Lego Aquazone: Aquanaut Paravane – Small But Extremely Impressive
Written: Aug 04 '02 (Updated Aug 04 '02)
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Pros: Cool little set, awesome diver and accessories, blue fins, nice compact ship.
Cons: No longer in production, hard to find.
The Bottom Line: A great collectible from the Aquazone series, the Aquanaut Paravane is a great investment for all Lego junkies.
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| Freak369's Full Review: LEGO Aquanaut Paravane |
Many many moons ago, Lego unleashed a massive series that introduced children to the wonders of underwater exploration. Mysterious creatures were introduced to the Lego family of elements and more than a few kids dreamed of climbing into a solo sub and checking out the floor of the ocean. Lego Aquazone was one of my all time favorite series due to the fact that the designers studies actual ships to make the prototypes and models. Granted, you are dealing with small pieces of plastic so overall detail on the smaller sets is limited, but the end result was a series that got kids thinking about more than just what they see on a day-to-day basis.
par·a·vane* A device equipped with sharp teeth and towed alongside a ship to cut the mooring cables of submerged mines.
The Aquanaut Paravane is one of the smallest ships in the Aquazone family, but who ever said size matters never checked out this set. Sure, there’s almost nothing to it but the diver is well worth the suggested retail price. Since this is no longer in production you might be looking at paying anywhere from $6.00 - $15.00 for a new set in a box or poly bag. At this price and with the limited number of elements, this should be regarded as a “collectors only” set [unless you get an exceptional price on it].
The Diver
This is where some people became confused with the piece count. If you count all the elements included in the set, you come to a total of 16 however, the piece count does not include the blue fins for the diver and the breakaway facemask is only counted as one piece, not two. Newer sets have a more accurate piece count so if you are planning on ordering this used from an auction site, please make sure that all the pieces for the set are included.
The diver is an extremely attractive collectable. The blue torso is hidden under a white overlapping scuba set up – and this is further enhanced by a black removable face cover. The stenciled sunglasses are a little on the hokey side and I would rather seen stenciled goggles or just a regular set of eyes. Still, these pieces are removable so you can replace the head peg with one that suits you if you find this bothers you. The blue legs have no detail about they are fully functional. The visual appeal is stellar and it made this set extremely popular with the Aquazone fans.
The Ship
Constructed through five easy steps, this is a very cool little ship. The biggest asset to it has to be the docking spots on the top for two small silver knives. These don’t hold up to a tremendous amount of handling so if you anticipate these being played with more than a few times – take my advice and give them a light coat of clear nail polish to preserve the finish. Much like the silver swords featured in the Ninja sets and hilt blades from Star Wars sets, they are a little on the sensitive side and need to be taken care of a little more than regular Lego elements.
There’s only room for one on this ship, but you have more than enough cool stuff to help you patrol the bottom of the sea. The two small blue flippers that attach to the back of the ship give it a little more detail and the contrast between the yellow and black pieces keep this well inside the confines of the Aquazone overall design scheme. The small 2x1 computer control piece that rests on the top portion of the ship is a very nice touch, but again, this will scratch easily if stored amongst other Lego elements. Give it a nice thin coat of nail polish to preserve the color and design.
Instructions
The small fold out sheet of instructions is very clear, direct and to the point about building the diver and the vehicle. From start to finish, it’s six simple steps to assemble everything but these are multi-tasking steps so you will be adding several pieces during each step. Since this is a small set of instructions, make sure you find a safe place for it. I try to break down the boxes of the smaller sets and put them in Ziploc baggies with the instructions sheets or into top loading binder pouches. Don’t expect the instructions to hold up to a lot of use, you might have to tape the center creases and edges – for some reasons they seem to show the most amount of wear.
Two Faces, One Set
One thing to keep in mind about the Hydronaut Paravane is that it was marketed under two different set numbers. Set # 1806 was released in Europe in 1996, contained 13 elements and one six step instruction sheet with the back portion featuring other European sets. Set # 1749 was released in the United States in 1996, contained 13 elements and one six step instruction sheet with the back portion featuring other American sets.
The pieces in both sets are identical however the European set was marketed in a small box and the American set was packaged in a poly [plastic] bag. For all intents and purposes, these sets are identical in every way, shape and form except the intended target country.
The Bottom Line
While this will be nearly impossible to find new, you can pick these up at online auctions. Making sure the piece count is accurate should be a top priority but if you are missing a few elements you can always make substitutions or order replacement pieces from brick brokers or brick vendors. I am extremely happy that I snagged this set and it remains one of my favorite small sets from the Aquazone series.
The Stats
Set Name: Aquanaut Paravane
Family Set: Aquazone
Lego Set: 1806 / 1749
Number of Pieces: 13 [16 total]
Age Recommendation: 6 – 12
Packaging: Poly Bag [with hang tag]
Ease Of Assembly: Easy
Time Of Assembly: 5 minutes
Cost: $ 1.99
= No longer in production =
As always, thanks for the visit …
^V^ Freak ^V^
© 2002 Freak369
* Definition taken from www.dictionary.com
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): $1.99
Type of Toy: Blocks
Age Range of Child: Whole Family
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