The chain dozer’s “even worse” alternate build reminds me of something Wile E. Coyote would use. I just picture him hitting the wrong switch, causing the rotating arms to cut a perfect circle in the ground around himself and the machine and then falling through it lol.
I, too, found the idea of airplanes underground preposterous, until I recalled they literally had an air battle featuring airplanes, a hot-air balloon, and flying fish statues in the cone of an extinct volcano underground in _Atlantis: The Lost Empire_ and remembered that it was, in fact, the coolest thing ever put to film.
These models all look like something a kid would build out of spare parts from a limited collection - and I love that! I often worry that modern LEGO's very intricate and meticulously-crafted official builds might discourage kids from MOCing - I'd certainly have struggled with feeling like my builds weren't measuring up to the standard. Janky alt-builds like this are a great way to normalize and legitimize just _sticking bricks together_ and seeing what happens, which in turn makes MOCing feel a lot more 'accessible'. Hm, the 'aircraft in a cave' thing _could_ make more sense if we assume that they're exploring some truly enormous caverns that stretch several kilometers in all dimensions (like the Underdark in D&D, or Blackreach in Skyrim).
I really love when you go over alt builds. When I was a kid those alt builds, whether good or not, they ignited my imagination like crazy. With all of those possibilities it felt like each box of Lego was a portal into an entire world. Also its super awesome thst people are archiving this stuff. Big shout out to the archivers out there.
Seeing these long-forgotten things crop up now and again always makes me wonder what else time forgot. Maybe we'll eventually uncover some juicy wave 2 leaks. I can dream.
Man it feels good to see more Rock Raiders content. I understand that there isn't really much left to cover, but I'll always welcome more if you find the occasional chance to make some
I used to see pictures of Rock Raiders sets in an old lego book I had. I didn't dislike what I was seeing, but I saw things like the Loader Dozer as a novelty, a first step towards Power Miners sets that were my generation. But now, with this and other channel's help, I can understand the undying loyalty that many hold towards this theme. If only they weren't so expensive I might even buy some to try out
I feel like someday Slugger will find an obscure German comic relating to rock-raiders and reverse engineer a drawing into a Lego build and review it 😅
I really like Light Hover’s C model as a ground based mining laser, and thankfully the light fix is easy, just reverse the direction those arm pieces are facing! Alternatively you can assume they’re some sort of heat exhaust but I guess that shooting out backwards into the area of the operator isn’t a great idea rofl.
Yeah! I feel like I'm always biased towards seeing these things as buildings rather than vehicles. The Rock Raiders already have a ton of small vehicles - how 'bout some small structures/equipment? 🙂
"In closing..." with literally a factor of seconds under half of the video's total length left is precisely why I love your content. Never ever change my man.
I have to disagree on your ranking of the various Light Hover builds: personally, I think the one you rated least was my favorite! To me, it just makes sense as a little hover scooter, one without the ability to fly higher than a foot or so off the ground. Imagine it as a slow speed but fuel efficient personal transport for getting across the presumably large hangars of various underground bases, or even down the lengthy corridors of the LMS Explorer! Imagine it like a high tech segway for Chief to zoom around in, monitoring progress at various far-flung parts of a base, just like warehouse managers do in real life. I think its unique silhouette is what stood out most to me. I’d rate it three slugs, the main build two, and the other alternate build one slug. Thanks for reading!
That’s totally fair! If there was some semblance of a source of propulsion, I probably would have rated it higher as I too like the unique silhouette of it. 😊
I would love to see lego do an "anniversary" style rock raiders set with a new rock monster. These in depth videos make me want to collect rock raiders but my wallet cannot fight the resale values.
I bet it will happen. Lego is recently really focused on nostalgia. They had a ton of fun with the old castle and space sets and we even got a bionicle set as gift for purchase last year. I hope this will be the year of the rock raiders
If we ever get a Rock Raiders tribute that is more than just a passing reference, I'd reckon the rock monsters would be brick-built. With the the number of snot and slope pieces available it probably wouldn't be too hard to replicate the shape. And would probably look *loads* better than Mixel Tahu.
A new Rock Raiders video is a surprise to be sure, but a welcome one. The photography in this episode really is exceptional and as silly as the concept initially might be I adore the propeller plane moc.
I've got a big smile on my face; I did not expect any more Rock Raiders content, and it brings me great joy to have received more. Just the giddiness of it is robbing me of my words, so that's really all I can say! It's fun to see it again. Although I'm grateful for you pointing out the apparent excess of single-rider vehicles. Don't we have enough?
Lmao Slugger trying to sneak another Rush reference by us. And Marathon of all songs! Sometimes you are so niche and we love you for it. Also there's LEGO in this video. Good stuff!
