Random set of the day: Hive Crawler
Posted by Huwbot,
Today's random set is 70708 Hive Crawler, released during 2013. It's one of 12 Space sets produced that year. It contains 560 pieces and 3 minifigs, and its retail price was US$69.99/£49.99.
It's owned by 2,976 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 $116.60, or eBay.
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37 comments on this article
Hot take: Worst Space Sub-theme ever
I remember this one; I always thought it was cool-looking.
Look at those wonderful diffused lights, and quite possibly, whatever else was going on in the photography studio. It's one of our few chances to really see how things were before renders got good enough to fake everything.
Unless those are added in lights, I know some renders with shiny objects have a built in studio for reflections just to make it feel more real. I can't trust anything anymore, and I hate it.
This set is so awesome, as were all of the Galaxy Squad sets. It's such an underrated/overhated theme.
Coolest function of any Lego set ever! When you push this thing along all of the legs move independently, it’s a surprisingly simple but extremely effective mechanism
Galaxy Squad in general is one of the best space themes, very underrated
One of the few Galaxy Squad sets that I missed.
I remember the first time I saw any Galaxy Squad sets, I thought that Lego was doing a lovely homage of "Starship Troopers", but even that undersells just how cool these sets were.
I still stand by it. When Lego does original villain factions, they usually do a pretty good job.
Full of scum and some villainy.
@Wallace_Brick_Designs said:
"Hot take: Worst Space Sub-theme ever"
I don't know, 70701 is a pretty great set. I'd place the late 90s themes toward the end: Roboforce, UFO, but I feel like each theme had some redeemable qualities. Look at Unitron: four sets in the whole theme, but it gave us a second monorail.
@zordboy You're right with Lego and villains. Brick Daddy is still one of the greatest of all time!
@Wallace_Brick_Designs said:
"Hot take: Worst Space Sub-theme ever"
Space ran from 1978 to 1999, period.
I actually liked Galaxy Squad, although comparing it to LoM, Mars Mission, SP 3, Rock Raiders or the original Space Theme, hmm...
People always compare it to Insectoids, but aside that both are themes around insects and space-ships, there really isn't much common ground.
@TotalMaddness said:
"Coolest function of any Lego set ever! When you push this thing along all of the legs move independently, it’s a surprisingly simple but extremely effective mechanism"
8595 had a similar mechanism, and yes, they were fun to play with.
Great set, built it earlier this year and took it along to a small local show. Was great fun to show off the function to kids.
One of my absolute favorite sub-themes. I have multiple of each set.
One of those I found on clearance at Toys R' Us and picked it up immediately. I was already enamored by its "crawling" ability, and besides, it would make for a good antagonist to the Galactic Titan I got for Christmas the previous year. In retrospect, a very good purchase, and as far as I'm concerned, those were the only two Galaxy Squad sets worth having. Sadly, this is another one of those sets in my backlog that I haven't gotten to build yet. I'm getting there, though! Just built my 2010 Clone Turbo Tank last week.
I mostly just focused on the actual alien minifigs, and I think the mantid here was the last one I picked up, after they'd figured out that removable antennae are simply a terrible idea. Just realizing, though, that I probably never thought to pick up some of the larvae.
Sweet, Lois, eldritch horrors beyond my comprehension
While it is delightfully creepy I can’t help but feel it veers over into looking cluttered. I know some level of messiness in the bugs was intentional to contrast the sleeker human designs but things just kinda get a bit lost in this one
Some takes just aren't as hot as people think they are. Some people will never have enough heat in their takes.
This is a fine set, I kind of wish I'd been around to pick this one up. I might like this $70 much, but I don't think I like it $116 much.
…the last official space line… and only because space lovers bought star wars sets instead?
Due to nostalgia classic space is more iconicto be remade here and there, and I personally didn’t like mars attack, mars mission and alien conquest, but galaxy squad ticks all my boxes. I wish I’ve gotten more then one set back then!
Galaxy Squad is one of my favorite space themes. Every set has a build that can be used in multiple ways and clips to store the driver's weapons. They are great and great looking toys!
What really makes this specific set great for me is the noise that the legs make on a hard surface. The click-clack-click-clack is really creepy!
@Wallace_Brick_Designs said:
"Hot take: Worst Space Sub-theme ever"
I liked it since almost all the sets were 33-50% discounted when I was a child
@Wallace_Brick_Designs said:
"Hot take: Worst Space Sub-theme ever"
Once I ranked Space related themes:
https://brickset.com/sets/list-64121
I placed Galaxy Squad in the middle. IMO these sets were creative in some way.
I got this one in a second-hand deal 7 years ago. I originally didn't plan on keeping it, but it won me over. It's just a really fun and unique set. Beside the crawling legs, the back has a spring-powered catapult that can launch the two eggs in succession. And the GS speeder is one of the best designs of the line. I love it a lot!
The face desifgn does a lot too for the HC. Those printed domes and the mouth geometry...
Personally I found it a bit disappointing that the HC only seats one and has no detachable stuff or a lab room or anything. The legs could also be done better because at all times most of the legs aren't on the ground. But for a 'mother' bug it's done especially well. I like how the line is blurred between vehicle and creature. Does it lay eggs? Is it roboticized, a cyborg or a fully mechanical thing? It's cool, that's for sure!
On today of all days.
Have you come here... to killl.... me?
This is a GOAT. If you have any desire for it, get it. It's freakin' fantastic! The overall look is amazing. The leg movement is eerie. The egg catapult is dangerous.
