LEGO 4980 Tunnel Transport ~ R.R. Slugger's Rock Raiders Retrospective!
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- Опубліковано 26 сер 2024
- Welcome back! Today we are looking at 4980 Tunnel Transport on this episode of R.R. Slugger's Rock Raiders Retrospective!
Photography and other resources used in this video: drive.google.c...
Additional Tunnel Transport MOCs by Emerald and The Wanderer!
Special thank you to Baraklava for helping me out with the DDI prototype images and for maintaining such a wonderful Rock Raiders community.
Another special thank you to Zanthera for the amazing scanned images!
This video series is dedicated to showcasing and preserving all the best aspects of Lego Rock Raiders.
This video and videos like this owe so much to the amazing Rock Raiders community. If you contributed, or know someone who has contributed to the content in these videos, please sound off in the comments! I try to credit wherever I can, but if I missed someone, please let me know.
If you haven't already, check out Manic Miners, a heartfelt recreation of the Lego Rock Raiders PC game: manicminers.ba...
Join the discussion on the Manic Miners Discord: / discord
And for Rock Raiders United: / discord
I created the photography, stop motion animation, and music in this video. Original artwork by Brett Halland. Thanks for watching!
High Adventure, Deep Underground.
Wow, I don't know why I assumed part #4070 in Dark Turquoise was also available in the Kabaya promotional sets, but it definitely was not. So that's definitely a blunder on my part @ 4:29
The problem with modern LEGO is the fear of negative space. During this era 300 pieces would make a giant ship with all sorts of imaginative play but today 300 parts might get you a small car or lemonade stand build. Very dense builds with lots of tiny details but ultimately pointless.
It's definitely a very different approach and I think folks will gravitate to one style or the other. I think there are definitely pros and cons to both design styles.
They were definitely capable of doing more with less back then,it's that creativity that made these classic themes stand the test of time.
@@trontosaurusrex9532 looking at it, while back than they were able to do a lot with little, but had a lot of losses, like have you heard anybody praise fright knights or aquazones second half, today they are able to do a lot Period. Also you are comparing the last 10 years to the 80 years previous to that so example who have become iconic, which is a process which most of the time takes time. Adding to that most recent sets are licensed so they will be remade over and over again being replaced and making the other one look dated in comparison
Personally, I belive that the best sets should be a mix of both, not too detailed but detailed enough
This exactly. I was building a newer set last night and getting irritated at all the parts that took up a 1x1 footprint.
Modern techniques are fun for sure but so many tiny pieces can negatively impact the building experience
So, I won a prize of $100 USD from a cereal box contest as a kid, and I used that money to buy this set. I still have it today, and your videos got me to get it out of storage and dust it off. I still love it even now.
That's awesome! What a great set to spend it on!
This is such an example of the yt algorithm absolutely eating a channel. This guy has the best knowledge on this niche stuff he deserves so much more.
This set made me drool like a fool when I saw it in catalogues back when I wasa kid, but then when my friend got it - I noticed its not as good as it could have been.
6:43 the pizza oven is a funny and clever idea. As a kid I used that area to store an extra Rock Raider, sitting if necessary. But I agree it's wasted space in stock form. Perhaps it could also serve as a tool rack to transport?
What a flash back. I remember getting this set for christmas one year. So much fun putting it together
Sparks about to smash that spider with the wrench at 10:40 is hilarious! He has the perfect facial expression. I love all the little details you put into these videos.
Haha, thanks! I remember having a lot of fun setting that photo up. 😊
Hey Slug, after after watching a bunch of your videos lately, I thought I'd just let you know I really enjoy your videos and look forward to the next ones!
What I lovely channel, the production quality of these videos is tight! I’m happy to have found you. Do you have Chief? I’d love a little video going into detailed looks at all the characters and Chief.
Indeed! We get to see most of the characters in the 4930 episode, but they will all be making a return when we talk about the Mini Heroes Collection sets in the future - stay tuned!
I found this set at an estate sale roughly 80% complete (and thankfully the rare and set exclusive pieces were all included) for very cheap. I finished gathering all the remaining pieces and built it last night thereby finally achieving my childhood dream of owning this set as my parents couldn't afford it back in the day. Decided to see if anyone had any videos of this set on UA-cam today and I am stoked to have found your channel!
Insightful and informative commentary, sweet animations, and phenomenal presentation all for Rock Raiders? Bravo! You've instantly earned my subscription!
I'm still running off my high of building this set so I don't share your criticisms of the Tunnel Transport itself, but I am going to have to incorporate some of your alternate build ideas into mine. The crew carrier is a must for sure. Your cockpit looks much more lively so definitely going to take that some ideas there too. Meanwhile, I dig the science station, but I don't want to get rid of the docking bay for the hoverboard. I wonder if I can incorporate a smaller one into the area where you placed the pizza oven? (I loved that idea by the way, reminds me of the WW2 pilots who would make ice cream on their planes.)
