Granite Grinder
The Granite Grinder is a mining vehicle in the LEGO Rock Raiders theme.
It has a large chrome drill and large robot/walker feet that pivot back and forth.
In the book Rock Raiders: High Adventure Deep Underground it can jump.
The Granite Grinder was designed by Jens Kronvold Frederiksen at LEGO Futura.[1]
The Ultimate LEGO Book shows an early LEGO model design for the Granite Grinder. It also shows the development of the Rock Raiders drill used by the Granite Grinder and Chrome Crusher.[2]
Set information
The Granite Grinder was released as LEGO set #4940 The Granite Grinder in 1999.[3] It was advertised as containing 108 pieces and includes the minifigure Axle.[4] It was released in the United States on 1 July 1999 with a retail price of $16.50.[5][4] In the United Kingdom it was released in August 1999.[3] In Russia it released in September 1999.[6]
Game appearances
In the Windows version of LEGO Rock Raiders, the Granite Grinder is classified as a Large Vehicle.[7] It costs three Energy Crystals to teleport down.[8] It teleports down at the Super Teleport.[9]
The Granite Grinder moves at a speed of 0.5 blocks per second. It takes it 0.8 seconds to drill Dirt, 2 seconds to drill Loose Rock, 180 seconds (3 minutes) to drill Hard Rock, and 4 seconds to drill Seams.[7]
The Granite Grinder has the following dependency:[8][10]
- Rock Raider
- Tool Store (Level 1)
- Teleport Pad (Level 1)
- Power Station (Level 1)
- Support Station (Level 2)
- Super Teleport
The Granite Grinder has the following upgrades:[8]
- Engine: Costs 20 pieces of Ore (4 Building Studs). This upgrade increases the vehicle's speed to 0.8 blocks per second, a 60% increase.[7]
- Drill: Costs 20 pieces of Ore (4 Building Studs). This upgrade increases the vehicle's drilling speed to 0.4 seconds for Dirt, 1 second for Loose Rock, 150 seconds (2.5 minutes) for Hard Rock, and 2 seconds for Seams.[7] This doubles the speed for most rock types, but is only a 16.67% increase for Hard Rock. The vehicle's chrome drill is removed and two new ones are added to either side, attached by long beams.
- Scanner: Costs 5 pieces of Ore (1 Building Stud). This upgrade gives the vehicle a scanning radius of 5 blocks.[7] A large scanner identical to the one from the Chrome Crusher is attached to the top of the vehicle, preventing the rollcage from opening.
The game's manual refers to the Granite Grinder's legs enabling it to cross rubble and debris with ease.[8] However, no vehicles are slowed down by rubble in the game.
The Granite Grinder does not appear in the PlayStation version of LEGO Rock Raiders.
References
- ↑ Frederiksen, Jens Kronvold [lego] (11 April 2019). "Hello there. I’m Jens Kronvold Frederiksen. I'm the Design Director for LEGO and have been designing LEGO® Star Wars™ sets for the past 20 years. Ask Me Anything!". Reddit. Archived from the original on 15 April 2019. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
- ↑ Pickering, David; Turpin, Nick; Jenner, Caryn (eds.) (1999). "The Design Concept". The Ultimate LEGO Book. DK publishing. pp. 30–31. ISBN 0-7894-4691-X.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 LEGO Group (1999). "Rock Raiders". LEGO catalogue "New for 99". LEGO UK Ltd. pp. 6–7.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 LEGO Shop At Home Services (1999). "Get the Brickonium Before the Rock Monster Gets You!". LEGO Shop-At-Home. Summer 1999 "Rockin' Adventures". LEGO Systems, Inc. pp. 4–5.
- ↑ LEGO Group (1999). "Rock Raiders". LEGO System catalogue (Americas). LEGO Systems, Inc. pp. 6–8. Item no. 4127017.
- ↑ LEGO Group (1999). "Rock Raiders". LEGO catalogue "1999" (Russia). LEGO Russia Ltd. pp. 42–43. Item no. 4321375-SNG.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Main Lego Config File, line 2670–2697.
WalkerDigger {}section. - ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Instruction Manual, p. 79.
- ↑ Instruction Manual, p. 70.
- ↑ Main Lego Config File, lines 3237–3265.
Dependencies {}section.
Sources
- McPhail, Jim (13 December 1999). LEGO Rock Raiders Instruction Manual (UK FRONT, BACK, I/F & I/B COVER). LEGO Media International. Serial: IB2G-ROC3 2299598.
- Data Design Interactive (last modified 25 September 1999). Main Lego Config File. File path:
Rock Raiders\LegoRR1.wad\Lego.cfg.
