Retro LEGO | All Time Cruisers Sets Ranked!

[@SaturnineXTS]

Time Cruisers. Dear goodness, what a theme. This was probably LEGO at their bravest and least inhibited ever. A clusterfuck mishmash of fantasy, sci-fi and tons of different colors - obviously not everyone's muffit of tea, but you can't deny it was the company at their most creative and open-minded ever. As a fan of unlicensed lines and LEGO's proprietary IP's, I can't help but admire this line

[@keltondavisLEGO]

The desperation of the late 90s and early 2000s led to some of the boldest and craziest LEGO ideas ever, and we got to benefit from it.

[@SaturnineXTS]

@@keltondavisLEGO ahh yes, got to remember that Lego was in dire straits back then. They stretched themselves too thin and started relying on too many specializes pieces, which was very dangerous economically. But we did get some really audacious sets thanks to that. I have really fond memories of UFO, Insectoids, Rock Raiders, Aquazone and the like

[@keltondavisLEGO]

@@SaturnineXTS all of those are on my list of future episodes 👍

[@Dreadwolf3155]

great way to get lego builders to think outside the box and to grab a lot of useful parts

[@RRSlugger]

Great list! Time Cruisers is one of my favourite themes. You’ll want to double check the placement of that front wheel on the Rocket Racer though. 😉

[@keltondavisLEGO]

Whooooopsie! That was a small modification I made to make the set a bit more visible on the high shelf it usually sits on. Forgot to switch it back for the video! Great catch, @RRSlugger !

[@RRSlugger]

@@keltondavisLEGO It happens to me all the time, haha. Apparently I built both the Mountain Sleigh and hot air balloon from Egypt incorrectly in some of my latest Orient Expedition videos, for example. 🙃 Also, on the subject of Time Cruisers, the front wheel on the Whirling Time Warper is often difficult to get right because the instructions do such a poor job on showing where it goes. I had to refer to the box art in order to get it right, haha.

[@keltondavisLEGO]

@@RRSlugger I'm sure it won't be the last for me a as well. 🤣 And absolutely! Though I love the old instructions for their gorgeous artwork and vintage vibe, there are some steps that are real head-scratchers. I've run into some doozies when building some of my old Adventurers (Egypt) sets recently. And I had to do the exact same thing with the Whirling Time Warper! 😆 I could probably talk Time Cruisers for hours, because it's a pet obsession that nobody else (offline at least) seems to care about. Haha. Looking forward to Summer of Slug!

[@BigNoseDog20]

​@RRSlugger i love your videos man

[@OurToyWorld]

This channel is awesome, I'm so glad to have discovered it so soon on your "KZbin journey". It's nice to see additional Time Cruisers content on the good old Tube. The late 1990s and early 2000s were such a special time to be a LEGO fan - while Time Cruisers is by no means my favorite, I still respect it: I'm a huge Western / Adventurers fan. It's sad that these properties are kind of forgotten, or perhaps ignored by LEGO fans, but also the LEGO Group, in what they've chosen to remake as large Icons sets or GWPs. They kinda came out at a weird time - right before/around the time licensed sets began appearing and at the same time as LEGO ending their then-evergreen Castle, Pirate and Space lines. They just don't get the attention they deserve, but I'm glad creators like you and Slugger are changing that. I'm sure your generation appreciates that, and as someone a little younger, I know I certainly do.

[@keltondavisLEGO]

@OurToyWorld, I’ve followed you for a long time! Honestly, you and Slugger have been big influences for me to finally start up my own channel. Thank you for your kind words and commentary. It’s so true! I’m excited to give more of these old themes some time in the spotlight, along with newer ones.

[@tgbboone]

Loving this series, time cruisers reminds me a lot of the new dreamz line that Lego is currently making. The kind of sets that are have play functions at the forefront. Would love to see a ranking of rock raiders or space police in the future! Keep it up!

[@keltondavisLEGO]

Thank you for watching! I'm having so much fun making these and going down memory lane. Rock Raiders was a favorite of mine, so it's definitely on the short list!

[@Havoclegionpainting]

Interesting! I never knew this theme existed, yet I owned some of the minifigs and at least some parts of the sets when I was a kid. Always wondered why they seemed like such random combinations of things! Also, these videos are nicely made! Keep it up!

[@keltondavisLEGO]

Glad I could shed some light on some LEGO mysteries! Thank you for watching 🙏

[@pclark8672]

Great video! Very thorough and your voice is very pleasant. Such a wacky theme that has definitely grown on me over the years. Look forward to more retro in the future

[@keltondavisLEGO]

Thank you very much! More great retro themes coming!

[@therealdavidleong]

So much nostalgia! Being a 90s kid myself, I definitely am biased towards the original themes in this decade. Looking forward to watching your videos on the other ones and walking down memory lane!