I too think the steering wheel was bizarrely cut from the Small Digger, but easily fixed that. I'm going to have to play around with adding some more obvious propulsion to the back of the hoverboard as well...
Moving on, I'll have to try making those alternate builds someday if I ever get lucky enough to own a second Tunnel Transport set! Thanks again for the video, I look forward to catching up on the rest of the series!
P.S.: Any chance you'll release the music you made for this video? It'd make good writing music.
Thanks for your kind words! Your excitement is infectious too - I'm stoked that you finally got your Tunnel Transport!
It really is an awesome set, and even though I may have given it some tough love in the video's script, I have to say that its stock design grew on me a lot as I was making the episode.
I think one of the perhaps unintentional strengths of this set is that it can be a spring board for all sorts of additions or modifications, as you pointed out. Tons of stuff to do with it!
I'm having a blast going through and reading your excellent comments on the videos - thanks for those!
As for the music, you're in luck! It's all available from my bandcamp page, free to use in your own projects too:
rrslugger.bandcamp.com/album/r-r-sluggers-rock-raiders-mix-tape
Enjoy!
@@RRSlugger You're welcome, I'm glad to hear you appreciate them. You clearly put a great deal of thought and hard work into these videos so it's the least I can do in return.
Don't worry either, your love for the set still shined throughout the video. I think you do a fantastic job of giving each set a fair shake, balancing your fandom while not being afraid to talk about their shortcomings. However, while many others would be content to just complain about weaker/flawed aspects of each set, I really like how you dive into ideas on how to fix them.
Thanks so much for uploading your music to Bandcamp! I'm looking forward to listening to it tomorrow while I work.
@@l.d.murphy For sure - thank you!
One of my pet peeves is when I see people hating on a set or series that they themselves have never owned - I try to avoid this as much as I can in my scripts and by extension I try to offer any solutions to issues I had with a set as well.
I hope you enjoy the tunes!
Love your alt-build for this set, the science station at the rear looks awesome!
This is actually the only Rock Raiders set I ever owned. I still have it too.
Wow... just wow. You continue to impress. Thank you for all the awesome work you put into these videos, they are really enjoyable to watch and honestly, your channel deserves so much more subs that I can't even put out a multiplier that would begin to describe it. Your videos have the quality that most channels with hundrets of thousands of subs don't even come close to.
I hope you have as much fun making the videos as I have watching them, since most of the Classic LEGO UA-camrs seem to get burned out relatively quick, probably because there unfortunately just aren't as many people subbing compared to channels that do newer stuff... I still hope Trikbrix will get his spark back at some point. And I hope you're gonna move expand to other themes. Just take your time with the videos, don't wanna see you losing your spark with it. :-)
Now that this is out of the way: I like this set and I hope to someday get it. ;-)
Thank you for the extremely kind words and your continued support of the channel! I’m just happy some folks find this stuff as cool as I do. A channel like this is quite niche and will never have the broad appeal of some of the more general Lego UA-cam channels out there, but that’s honestly fine by me; I feel like having thousands of subscribers would turn this hobby of mine into a job, haha. 😅
We all await the return of King TrikBrix with baited breath! I still go back and binge his channel for inspiration every now and then.
Thanks for sticking around and putting up with my slow and unpredictable release schedule, haha! ❤️
@@RRSlugger I also enjoy smaller Channels often times more, because you can actually interact with them. Jangbricks for exampleobviously doesn't have the time to respond to thousands of comments...
Oh yes hopefully. I need that Adventurers Retrospective season 3 Dino Island ☹ there are no real high quality Reviews out there of these sets...
A slow release schedule is perfectly fine. Trikbrix put out a Video every week and I don't wanna think about how much time that did cost him each week. I feel that was the main reason why he got burned out. So I think its better to get 1 Video every 2 months that 1 every week for 2 months and then nothing at all after that.
@@AClassicBrick Exactly! I was really looking forward to seeing Orient Expedition too! A friend and I had all the sets from that theme - it was great! I had no idea he was doing them once a week. The burnout from that would be crazy!
@@RRSlugger back in the day he uploaded every sunday.
I own now every major Adventurers set (non polybag) except for 5958 and they are so great. I even managaed to get that extremly rare 5986 Amazon Ancient Ruins, which might be the rarest set in my collection. So much fun building these. :-)
I absolutely agree with your hot take. I was skeptical about this set even as a kid! But seeing your modifications makes me want to try and reinterpret a hovercraft/mobile HQ build of my own
Great stuff as always
I would love to see it when you do! Honestly, I don't hate the stock model, and it did grow on me the more I worked with it, but there are still things about the colour/design choices that feel out of place to me.
Thanks for your continued support of the channel!
