Random set of the day: Alpha Team Command Sub
Posted by Huwbot,
Today's random set is 4794 Alpha Team Command Sub, released during 2002. It's one of 17 Alpha Team sets produced that year. It contains 189 pieces and 2 minifigs, and its retail price was US$30/£24.99.
It's owned by 1,453 Brickset members. If you want to add it to your collection you should find it for sale at BrickLink, where new ones sell for around $47.40, or eBay.
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30 comments on this article
Looks like there's a bit of a hull breach. Must be some kind of a mutant driving this thing in order to still be alive.
Just look at all those pieces that are no longer made. So sad. Not nearly as sad as the absence of the RMotD, though.
I thought, the other day, that the Alpha Team Deep Sea subtheme was so perfectly typical of everything Lego had to offer in the early 00s. A blend of Technic and bricks, an over-abundance of over-sized, specialised pieces, and a lot of that neon transparent green.
Also, builds that were about style over substance. I love underwater-themed Lego and I wanted to love the Alpha Team subs, but they were terrible submarines. This thing has more holes in it than flyscreen. At least we had Ogel's awesome range of underwater cybernetic monsters.
Sure, Mission: Deep Sea was juniorized, but I've always loved underwater-themed sets and themes, so I still liked it.
@MCLegoboy: Makes 75577 look watertight, doesn't it?
@Randomness: For one thing, it'd be nice to see that big claw piece again.
I’m pretty relaxed about the complaints about unsealed spaceships (chill, they’ve got a helmet on) but operating an open cockpit on a sub in just a baseball cap is just a bit too alpha for me.
My how the aquanaughts have fallen.
@MCLegoboy said:
"Looks like there's a bit of a hull breach. Must be some kind of a mutant driving this thing in order to still be alive."
Wanted: Sub pilot. Must be world-class free-diver.
@MCLegoboy said:
"Looks like there's a bit of a hull breach. Must be some kind of a mutant driving this thing in order to still be alive."
With six turbines, it goes so fast the air bubble from the surface can't escape.
I’m pretty sure this was another KB Toys clearance pickup, along with Ogel’s mutant squids. Never cared much for the giant weird arms, but many of the other parts were sure put to good use.
The earliest Lego catalog I had was 2004, so I missed this wave of Alpha Team. I did see Mission Deep Freeze though and I was always interested in the lore behind Alpha Team, because it looked so cool.
And it was aaaaall yellow...(thanks Coldplay, I didn't feeling 'Fab Fouring' it again:))
Are they hunting for the jaguar shark that ate their friend?
Aside from the Galidor-y pieces and the Jack Stone-style mega parts, this is quite a cool looking set.
I'd like to see LEGO revisit themes like this, they had a lot of character and were fun. I feel they'd have to bring the minifigure faces back in line with the 'standard' style to increase versatility, but other than that I'd like to see more cool themes like this.
I have such a soft spot for the Alpha Team sets, and this one is no exception - the character designs were so delightfully excessive. I think my favorite part of this set (which is in shambles in my collection, not sure I ever had the full thing) is the little diving exo-suit off to the back left on the box art.
Oh yeah, I remember wanting this thing for the better half of 2002. Think my favourite part was the Aliens powerloader-esque suits!
I know it’s got a lot of gap-related problems but it’s also got a neat style to it and I’m a sucker for modular vehicles
@Kynareth said:
"I’m pretty relaxed about the complaints about unsealed spaceships (chill, they’ve got a helmet on) but operating an open cockpit on a sub in just a baseball cap is just a bit too alpha for me."
"I ain't got time to drglgbbrrorghgggh!"
@ Brickalili
It's a big building full of patients, but that's not important right now. Or yesterday.
They recently brought submarines back to City, but all very realistically constrained whereas this was a wild time when you could never have enough propellers or imagination.
According to R. R. Slugger, this set is a victim of what he calls "the Lego-plague", in that it uses many curved pieces of a new type that permeated sets throughout this era. I like Slugger, but I also like these curves, so swings and roundabouts.
And looking at this submarine, it sure does appear to have a lot of fans.
NOTHING. I regret NOTHING.
Alpha Team had a lot of "mishmash" sets, including this one. It just looks cluttered.
On the other hand, I do like those sleek curved windshields. I grew up in the era where everything was angular, so I have a special appreciation for the "bricks with bows and arches" that Slugger doesn't like - as long as they don't wipe out the blocky charm (see the rocket in 60229 for how to overdo it).
On the one hand: yes this thing is not realistic.
On the other hand: this thing has large manipulator arms, a midsection with two computer stations, two miniature mecha diving suits and storage space in the back. And the midsection can hover in place whilst the front cockpit and the back section can form a mid-sized vehicle on their own. Not bad at all. In fact I get the good kind of Space vibes from that modularity.
I think that this set would be great for some modding. Just add some flooring and more side and bottom hull and you'd have a great mobile command sub vehicle.
As a toy it just works well. And for us AFOLs who care about detail - you can always add them yourself. It's literally a building toy.
Quick Lore!
Bad guy does mind control!
Bad guy makes fish cyborgs!
Spies go to stop him!
Quick Lore!
The exo-suits are useful for divers and for Matoran cosplayers!
@WemWem said:
"Are they hunting for the jaguar shark that ate their friend?"
Just remember, it’s “script girl”, not “strip girl”. Seriously, I went to see it opening night, and everyone else (not that there were many of us there) busted out laughing, and it took me a few minutes to figure out why. I mean, to be fair, she was topless in that scene, so either option still makes a certain amount of sense. And yes, that moment of confusion, and the jaguar shark, are the only two things I remember from watching that movie.
@kdu2814:
You have to delete the space, or the @ tag doesn’t function properly.
@Ridgeheart:
Ironically, those 2x6 triple curve slopes got ripped off by whoever had the Batman construction toy license before 2006, and may have been instrumental in getting that product line shut down cold, freeing up the IP for a proper LEGO theme.
@Binnekamp:
Yeah, but it’s a bit excessively yellow for Blacktron, don’t you think?
@Randomness said:
"Just look at all those pieces that are no longer made. So sad. Not nearly as sad as the absence of the RMotD, though."
I didn't know until this very comment that part designs 41751 and 42021 haven't appeared in any sets for six years and I am now sad.
They weren't my favorite parts, but it's weird to think that they're gone.
@Alia_of_AGL although the bottom version is indeed gone since 2017 (which I'm also sad about), the top version is actually still in production to this day:
https://www.bricklink.com/catalogItemIn.asp?P=41751&v=3&in=S
@Robo_Nui said:
"The exo-suits are useful for divers and for Matoran cosplayers!"
Or for battling Alien queens....
Crunch sure looks like he's done playing around with those explosives strapped to his diving suit.
@Binnekamp said:
" @Alia_of_AGL although the bottom version is indeed gone since 2017 (which I'm also sad about), the top version is actually still in production to this day:
https://www.bricklink.com/catalogItemIn.asp?P=41751&v=3&in=S
"
And the bigger top version 45705.