Random set of the day: The Chrome Crusher
Posted by Huwbot,
Today's random set is 4970 The Chrome Crusher, released during 1999. It's one of 13 Rock Raiders sets produced that year. It contains 168 pieces and 1 minifig, and its retail price was US$30.
It's owned by 2,202 Brickset members. If you want to add it to your collection you might find it for sale at BrickLink or eBay.
98 likes
47 comments on this article
Chrome…
*sigh*
Seems like it's more of a Chrome Driller, to me.
Pretty sure that long bar thing is radioactive, I wouldn't be touching that.
Rock Raiders were pretty awesome. Even if it was near peak juniorisation, I love me those rock monster bigfigs and the colour schemes.
TLG is the real Chrome Crusher.
And people think Lego is expensive now. That was one expensive set.
I would like to drive this around to deliver ice cream and smiles.
A vehicle of that size and it only has 168 parts. Was there any building involved or not?
The Chrome Crusher: the driving, drilling, loading, lasering, sonaring, and not-crushing machine!
You get this bad boy in Rock Raiders, you've already won.
This set does have a bunch of large pieces. The large vehicle chassis, the cockpit and framed windscreen, the long arches over the wheels, the regular arches that hold the laser, the laser itself, the giant bucket in the back, and the drill itself. All pretty awesome pieces in my opinion! I'm not sure how many of them got used in other themes later, though...
QUICK LORE! Wormhole. Spaceship crash. Energy crystals. Rock monsters. Escape. QUICK LORE!
Love the drill. It would make a great start to a 'Mole' from Thunderbirds!
My love for Rock Raiders knows almost no bound, even though there were so few sets. Just gotta enjoy each RR RSOTD and make the most of them <3
So many cool parts in this set, which really couldn’t have been done as effectively as smaller parts. The cockpit, the drill, the laser, the chassis, the wheels, the teal, the prints… so iconic! I’d love to get a vehicle this size, and this fun, released for $30 today. This totally has more than $30 worth of fun built in to it.
Also, in response to the recent article about classicizing 10497, here we have a “classic” “space” set (per GSR_MataNui‘s QUICK LORE!) with two steering wheels ;)
I always liked to think of one controlling the vehicle and one controlling the laser, with the operates able to switch which did which depending on the circumstances (kind of like dual controls in airplanes, or driver’s ed cars).
Let’s crush some chrome!
@Rare_White_Ape:
Not really, but maybe crushing a bit of chrome sent out an EMP that shut off your lights if you didn’t feel suitably challenged with this build.
I miss chrome
@MeisterDad said:
"Chrome…
*sigh*"
The real set with the same name is 10026.
C'mon Lego™?! Time for a re-lease! Or, produce any of those Naboo ships with some sweet, sweet chrome. Or, at least, drum-lacquered. C'mon! Take our money and make us happy... for a change.
I recall my nephew playing this game back when it was out and when he built this in the LEGO Rock Raiders game it used to say Chrome Cuurusher! when it would get built. It is a neat set, Rock Raiders was a glimmer of light in the underwhelming selection of LEGO sets back then...
I completely missed out on Rock Raiders when it was first released because once I saw Star Wars sets on the store shelves in the Spring of 1999, I didn't want any other type of LEGO set! I did think they looked cool and the theme continued the growing tendency for LEGO to name all the minifigure characters, which really helped add even more personality to the sets. However, my parents' continuing budgetary restraints meant Rock Raiders in 1999 wasn't going to happen.
Fast forward a couple of years to when I was finally starting to get burned out on LEGO Star Wars sets and went about hunting through yard sales and classified ads for anyone selling LEGO sets they no longer wanted. I found one lady who had several, and when my mom and I met her in the post office parking lot, several complete sets emerged from her car's trunk, including two Rock Raiders sets with the instructions! One of them was the Chrome Crusher, and with that shiny chrome drill, I knew I had to have it! Plus, she only wanted a few dollars for them. And she cut us a deal to take all of the sets she had in one fell swoop, which also included classics like Night Lord's Castle and Shark's Crystal Cove.