[@keltondavisLEGO]

Thanks for watching! I’m a 90s LEGO nut, so there will be a lot more where this came from!

[@docnecrotic]

Your videos are some top notch and high quality stuff!

[@keltondavisLEGO]

Thank you! I’m very glad that people are enjoying my rambling about old LEGO sets 😂

[@EpicoNubletto]

Really enjoying your channel! Maybe it’s cause I don’t have the Whirling Time Warper (yet) but I think the Twisted Time Train is the best of the series. The ghost with briefcase is a great addition too 😃

[@keltondavisLEGO]

A great choice! The classic Lego glow-in-the-dark ghosts are so much fun 👻. Thanks for watching!

[@CineFan911]

The Hypno Cruiser was the very first lego set I had ever received. I haven't thought about that thing in decades no but it's wild seeing it again. It was my favorite thing when I was a kid. I especially loved how it came with all the hats and helmets.

[@keltondavisLEGO]

Hearing things like this is why I do this! I love bringing these back to life for people.

[@maddinpictures3102]

I remember one of the Sets came with an Audio Cassette where they travelled with the Ship (named Flybo) to the Lego Pirates, Legoredo City, the Paradisa Mansion and the Aquazone.

[@keltondavisLEGO]

Are you from Germany? Seems like they got all the cool audio stories.

[@maddinpictures3102]

@keltondavisLEGO exactly, I had at least 5 of them

[@Bzy6000]

Your videos are amazing! Keep on making these❤

[@keltondavisLEGO]

Thank you! They're so much fun to make.

[@lunchlady_doris]

Great video! I never had any of these sets but I do love how zany they are.

[@keltondavisLEGO]

It came and went so quickly that many people missed it. Glad I can show them to people now!

[@connordemareo6757]

I never even knew this theme existed. Funny enough, I recognize a couple figures from what must have been my older brother’s sets. Your videos are great, I’m excited to see more.

[@keltondavisLEGO]

That's why I love doing this series! It helps people discover gems from that past that have been all but forgotten. Thanks for your comment!

[@pinky_bruce]

I had the Hypno Cruiser and Bathtubmobile as a kid. Got them in pieces from my cousins with the rest of their Lego, and it took me forever to figure out what those 2 sets originally were thanks to all the random pieces!

[@keltondavisLEGO]

It’s quite the hodge podge, but oh so much fun! 🤩

[@BigNoseDog20]

4:09 hes has a fright knight chest plate

[@keltondavisLEGO]

Yep! Lots of crossover from Fright Knights here.

[@MystoRobot]

I think my first lego set EVER was the flying time vessel xD So many memories!

[@keltondavisLEGO]

An amazing start to a life of LEGO!

[@ryanscheffer2302]

Time Cruisers and Time Twisters was a theme that I did not have any sets from. Course I did want the Time Tunnelator set.

[@keltondavisLEGO]

A cool, but weird one. Just like all of these 😂

[@TheAtoll]

Great video! I love this theme too, though I would have put the Flying Time Vessel a bit higher on this list :)

[@keltondavisLEGO]

Thank you! This list felt a bit like ranking my children. I love them all!

[@rayphoenix7296]

So that's where Timmy and the Professor from Lego Loco came from. Timmy and that professor appeared as characters in the 1998 Lego game, Lego Loco. I had no idea they came from actual sets. I used to play Lego Loco all the time as a kid.

[@keltondavisLEGO]

Never heard of that game! Sounds, dare I say, loco. 😜

[@rayphoenix7296]

@@keltondavisLEGO It is pretty much a Lego version of Sim City. It has a strong emphasis on building Lego cities with Lego trains. The game is very basic and it does not have a story. It was made after the success of Lego Island.

[@joshmidd]

Kelton, you sound sort of like Greg Woods from Jelle's Marble runs.😮 It took a while for me to place where I thought I heard your voice from, but now I found it and it isn't you.🥲 Anyways, you have the type of voice people would pay to announce for golf on TV, so keep it up with the video narration! I am sure more and more people will love your videos however niche they are. I just also happen to be in the Lego junkie niche, so I am here early 😆

[@keltondavisLEGO]

Haha THANK YOU! 🙏 That kinda made my day ☺️. Glad to have you on board!!

[@joshmidd]

Also, the LEGO stop motion is retro, funky, and totally awesome!

