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Underwater Research Base
Join me under the sea as we explore the Underwater Research Base! This is by far my biggest LEGO Ideas project to date, with over 1700 pieces. This model provides a fun, thorough experience in a unique setting. It's also chock full of details, including some neat references to classic underwater LEGO themes. Let's not waste any time, and dive right in!
Minifigures
This set only includes one minifigure, but he is a very special one. The name Jock Clouseau may mean nothing to most, but some may recognize him as the famed Aquanaut from the Aquazone theme back in the 90's. However, this is a much older version, sporting a bushy grey beard and an updated diving suit (Image 3). At this point in his life, Jock has retired and has made this old research base his home. While the set is not super focused on minifigures, I wanted to at least pay homage to LEGO history with Jock's inclusion.
Side Builds
The Underwater Research Base comes with a small, personal submarine, called the Neptune X (Image 4). As yet another reference to classic LEGO, the color scheme of the submersible is reflective of the yellow, black, trans-blue, and trans-orange parts often used in the Aquanauts' underwater vehicles. The coolest thing about the submarine, though, is that you can park it in the research base's underwater garage (also known as a moonpool). And if you'd rather display it outside of the building, there is a transparent stand included!
Main Build
The main building consists of 4 major areas: the entrance/kitchen, the bedroom, the garden, and the lab.
The Entrance/Kitchen
The ground floor of the research base contains the main entrance, as well as a small kitchen area (Image 5). One of my favorite builds in the set is the airlock door that leads into the building. It took multiple drafts to get the rounded oval shape right, but I'm very pleased with the final design. Past the secondary door is a kitchen table with a potted plant and a crystal. To the left there is a ladder leading up to the second floor.
The Bedroom
This bedroom (Image 6) may seem a little too cozy for an underwater house, but that is exactly the vibe I was going for. I wanted to give people that classic feeling of home and having minifigures sleep in cots or hammocks just wasn't going to cut it. Cozy furniture like this teal and purple bed as well as the nightstand with reading lamp gives this room a warm and inviting feeling, even though it's deep below the surface of the ocean.
The Garden
Positioned on top of the garage, this underwater rooftop garden features many strange and unusual plants (Image 7). I felt this was a great opportunity to use my imagination and take advantage of some new and unique LEGO parts, in fun colors too! For example, I used the brand-new banana peel piece in lavender, as well the popcorn/ice cream piece in trans purple. If this were to become a real set, this could also be an opportunity for people to substitute plants of their own design, from parts in their LEGO collection.
The Lab
The third floor houses an aquarium, as well as a tide pool enclosure, for close up examinations of sea life (Image 8). In the tide pool, you can see representations of sea urchins and starfish. At the far end of the room are stairs to an airlock leading to the garden, and in the corner is yet another potted plant. Looking through the many windows in the room, we can see fish peacefully swimming by, attached to the building with transparent rods.
Why did I build this set?
When thinking of a new LEGO Ideas project to build, I always start with the setting. If I can think of a good enough setting, the set kind of builds itself. I was always nervous to start an underwater project because there's almost nothing to base it upon. We don't have plans to create underwater suburbs like we do for the moon or mars. It was both a scary thing as well as an opportunity for me to use my imagination to the max. While building the set, the concept that appealed to me the most was the idea of taking elements of a classic suburban house and translating it to an underwater setting. For example, instead of a car parked in the garage, there is a submarine parked in the moonpool. And of course, there are many homely installations such as the potted plants, kitchen table, and comfy bed. By the time I was done building, I could see how everything fit perfectly together to make a cozy home under the sea.
Why will this make a fantastic LEGO set?
Besides being both a great display piece and a fun playset, this model is special in another way. One of LEGO's core values is "belonging" and the idea that no matter where you are, you belong. I think this set embodies that idea perfectly. A home far below the surface of the waves sends a message that wherever you end up, you can find home. I bet a lot of people can relate to this, as throughout our lives we often have to move around from place to place, and every time it takes a lot of strength and determination to adjust to our environment. But just like Jock Clouseau, we can always find a way to adapt. In that way, the Underwater Research Base could make a great housewarming gift!
Thank you for reading, make sure to support!
Help your fellow builder by leaving your feedback based on these three criteria:
- Originality: How original is this - never seen before?
- Building Techniques: How much skill do you think the creator of this MOC has, in terms of building technique?
- Details: Express how much you like the details of the build.
Your feedback is only shown to the creator as well as yourself. It is not available for other users to see. The creator won't see your user name.