Anyway, I did notice how reliant the Rock Raiders vehicles like Chrome Crusher were on large, prefabricated pieces. The biggest offender is the chassis. But the set just looked so cool and was so fun to roll around. Never mind that the drill would barely make a dent in any rock before the cockpit collided with it! There was always the light-up laser on top! I even forgave the set the sin of having a cockpit with two seats but only one minifigure (Axel). Anyway, Chrome Crusher and Loader Dozer remain to this the day the only Rock Raiders sets I own, but I am so glad I do!
I have this! Rock Raiders is my favorite Classic theme, imagine if it had gone for longer what other cool sets it would have produced! The Chrome Crusher here is the most Iconic IMO. I'd absolutely LOVE to see a modern revamp like the Galaxy explorer. Anyone up for the challenge??
Maybe a few too many big pieces but oh boy this range was fun. I miss it quite a lot.
Rock Raiders introduced quite a few new parts, and this set has most of them.
The chassis piece: It only ever appeared in this set, 4950, and six years later in 7249. That was also the next use of the wheel-arch piece (which would be used three subsequent times), but the arch wasn't quite new to Rock Raiders, as it had appeared in 6456 earlier in 1999.
The wheels: Though similar plastic wheels had been done, these were new for this set and 4950. They made seven other appearances through 2006.
The drill: Probably the most iconic piece and appeared in the theme logo, but was only in this set and 4940.
The cockpit: Both parts only appeared in Rock Raiders (this set, 4940, 4950, and 4980). The click-hinge first appeared earlier in 1999 in Star Wars sets. (The same applies to the "futuristic binoculars".)
The battery-powered laser: While similar items had appeared in the past, this one only appeared here and 4990.
The dump truck bed: Used first here and 4980, its chief use afterwards would be in dump trucks, though it appeared in Power Miners set 8961.
The boulder: Appeared in almost every Rock Raiders set and remains in use today.
The Chrome Crusher was the very first big LEGO set I built completely unassisted. I was 7, and had needed help with the Loader-Dozer just a few weeks before, mostly because of its fiddly chain function. Yes, this only had 168 pieces. Yes, it had that huge base piece like the Dozer. But it helped me tremendously. I still remember the sense of pride I felt upon completing it. Dad who had introduced me to LEGO was so impressed when I showed him the result. I'll never forget that, because I've *never* been able to reproduce this unique feeling again with any big LEGO set today even with an order of magnitude more pieces. I'm getting emotional just writing this.
So, I honestly couldn't care less if anyone else thinks this set was juniorized, or doesn't seem like it would've taken you on any semblance of a building journey. It worked for me. It worked so very well. A vehicle as massive, powerful and imposing as the Chrome Crusher and I conquered building it all by myself. Not once did I feel like it was too easy. But not once did I feel like it was difficult to follow the instructions or to attach any particular subassembly either (that engine block was revolutionary). If anyone thinks I don't deserve to call myself a LEGO builder because of this, well, I'm a LEGO builder. I can't comment on the price because I don't remember what it was exactly; you'd have to ask my dad if he thinks it was worth it. I'm pretty sure he does, given my experience with it and how special it remains to me to this day.
Fun fact: I seem to have left the battery in the laser unit for more than a decade at least (pretty sure I changed it when I last took it out to play with as a teen). Needless to say, I removed it when I took it out again to display in my room a few years ago.
The PC game version of this was just as awesome as the toy. It took a lot of resources to even unlock during a mission, but once you ported one down, it was over. The only thing lacking IMO would've been the ability to run over and destroy monsters with its chrome drill. It wouldn't be that overpowered considering how slow it is in-game — indeed, the slow, bumbling movement would've made it even more satisfying. But it's alright.
