number of different molds required.
after doing a little bit of research, i think i came across the Donald Gregorich mentioned in the video. Apparently he's an aerospace engineer. I guess Rock Raiders affected him quite a bit.
Believe it or not, but just a month ago Donald reached out to me via email! He’s seen the Slugger videos! 😂😊 He told me that for winning this contest, he got a brand new copy of Amazon Ancient Ruins - what an awesome set to pick!
I would have added in the short ladder pieces to the sides of the cockpits and top of the legs to make give it an illusion that the driver can easily clime in and out. The specifically, the item number 4175, ladder 1 1/2 x 2 x 2 piece.
Axle was my cousin Alex's favorite Rock Raider. I think it's in the name, mostly, but there's also a lot of personality to that face of his. I prefer juniorization to the more modern (and common AFOL designer sensibility) of using numerous tiny pieces. Now, the more straightforward and versatile the large pieces are, the more I prefer them.
Back in the day you could just look at the photos of those smaller sets and think "hey if I had just a couple more pieces I could build my version of that set!" Nowadays, every set is so specialized that you can never look even at the same theme and try to build something that looks like the modern theme due to the lack of a lot of special pieces. Ah... I do miss the classic bricks and classic colors
1:49 Some fans of something being "too quick to point their finger and call foul" , never heard of fans ever doing that before! P.S. That was very, very, heavy sarcasm.
This may not be related to the video,but I have to ask, how do you keep these sets in such good condition? To my knowledge,old grey and white pieces are known to change colour, the paint chips off chrome pieces, the brown pieces are known to break easily and so on. But they always look brand new in your videos.
Wow, I have the exact same opinion as those opinions about both juniorization and the modern increase in parts and decrease in parts size and simplicity! I guess people like us from this era are just less vocal than the 40+ AFOL crowd
I agree that modern sets leave nothing in the way of imagination, I've actually been saying that for years now 😅heck, my medieval robot dragon moc took a lot of design elements from a bunch of older Lego sets and themes and it turned out beautiful in my opinion.
The point with Juniorization is weird I feel split, on one hand a few sets really really managed to get everything out of it like the Chinese temple in orient expedition. But on the other hand a lot of modern builds are amazing, and look really good But mata nui damn it they use this to increase the hell out of the price and use a lot of pieces just for nothing. I think lego found the perfect balance in lines like exo force and Vikings making them feel cheap, while also looking amazing, Arctic rescue and rock raiders have gone to far, don't get me wrong rock raiders is amazing, but it just doesn't use enough pieces some areas and it's signature piece, the cockpit, just isn't very well designed, like they just don't have studts or even obvious angle to use another piece to create studs
Indeed; I think you’ve reiterated the point I was trying to make in this video. There is no objective measurement for Juniorization - it’s all a matter of opinion, and everyone is going to have a different opinion on the matter. 😊 I can definitely see where you’re coming from with your perspective though!
@@RRSlugger I think you got the point wrong of Juniorization, yes on hand it's of course about big part and few parts, but it also is about overly specific pieces with only a few resulting like here look at your rock raider cockpit it's two large pieces which can be modified to an extend but you are going to run into the problem of most of the cockpit being at an angle, but not some angle already used like for example on 2*2 and 1*2 slobs or 1*3 slobs, allowing you to insert pieces and therefore allowing you to make something new out of it and therefore hard to reuse and limiting what's able to be built (although in the case of rock raider specificly it actually helped the theme) (it would be very embarrassing if I am wrong this example) unlike the "b.u.r.b" 's (the big rock pieces) whose studs are can be built on like if it would out of bricks or raised baseblates having slobs equal to 2*1*4 upside down slobs giving you the ability to build many different things on top allowing one to remain to this day, while the other still long outlasted most other juniorized pieces
@@n_ex13 Oh, I don’t disagree with any of the points you are making at all - I too see the Rock Raiders roll cage and cockpit pieces as being incredibly specialized, to the point where some might see that as Juniorization. I think the main takeaway from the Juniorization section of this video is that there is no metric of measurement to assign to it, leaving it completely up to subjective interpretation. You might look at the Granite Grinder and say that it is afflicted by Juniorization, and I may not. Neither one of us are more “correct” than the other as it’s all a matter of opinion. 😊
Fun fact if you buy all the parts and minifigs of the set instead of the set it might actually be cheaper Not that in indonesia it ever happens but for evryone else wish you luck
In retrospect this set is a major disappointment in the play, action features department. But I agree with you that this is easily THE set that expresses the design language of the theme the most imo. If lego continues with the GWP trend, crossing my fingers that either this or the Chrome Crusher gets a remake. Oh and of-course, make chief an exclusive. Have him supervise the dig in the set at least.
