Hello BZP, and it's time for another Razlak Review! Up today, I'll be touching base with 8061: Gateway Of The Squid! I had been saving up some money for a while, and finally decided to put it to use. Buying previous Atlantis sets (and liking the results!), I thought that this purchase would be worth it. I really like this set, so I decided to do a review!

I would just like to start this review off by say that my parents don't exactly approve of me buying big sets, so I had to get rid of the box as soon as I got home. those of you hoping to see a picture of the box, I apologize for disappointing you.

The minifigs in this set vary tremendously from eachother. First of all, the minifigs seem to fit in with the Atlantis theme quite well.

Personally, I am a big fan of the divers. The way that they present themselves with the printed bodies, diving suits, fins and harpoons really suits them well. Comparing them to earlier diver themes such as Aqua Raiders, the Atlantis ones are far better in almost every way. Plus, all of the new divers have double sided faces, one side with a content look, and one with a scared or agitated look.

The Squidman is unlike anything I've ever seen before. Everything from his bottom half of tentacles to his Squid mask is pure genius on the part of TLC. I think the reason he is dark red is either to clash with the other Atlantis baddies, or the fact that many species of Squid are red. His weapon, the trident is a marvelous piece to look at, although they don't seem to be of the best quality. And in case some people are wondering, you can attach him to plates and stuff.

The title "Gateway of the Squid" certainly lives up to it's name by having 3 variations of squids.

The smaller white one is probably supposed to resemble a skeleton. The actual design of the white one is quite nice. The legs seem to stay in place, and it's fun to swoosh him around.

The larger black squid is simply incredible. The way he is built, his colour combonation and his pieces make him a menace to the underwater society. His tentacles twirl around, allowing the user to create some lovely squid poses. I think he's probably one of the jewels of the set.

The first part of the build (after the minifigs and squids) is the front of the gate. The build itself is straight forward, and I like the fact that it contains some minor twists. Contructing the mechanism that turns the doors was cool. The first part should take you a good 15 to 20 minutes to complete.

The second part of the gateway was somewhat of a nusance. With a thin amount of support for the bottom plates, the structure will sometimes fall apart until enough pices have been put into place. Aside from that, the rest of the build was enjoyable. The building of trap door was a fun little twist. I also enjoyed going higher and higher with the back frame. When done, the first part simply locks into the second part.

A fun little thing is the way this set is connected. For someone with more pieces and innovation than me, you could extend the gate and add another portion! Think how awesome that would be!

And alas, the set is complete!

Here are some of the cool pieces included with the set (from my perspective). The doors, the key, the key turtable, the diver's equipment, the Squidman's legs and mask, the trident, a new fin piece in the squid, the curvy plate in a new colour (I think it's called dark tan, Letagi could back me up), and more of those dark green weeds.

Here's the key included with the set. It's blue, and it's got a picture of a squid on it. How marvelous.

Starting from the front of the set, I will examine the functions.

The thingy with the key and the doors is awesome, especially since the key is a necessity for the function to operate. The function itself works like a charm, requiring nothing but a simple hand movement. Also, after opening the gates, the divers receive a chilly feeling, not knowing what to expect next.

Function #2 is the trap door. It's everything you'd expect in a trap door, except for the fact that the door flips up. I don't really get the idea behind that notion, but it's Lego, so I guess you'd have to use your imagination.

The final function is a fun little one. If a diver with the IQ of a Ritz cracker decided to step inside the small white squid for a peek, they can become easily enclosed. It's a nice little addition to this set, and could provide someone younger with a few hours of playability.

The only flaw that I can really see in this set is the perspective. I wonder if the divers ever thought of leaving the key with the Squidman, and just swimming to grab the treasure. Once again, you'd have to use your imagination for that.

On a further note, the set (with everything considered) look exquisit. It looks quite luminous, but with a menacing feel to it. I can probably spend up to an hour looking at it, but this review took up valuable looking time! Also, the way the steps are constructed is simply lovely.

Anyways, on with the classic Pros and Cons:

PROS:

- 3 Squid variants

- The 3 functions

- Lots of cool pieces

- Fantastic look and feel

- Another key

CONS:

- $55 Canadian

- Some imagination related flaws

Overall, this set has proven to be a fantastic addtion to my collection. Everything from the Squids to the steps to the small dark-green weeds make this set fantastic. I can full-heartedly recomment it to anyone looking for something in the Atlantis line.

This has been a Razlak Review

I would like to take this oppourtunity to thank -Thylon-, as I used his Shadow Snapper review as a bit of a guideline. Thanks bud!