Random set of the day: Manta Warrior
Posted by Huwbot,
Today's random set is 8073 Manta Warrior, released in 2010. It's one of 19 Atlantis sets produced that year. It contains 13 pieces and 1 minifig, and its retail price was US$3.99/£2.99.
It's owned by 5954 Brickset members. If you want to add it to your collection you might find it for sale at BrickLink or eBay.
Help me come to life! If you like the set I've chosen for you today, please pledge your support for me on LEGO Ideas so I have a chance of becoming an official LEGO set!
97 likes
39 comments on this article
Yeah man, gotta fight off that seaweed! Stupid kelp's growing everywhere.
It must be vanquished... (=_= )
Okay this is definitely one where they realized that they needed a set to fill a price point and grabbed the nearest tablescrap and minifigure
I didn't buy too many of the Atlantis sets, but I feel like, Atlantis was one of those lines where the minifigs were the big selling point. I collected as many of the sea creature monsters as I could (from Bricklink and eBay sellers), and I think I got most of them, even if I only picked up two or three of the sets.
Having said that, the gigantic mutant shark set, and the underwater tank that morphs into a robot, were both incredibly cool.
I’m here before the comments section gets too full
I really like Atlantis. This set, however is not on my "Want" list.
Though it's not a bad way to get an Army of good-guy Manta Warriors to help the stave off the invasion of the evil humans.
"Are we the baddies?"
Yes, humans, you are the baddies.
@Mr__Thrawn said:
"Okay this is definitely one where they realized that they needed a set to fill a price point and grabbed the nearest tablescrap and minifigure"
And thus why it's on my 2010-2015 Wall of Shame set list. 13 pieces for $3.50? Nope!
50 cents (before it went to 3.99) more got 2 animals with 7566, or a entire car (3177) for 1.50 more. Or ever 30071 for the same 50 cents more, which has nearly triple the piece count as well.
clink, clink, clink, clink "Manta Warriors, come out to play-ay. Manta WarYeers, come out to play-ay! Manta WaryEEErs, come out to play-YEEE!!!!" clink, clink, clink, clink
Aww I had this 'lil guy. Think his headpiece got torn to shreds by the dogs at some point.
Kay here's your lore: Somewhere deep under the sea (and I believe inside the Bermuda Triangle) laid an ancient gateway. This gate was a portal to a pocket dimension containing the lost city of Atlantis. The city was home to many fish-like people, some loyal to it's king and some not, including the Manta Warriors.
The portal to Atlantis was locked behind five ring-like keys, each bearing the insignia of a fish species. These rings were entrusted the Warriors outside of Atlantis. Some were kept in the Warriors' villages while others were given to gigantic and deadly undersea Guardians.
Manta Warriors were the least developed of the first three Warrior tribes. While we got see the villages and temples of the Squid and Shark tribes, Manta's were often stragglers out on their own. In addition while there were giant Manta Guardians they weren't anywhere near the size of the Squid and Shark Guardians.
In the online journals from a 1930/40's explorer who first discovered the portal to Atlantis, the author described befriending a Manta Warrior. The Warrior broke into the author's sub and began eating all of his ham sandwiches (which, if memory serves, earned the Manta the name Hammy.) Hammy didn't stay with the author long, but the two became fast friends (at least in the author's eyes.)
@guachi said:
"I really like Atlantis. This set, however is not on my "Want" list.
Though it's not a bad way to get an Army of good-guy Manta Warriors to help the stave off the invasion of the evil humans.
"Are we the baddies?"
Yes, humans, you are the baddies."
The villain was capitalism all along
I loved the Atlantis series. Immensely underrated in my opinion.
Atlantis was in my dark ages, but it’s a theme I’m sad I missed. I always liked the look of the sets I’ve seen. That being said, there’s not too much to this one.
Also, I think Joe Biden is the real Manta Warrior.
MANTA: Make America Not Trump Again.
Happy Shark Week, everyone!
@MCLegoboy:
Maybe he’s like the Bonnethead Shark, which feeds quite heavily on sea grass. Or the Tiger Shark, which (thanks to the Sharknado episode that just aired) I’ve just learned will eat fruit that gets blown out to sea by storms.
@Zordboy:
I definitely got at least one of each, but I got hundreds of the minifig heads that they used inside the Hammerhead heads.
@bamaker:
If it weren’t for the pandemic, I think could have met that guy. The historic Redford Theatre in Detroit was going to screen The Warriors last year, and I believe he was going to make an appearance to sign autographs.
I have like 5 of this set! Even though the set is definitely focused on the figure, the rock build isn't terrible.
