When I first saw the Granite Grinder on the shelf at Target, I thought “Dawww… how cute!” And I continued along my merry way, not giving it a second thought as I drooled over meatier offerings like the 8960 Thunder Driller and the 8961 Crystal Sweeper.
The next time I saw it was in the hands of a fellow member of the Los Angeles LUG, and I got to see it in action. When I saw what this puppy could do, I had to have one.
So does the set rock or is it fool’s gold?
Uhm.. it rocks.
Value: 94 pieces for $10. Just shy of the golden ratio. Fine by me. You get great new parts like the black rollcage, dynamite, new crystal color, oh and ever-awesome lime green. It’s a sweet range of parts from plates to cheese graters.
The quality of the model is tops. With a solid base of plates and technic bricks, smooth tread movement, it’s a delightfully compact and -yes, cute- model. It can stand up to quite a bit of abuse, as it should with pesky rock monsters (and kids!) lurking about.
Because not only does this thing jam through the underground bowels of the Earth on its sick treads, but those treads power the titular “Grinder” at the front of the vehicle, which thanks to the help of a gear and a rubber band goes RATATATATAT with piston-pumping movement, the set’s biggest play feature. The rollcage also hinges open, and there’s the cargo bed hauled on the back via the chain.
Value: 7/10
Build Quality: 8/10
Swoosh Factor: 5/10
Play Features: 9/10
Minifigs: 7/10
Reviewer�s Tilt: 10/10
Final Score (Average): 7.7
(warning: hi res)
[…] Thanks to a tip from forum member Puddleglum, Target has a sale this week where sets that are regularly priced at $10-11 are on sale for $8. Including the ever-awesome 8958 Granite Grinder, which I recently reviewed here. […]
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