cool video but for me the granite grinder was probably the weakest rock raider set, it just looks derpy and plain, I think it's the sort of concept where it should've been done bigger and in a more expensive kit
Im liking the 90's aesthetic making this video feel like it belongs in the era the sets came from
I'm curious, is there something you're doing deliberately that makes your photography seem so "2000s"? I wonder if you're using an older camera or if it's just the subject matter which gives that retro feeling.
Something about your photography really reminds me of the box art from that era.
I'm pretty ignorant about photography so sorry if it's a dumb question!
This set holds a special place in my heart; it's one of the earliest sets I can actually remember playing with as a very young Conner; alongside an Octan gas station and I want to say the Rock Raiders HQ. Sadly I did donate all of my childhood Lego to my middle school's Lego Robotics team, however I managed to find someone selling this very set in box a decade ago for cheap. Now it stays built along side my slowly growing collection
Donating Lego for other kids to enjoy is a great thing to do. Hat's off to you for doing it! ❤️️
I love the Granite Grinder - such a great set!
I think the large specialized parts and the general simplicity of that era of LEGO building helps to create a very industrial and clunky feel that works really well for the aesthetic that rock raiders was going for.
Those prototype versions with the twin drills and the narrower cockpit look really neat too, very mad cat-esque.
I missed out on rock raiders at the time, but later loved the game and sets my friends had.
That said, I had never seen the Granite Grinder from behind before. I never imagined there were turbines! It adds so much to the aesthetic!
Is that Baron von Barron wearing a cowboy hat on the magazine cover at 7:55? Man, they sure had a wild time designing this shot, didn't they?
Haha, you're right! I *love* the photography of this era of LEGO. 😊
I don't know if you already know this but in the creator 3 in 1 set 31139 releasing in March of next year, a mini built version of this set is included
Looking forward to it!
I had this set at one time, back when I was still a kid - unfortunately at that time I didn't treasure my Lego very much, so most of the parts are gone. But I've managed to keep some of the unique parts, namely the rear plate with the downward protrusions with print. Making do with only the random pieces you had was like 90% of Lego's charm back in the day, that's for sure! While I didn't end up developing quite such nostalgia for Rock Raiders as I have for Aquazone, this particular set was very well designed for sure, there is quite little to improve even by today's standards, like you said.
Been watching a few of your videos and I really like them! The stop-motion clips are a great inclusion that give these reviews some nice falvor.
Thanks for checking out the channel! 😊
Very sad to hear that there's criticism of this set! My childhood self agrees with your love for it, it's really the stand-out of the theme!
great video. excellent animation. premiere research. subscribed.
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it. :)
The only Rock Raiders set I "own"! I should really try to find all the pieces for it in my collection and rebuild it.
I just finished watching all your Rock Raiders videos and it was amazing. Love the music and the stop motion you do. Keep it up Slugger
Thank you! ❤️️
I'm glad to hear you're enjoying the videos! Believe it or not, but there is more Rock Raiders content coming in the future.
@@RRSlugger Hey again! I didnt know where to send this message. But I wanted to let you know that because of you I finished rebricking the Granite Grinder AND I bought 3 Rock Raiders set from one seller in Canada on Bricklink. Very excited for them to arrive. I can wait to make my own RockRaiders mocs. Thanks again for your videos 🤘
@@lopmon.apologist That’s awesome!! Feel free to send any pictures of your collection to my email! 😊
rrslugger@protonmail.com
Iconic set. This machine is what I think of when I think Rock Raiders. Almost makes me wish it had a cool Technic remake.