10:02 The way those bricks on the bottom look it kinda makes me wonder if it’s actually a hydrofoil boat, which would make it so much cooler than it already was.
I feel like only Slugger can get into so much hype about rebuilding a set with barely 10 pieces! It's stretching it a bit for me personally... But I still definitely appreciate the fact that this channel focuses more often on *how* parts are utilized rather than how many parts a set has- way too many sets today are experiencing a massive part count bloat while offering very little in terms of play features. Seeing videos like this reminds me of a different, perhaps better time.
Thanks! I think what really sells these sets to me is that they are so efficient - nearly every alt build and combiner uses every piece included. It's really intriguing to see! 😊
When talking 'lost alternate or combo builds' for these sets my first guess would be something from a Japanese Lego magazine (It happened with Bionicle. There was a combo model so awesome it got an article in one of the comics.). When you mention ones from a potential store sign it made me imagine a scenario of a sweet shop (maybe a small family owned business) displaying some alt or combo builds they'd come up with themselves in the window. Maybe designed by their kid or something. It could have happened, and whether or not it did, I think it's still a sweet and wholesome thought.
that's true, and I'm happy to be able to flex about that, but honestly I'm just so impressed at how many amazing videos you've made in that time!!! many good memories on my end @@RRSlugger
I could be waaaay off, but to me, the b model of the light hover, with it's front heavy design, appears to be a sort of battering ram, to clear debris or weaken rock walls so that drilling equipment can tunnel through easier
From first to last The peak is never past Something always fires the light that gets in your eyes! Lego and Power Windows in one video. I love slugger man
"Airplane in a cave" reminds me of the ending segment of the game Devil May Cry 1, where our heroes literally do that, with a biplane no less, that conveniently falls from an upper level in front of them -- completely intact! -- so that it may be used to escape a typical self-destruction sequence. So, you know, maybe that's what the rock raiders airplane is for, to escape the spontaneously self-destructing caves that you may find out there in space.
More sweet ore from the caves! Thank you for sharing. What are the origins of the yellow jack piece at 8:54? A quick Bricklink search didn't unearth anything.
I try to slip them in every now and then, haha. I referenced "The Necromancer" in my Throwbots 2 video with the phrase, "enter, the champion"; though instead of Prince By-Tor, it was Millennium! 😆
I just bought my first teal LEGO set and am struck by how different teal looks in person VS. on camera. At least, old LEGO teal as seen on your Rock Raiders sets looks much lighter... is it just me or does teal photograph weird? Anyway, the commitment to ranking tiny obscure LEGO sets was definitely an excellent use of 12 minutes. This is the content I love to see.
Absolutely! I find the colour appears much darker and more rich in person, compared to its somewhat washed out look on camera. Those studio lamps are a blessing and a curse!
@@RRSlugger Interesting. I wondered if old teal was a slightly different shade or just faded from age, but I guess not. This makes me want to see Rock Raiders sets in person now that I know teal is hard to photograph...
Alt builds are such an important part of what LEGO is, and I sorely miss the time when they were proudly displayed on the back of the box. If anything, alt builds were the real deal, the secret exclusive things that you'd only get to appriciate if you owned the set, unlike the main builds that were plastered all over the marketing.
Heh, I do really like the silly and redundant natures of a lot of these. Are they unnecessary? Sure, almost absolutely, but I'd like to think these are a bunch of vehicle types used historically by the Rock Raiders as an organization in niche situations across many planets and bases rather than just ones created and brought out while this branch is stranded during the events of the main story. It's a bit of extra flair that I find adds a bit to the general concept of the Rock Raiders universe without pushing the envelope too much to be recognizable. ... Except for the planes, maybe. Those are fun, though! Right...?
Hi R.R. Slugger, not related to the video but I was wondering if you've opened the 4099 Robobots you got a while back. It's one of my all-time favorite sets so I'd love to hear your thoughts on it (and the beautiful instructions!), and I was wondering if I had missed it in a stream or if you have plans to make a video on it. Thanks!