I can't wait to finally sit down and build my 4990 that I got this year. It's been 23 years since the last time I laid eyes on a sealed box...
@Balthazar_Brannigan said:
"I always liked to think of one controlling the vehicle and one controlling the laser, with the operates able to switch which did which depending on the circumstances (kind of like dual controls in airplanes, or driver’s ed cars)."
This set is widely believed to have originally been intended to include Sparks alongside Axle, but for whatever reason he didn't make it. There's a number of clues supporting this theory, such as Sparks appearing in many illustrated depictions of this vehicle, and the fact that he himself only showed up in two sets: 4930 and 4990, compared to the at least three that every other Rock Raider did. The only set to include exactly two minifigures was 4980. 4950 included Axle *and* a Rock Monster. A set of this side would've reasonably included two minifigs as well. And it just didn't, and left one of the driver seats empty?
Worker: "BOSS! We just CRUSHED another DRILL!!!"
Boss: "ANOTHER ONE?!?! WE GOTTA STOP GETTIN THOSE THINGS IN 'CHROME'...NEXT ONE: STEEL!!!"
Worker: "Ok boss...but I really think we ought to for 'em...":D
Also, my brother got this when I was four and I thought the name was "Crumb Crusher". (I don't think I knew the word chrome...)
Sure, you don't get a lot of parts but it is more than made up by the sheer presence and personality of the build.
Yeah, classic Rock Raiders even if you do have to wonder how much damage they could actually do with that drill given how far back and close to the cockpit it’s set. Got a sweet laser to make up for it though!
This is the first time I see this set. I honestly never even knew this theme existed. I guess that in 1999 I was too busy being a teenager and watching Buffy and Dawson.
I bought this set back in the day for my son, the chrome drill was a cool piece. He also received 4950 which he preferred because of the rock monster. I am always surprised when the RSOD is something that I bought for my kids. It doesn't occur very often considering how many sets I have bought them over the years.
Ah, my most wanted set of 1999. Received it for Christmas that year, still have it. Oh, and the laser still works.
Three RR sets in the same year? Nice!
This one is the big one, the most iconic one, the coolest one. According to RR Slugger's review the wheel base is so low to the ground and front-heavy that it's center of gravity is on the verge of tipping over. But it looks so cool...
Fun fact: this set uses the same wheelbase as 4950 Loader-Dozer, just built on differently. 7249 XXL Mobile Crane has two, now in dark bluish grey.
Rock Raiders was sick. Wish I had been around and that the theme stuck around.
Really wish they'd do more original themes again, but I get it, why try when throwing Spider-Man or Iron Man into a lame set sells ten times as much as any in-house product.
Aha, that thing on top is a giant "laser"! Was it designed by dr. Parsons?
Just looked trough the instructions, at first I thought "wait, did I miss a few steps?", then I realized it uses quite a few huge parts. Especially that chassis part is just baffling, so big and so specialized for no real reason at all. And several more big pieces I feel could easily have been done with regular parts. Throw in a number of printed pieces and no stickers, and it almost makes you think of a 4+ set with quite a bit of added fine detail.
But regardless of the build, it sure is a cool looking thing, especially with that "laser" and the chrome drill piece!
To the people saying the drill is awkward: Sure, 4940's drill was more centrally located, but it was also higher up. Maybe the intended use of this one was to sideswipe the rock monster. The Chrome Crusher also would have had a lower center of gravity, making it better suited to fighting the squat BURPMAN.
City Arctic, Volcano and Mining certainly had some rock raider esque sets with drills and splitting boulders made out of ice / lava / rocks, and even 2022 City Space still follows the splitting rock idea with new moon rocks. 60348 : Lunar Roving Vehicle has a small drill.
Chima had a drill polar bear mech 70223 : Icebite's Claw Driller
Ninjago had the Cole's Earth Driller sets 70502 : Cole's Earth Driller and Legacy 70669 : Cole's Earth Driller
As for actual rock monsters, 2016/2017 Nexo had them in lava or stone variants, but of course looked very different then those.