Thank you Slugger!
This set was my pride and joy as a kid. I suddenly remembered owning this when I came across your channel, lol. I loved it SO much! I also played with it and took off the drill, pretending that it was a combat walker with a cannon instead. I was very inspired by Star Wars and Warhammer.
I love the Granite Grinder too! Definitely my favourite set from Rock Raiders. ❤️
2:40, right on, I agree with you, and that Sphinx set was the first BIG LEGO set I ever got so I have great memories of it, the parts may be scattered to the wind, but I still have some of those papyrus pieces.
Writing this in May of 2024: "R. R. Slugger's Roboforce Retrospective - Coming in 2024." Famous last words perhaps?
I've still got some 2024 left!! 😅
The Granite Grinder is absolutely the coolest Rock Raiders vehicle! It's just a shame it sucked in the game, it should've always been the real icon of the theme.
I agree with your hot take too, people are too quick to point to stuff like the 1998 town sets being a little too simple compared to the earlier ones (and honestly that's more to do with their design than the pieces they use) and then lump in the rest of the late 90's and early 00's with that. I dunno, maybe I'm just biased since a lot of those are the sets I grew up with.
This was my favorite theme in all of Lego! I had this set too, so cool.
This series has brought back so much nostalgia for me!! These are the sets I grew up playing with! And to think I only googled Lego lore from some classic sets because I started playing Lego Worlds again! Great job on these vids! I'll definitely be coming back for more!
Glad you're enjoying them! Thanks!
Great hot takes 😮😊
This is my favorite brick set from when I was a child!
Absolutely love your videos!
Thank you! I'm glad you found the channel!
If you need a small homage of this set you should keep an eye out for the upcoming set 31139. Thanks for your extraordinary content! You rock!👍
The two drill version looks like a mech. Not a bad look😊
I personaly think that the prototype on 5:52 is WAY better than what we got. I just much more preffer slimmer design.
Fair enough! That design has a lot of fans too. Brian from Brian's Bricks TH-cam channel has built it complete with 3D printed roll cage, though he hasn't made a video on it yet. I should bug him about that!
@@RRSlugger Gosh I love BB :D
At 5:51, there’s a very cool prototype minifigure! I’d really love it if you made a video listing off the prototype minifigures? I’ve been feeling lately that I’d like to make lots of extra Mocs, but with such a small cast of characters I feel a bit concerned about the vehicle - pilot ratio. But if we can made modern versions of those prototype characters, they could fit right in!
This even could be a great place to document the alternate character outfits like the classic “bandit with gloves.”
I should do some more prototype RR videos. 🙂
Making custom miners that fit in with the established crew can be tricky because Lego used to have such different art styles for the faces; Rock Raiders, Star Wars, Alpha Team, Harry Potter, etc all came out within a year or two of each other but hardly have compatible face prints with each other. That’s one of the things that Lego does so much better these days, in my opinion.
@@RRSlugger I'd be over the moon if you did a video on that! I love the bits on prototypes, and prototype figures are my new fascination today since I love that prototype Doc at 5:51.
I totally agree, the only face prints so far that I feel come close to fitting are the Johnny Thunder Jungle figures, and maybe Ice Planet.
I loved this set as a kid, played with it a ton
Def my favorite RR set, and im glad it's one of the two that i own
Me too! As much as I enjoy them all, this one is just a cut above.
totally agree re over engineering of some modern sets and miss the old imagination squint. Such a knife edge to walk, but when it is pulled off pure magic results. STEM meet art!
First lego set I ever bought, I remember being very little and worked hard cleaning the house weekly to eventually earn up to 60 bucks to buy this.
Looking back on it in this retrospective I can't disagree with your analysis of this machine, In fact it's actually making me quite nostalgic right now.
But for me I really wish the legs had some up-and-down movement, The Chrome Crusher was my favorite, Despite its lop sided and bulky nature.
That alternative wide articulated build instantly made me want it!
I just put my childhood Grinder together after meaning to for ages, and I forgot how easily the top comes off. I have to think of it as some kind of escape pod/jet - it would also explain the thrusters and tiny wings!