Wow the alternate builds were really interesting. I like the robot haha. This may be my favorite Rock Raider set so far. The magnets, the other vehicles attaching to it, the fact it can fly and comes with two cool figures. The modifications make it seem like a more complete base of operations. Love it.
You do this R.R. set justice
Thank you! 😊
I'm currently in the process of rebuilding and the upgrading this classic set myself, and I've been checking your modifications for some inspiration. Though one thing I will definitely be modding first is adding proper engine pods to the propellers, something like an Osprey or such. The lack of any visible engines on this set has been bugging me since forever.
Awesome! Good luck with the modifications! 😊
Been binging this series recently and the style of presentation is unique, passionate, and engaging! These sets were a bit before my time, but I always liked their color palette and very pragmatic build approach.
I als love how unabashedly the design of this one was inspired by the Eagle Transports from Space:1999, down to the interchangeable pod system.
Thanks for checking out the series! I’m glad you’re enjoying it. 😊
Rock Raiders pulls a lot of inspiration from other places - I’m sure you’re spot on with your analysis here. 👍
Young me was so disappointed when we couldn't use these things in the PC game. Absolutely loved the overall "look" of a sci-fi VTOL that was able to carry vehicles. Thank you for documenting all these old sets, one of, if not my favorite Lego theme
Absolutely! Thanks for checking out the channel :)
You should check out the recent fan remake of the game! It's called Manic Miners and they made the Tunnel Transport usable ingame along with some other additions
What was once a toy is now art. I love it!
These videos are so in depth. I can tell that you’re a fellow LRR enthusiast!
Loving your vids, great style, production value, consistent and clever theme (and fun) really entertaining, enjoyable to watch and informative too. Love the stopmotion aspect as well
Thank you! I’m glad to hear you’re enjoying the channel. 😊
Ok but the small digger prototype would have been fun in the 1999 lego racers game though!
I enjoyed the video, and your series covering the rock raider sets in depth. Phenominal work, I hope this series gets more views.
Thank you for checking out my channel! More LRR stuff is on the way. 😊
Why are your vids so chill
Slugs like to chill!
If you want to jam to any of the tunes I make for these videos, you can download them all for free here: rrslugger.bandcamp.com/
I tried making your home away from home idea with my Tunnel Transport when I was little. I was inspired by the Runabout from Star Trek Deep Space Nine. I tried to give it a walkway from the cockpit to the center cargo section and from it to the 'hanger.' I built a very mismatched habitation/research module for the magnet/cargo section out of random bricks I had, mostly yellow, white, and blue.
This set reminds me of the Pelican dropships from Halo and I'm all for it!
Very cool videos, such nice sets I didnt get to play with, way underrated channel, deserves many more subscribers.
These are such great videos, I love your stuff
Thank you! ❤️
For real man, you deserve way more subs considering how much effort you put into each video, watching this video i commented on genuinely made my morning at work a lot better. Never underestimate your own work! (Not that you do)
the kind of universe you manage to create with stop motion and the attentiveness to each set, and not to mention the production quality, make these vids worth every second of watching.
@@archiemercer5499 I’m so glad to hear they’re having a positive impact! 😊
I’m really proud of the work I’ve done on this channel and the little community we’ve grown together - it’s a lot of fun and comments like yours make it all the more rewarding. Thank you!
That awkward moment with the Small Digger is actually more useful than the Chrome Crusher and Granite Grinder combined
Great video! The design kinda reminds me of the Eagle Transporter from Space 1999.
I just got that set for a killer price of 35 bucks. A few pieces are in the new light grey though, so I need to switch them out, but hey that's a pretty easy fix I think. 🙂
Wicked!! That's a steal right there!
6:04 not sure if a hot take, but I think i like it *better* without including the magnet, or rather only having a magnet instead of the pin. As it is, the Tunnel Transport is able to carry 2 vehicles for mining and exploring. Plus to me, it harkens back to Classic Space sets who would often have storage in the rear transport vehicle for either cargo or another smaller vehicle for exploration.
That second big robot reminds me of a Familiar pelican
Good call! 😊
If you ever finish covering Rock Raiders, do you think you would do this for other themes? Great video!
Indeed! There are, after all, a finite amount of Rock Raiders sets, haha.
While I likely won’t be able to get as in depth with any other Lego series, I do have my eyes on a few to do next. There is only one more retail Rock Raiders set, but that doesn’t mean the end of Rock Raiders for my channel - there are still a few promotional and Lego Shop-at-Home sets to cover, plus all of the “sets” from the PC game.
That being said, I think my current plan is to finish off the retail sets before starting any new projects. Thanks for continuing to check out the videos!
@@RRSlugger Great, can't wait to see what comes next!
Unfortunately the Tunnel Transport will have to prove just as elusive to me in real life as in the PC game, as there are currently no local sellers and I'm prioritizing RRHQ for now. I like the first alternate build too!