It's very interesting! When I watched your previous video on Kabaya sets, well, obviously the chain dozer was not considered... good. And it seemed even more goofy that it had an alt build, which was, well, kinda pathetic, as the piece count didn't really allowed for anything interesting. OR DID IT? To be honest, I interpreted this as a challenge, I took the parts I had available, in wrong colors because I just don't have money for Lego, but still and I tried to do something interesting within this laughably limited resources. I had only 1 robot arm piece but I got so invested in this challenge of making something outta nothing that today I ordered 5 of this pieces, just for this challenge. I have to say, it's unexpectedly fun as it really squizes all the creativity juices from you! As someone clever said (more or less) "limitation breeds creativity". I think that actually I will make a video about all the alt builds I can come uo with and perhaps link it to you, granted you would be interested, I would feel extremely honoured 😅 But as of now, I have to wait for the delivery :D
Oh, absolutely! I'd love to see what you come up with! You may have to email me the link to it as TH-cam seems to autodelete comments with links in 'em. rrslugger @ protonmail dot com 😊
@@pinkraven4402 Oh, "illegal building techniques" is quite a modern convention. It wasn't even a consideration back in the days of Rock Raiders, so you're totally good! 👍
@@RRSluggerJust as a teaser, I manages to construct a mech. Yes, a mech. That san transform into a defensive turret. Or into a flying vehicle. This is getting absolutely insane
Slugger, given your affinity for alternate builds, have you thought about reviewing the X-Pod range? Small sets with lots of character, that also have the belt attachment function of the Throwbots!
This is a good reminder for me! The answer is emphatically YES - I love X-Pods! I've got them all and even play the board game from time to time. It's certainly on my to-do list... who knows *when* I'll get to it though..!
Maybe the Light Hover B Model is supposed to be a Jet Ski of some kind? And maybe the Drill Draft C Model is also some aquatic thing? Was actually hoping we'd get a more detailed video on the combo models. Would have been nice to see you compare the larger part counts to actual sets, to see if they actually fit the RR aesthetic.
God, I really wish Lego still had tiny sets like this (at least in the US; I know you EU folks have magazine sets), just to scratch creative itches I get in my day-to-day.
Honestly the light hover's B-model reminds me a lot of a body composition analyzer It isn't much, but could be interpreted as such to give the miners some health-related structure/installation like the medbay scanner in Among us, something this theme seems to lack It's C-model on the other hand reminded me of a multi-bladed table saw when fist shown without jet seated on it. Perhaps it's lamps can be clipped off to a side too to resemble a pair of docked right angle flashlights I'd argue the chain dozer has an advantage over other small digging vehicles in the added articulation to its saws, which in-universe could very well move in the same way a crab can its claws. Pulling off smaller, sophisticated extractions the stubbier, static saws of other crafts cannot Not much to say on the helicopter transport, but I do think it's cool it's B-model uses a dish as a horizontal circular saw at the front
I like these ideas! I never thought to look at that dark grey dish piece as potentially being a circular saw - imaginative and fitting use! 😊 I often prefer sets from this era of LEGO because they leave us wondering sometimes - everything isn't spelled out for us. It's refreshing!
The airplanes would make sense if the had open areas to the surface, but then again all of that is really unsafe. Good thing the Rock Raiders didnt have to deal with face huggers and xenomorphs, they would surely be goners within an hour due to their blatant disregard for safety protocols.
Do you keep all the alt models built in a big setup, or do you build them as needed? I spent a while last year trying to build as many of the insectoid alt builds as I could figure out, but am.running out of display space!
Oh, that's awesome!! I would love to see photos of those alt builds one day if you ever want to send them my direction! I usually only keep an alt build together for a brief time, as I need the pieces for the main build photography eventually; however, with the Kabaya sets, they're small enough for me to be able to source them all out of my collection. As such, it's unlikely I'll take them apart anytime soon. 😊
@@RRSlugger Nice, that was what I guessed, some sets are a lot more piece intensive than others. With my insectoid project I found that because its an unpopular sub-theme it was fairly cheap to get non-mint and incomplete copies of sets, so I ended up buying up good deals on ebay and bricklink for a few months, which gave me a big pool of period appropriate pieces to work with, even if I couldn't have built many of the complete original sets. I'll try to dig out my photos and send them your way. What I ended up doing was a bit less precise than your efforts and I ultimately ended up more building mocs heavily inspired by the alt builds, as there are some where the low res images simply don't give enough detail to work it out for sure, even knowing what pieces should have been used. I decided I could either be a purist and never be quite sure I'd got it right, or take the oppourtunity to build a model which made sense to me, or even improved on the original idea of the alt build if I saw a cool way to do that by going beyond the piece count, or in some cases using an anachronistic piece. The big "crystal crawler" alt build from the Arachnobase kit is a good example. it has some sort of weird hinge between the thorax and abdomen of the vehicle. I guess it must have been made with the turntable pieces from the Arachnobase, but the two (unprecedented) two angles you see it from on the box don't show how its done. So I ended up using one of your beloved Galidor ball and socket joints instead. Anachronistic for 1998, but gets the job done, so I guess my insectoids must have discovered the new technology in the 30 odd years since that class of crawler was introduced!
@@alexbarrett3832 I love your approach! Well there's something to be said for 100% accuracy for its own sake, at the end of the day alternate builds exist to inspire creativity! I think you've done just that! ❤️
@@RRSlugger Got me excited there for a minute there that they may have had some rare recoloured ones. Like the red ghost piece. Or perhaps Lego having planned a second wave that never came to fruition.