[@keltondavisLEGO]

@@joshmidd I basically started the channel as an excuse to do more stop motion shorts, but then it evolved into something even more fulfilling. Glad you enjoy my goofy little stop motion skits. 😂

[@4theblocks]

This was a bit of a weird theme, but I still have a soft spot for it. Nice ranking! 😊

[@keltondavisLEGO]

Totally weird, but I think that’s exactly why I liked it 😆

[@brandongaines1731]

I personally found the Hypno Cruiser's rubberband drive to be rather finicky and quick to catch and even break, so I'm glad that I didn't own the Time Tunnelator after your description of it having the same problems. I almost wonder, looking back, if more broken-in silicone bands would've worked better 🤔

[@keltondavisLEGO]

I can only say that my nearly 30-year-old Hypno Cruiser is smooth as butter with its original rubber bands, so there’s probably something to that.

[@PhantomSputnik]

please do ice planet 2002 next

[@keltondavisLEGO]

It's on this list! It was closer to the beginning of my LEGO dark ages, but I did love that theme!

[@fireboy312002]

I had the hypnocruser. I loved this as a play thing. I would love to see modern lego redo one of these just to see how they handle it.

[@keltondavisLEGO]

A Time Cruisers vibe with a more refined aesthetic could be amazing!

[@xlext4766]

Please do more of these 😀

[@keltondavisLEGO]

I absolutely will! It's definitely where my heart lies with LEGO.

[@Autisticguywithacamera]

I missed out on Time Cruisers and Time Twisters, but they were some of the wackiest sets Lego has made. I wish they'd remake this theme eventually.

[@keltondavisLEGO]

I’d love that! But given their general unpopularity among LEGO fans, I think they’re stuck in the past 😆

[@lammyjammy]

You know, I was ready to talk a bit of smack because usually your rankings end up going through the sets in order of size, because the larger sets almost always end up being better. But this one subverted the trope. The Whirling Time Warper truly slaps. It deserves the top place. I picked one up and I was so, so happy with it. It's an all time favorite.

[@keltondavisLEGO]

Haha! I actually caught some flack for NOT ranking the largest Adventurers Jungle set as #1. Just gotta go with the gut! (Which, in many cases, does end up going in size order 😂) And yes, the Whirling Time Warper is an all-time favorite of mine, so there was no chance of it not being #1. LOVE that set.

[@GameFactsSpecial]

Wow I totally forgot. My bro and I had these.

[@keltondavisLEGO]

Blast from the past!

[@mkaali]

Cool!

[@keltondavisLEGO]

This theme certainly was cool! 😎 Thanks for watching!

[@spamhands6993]

I got a Hypno Cruiser used and I have to say it's the perfect LEGO set, and I don't have any prior experience or nostalgia for the series. That's how good I think it is.

[@keltondavisLEGO]

You’re a rare breed of person that appreciates it for what it is! I love it.

[@WakoDoodle]

They should really bring this back as a theme. Especially since the whole time travel allows them to revive older themes without actually bringing them back! Imagine redbeard returns with his ship, bionicle as an ancient tribal golem race, knights being well, medieval era, even the old ninjago sets under the Lego Ninja line would work! Why stop there? Have the series take place on lego island where the railway there connects to the "Time Station". A world based on Lego Loco where trains come in and out to carry people and deliveries through space and time! Allow kids to enjoy not just other time periods but also themes almost impossible to fit in without it. Like say lego racers, lego rock radiers, lego alien invasion, etc.. Lego Island is already connected the lego adventures, castle and space sets; so it could be the perfect place for our main character Timmy to live. Not to mention giving us a chance to see a certain "now grown up" pizza guy who had their own adventures. Plus it means kids can mix and match themes and lore-wise it still fits!

[@keltondavisLEGO]

I love when LEGO is able to do crossovers between themes, and this particular theme was an excellent way to do that. Part of why I love it!

[@rtg]

I had to laugh a little at the (unintentional I'm sure) subtle humor of announcing Retro Lego with a close-up of two seemingly cracked bricks. That was definitely a problem with older Lego.

[@keltondavisLEGO]

Certainly unintentional while I was filming, but in the edit, I noticed it and laughed. Glad the humor was not lost 😂

[@nathanklippenstein5322]

I think my sister had the whirling time warped, may have been me. Those skulls are fixed in my memory

[@keltondavisLEGO]

They were what made me fall in love with the set as a kid!

[@xlext4766]

Plz do the adventure theme next :)

[@keltondavisLEGO]

It's coming sooner than you might think....!

[@nolants8807]

Please rank power miners next

[@keltondavisLEGO]

I do love the Rock Raiders, but Power Miners was during my dark ages, so that would take a lot more research. Haha. But it’s definitely on the list!

[@oldmanfivetimes]

Yooo holy shit. I totally forgot about this set. And it actually was one of my favorite lego sets of all time. I liked this set cause all the wheels and rubber bands. I had that weird flying vessel thing too, how could I forget! The stupid boat part was just two huge pieces, that were taking up so much space in the Lego bin. Wow I can’t believe I forgot this weird ass set.