1:05 I had no idea the Tunnel Transport's dynamite builds have the tile oriented the wrong way compared to the Chrome Crusher and the video game textures lol. This inconsistency and the conspicuously missing steering wheel from the Small Digger are so annoying.
2:40 I spy 9V track among other themes... imagine a mine rail in Rock Raiders!
6:38 That is so clever; I wish pizza was used in these sets, and not sandwiches in the game.
7:00 I just looked up this sticker and it's from an Ultra Agents set. Pretty cool how it fits completely in Rock Raiders!
8:43 The term is "reciprocating" :) But I can't imagine the robot being driven by someone since the entire head moves with the saws and it'd be quite dizzy for the driver!
Well, I learned something new today about those dynamite builds! Thanks for the great comment!
I double checked the instruction booklets too and it's different for both. I guess the the 4970 folks weren't talking much with the 4980 folks, haha.
Revisiting my "sorted" bins filled with "I'll never use that" & "I don't even know what the heck that is!". Found bits to suggest a grandson once owned Chrome Crusher! Although half of it may be still kicking around grandma's basement. 😢 New Bricklink wanted list to fill out - *eventually ;) *Points were used at 2 a.m. for new release TODAY: Snow White! *$20 "coupon". #babyboomer 1st movie I ever saw in a theater. 🍎
I've always thought this was some sort of ground-effect vehicle rather than a helicopter.
I have been trying to get hold of this set... since release. Somehow it seems to be the rarest in the entire line! I almost had one twice, decades apart, but juuuust missed out both times...
I really hope to get it, the walker, and a base of my own (my brother got one) and complete the line... But been also making Rock Raider themed vehicles of my own over the years.
Yes, this one eluded me for the longest time as well!
I'm not sure if it's just me, but a lot of HQ sets, including rock raiders HQ, seem like they have the same problem as you feel for the tunnel Transport. It just feels like they hit a part limit.
Yo Slug, I am really enjoying the music on your videos. Can we get a playlist of just your music? I would love to have it playing in the background while I build.
Already ahead of you! Check out the "Playlists" tab on my channel! 😊
@@RRSlugger Oops! Thanks!!
If there was a modern day equivalent to Rock Raiders entirely, would you think it possible for the designers to take inspiration from one of the unused concept vehicles?
That would be awesome! 😊
I am going to defend the color scheme, especially the "feet" of the transport.
Lego doesn't like to mix printed and unprinted bricks of the same color, especially if print is relatively easy to miss. The little hover board has printing on the cross piece. It could be confusing for kids and I'm sure the printed piece would often end of as one of the feet.
And from story prespective, overabundance of light grey doesn't bother me. Placement feels like it's on places that would hit rock walls way more often than other vehicles, which would grind metal more often, possibly preventing it from darkening and rusting
Great point about the printing aspect! That's probably part of it, though I will point out that the Tunnel Transport does contain both printed and unprinted 2x2 Dark Grey slopes...
@@RRSlugger fair, tho it's easier to notice printing that covers about half of the piece.
Also, I feel like rules regarding set design were just a loose experimental guidelines in early 2000s. Lego at that time was experimenting with ways to make building sets easier for kids, especially younger ones. That's where dreaded junorisation comes from, but also a lot of modern guidelines and regulations.
For instance if you've seen Ferrari model from speed champions, you would notice that all 1X1 red tiles has printed Ferrari logo on them, despite only one being in a place where you can see it. It helps younger kids build a model without having to take it apart, which in my opinion is example of fine refined building philosophy behind tunnel transport. Both sets are about twenty years apart, but you can see that where one failed, other one succeeded.
That being said, I would prefer dark grey feet, preferably all with printing. I feel like tunnel transport lack a bit of striped black and yellow details. Two 2x2 slopes aren't exactly enough.
Also, I'm personally using the unused crawlspace behind cockpit to store dynamite. Who needs food when you can blow up rocks?
I'm asking for advice: any suggestions for an alternative hoverboard build to fit the original space of the tunnel transport? Because the original one seems a bit lacking and too simple in my opinion...
I don’t think I have any specific recommendations, but it would be a great chance to come up with a MOC to fit the role! 😊
Could you share where does the FR3D sticker at 7:05 come from? I feel like I know it, I feel like I might even have it, but I can't for the life of me remember.
Nvm- managed to snoop it out- set 70163.
In the "science lab" I noticed the sticker/printed piece you used in the back. Do you know how I could find that puece on bricklink? Thanks in advance !!
To be honest, I *don't*, sorry! I peeled that sticker off of another piece that came in a used lot... my guess is that it's from a set somewhere in the mid 2010's, but I can't be certain... 😅
I don't even remember what piece I pulled it off from... I think it was white, maybe?