Even when you think it's all been covered, Slugger finds a way to make more Rock Raiders content!
Honestly, there's still so much more to talk about with Rock Raiders! I feel like I'm only halfway through it..! 😅
Gotta raid those rocks one way or another
@@RRSlugger I HOPE SO :)
Raiding till i rock
@@RRSluggercan't wait for the rock whales special. I always loved them, too bad they weren't too represented in-series
The chain dozer’s “even worse” alternate build reminds me of something Wile E. Coyote would use. I just picture him hitting the wrong switch, causing the rotating arms to cut a perfect circle in the ground around himself and the machine and then falling through it lol.
Right?? Haha, it just seems so impractical! 😆
LMAO
HEHEHEHEHE! 🤣🤪👍
I, too, found the idea of airplanes underground preposterous, until I recalled they literally had an air battle featuring airplanes, a hot-air balloon, and flying fish statues in the cone of an extinct volcano underground in _Atlantis: The Lost Empire_ and remembered that it was, in fact, the coolest thing ever put to film.
I need to go and watch that movie again! I saw it in theatres when it came out, but not once since then...! 😮
@@RRSlugger It's a personal favorite of mine, and I consider it a high point in Disney's repertoire. A fun movie that holds up for sure.
@@the_real_Kurt_Yarish Awesome! I look forward to it then!
This comment brought a smile to my face :) That movie totally captured my imagination as a kid and inspired so many LEGO creations!
You can *feel* the sense of accomplishment in the "wooh" at 12:03. So pure. So genuine.
Flying an airplane in a cave?
sounds like an interesting and shortlived career indeed.
love how much depth these small sets have to them
I see waht you did there!
Kinda reminds me of the finale of Atlantis: The Lost Empire with the hot air balloon
Committing to the aircraft bit with a Rock Raiders aircraft of your own, AND building a runway set for it was quite a nice touch! Well done!
These models all look like something a kid would build out of spare parts from a limited collection - and I love that! I often worry that modern LEGO's very intricate and meticulously-crafted official builds might discourage kids from MOCing - I'd certainly have struggled with feeling like my builds weren't measuring up to the standard. Janky alt-builds like this are a great way to normalize and legitimize just _sticking bricks together_ and seeing what happens, which in turn makes MOCing feel a lot more 'accessible'.
Hm, the 'aircraft in a cave' thing _could_ make more sense if we assume that they're exploring some truly enormous caverns that stretch several kilometers in all dimensions (like the Underdark in D&D, or Blackreach in Skyrim).
I really love when you go over alt builds. When I was a kid those alt builds, whether good or not, they ignited my imagination like crazy. With all of those possibilities it felt like each box of Lego was a portal into an entire world.
Also its super awesome thst people are archiving this stuff. Big shout out to the archivers out there.
Seeing these long-forgotten things crop up now and again always makes me wonder what else time forgot. Maybe we'll eventually uncover some juicy wave 2 leaks.
I can dream.
The idea of flying an airplane inside of a cave is a 4 slug idea, only for the coolest or most radical of dudes or dudettes
Considering the limited number of bricks, I think they're all pretty good! I really miss alternate builds.
Super efficient, too! They almost all use every part available to them. 👍
5:25 I got it. Sparks is supposed to seat his front legs precariously on the 1x4 while holding the levers. He WILL die. Really big part of the story.
Hahaha love it! 😆
Man it feels good to see more Rock Raiders content. I understand that there isn't really much left to cover, but I'll always welcome more if you find the occasional chance to make some
You'd be surprised! I feel like I'm only halfway through all there is to cover with this theme! 😅
I used to see pictures of Rock Raiders sets in an old lego book I had. I didn't dislike what I was seeing, but I saw things like the Loader Dozer as a novelty, a first step towards Power Miners sets that were my generation. But now, with this and other channel's help, I can understand the undying loyalty that many hold towards this theme. If only they weren't so expensive I might even buy some to try out
5:52 the Marathon lyrics hit me like a truck, love the vids as always :))
Haha, gotta sneak some Rush in there every now and then! 😉
I feel like someday Slugger will find an obscure German comic relating to rock-raiders and reverse engineer a drawing into a Lego build and review it 😅
I hope so! 😊
@@RRSlugger i would gladly watch it!
I really like Light Hover’s C model as a ground based mining laser, and thankfully the light fix is easy, just reverse the direction those arm pieces are facing! Alternatively you can assume they’re some sort of heat exhaust but I guess that shooting out backwards into the area of the operator isn’t a great idea rofl.