70322 : Axl's Tower Carrier front always felt a bit rock-raider shaped to me with the cockpit shape and of course 70354 : Axl's Rumble Maker goes full drill mode.
ROCK RAIDERS ROCK RAIDERS ROCK RAIDERS!
Okay, I'm satisfied now! I don't have anything particular to say about this set, since it wasn't until several years after the theme ended that I got any of the bigger sets from it - and that still wasn't this one - but this theme as a whole is just so very special to me. I know it's silly, but it seemed at the time to have been made just for me; it was featured in the issue of Lego Adventures UK magazine of my birthday month, of the year I first discovered Lego themes, and it was everything I could have wanted from such a theme - cool characters (one of whom, Sparks, dressed in my favourite colour no less!), a world-building aesthetic like nothing I'd ever seen before, and a story concept that instantly drew me in.
(And receiving the surprise of the minifigure pack 4930 as the decoration on my birthday cake only cemented even more the theme's importance in my mind!)
To this day, this theme makes me happy beyond almost anything else that Lego has ever made ^^
I remember being so excited when Lego started adding new colors in the late 90s.
@Brickalili:
I’ve noticed that it’s a common issue with cartoon tunneling machines that the drill end is quite a bit smaller than the vehicle it’s attached to, and produces a tunnel quite a bit larger than said vehicle. Real tunneling machines have simply insane drill mechanisms that it’d be interesting to see if the Technic team would even consider tackling one.
@TomKazutara said:
" @swogat said:
"And people think Lego is expensive now. That was one expensive set."
Using the defense points from Lego Fanboys today :
You have to think about that it came with a lot of big and unique parts , it had an expensive chrome colour part , everything was printed what Lego cost very much , and also had high-end electronic wich increases the price a lot .
Overall it was quite a fair deal ."
I am not a Lego Fanboy. And $30 in 1999 is over $50 today.
Ah, nuts; messed up my own punchline. Should've been:
Worker: "Ok boss...but I really think we ought to PAY for 'em...":D
Oh man, was so happy to pick this as well as bunch of the other Rock Raider sets up after my dark ages. Loved playing the game as a kid and I always really wanted the sets but I never got em! Something about the design was always so cool to me
Many hours spent on this set in my childhood. Especially with the gigantic "chassis" piece for MOCs. I have most of the parts, still, with the exception of the laser :(
No one really disputes that Rock Raiders had some juniorised tendencies--what's interesting to me is that, by and large, the comments here are overwhelmingly "I loved this set/theme." And I don't disagree: Rock Raiders was quite infected with juniorised parts, but it was also an awesome theme.
Some of that has to set design (what you put on and around the big hunks makes a difference). Some of that is lore. Some of that is colours. Some of that is figs. Whatever the specific thing that makes you a Rock Raider fan is... I wonder if LEGO will see similar love in 23 years for the 4+ sets of today. Is the "it" factor in Rock Raiders still present in the juniorised offerings today? I tend to think not... but I also don't buy 4+ sets much. I do wonder if the fact that it's the whole theme makes a difference, rather than being a Ninjago set or two, a Star Wars set or three--i.e. not their own line. There's no alternative UCS Rock Raiders set to compare this with.
@Formendacil:
I just wanted the rock monster to use as Clayface, before I could build one. He’s squishing a mime in his paw.
I think Rock Raiders is awesome -despite- the large pieces, or perhaps because there were just a few, used across several sets and unifying the aesthetic. I really like the color scheme: it seems random, but somehow works.
Rock Raiders Rocks!
@PurpleDave:
Funny, I want one of those rock monsters (looks for the B-52s...aaaaaall clear:)) for some akin to a dire Earth Elemental/Clay Golem for Castle/Kingdom...why should the N.K.s have all the 'fun':)