Modern design philosophy, and especially moc design, is very much "why use 1 piece when we could use 30!"
In particular I think the disdain large-scale moc builders have for Burps and Lurps is an excellent demonstration of this. Those pieces are part of the core visual identity for classic lego series' like castle, pirates, western, ninjas, and have had consistent usage in the *decades* since. But go to any brick-fair and I doubt you'll see a single one, even in mocs of those classic series'!
I just don't get it, it's cost effective, weight efficient, and I agree with the sentiment in the video that using more pieces just increases noise
Yeah, I had this one as a kid! And ist still on my shelf over 20 years later. And it isn't gonna leave, even tho nowadays I mostly collect 90s adventurers and pirates sets.
When it comes to juniorisation: Jack Stone was one of the only themes were it was too much in my opinion. Other themes were made out of mostly standart pieces and then had a few Signature Elements that gave each theme a unique look
I honestly don't mind jack stone, it was very explicitly marketed towards children that are too old for duplo but too young for other sets, and lego still uses this practice to this day
@@EmeraldCoasttt i agree, the only Problem was that when Lego released Jack Stone, they got rid of basically all other normal Lego town stuff.
When I was a kid, my mom got this set for a huge discount because the box was torn open. Unfortunately it was missing the missing the iconic chrome drill piece.
Oh no! Someone must have swiped the drill from it! 😭
I agree with your hot take. Many builds today are too complex and have too many pieces (and too many specialized ones). Back in the day it felt like there was less pressure to build a "perfect" MOC because being more limited by the pieces (or lack of pieces) was a good thing. Though Idk how young Lego fans feel about that nowadays, cause I'm speaking from an adult perspective.
And wow I really like the Granite Grinder now. I never had this set but I used to like looking at it on the catalogs. Your video highlights the good details and how it represents the whole theme so well.
Thanks Cris! I feel like I would need an engineering degree to design Lego sets today, haha. 😅
And I'm glad to see the love for the Granite Grinder spreading! ❤
Man your sub count is skyrocketing as it should be, went from low 500's to 699 in a couple of days. At 1:32 I had that construction set on the right as a little kid. One of the first Lego sets I ever got, I was probably 3. What a throwback. But yeah awesome video, amazing job.
And now the coveted 1,012 Subscriber Special! It's been wild...
I loved that Construction series they did that year - so nostalgic!
That is sure one of my favorites from my collection! Even though it is not 100% complete anymore, I still love it to pieces. And I will track the missing pieces sometime. A fun fact is that it was my very first set that I noticed the use of Technic pieces mixed together and didn't mind at all, and it is a cool looking set. I like the minifigure too. I wish LEGO would come back to their roots and released more Rock Raiders
I got this set at a garage sale years ago and it started my love of the concept of Lego's futuristic mining themes (at the time rock raiders was the only theme that fit it several years later power miners came out and I got almost every one of those sets) I wish they made the drill, colors, and cockpit in more sets.
2:22 I'm glad I'm not the only one who has noticed this. Especially Lego Ideas submissions are very guilty of this.
They always make these HUGE sets with wayyyy too many pieces, which would cost like 800 bucks if they were real sets.
And you're right, if there's way too much detail, the whole thing ends up looking messy and structureless.
Even if the design is genuinely good, often times the same effect could be achieved with half as many pieces. And even if you got the set for free, it still wouldn't even really look like a lego set anymore.
I mean look at that castle you showed. That doesn't look like lego. If you tried to pair it with any other medieval lego set, it would never fit visually. It could only stand on its own.
And then sometimes these Ideas submissions have things like gigantic brickbuilt trees that would take forever to put together and raise the price by at least 30 bucks... when a much smaller, less repetitive tree would suffice just as well. And said tree isn't even the focus of the set. Like the current staff pick Christmas Theater. It looks real cute, but there's no need for those giant expensive trees.
It looks like someone just went "wouldn't it be cool if I built a big pine tree out of a bunch of flower stem pieces?" ...with no thought for cohesion or anything. I mean a tree that big was literally just sold as its own set...
I know the sets get redesigned when they get picked, and usually are downsized a lot... But the first impression would be much more convincing if it actually looked like a set someone would wanna buy and build.