Yeah! I feel like I'm always biased towards seeing these things as buildings rather than vehicles. The Rock Raiders already have a ton of small vehicles - how 'bout some small structures/equipment? 🙂
@@RRSluggerI don't think anyone can blame you with more than half of them not having any visible propulsion
"In closing..." with literally a factor of seconds under half of the video's total length left is precisely why I love your content. Never ever change my man.
4:51 and 10:44 were the best parts--I love the little dashes of fun like this
That rapidfire slugometer segment at the end got me GOOD. Thanks for another great Rock Raiders video!
WOO!!
I have to disagree on your ranking of the various Light Hover builds: personally, I think the one you rated least was my favorite! To me, it just makes sense as a little hover scooter, one without the ability to fly higher than a foot or so off the ground. Imagine it as a slow speed but fuel efficient personal transport for getting across the presumably large hangars of various underground bases, or even down the lengthy corridors of the LMS Explorer! Imagine it like a high tech segway for Chief to zoom around in, monitoring progress at various far-flung parts of a base, just like warehouse managers do in real life. I think its unique silhouette is what stood out most to me. I’d rate it three slugs, the main build two, and the other alternate build one slug. Thanks for reading!
That’s totally fair! If there was some semblance of a source of propulsion, I probably would have rated it higher as I too like the unique silhouette of it. 😊
You could imagine the antistuds on the bottom of the plate as repulsor tech.@@RRSlugger
I would love to see lego do an "anniversary" style rock raiders set with a new rock monster. These in depth videos make me want to collect rock raiders but my wallet cannot fight the resale values.
This year is the 25th Anniversary of Rock Raiders, so anything is possible!
I bet it will happen. Lego is recently really focused on nostalgia. They had a ton of fun with the old castle and space sets and we even got a bionicle set as gift for purchase last year. I hope this will be the year of the rock raiders
If we ever get a Rock Raiders tribute that is more than just a passing reference, I'd reckon the rock monsters would be brick-built. With the the number of snot and slope pieces available it probably wouldn't be too hard to replicate the shape. And would probably look *loads* better than Mixel Tahu.
@@BoardGamesBricksHobbies That would be really cool, actually! 😊
Oh my this is quite the throwback to og slugger lore, i really liked the original video and it was so cool seeing them back
Yes! I thought you'd depleted all the Rock Raiders content and we wouldn't see much more of this amazing theme on your channel. So glad I was wrong!
Indeed! I gotta get back into Rock Raiders some more - there's still so much to cover, believe it or not! 😊
@@RRSluggercan’t wait! Rock on, Slugger ;)
I never cease to be amazed at how hyperfocused one can be on a single line that LEGO have probably forgotten themselves :D Kudos for that!
A new Rock Raiders video is a surprise to be sure, but a welcome one. The photography in this episode really is exceptional and as silly as the concept initially might be I adore the propeller plane moc.
I've got a big smile on my face; I did not expect any more Rock Raiders content, and it brings me great joy to have received more.
Just the giddiness of it is robbing me of my words, so that's really all I can say! It's fun to see it again.
Although I'm grateful for you pointing out the apparent excess of single-rider vehicles. Don't we have enough?
And there's still so much more to cover! 😊
Lmao Slugger trying to sneak another Rush reference by us. And Marathon of all songs! Sometimes you are so niche and we love you for it.
Also there's LEGO in this video. Good stuff!
Haha, love me some Power Windows! ❤️
10:02 The way those bricks on the bottom look it kinda makes me wonder if it’s actually a hydrofoil boat, which would make it so much cooler than it already was.
I like it! 😮
Can't wait for the alternative builds that were exclusive to a hallucination.
I never had rock raiders as a kid it looks so cool, feels like the emblematic 90’s theme.
I feel like only Slugger can get into so much hype about rebuilding a set with barely 10 pieces! It's stretching it a bit for me personally... But I still definitely appreciate the fact that this channel focuses more often on *how* parts are utilized rather than how many parts a set has- way too many sets today are experiencing a massive part count bloat while offering very little in terms of play features. Seeing videos like this reminds me of a different, perhaps better time.
Thanks! I think what really sells these sets to me is that they are so efficient - nearly every alt build and combiner uses every piece included. It's really intriguing to see! 😊
I really want a rock raider revival now
Honestly hearing your self-made rock raiders soundtrack once again feels so welcoming somehow
Lego really needs to bring alternate builds back to their non-creator sets
They did somewhat with dreamzzz
When talking 'lost alternate or combo builds' for these sets my first guess would be something from a Japanese Lego magazine (It happened with Bionicle. There was a combo model so awesome it got an article in one of the comics.). When you mention ones from a potential store sign it made me imagine a scenario of a sweet shop (maybe a small family owned business) displaying some alt or combo builds they'd come up with themselves in the window. Maybe designed by their kid or something. It could have happened, and whether or not it did, I think it's still a sweet and wholesome thought.
