With most countries in quarantine right now and physical distancing being observed, we are left to find ways to keep ourselves entertained in our spare time. I had an itch to build a new LEGO set, and I remembered this set I received for Christmas 14-15 years ago which has been sitting in storage for all this time. I rediscovered it last summer during some cleaning and was planning on giving it away, but never got the chance. Out of boredom, I decided now would be a great time to have a crack at this set.

With online reviews being so common in this day and age, it's pretty easy to do research on a set before making the decision of getting or passing on it. However, with this set being from 2004 in a (now) relatively obscure theme, it was pretty difficult to find much reviews on it. This is opposite of Star Wars sets which have by far been the most popular in the late 90's to early 2000's, and continue to be popular today, making them heavily reviewed across all places online. Aside from the other scant reviews here on Brickset, no one else has provided an informative review which would influence my decision on whether to break open the seals or leave the set for further decades-long aging. Speaking from a numbers perspective, however, this seemed like a decent set and it would be good way to kill several hours of time.

This is actually my second Alpha Team set from the 2004 line, the other being 4746 Mobile Command Center which has long been dismantled. My brother actually received this set but neither of us were interested, so we just left it alone for years. Being an AFOL, this set is a pretty big deviation of what I'm normally interested it, but given its age and that I grew up in that era, I thought the value would be in the nostalgia.

At 431 pieces, this is marginally the largest Alpha Team set encompassing the original series spanning from 2001-2004, surpassing 6776 Ogel's Control Center (2001) by a mere 20 pieces. Build time was not more than a couple hours with no tricks throughout. The build is divided into two sections - one for the vehicles and the other for the base. Minifigures include Ogel, two minions, Dash, and Arrow. Alpha Team vehicles have always been known for their highly sci-fi design and transformers-like features. This one is no different. The vehicle, with a classic rubber gun mounted on its back, has the ability to transform into a cannon. The vehicle is hinged to provide articulation for different firing angles. I've always enjoyed the computer-projected windscreen and heavy tread tires. Ogel's insect helicopter is less remarkable but equally as deadly with its dual chainsaw setup.

From an AFOL perspective, the fortress itself is a bit of an acquired taste. Personally, I think it's pretty cool with the skeleton-shaped facade, and it's incredibly well and solidly built to the point where I can carry the set by the structure without fear of breaking. The only thing it can use a little more of are more rooms or labs among the different levels. The 32x48 raised baseplate is cool and the design is unique to this set. The fortress is actually Ogel's mining operation. The left pit is the mineshaft where ice orbs are procured. Beside the mineshaft is an examination area with a red magnifying glass and lab table. The right pit serves as the landing pad for Ogel's helicopter. There are actually three areas, each behind the BURP's forming the cheeks and forehead, which act as miniature labs and computer rooms. Two removable platforms facilitate this purpose; one of them has a computer and chair and the other is a processing table for specimen analysis. The platforms can be placed in any combination among the "rooms". At the centre of the fortress rear is a large crane where Ogel can transfer the orbs. The crane consists of two Toa Nova claw pieces used to grab orbs. The claw can swivel 240° and reach ground level. At the front of the castle are two ice blocks used to imprison Alpha Team members.

The primary feature of the fortress is the gate, which is made of Bionicle flaming swords. The gate can't be opened from either side at ground level; the only way to open it is to hit the target on the nose of the skull. You have to be fairly precise with your shot to hit the target, even at close range. The lever which opens the gate has a bit of play to it so you have to make sure the lever is sitting right against the door, otherwise the impact will be absorbed by the backlash. The other play feature are the orb launchers behind the eyes. If you accidentally fire into the eyes, the lever (also made of flaming swords and Bionicle claws) will swing and propel orbs, placed in grooves at the apex of the fortress, down towards Alpha Team. The orbs won't shoot across the table when launched; in general their horizontal distance is limited and remains within the confines of the baseplate. When fired upon properly, however, the orbs will clear the ledge of the baseplate and hit the Alpha vehicle which is presumably close enough to the fortress to get hit.

The parts of this set are quite good. You have a lot of transparent blue and red coloured pieces, some which have only appeared in the Alpha Team series. Transparent parts include various panels, 4L and 8L antennae, chainsaws, magnifying glass, icebergs, and even 8x8 plates, which I've never seen before. Computer screens and controls are all printed. The use of Bionicle pieces is creative and does a nice job of adding to the evil atmosphere. With so many new parts and styles over the years, even today the parts from this set are a real treat. There is only one sticker in the set which is the evil skeleton logo placed on the nose target. It is worth noting that the second generation shades of grey (light and dark "bley", or mild and dark stone as indicated by Peeron) were introduced in 2004 and have been used since. This set is old, but its grey pieces are still compatible in shade with today's grey pieces.

Overall, even as an adult I find this set to be quite enjoyable with high playability. This is an excellent set for target practice. Retail price to my knowledge was $70 USD in 2004, which translates roughly to $135 CAD in 2020 dollars. Lego is becoming increasingly expensive, especially kids' sets, so I wouldn't be surprised if a set like this would also be in the $120-$140 range these days. Regardless of conversion rates and inflation, this set is expensive nonetheless, but I'm assuming the raised baseplate accounts for a large part of the cost. I do recommend this set for all audiences alike. My guess, however, is that AFOLS will only be interested in this set for parts, and as for kids, their parents are most likely not going to buy them something from nearly 20 years ago as there are modern options widely available.

This set is not only one of my fondest memories, but also is a great set on its own!

The time I spent building this set was magical, as I watched the evil base take shape. The set had many fun options for play once it was finished, as was typical of the Alpha Team theme. The gate which could raise when the "weak spot" was shot was particularly fun.

Afterwards, the set provided me with rare and wonderful pieces, especially the amazing Ice-Mountain base, which always saw use in my future sets.

This was a gift to me when I was 7 so I don't still have it built(it broke). It is very tall and awsome and has cool bionicle peices. There is not much more to review.

pros:
helicopter
HQ
Cannon/car
Ice skeletons
Ice
pohatu nuva weapons
cons:
robot arm doesn't move well

This is a good set so if you stumble across it GET,BUY,GET!

I love this set. I got it for 24.99 at TRU! I had enough for it at full price, but I wasn't complaining! The car is cool, but the missile doesn't push the skull plate.

Pros:
-24.99 (in my case)
-5 minifigs
-Cool how it looks like a skull
-Great baseplate
-Cool and rare elements (Large prop, ice plates, ice blocks, cockpit on car, gates) to name a few

Cons:
- Car is a little flimsy
- Skull plate function is junky

Overall: Get this.

Really good set, its a lot better than the other large Alpha Team sets. Is a big improvement over the mission deep sea base. Cool set , great features! Is alot of fun on its own or with the other alpha team sets from mission deep sea.

Pros- Cool new pieces in new colors.
- Cool mini-figures.
- Nice use of bionicle pieces for the gate and for the crane

Cons- Not enough pieces but the base plate makes up for it.
- could have included more mini-figures.

Overall- good set which is worth picking up if you have the extra cash.