...but I digress.
I know Lego can take it too far in the other direction as well. Like the Lego Pirates 2015 line, which had so few pieces that all the sets looked cramped and stifled.
Or the current lego city sets, with their tiny excuse for a school, which is only a quarter as big as it should be.
But yeah, there should be more of a balance. Have a lot of pieces, but give them all a purpose.
Don't make your set look like it broke off from a bigger set, but also don't spend 20 bucks on a pedestal that doesn't need to be there.
You’re totally right. It’s going to be different for every individual, but it sounds like we’ve got similar tastes in what we look for in Lego sets. 😊
I wonder when we’re going to be able to admit to ourselves that the old Lego palm trees are vastly superior to any of the brick built nonsense that’s come out since their retirement…
@@RRSlugger You kidding? The old palm trees were great and they need to bring them back!
I don't even know why they discontinued them. Were they too expensive to make? Were they not compatible enough? Did they not look modern enough?
Sometimes the replacements look fine, but they usually look spindly and just don't have the same presence as the classic ones. And of course, you can't bend them.
They should bring the old ones back and sell them in those "Xtra" polybags. They'd sell so many! Especially to hobbyists who wanna build big landscapes.
That whole Xtra concept has been pretty underutilized so far.
Bags that should never go out of fashion, like with plants and trees aren't even being sold anymore. At least not on Lego's online store.
They should also make ones just containing animals. I bet there are a ton of people who would love to get some sheep and pigs and such but don't wanna buy an entire farm set just to get 2 of each.
I know there's Pick a Brick... but those are often sold out really quick...
So at least that shows the demand is there.
I feel like some of these prototypes excited at the same time. Explaining why some had pipes and one drill and no pipes and two drills. They were deciding one which one to go with and decided to mix the two concepts. Instead of going back and forth between one and two drills
I think you’re bang on here. 👍
IT RETURNS :O (Just a bit smaller this time)
Had this one as a kid, love it still
Favourite set of the series ^^
Me too! Love the Granite Grinder!
Y'know this set reminds me of that yellow mech suit from the ending of Aliens, wonder if the Lego group were inspired by that while making this.
take another look at the spaceship and you'll get the Aliens vibe again. Either the Lego team or the DDI one had just finished watching that movie.
What a fantastic series! Thank you for this blast from the past. I think this one is probably my favourite out of all the rock Raider videos you made (though they're all really good!)
3:28 - I'm subscribing so that in 2024, if you're still up to it, I can get to see the robo force retrospective!
Thanks for checking out the channel! I was really happy with this video too, though I am definitely biased towards the Granite Grinder, haha.
You’d better believe we are getting a Roboforce review in 2024 - I haven’t forgotten! 😉
@@RRSlugger You've actually inspired me to pull out my Rock Raiders sets from my childhood collection! I've made a video on them, and gave you a shout in it. Here's the link if you want to check it: th-cam.com/video/zNlbQmNku88/w-d-xo.html
But definitely don't, the ending might shock you 😅
dude these videos are so great
Thank you - I’m glad you’re enjoying them!
Yes! I really get your 'hot takes'! I thought I was a weird, one-off case when it came to my thoughts on really detailed sets, so I'm pleased that someone else gets it. Aside from how it bumps prices up, I think it can be off-putting, especially for younger children, when it comes to taking sets apart and building MOCs (and in my humble opinion, why some children aren't doing that anymore). It sort of sets a standard that can be daunting for your alternative builds to 'live up to', but also if a set looks really good and has complicated play features, it can be hard to bring yourself to disassemble it for parts. But that's just my thoughts.
Anyway, this, the nostalgic retrospectives, and your high production value settles it. I've subscribed.
Nice, a kindred spirit! I’m glad to hear you enjoyed the video! 😊
I think there is a balance to be struck between simplicity and complexity in a Lego set, and it differs for everyone (and at different stages of life!). As an adult, building Pirates of Barracuda Bay completely blew my mind, but would I have loved the set as much as a kid? Impossible to say…
Still, it’s an interesting concept to think about!