What the heck!!!! That Airplane MOC was amazing! Reminded me of the Biplanes from Orient Expedition!! Great work!
Haha, thank you! That's likely because I based it off of Baron von Baron's plane from the Egypt wave of Adventurers! 😊
4:42 slugger built with one of his least favourite parts ever
Cool
I can’t freaking believe it’s been 2.5 years of watching your channel
Time flies, my friend! You've certainly been here longer than most! ❤️
that's true, and I'm happy to be able to flex about that, but honestly I'm just so impressed at how many amazing videos you've made in that time!!! many good memories on my end @@RRSlugger
Thanks for genuinely great follow up video, that can used as standard for how to make them!
"Cave airplane" makes me rolling 😂
Finally another Video from our beloved Slug! :)
I could be waaaay off, but to me, the b model of the light hover, with it's front heavy design, appears to be a sort of battering ram, to clear debris or weaken rock walls so that drilling equipment can tunnel through easier
Maybe! Who knows! 😆
I had a full collection of these!
Great to see them get some attention❤
9:12 I suppose the trucks could carry equipment on the way back from dropping off a load of ore
Very fun video! Glad to see you back on some classic RR content!
-Jesse
i think the idea drill craft c model presented was interesting but really needed more parts and time to be any good
I await the next Rock Raiders topic... like if CMF Space 2 (fingers crossed) has someone new to the team.
From first to last
The peak is never past
Something always fires the light that gets in your eyes!
Lego and Power Windows in one video. I love slugger man
Slug has set a new speedrunning record of 12:30
Yes! A new slugger! The best thing all day. Just wanted to let you know that there is a time cruisers reference in set 80054.
Indeed there is! A great little reference, at that! 😊
Thanks for another amazing video slugger!! Your videos are some of the best I’ve seen on this app l! Much love
Thank you! ❤️
"Airplane in a cave" reminds me of the ending segment of the game Devil May Cry 1, where our heroes literally do that, with a biplane no less, that conveniently falls from an upper level in front of them -- completely intact! -- so that it may be used to escape a typical self-destruction sequence. So, you know, maybe that's what the rock raiders airplane is for, to escape the spontaneously self-destructing caves that you may find out there in space.
Perfect! 😆
I never imagined Merely showing up in an RR Slugger video, but nonetheless it was a pleasant surprise. Great video!
They're a big RR fan! It was only a matter of time, haha. 😉
FLYING. A. PLANE. IN. A. CAVE.
Now this whas fun!!! 😁👍
More sweet ore from the caves! Thank you for sharing.
What are the origins of the yellow jack piece at 8:54?
A quick Bricklink search didn't unearth anything.
Apparently, it isn’t even LEGO! No idea where it’s from then… maybe an old Tyco set or something? 🤔
This just reinforces the feeling that I don't know jack.
theres a scene in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade that pretty well demonstrates why an airplane in a cave is a bad idea
Hahaha, that's right! 😆
10:24 But is it a bat credit card?
5:52 was... was that a Rush reference? In a Slugger video????
I try to slip them in every now and then, haha. I referenced "The Necromancer" in my Throwbots 2 video with the phrase, "enter, the champion"; though instead of Prince By-Tor, it was Millennium! 😆
I just bought my first teal LEGO set and am struck by how different teal looks in person VS. on camera. At least, old LEGO teal as seen on your Rock Raiders sets looks much lighter... is it just me or does teal photograph weird?
Anyway, the commitment to ranking tiny obscure LEGO sets was definitely an excellent use of 12 minutes. This is the content I love to see.
Absolutely! I find the colour appears much darker and more rich in person, compared to its somewhat washed out look on camera. Those studio lamps are a blessing and a curse!
@@RRSlugger Interesting. I wondered if old teal was a slightly different shade or just faded from age, but I guess not. This makes me want to see Rock Raiders sets in person now that I know teal is hard to photograph...
Alt builds are such an important part of what LEGO is, and I sorely miss the time when they were proudly displayed on the back of the box. If anything, alt builds were the real deal, the secret exclusive things that you'd only get to appriciate if you owned the set, unlike the main builds that were plastered all over the marketing.
Heh, I do really like the silly and redundant natures of a lot of these. Are they unnecessary? Sure, almost absolutely, but I'd like to think these are a bunch of vehicle types used historically by the Rock Raiders as an organization in niche situations across many planets and bases rather than just ones created and brought out while this branch is stranded during the events of the main story. It's a bit of extra flair that I find adds a bit to the general concept of the Rock Raiders universe without pushing the envelope too much to be recognizable.
