60091: Deep Sea Starter Set review

I was quite disappointed with the Arctic sets that were released last year as part of the City line up. For me, the theme just did not fit in with the City scape and was random at best. I avoided all sets.

However, the news of the deep sea theme was very welcome. It fits well with the Coastguard and Harbour themes that have been recently discontinued and if you are looking for a new section within your City (yes, the one which does not involve a fire station), then the deep sea theme will add value.

I have decided to get all the sets in the deep sea theme, so I will start off by reviewing the starter set as an introduction.

Official Description

Join the LEGO® City deep-sea explorers on their search for lost treasure with the Deep Sea Starter Set! The diver has spotted a mysterious chest on the seabed and needs your help to free it from the seaweed. Take control of the remote sub and use its powerful robotic arms to release the chest and reveal the secret treasures hidden inside. But watch out for the snappy shark lurking in the dark water! Includes 3 minifigures: a deep-sea diver and 2 scuba divers.

• Includes 3 minifigures with assorted accessories: a deep-sea diver and 2 scuba divers
• Features a remote sub, seaweed and a shark
• Remote sub features spinning propellers and 2 movable robotic arms
• Accessory elements include a remote control, camera, crowbar, chest, 3 gold coins and a ruby
• Find the sunken treasure!
• Join the deep-sea exploration team
• Steer the sub into the depths
• Watch out for the snappy shark!
• Remote sub measures over 1” (4cm) high, 3” (8cm) long and 2” (7cm) wide

The review

Starter sets are always an easy introduction to get building and kick off.This set is very, very easy to build, which took me under 7 mins to do (yes, I ddi time it).

I like the three minifigures and their accessories – the scuba mask is very, very cool and sits on the helmet very nicely indeed. If you look closely, you can see that part of the mask is also frosted which lends authenticity. Add a shark as well and that gives a little sense of fear and danger.

The treasure chest and underwater plants are a very easy build which gives the minifigure divers something to aim for in their quest.

Then we have the remote submarine, which just reminds me of the film titanic for some reason. I do like it. It is a nifty model that again encourages exploration and discovery. The Hand Rail (1.5x6x2) is a unique element for myself and works very well as a steel frame for the sub. Robot arm elements are totally appropriate here as part of the sub and do a good job. A fair bit of building time can also be saved as this is a symmetrical build by mirroring one side of the build in tandem. I suspect that the younger builders will get through the map in sequence.

A good starter set, with lots of play value, this bodes well for the rest of the theme which will be coming my way soon.