Being a fan of Lego city, I tend to want to purchase a few sets from each sub-theme, and ones which will give me the most out of a theme for the best value. As a result of this, I was very pleased when Lego began to sell these "Starter Sets" within the city theme. 3 figures, a shark, a remote sub and a scenery piece allow a taste of the theme for a very small price.

Box/Instructions

The set was in the standard size for the new Starter Sets in the City theme, carrying the update graphics and displaying a nice, clear image of what was included inside the box, with the back showing the figures stood together, and a few little scenes which may inspire children who get this set for ideas when they are playing.

The instructions were clear and easy to follow for children, with part call outs throughout. The color scheme used looks nice, without detracting too much from the building process, and providing a clear background which doesn't distract the eye.

Parts

I'm afraid I'm not a part expert, so cannot say if there were any parts in new colors or any new parts at all. As such, I'll only focus on the parts included which caught my eye as interesting, or that I like to build up a small collection of.

One such part was the Red Gem, which I've now got a good number of, thanks to the City and Castle themes. It's still nice to obtain another one, however, and will add a little bit of sparkle to the theme as a whole when added to the other treasure which has been discovered by the explorers.

Minifigures

These tend to be my favourite parts of almost any Lego set that includes them, and the three included in this are no exception to the rule.

You get two divers in the theme's new red and black colour scheme, one female with a camera and one male with a remote device for the sub which is included within the set. Both of these figures are quite common across the sub-theme, with the male appearing in a cheaper set.

The third and final minifigure is a diver in more heavy-duty gear, with an orange and grey colour scheme, and a red crowbar. This diver is male, but looks to be older then the chap kitted out in the red wetsuit. From what I've been told, the helmet he wears originated in Aqua-Raiders/Aquanauts, though I've only ever seen it in a few Space sets and the Mr. Freeze set from 2013.

A shark is also included within the set, using the updated sculpting from the 2013 Coast Guard theme, with new printing for the face to give the shark some more detail/character.

The build

Much like most city theme sets, the build was simplistic, but still felt enjoyable to do. There were a few interesting techniques used, including the way the sides of the sub where the engines sat. It's simple enough for children to follow, though some adults may find it too boring and easy to accomplish the finished model.

With the figures, shark and little scenery built first, it allows children to begin playing straight away without having to build the submarine straight away.

The completed model

I'm very happy with how the final model looks. The color scheme of the submarine works well without being too bright or clashing too much with the scenery that's included. The figures work well, and help the model to have a little bit more pop. I love the little red searchlight on the front of the sub, as it adds to both realism and playability.

Overall opinion

Overall, I highly recommend this set to anybody looking to get into the Deep Sea theme, or looking for a cheap set to pick up for a quick build and a few more figures to add to their collection. At £9 for 90 pieces, it hits the 10p Per Part ratio spot on.

However, even at the price of 10 USD, I'd still quite happily recommend it to anybody looking at this set.

Pros:

3 nicely detailed figures, all with accessories to give them their own little role within a play set up.

Shark!

Scenery is included, something I feel a lot of smaller, cheaper sets failed to contain in previous City themes.

The remote sub looks fantastic for the small part count it was given.

Cons:

Every other Starter set within this theme contains 4 minifigures, not just 3. I can't seem to work out why this is. I initially assumed the shark was the reason for this, but I feel it can't be, as an alligator is included within the Swamp Police set.

Overall, however, I'm still quite happy to give this set 5/5, and feel that it makes the perfect add on to the smaller set to give a little more playability, as well as helping to bulk out any larger sets someone may wish to buy within this new subtheme.

A few weeks ago I wrote a review of the 60090 Deep Sea Scooter set. This review continues looking at the Deep Sea Explorers theme.

Box/Instructions

The set comes in a small box with clear graphics of what is in the set.

The instructions are in one book with easy to follow steps.

There are no stickers in this set.

Parts

This set has 90 parts, slightly more than twice the number found in the Deep Sea Scooter set. The set is marginally better value that the Deep Sea Scooter, particularly for US and European customers.

The set comes with some green foliage, sea grass and a treasure chest filled with gold and a ruby jewel.

The mini submersible has two fence guards protecting the motors. These parts are usually found on the ends of train wagons.

Minifigures

The set comes with three minifigures; a deep sea diver and two Scuba divers.

The deep sea diver is wearing a special suit designed to protect him from any hazardous environment. He has dive weights and buckles on his suit and he carries a crow bar. The orange dive suit is new for the Deep Sea Explorers theme.

The two Scuba divers are in distinctive dry suits that have torso prints that include pressure gauges, regulator, air hoses and diver's weights. One diver holds a remote control for the mini-submersible while the other has an underwater camera.

The torso, legs and red fins are new in the Deep Sea Explorers theme. The torso and legs are printed with a red and black dry suit.

The deep waters that surround LEGO City are infested with grey reef sharks.

The build

As this set is aimed at children from 5 to 12 years old, it is a straight forward build. There are no numbered bags but the build is broken down to simple sub modules.

The mini-submersible does include some SNOT building techniques which may challenge the younger builders.

The completed model

The three divers work together to collect treasure from the deep sea. The submersible can be operated remotely or piloted by a diver while the photographer captures everything on camera; there will undoubtedly be a scientific documentary produced to help fund the research.

Overall opinion

This set has several play capabilities; there is treasure hidden in a chest, a remotely operated submersible that can be piloted if needed, a deep sea diver working in an extreme environment and the threat of a shark attack. All this activity can be captured by the photographer.

As a small 2015 City Starter set, it is comparable in value to the other similar sized starter sets. While the other sets have four minifigures, this set has only three, but is compensated by the inclusion of the shark.

The similarly priced 60066 Swamp Police starter set has four minifigures and an alligator but has a reduced parts count of 78.

This set is available in stores. It will boost your Deep Sea Explorers play experience.