... Except for the planes, maybe. Those are fun, though! Right...?
Hi R.R. Slugger, not related to the video but I was wondering if you've opened the 4099 Robobots you got a while back. It's one of my all-time favorite sets so I'd love to hear your thoughts on it (and the beautiful instructions!), and I was wondering if I had missed it in a stream or if you have plans to make a video on it. Thanks!
It's still sitting sealed within arms reach of me while I type this, haha - one of *many* projects I have yet to tackle... 🙃
@@RRSlugger Looking forward to it when you get to it!
It's very interesting! When I watched your previous video on Kabaya sets, well, obviously the chain dozer was not considered... good. And it seemed even more goofy that it had an alt build, which was, well, kinda pathetic, as the piece count didn't really allowed for anything interesting. OR DID IT? To be honest, I interpreted this as a challenge, I took the parts I had available, in wrong colors because I just don't have money for Lego, but still and I tried to do something interesting within this laughably limited resources. I had only 1 robot arm piece but I got so invested in this challenge of making something outta nothing that today I ordered 5 of this pieces, just for this challenge. I have to say, it's unexpectedly fun as it really squizes all the creativity juices from you! As someone clever said (more or less) "limitation breeds creativity". I think that actually I will make a video about all the alt builds I can come uo with and perhaps link it to you, granted you would be interested, I would feel extremely honoured 😅 But as of now, I have to wait for the delivery :D
Oh, absolutely! I'd love to see what you come up with! You may have to email me the link to it as TH-cam seems to autodelete comments with links in 'em.
rrslugger @ protonmail dot com 😊
@@RRSlugger Awesome! By the way, what's your stand regarding using illegal building techniques in mocs?
@@pinkraven4402 Oh, "illegal building techniques" is quite a modern convention. It wasn't even a consideration back in the days of Rock Raiders, so you're totally good! 👍
@@RRSlugger Stay tune then, I will do it haha 😁 I looove working with limited parts set, it's encourages thinking outside the blocks so much!
@@RRSluggerJust as a teaser, I manages to construct a mech. Yes, a mech. That san transform into a defensive turret. Or into a flying vehicle. This is getting absolutely insane
He's got a wee bandana, it makes me think of aviator goggles and old biplanes, it makes perfect sense!
Slugger, given your affinity for alternate builds, have you thought about reviewing the X-Pod range? Small sets with lots of character, that also have the belt attachment function of the Throwbots!
This is a good reminder for me! The answer is emphatically YES - I love X-Pods! I've got them all and even play the board game from time to time. It's certainly on my to-do list... who knows *when* I'll get to it though..!
The last one is the slug fighter. Its made to look like a Slug X wing
Gotta love Slugger's ability to leave no stone unturned when it comes to Rock Raiders! (Pun intended)
I myself actually just got these Kabaya sets about a week ago
Id love to see how you would design a new wave of rock raiders sets in the current year
These Kabaya sets would all have 200 pieces each! 😂
The light hover c model is probably something similar to an airport cart..
love your videos
Thank you! ❤️
If anyone could pull off flying an airplane in a cave, it would be Jet. Rather unfortunate that she's not the one flying that plane...
Indeed! Docs had better be careful, haha!
Maybe the Light Hover B Model is supposed to be a Jet Ski of some kind? And maybe the Drill Draft C Model is also some aquatic thing?
Was actually hoping we'd get a more detailed video on the combo models. Would have been nice to see you compare the larger part counts to actual sets, to see if they actually fit the RR aesthetic.
Oh! Then you need to go back and watch the original Kabaya video I made 2 years ago! It's got all the other Kabaya builds in much more detail. 🙂
@@RRSlugger I started rewatching the whole playlist and came upon that vid. Had completely forgotten you went over the combos in that one.
Uploaded right as my pizza arrived. Coincidence? I do not think so
5:50 slugger rush reference? Power windows is the best 80s rush album dont let anyone tell you otherwise
I love Power Windows!
…but I also love Grace Under Pressure!
…and Signals! 😅
The mode of propulsion is a human hand and they're powered by the noises you make
I can't imagine the pain for the designers of these alt builds.
They really had to get creative!
if link can fly airplanes in cabes im sure the raiders can do it
Is the airplane at 7:41 a real set? If so I'd love to find one as I love lego planes!
It’s based on a real set! Baron von Baron’s plane from the Egypt wave of Adventurers. 😊
@@RRSlugger cheers, I'll look into it :D
From first to last the peak is never passed...
Sounds like someone likes Rush.
Sure do! 😊
drill craft is the only one of these i own atm, still in its polybag. i need the rest lol
Sealed, eh? A rare find, indeed!