@@RRSlugger It's definitely a case of preferences and balancing acts. Don't get me wrong, I'm not against detailed sets or anything, and I'm not saying I think Lego should stop making them, but I agree with you when you said that some feel as if they were 'in the oven too long'.
Food for thought indeed...
I wonder if this set got a callback in Dva's mech in the Overwatch theme, as it also got clips to the sides of the walker's legs. These can hold her gun too as the cockpit is much smaller than the grinder's.
Ok... I've been forced against my will (by the quality of your content) to accept you're the BEST lego content creator. Any chance of you making content about sets I can buy? Like current sets? Like Rivendell? That would consolidate my lego youtube stream. :)
Haha, thanks - though I hope you weren’t forced to watch my videos! 😅
I plan on reviewing the 31139 Cozy House sometime next month, so hopefully you can look forward to that. 😊
I actually agree a lot on Lego’s insistence on more parts nowadays. I was building a set for Christmas called winter town square or something and I noticed in several areas, they used multiple smaller then necessary pieces instead of singular larger ones. Like a couple incidents of 2 1X4 plates directly up against eachother.
I also remember building this creator octopus and submarine that had a safe and instead of using a couple Pearl gold 3X1 plates and 1 4X1 plate, it used 10 1X1 plates for both the bottom and top rim, inflating a part number from 6 to 20. I assumed it was just for the alternate builds that time but I’m not sure.
I've been meaning to ask Marin (the set designer) about the pearl gold 1x1s as I noticed that too. I'll let you know what he says!
I think it’s for cheaper packaging. It may be simpler to replace a couple 1x1s with the appropriate plate, but if those same pieces are present elsewhere, it’s probably easier to include more than to increase the number of different molds required.
R.R. Slugger ROCKS
after doing a little bit of research, i think i came across the Donald Gregorich mentioned in the video. Apparently he's an aerospace engineer. I guess Rock Raiders affected him quite a bit.
Believe it or not, but just a month ago Donald reached out to me via email! He’s seen the Slugger videos! 😂😊
He told me that for winning this contest, he got a brand new copy of Amazon Ancient Ruins - what an awesome set to pick!
Funny how both this and the Power Miners set of the same name are both peak
I would have added in the short ladder pieces to the sides of the cockpits and top of the legs to make give it an illusion that the driver can easily clime in and out. The specifically, the item number 4175, ladder 1 1/2 x 2 x 2 piece.
3:25 If symptoms persist for longer than 4 hours, consult a doctor.
😂
Axle was my cousin Alex's favorite Rock Raider. I think it's in the name, mostly, but there's also a lot of personality to that face of his.
I prefer juniorization to the more modern (and common AFOL designer sensibility) of using numerous tiny pieces. Now, the more straightforward and versatile the large pieces are, the more I prefer them.
Back in the day you could just look at the photos of those smaller sets and think "hey if I had just a couple more pieces I could build my version of that set!" Nowadays, every set is so specialized that you can never look even at the same theme and try to build something that looks like the modern theme due to the lack of a lot of special pieces. Ah... I do miss the classic bricks and classic colors
1:49 Some fans of something being "too quick to point their finger and call foul" , never heard of fans ever doing that before! P.S. That was very, very, heavy sarcasm.
I had all rock raiders sets when i was a child
I prefer the (presumably most recent) concept version of it with two drills
is the castle shown at 2:22 a real set???
This may not be related to the video,but I have to ask, how do you keep these sets in such good condition?
To my knowledge,old grey and white pieces are known to change colour, the paint chips off chrome pieces, the brown pieces are known to break easily and so on.
But they always look brand new in your videos.
I just don’t photograph the damaged ones! Haha, they are in the collection, but I have “hero” models/figures for in front of the camera. 😊
Wow, I have the exact same opinion as those opinions about both juniorization and the modern increase in parts and decrease in parts size and simplicity!
I guess people like us from this era are just less vocal than the 40+ AFOL crowd
Our time will come in about 10 years, lol.
I really wish my Granite Grinder that I got in a second hand tub of lego had came with the roll cage piece.
An inexpensive piece to replace though!