@Mr__Thrawn said:
"Okay this is definitely one where they realized that they needed a set to fill a price point and grabbed the nearest tablescrap and minifigure"
This is part of the "Impulse" series that existed from 2008 to 2010 (https://brickset.com/sets/list-117)
First RSOTD that I have not one, but two of. Neat figure, totally worth the $4
My friend had this guy and I always wanted him, he looked so cool
Id like to see a return of the Atlantis theme, with new parts and ideas naturally. Personally Id like to see more sets based around the actual city of Atlantis with Classical architecture and so forth.
I like how the rock comes with a figure.
When polybag-tier sets still came in tiny boxes, what a time to be alive.
Y'know, eleven years ago, but still.
Awesome set picture trick photography though.
At first glance I thought those light bluish grey slopes were actually silver ink. The whole rock formation looks kind of metallic. Must be the lighting. Or is that a render?
Always wanted to get some of the Atlantis figures, l the creature designs were so cool! The dark red squid monster has been on my want list for ages, I should really buy one one of these days.
Also, that 'rock' is probably in the running for most useless side build in an official set. I can't think of really anything to do with that besides stick it on a baseplate somewhere.
Ah, the forbidden love of a 'ray and his rock...
Dude, not to alarm you. But there’s a fish on your head.
Ah, Atlantis! Have fond memories of this theme...
The equivalent of a collectible minifig, only difference, you knew what you were getting...
I found Atlantis a mixed theme... some sets were "meh" at best, others, like 7985 City of Atlantis, or the 7978 Angler fish, really did impress me.
I believe this theme also introduced the ribbed column pieces in order to build that marvelous Greek -Roman style temple?
There was somebody, forgot the name, who was running during a couple of months a kind of photographic novel / comic based on the Atlantis theme on Eurobricks. Publishing updates each couple of days... must have been almost a full-time job for him..
This theme is wonderful. So wonderful it made me go searching and buying most of the bigger sets on second hand market only 2 years ago. Still no complaints, i do need to build the best sets though, being the portal obviously, and Atlantis city.
This one mantha fig is great too but i didn t bother looking for this .. polybag i guess? And i got 3 of them in the bigger sets. Seems this one is only for army building. Forget about the seaweed!
Atlantis was a great development of AquaRaider.
+ Minifigs.... These seaversions are amazing.
+ Aqua landscapes. Overgrown Greek style ruins.
- Black robot build seacreatures? Really?
- Large sci-fi portals... Not executed well enough.
Now we have some Padi divers here and there in City. Nice enough... But I'd love another full scale deep sea divers theme.
I bought two of these because everyone knows Mantas aren't lonely creatures. Fantastic minifig.
I have several of the thalassic minifigures from this theme in my display collection including this one. I also have a few of the brick-built monsters on display such as the angler fish from 7978 and the giant squid/kraken from 8061. While I was not too keen on the vehicles in this theme, some of the minifigures and large monsters were great.
@loardoftheboard, This set was definitely boxed. I don’t know if it was later available as a poly, but suspect it wasn’t.
I really liked the design of the sea creature warrior minifigures; I was well on my way into my 'Dark Age' at this point, but still received the Lego catalogue in the mail occasionally, so I saw they existed and thought they were cool. The rest of the theme really didn't catch my attention, though, so I didn't get any of them.
If I'd found this little set existed at the time, I might have picked it up, since I think the Manta was my favourite of the minifigure designs, so it would have been a neat chance to grab one on its own. But I don't even recall seeing this set around, so that didn't happen; and I'm honestly okay with that.
@ThatBionicleGuy , You can get the minifigure on Bricklink in new condition for three squid or less.
I got this. I think I gave that minifig to my aunts kids in cuba
This was the theme that got me out of my Dark Age, I really liked the subs and the brick built creatures. My favourite Atlantis minifig was the adorable little crab guy.
I have one of yesterday's set, and two of today's, so tomorrow's should be 8833 or 71010!
Wait, 8833-6 or 71010-5!
Given that Atlantis sets were usually just some dude with a trident against a piece of (often missile equipped) heavy machinery it’s nice to see they had a cheap minifig set so they could even the odds a bit by ganging up on the subs
Atlantis was a great theme, and gave us a great transformer vehicle. I think that was one of Mark Stafford’s.
The first thing I thought was "would be funny if there is an alternate build". As it turns out there is. Awesome.
I have this one--I even have it "built," I think, if only because it REALLY doesn't take much space to store, and isn't using up any valuable real estate.
I'm going to guess LEGO made more of these than the market warranted, because I got mine at a Marshals a year or two after release, and I've generally only ever seen true surplus LEGO there: Nexo expansion packs, the weakest Friends sets, Brickheadz, etc.
Still, I bought it because, for what it is, it's good: a no-fuss means to get a cool fig.