I feel the only way to tell if it's the real set and not pieced together is to get it sealed, even if it means a higher price
Flying under ground kinda makes sense, some of these tunnels migth be to uneven and sharp to drive trough.
You know, that’s actually a good point! Something for me to ponder. 🤔
9:31 yep definitely not groundbreaking.
Slugger is too afraid to fly an airplane in a cave? Sounds like a skill issue to me.
To be fair, I'd be scared to fly a plane in the open air too! 😆
Not every alternate build is a winner
Too true!
Something about building these in a Cave with a box of scraps
It's funny how these were the only Rock Raiders sets I ever got
God, I really wish Lego still had tiny sets like this (at least in the US; I know you EU folks have magazine sets), just to scratch creative itches I get in my day-to-day.
Honestly the light hover's B-model reminds me a lot of a body composition analyzer
It isn't much, but could be interpreted as such to give the miners some health-related structure/installation like the medbay scanner in Among us,
something this theme seems to lack
It's C-model on the other hand reminded me of a multi-bladed table saw when fist shown without jet seated on it. Perhaps it's lamps can be clipped off to a side too to resemble a pair of docked right angle flashlights
I'd argue the chain dozer has an advantage over other small digging vehicles in the added articulation to its saws, which in-universe could very well move in the same way a crab can its claws. Pulling off smaller, sophisticated extractions the stubbier, static saws of other crafts cannot
Not much to say on the helicopter transport, but I do think it's cool it's B-model uses a dish as a horizontal circular saw at the front
I like these ideas! I never thought to look at that dark grey dish piece as potentially being a circular saw - imaginative and fitting use! 😊
I often prefer sets from this era of LEGO because they leave us wondering sometimes - everything isn't spelled out for us. It's refreshing!
With every RR video released, I’m so much more likely to rebuild all the sets I have. Pretty much all of them except these Japanese exclusives
Sounds like the Rock Raiders desperately need a union, or a safety person at least.
Don't worry, there's much more Mining adventures to come
I was only able to get one rock raiders set thar I remember
The airplanes would make sense if the had open areas to the surface, but then again all of that is really unsafe. Good thing the Rock Raiders didnt have to deal with face huggers and xenomorphs, they would surely be goners within an hour due to their blatant disregard for safety protocols.
Do you keep all the alt models built in a big setup, or do you build them as needed? I spent a while last year trying to build as many of the insectoid alt builds as I could figure out, but am.running out of display space!
Oh, that's awesome!! I would love to see photos of those alt builds one day if you ever want to send them my direction!
I usually only keep an alt build together for a brief time, as I need the pieces for the main build photography eventually; however, with the Kabaya sets, they're small enough for me to be able to source them all out of my collection. As such, it's unlikely I'll take them apart anytime soon. 😊
@@RRSlugger Nice, that was what I guessed, some sets are a lot more piece intensive than others. With my insectoid project I found that because its an unpopular sub-theme it was fairly cheap to get non-mint and incomplete copies of sets, so I ended up buying up good deals on ebay and bricklink for a few months, which gave me a big pool of period appropriate pieces to work with, even if I couldn't have built many of the complete original sets. I'll try to dig out my photos and send them your way. What I ended up doing was a bit less precise than your efforts and I ultimately ended up more building mocs heavily inspired by the alt builds, as there are some where the low res images simply don't give enough detail to work it out for sure, even knowing what pieces should have been used. I decided I could either be a purist and never be quite sure I'd got it right, or take the oppourtunity to build a model which made sense to me, or even improved on the original idea of the alt build if I saw a cool way to do that by going beyond the piece count, or in some cases using an anachronistic piece. The big "crystal crawler" alt build from the Arachnobase kit is a good example. it has some sort of weird hinge between the thorax and abdomen of the vehicle. I guess it must have been made with the turntable pieces from the Arachnobase, but the two (unprecedented) two angles you see it from on the box don't show how its done. So I ended up using one of your beloved Galidor ball and socket joints instead. Anachronistic for 1998, but gets the job done, so I guess my insectoids must have discovered the new technology in the 30 odd years since that class of crawler was introduced!
@@alexbarrett3832 I love your approach! Well there's something to be said for 100% accuracy for its own sake, at the end of the day alternate builds exist to inspire creativity!
I think you've done just that! ❤️
Flying an aeroplane in a cave, what is this, Ace Combat?
Was that a grey rock monster I saw?
White! Spray painted it many years ago. 😊
@@RRSlugger Got me excited there for a minute there that they may have had some rare recoloured ones. Like the red ghost piece. Or perhaps Lego having planned a second wave that never came to fruition.
10:27: ...With a box of scraps? :P
Tony Sparks built this in a cave with a box of bricks!!!