This set is everything that was Lego in The Golden Age. Value, design, fun, awesome figs- the total package. It's everything that Lego today pretends to be.
These aren't nostalgia glasses. I only got this set 18 months ago.
I have almost got two of these--I bought the set at Brickfair NE in 2017, when I had a bit more money coming out of my lean years, and then I got the crawler again, nearly complete, in about 2019--only only piece shy, but missing the human and his vehicle.
It's a fun set--fun enough that I kept both copies assembled. It's not old enough to have the nostalgia for me of a 90s theme, but the sets are have all been well-built. I'd rank them over Mars Mission any day, and I like both GS factions better than SPiii's police faction, if a bit less on the fig-front than the SPiii aliens. Much like their contemporaries, the 2013 Castle sets and the 2015 Pirates sets, I think Galaxy Squad is an excellent 2000s theme released a few years too late.
Galaxy Squad was one of the themes I got second-hand when I got back from my dark ages. I thought it would help me build fancy ships, but their builds wre so cool that I never did.
That being said, the series should be divided in two: the humans and the insects. The human builds are super swooshable, and a lot of them have splitting or morphing functions, making them amazing sets to play with. The insects however fall a little flat: they look good, but they feel like those parade cars that are all decoration but no function. They feel better displayed than played with. I'll grant it though, they have an amazing color palette.
I assume Space purists are the reason this is "hated", but in reality this is a great series of sets totally worth the investment if you're even barely a space enthusiast.
@chaosderek said:
"I personally didn’t like mars attack, mars mission and alien conquest..."
There wasn't a line called "Mars Attack." Are you thinking of Life On Mars? Because humans and Martians were depicted as coexisting peacefully in that one.
I wish Lego still made galaxy squad. I have a lot of nostalgia for that theme
@Atuin said:
" @Wallace_Brick_Designs said:
"Hot take: Worst Space Sub-theme ever"
Space ran from 1978 to 1999, period.
I actually liked Galaxy Squad, although comparing it to LoM, Mars Mission, SP 3, Rock Raiders or the original Space Theme, hmm...
People always compare it to Insectoids, but aside that both are themes around insects and space-ships, there really isn't much common ground."
I would argue that it ended after LoM, but maybe that’s just me. Some of the sets are pretty good, but overall, it’s not a good Theme. Maybe it’s over UFO and Mars Mission, but if it is, it’s still down at the bottom.
@MusiMus said:
" @Wallace_Brick_Designs said:
"Hot take: Worst Space Sub-theme ever"
Once I ranked Space related themes:
https://brickset.com/sets/list-64121
I placed Galaxy Squad in the middle. IMO these sets were creative in some way."
That… is a list I have some problems with. Haha, I respect your opinion, though. However… having a monorail at the bottom is kinda sad.
@TheOtherMike said:
" @chaosderek said:
"I personally didn’t like mars attack, mars mission and alien conquest..."
There wasn't a line called "Mars Attack.""
*sigh*
Ack! Ack! Ack!
I thought Galaxy Squad was awesome. My kids still set up the sets for epic space battles every so often. The Hive Crawler is especially ingenious with the way the legs move as you scoot it along the ground. I wish all the insects had some kind of function like that, but alas. There was really only one or two sets that were too janky for their own good. The rest were solid.
It’s disappointing that its resale value is so low. Maybe I should get more while I can!
I mostly enjoyed this set/theme. The bug-themed bad guys were imaginative and the lime green/dark red/trans-red color scheme popped.
The heroes, I felt fell just a little short in terms of design, but I did love getting 87781 in some new colors. The minifig torso designs were just kinda so-so in my view...a little too Iron Man for me. Robots for each color-coded sub-team was a cool concept.
I think the main thing this theme suffered from (and this is not unique to Galaxy Squad) was that every set except for the polybags was a "conflict in a box," which forced some compromise.
@chaosderek said:
"…I personally didn’t like mars attack, mars mission and alien conquest, but galaxy squad ticks all my boxes. I wish I’ve gotten more then one set back then!"
I loved Alien Conquest! I thought it was hilarious, I loved how they leaned into the campy brain-slug, flying saucer abduction thing. And it was all so wonderfully retro, too, with those 1930s ray guns! I don't have a lot of them in my collection, but I do have 7051 which is a great call-back to so many three-legged invaders of the past (War of the Worlds and The White Mountains come to mind at the very least).
@MusiMus said:
"
Once I ranked Space related themes:
https://brickset.com/sets/list-64121
I placed Galaxy Squad in the middle. IMO these sets were creative in some way."
Good list, don't completely agree, but you really should update your entries with explanations of why things placed where they did.
@ra226 said:
" @chaosderek said:
"…I personally didn’t like mars attack, mars mission and alien conquest, but galaxy squad ticks all my boxes. I wish I’ve gotten more then one set back then!"
I loved Alien Conquest! I thought it was hilarious, I loved how they leaned into the campy brain-slug, flying saucer abduction thing. And it was all so wonderfully retro, too, with those 1930s ray guns! I don't have a lot of them in my collection, but I do have 7051 which is a great call-back to so many three-legged invaders of the past (War of the Worlds and The White Mountains come to mind at the very least)."
Agreed! Talk about an underrated theme.
As the awesome color-coded astronauts of Galsxy Squad got plenty of larger vehicles, I was very happy to see the aliens also received a properly large set. And what a beautiful set indeed. I love the shaping, the function, and the colors (two trans-pink pods!). If I were a Galaxy Squad collector, this would be among my top3 to get. Gorgeous stuff.
I like the theme, being an unlicensed version of Starship Troopers or Helldivers.