@@RRSlugger yes and for that I'm thankful haha
I agree that modern sets leave nothing in the way of imagination, I've actually been saying that for years now 😅heck, my medieval robot dragon moc took a lot of design elements from a bunch of older Lego sets and themes and it turned out beautiful in my opinion.
i had this set but sadly now I only have the minifig for the memory of the theme.
Hey slugger there is one guy near me selling this set for 45 euros do you think thats a good price for this set?
Seems a little steep to me personally, but it *is* a great set nonetheless…
@@RRSlugger it don't have a box but the pieces are still it the bags!
3:27 that is too powerful to be kept alive
No!! It must stand trial! 😂
What I have to wait till 2024 for the RoboForce Retrospective?????
Only just over a year away now! 😉
The point with Juniorization is weird
I feel split, on one hand a few sets really really managed to get everything out of it like the Chinese temple in orient expedition. But on the other hand a lot of modern builds are amazing, and look really good
But mata nui damn it they use this to increase the hell out of the price and use a lot of pieces just for nothing. I think lego found the perfect balance in lines like exo force and Vikings making them feel cheap, while also looking amazing, Arctic rescue and rock raiders have gone to far, don't get me wrong rock raiders is amazing, but it just doesn't use enough pieces some areas and it's signature piece, the cockpit, just isn't very well designed, like they just don't have studts or even obvious angle to use another piece to create studs
Indeed; I think you’ve reiterated the point I was trying to make in this video. There is no objective measurement for Juniorization - it’s all a matter of opinion, and everyone is going to have a different opinion on the matter. 😊
I can definitely see where you’re coming from with your perspective though!
@@RRSlugger
I think you got the point wrong of Juniorization, yes on hand it's of course about big part and few parts, but it also is about overly specific pieces with only a few resulting like here look at your rock raider cockpit it's two large pieces which can be modified to an extend but you are going to run into the problem of most of the cockpit being at an angle, but not some angle already used like for example on 2*2 and 1*2 slobs or 1*3 slobs, allowing you to insert pieces and therefore allowing you to make something new out of it and therefore hard to reuse and limiting what's able to be built (although in the case of rock raider specificly it actually helped the theme) (it would be very embarrassing if I am wrong this example) unlike the "b.u.r.b" 's (the big rock pieces) whose studs are can be built on like if it would out of bricks or raised baseblates having slobs equal to 2*1*4 upside down slobs giving you the ability to build many different things on top allowing one to remain to this day, while the other still long outlasted most other juniorized pieces
@@n_ex13 Oh, I don’t disagree with any of the points you are making at all - I too see the Rock Raiders roll cage and cockpit pieces as being incredibly specialized, to the point where some might see that as Juniorization.
I think the main takeaway from the Juniorization section of this video is that there is no metric of measurement to assign to it, leaving it completely up to subjective interpretation. You might look at the Granite Grinder and say that it is afflicted by Juniorization, and I may not. Neither one of us are more “correct” than the other as it’s all a matter of opinion. 😊
@@RRSlugger yeah fully agree, your work is amazing
Opinion: Lego junior sets are just modern 90's Lego sets
Is Axle the leader of this team of rock raiders?
That would be Chief! Axle is the vehicle expert on the team. 🙂
@ thanks for the info. I thought I’d ask you since you’re wisest slug on the internet.
6:01 John Lennon lookin ahh
Fun fact if you buy all the parts and minifigs of the set instead of the set it might actually be cheaper
Not that in indonesia it ever happens but for evryone else wish you luck
親愛なる日常
Robo Force retrospective?
You betcha! Before the year is done..! 😅
In retrospect this set is a major disappointment in the play, action features department. But I agree with you that this is easily THE set that expresses the design language of the theme the most imo. If lego continues with the GWP trend, crossing my fingers that either this or the Chrome Crusher gets a remake. Oh and of-course, make chief an exclusive. Have him supervise the dig in the set at least.
cool video but for me the granite grinder was probably the weakest rock raider set, it just looks derpy and plain, I think it's the sort of concept where it should've been done bigger and in a more expensive kit
109 pieces for almost 22 dollars? And I thought Lego today was overpriced
The rudest lego set...