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Review: 70706 Crater Creeper


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70706 Crater Creeper
Review by JimbobJeffers

 

This is a review for the relatively new Crater Creeper set, part of the Galaxy Squad subtheme of the Space theme. I bought this set the night before going on holiday, and decided to take it with me – for this reason the photos are not brilliant quality, as I didn't have good lighting and therefore had the torch on my phone in one hand and my camera in the other, but they’re decent enough. Anyway, without further ado…


The Box


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I’m not sure what to say about this, so I think I’ll go a little overboard... The box has a white frame which shows both figures, something I consider a nice touch, particularly as the alien seems to burst out of the box showing his nature, while the spaceman stands proudly next to his badge. The logo is aptly spacey, although I’m not sure what the purpose of the splitting space ships is. As to the main image, the spaceman could have been composed more in line with the rule of thirds, but other than that it shows the set well along with its functions. The background creates a great atmosphere and really suits the theme.

 

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The back of the box shows all of the functions of the set in good detail, and has appropriate space designs. There’s the obligatory QR code and the same thumb tabs which I never use to better preserve the box.

 

 

Contents


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Unfortunately the set does come with stickers, although the circular 2x2 plate is printed (I’m not sure why they chose to have some stickers and one printed part, unless the printed part is also in other sets). The manual is the same image as the box, excluding the white border, and the elastic band is stored securely in a cardboard packet. There is a nice selection of dark red and lime green parts, as well as some sand green plates, an odd choice of colour considering they are hidden from view.

 

 

The Figures


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The figures are great, with prints on their legs and backs. The spaceman (I’m not sure what to call him) has some cool-looking dual pistols that would fit in Warhammer 40,000 while the alien has a ray gun. The spaceman is well armoured and has a smirk on his face, which also has an oxygen mask on the other side so he can breathe in space; an added bonus, save for the fact that removing the helmet also shows the smiley face on the back. The alien is aesthetically based on the beetle vehicle he rides, with a specially moulded head. It’s well designed and menacing.

 

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The spaceman’s back has some detailed printing, with small white symbols that can only be made clear with a magnifying glass. I think the lower part says ‘3D’. The alien has an extended spine moulded into his head, a nice touch but problematic as it completely restricts head movement.

 

 

Hovercraft Construction


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The spaceman’s ship is based on a 6x6 round plate. It uses a bucket seat rather than the standard one in order to attach the power device later, but it also doubles as a sturdier aesthetic.

 

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Practically every available stud is used up (great for SNOT-lovers). There are two stickers on the hovercraft, one representing the keypad and the other adding detail to the front panel. There are clips for both pistols, which I really appreciated as it always annoys me when a set has small utensils without places to store them. The spaceman goes in with little difficulty, and the flick-fire missiles are easy to use. The underside of the hovercraft has four 2x2 domed tiles which act both visually as boosters and functionally to slide the vehicle around.

 

 

Crater Creeper Construction


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The canny construction of the crater creeper cannot be criticised, for it creatively covers both the sides and top collectively, incorporating clear and crisp colours too. Alliteration aside, all aspects of the core assembly are admirably designed (okay, I’ll stop now…). Basically the central structure of the crater creeper is built on two 1x12 technic bricks, with side plates added such that the body extends both upwards and sideways, which I think works very well. Some random sand and tan coloured plates are used out-of-sight and at the base, but perhaps they looked better than lime or dark red plates.

 

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Next the backside is added, along with some more side plates. A sticker runs down the centre of the rear end (I’m running out of alternate names for this), although this isn’t as tricky as the others, and beneath it is a clip for the alien’s gun. This is the only part of the bug that is particularly hollow; the set designers did well to avoid removing bricks here and there to reduce costs.

 

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Another sticker is applied in the form of the alien’s controls, in addition to some tan-coloured pins whose purposes I can’t work out. The side plates are put to good use, bulking out the vehicle with some curved bricks and engines. The front printed tile is added too; I think it’s meant to represent the creature’s mouth.

 

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Big gnashing jaws are added to the front of the creature, made from the same part as the legs, but it looks decent. It’s a shame the eyes are attached to the jaws, as when the jaws are pulled back the eyes follow. Occasionally the jaws may collide at the ends rather than slide smoothly across each other while closing, but this isn’t often and overall the mouth functions well.

 

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The final stage of construction adds the legs and flick-fire missiles. The central legs can be moved up and down, but the front and hind legs are static, so sadly there isn’t much point in it. Other than that (I feel I have focused to much on the downsides, which is unnecessary in the case of this particular set), the crater creeper is well-constructed and designed. It is sturdy and, dare I say, fun to play with. But of course I only bought it for display purposes ;).

 

 

Spares


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There are several spares in this set, all of which are only used once or twice, but are nevertheless handy.

 

 

Overview


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The full set looks, in my opinion, very good. I was quite satisfied with the price I paid for it too; £18 for 171 pieces works out at almost 10p a piece which seems to be the norm. However, seeing as it’s $20 in America I feel a little ripped off, but then again I know there are countries that suffer much worse prices (sorry Australia), so I can’t complain. As a display set, I think it is great. It is bright and colourful, and I’m sure it has great playability as a toy too.

 

Below are some more photos I took of the set:

 

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Yes, it really can eat the ship :P In fact the 6x6 round plate the hovercraft is built on slots in nicely to the teeth.

 

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The two warriors engage in epic close quarters action. The spaceman had to remove his helmet when it was stomped on by the creeper, and resorted to his oxygen mask for air.

 

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Rating


Design: 8 / 10
Quality: 9 / 10
Fun: 9 / 10
Price: 9 / 10

Overall: 8.75 / 10

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