[@keltondavisLEGO]

Weird indeed! But so much fun. Glad I could jog your memory!

[@plushiesdx]

6:40 it moreso implies it all takes place in the same universe

[@keltondavisLEGO]

I suppose that’s true 😂

[@GfSavages]

You're living the dream

[@keltondavisLEGO]

I sure am!

[@DanTekStudios]

I'll be honest, I never much cared for this theme much as a kid. Outside the technic pieces and clever moving elements, it was too untidy and random for my tastes, like something my little cousins would build. When my grandparents got me the Flying Time Vessel for my birthday, I was more excited about the pieces included, especially the unique black and gray pirate ship hull (which would later see extensive use once the Divers theme came out the following year).

[@keltondavisLEGO]

DEFINITELY looks super juvenile, but boy did I love it!

[@jackhash3193]

Time Twisters are 🍃🔥

[@keltondavisLEGO]

Chaotic, childlike fun.

[@irishgoodbye518]

I was born in 97 and never knew this theme existed. This sounds so freaking cool. So much room for the imagination. Amazing premises and creativity. That last set is such a banger

[@keltondavisLEGO]

Seriously LOVE the Whirling Time Warper! So glad it still looks good to someone who doesn’t have nostalgia tied to it.

[@random1911]

Wow, Timmy is the once minifig I've seen who have a nose

[@keltondavisLEGO]

Flatfoot Thompson and most of the Native characters from Western, along with Pharaoh Hotep from Adventurers also have noses. They were all within a couple years of each other. Interesting experiment from Lego.

[@jackclark4598]

These sets are just hideous but I admire the sentiment. The time travel conceit encourages play between themes & the sets themselves give examples of how you might mash themes together yourself.

[@keltondavisLEGO]

Homely but wholesome ❤️

[@slizgi86]

The front wheel in 6491 is in the wrong spot in your build, I've got this in 97 Christmas.

[@keltondavisLEGO]

It’s sure is 😂 RR Slugger pointed that out a while back.

[@slizgi86]

@@keltondavisLEGO I like the series, hope 97/98 UFO will be covered too :)

[@keltondavisLEGO]

@@slizgi86 Sooner than you might think!!

[@loremipsom224]

I was 12 at the time and I absolutely HATED this theme because of the mismatched aesthetic. 20 something years later, I LOVE this theme and I wish I could time cruise back to 1996 when it came out. I've purchased almost all of the sets now just before turning 40.

[@keltondavisLEGO]

It’s still pretty widely panned, but I’m happy there are admirers out there. I loved it and still love it!

[@nils920]

I have a confession to make. I used to hate this theme. I mean, really, really, really, REALLY HATE this theme. Not just as an adult. I remember seeing some of these sets in toy stores and pictures of them in catalogs as a kid and really not liking what I saw. Not only did I have constant "I don't get it" and "that piece/those pieces doesn't belong there" feelings towards the theme, I got disgusted by the zany designs and wackiness of the whole theme. But now as an adult with quite a handful of collection of different sets from the late 1980's-early 2010's(mainly Castle, Pirates and Space) I have come to appreciate the creativity TLG was encouraging with this theme. After all, LEGOs are all about using your imagination and being able to build just about anything with the millions of different parts TLG have made over the years. And Time Cruiser/Twisters is a theme which not only embraces that idea, but openly encourages it. I haven't bought any of those sets now as an AFOL, but like I said, I have grown to appreciate it from a distance.

[@keltondavisLEGO]

Glad to hear it! I completely understand most of the criticisms of Time Cruisers, but I still love ‘em!

[@MegacoreTeamJake]

I wish Lego would create more unique themes. I recently got back into Lego and I'm disappointed by the selection.

[@keltondavisLEGO]

Licensed themes have their place, but I sure do miss their unique, original stuff.

[@MegacoreTeamJake]

@@keltondavisLEGO Would love to see a new Knights Kingdom!

[@keltondavisLEGO]

@@MegacoreTeamJake Certainly! Not much going on in the medieval area other than one-off Icons or Ideas sets.

[@MegacoreTeamJake]

@@keltondavisLEGO I hope you do a Pirates ranking one day. My older siblings had those sets before I was born but all our lego was mashed together so I didn't know what those Pirate sets were originally supposed to look like. I really love your channel and I know you're going to hit it big! Keep up the great work!

[@keltondavisLEGO]

@@MegacoreTeamJake Thank you! 🙏 I LOVE Classic LEGO Pirates, and that’s a topic that will likely span multiple episodes of Retro LEGO. It’s a huge theme and there’s so much to talk about.

[@empire0]

You wonder why Lego almost went tits up around this time😂 this theme was a mess

[@keltondavisLEGO]

They were definitely throwing spaghetti at the wall at this point, but for some reason, I loved this theme! Hit just right at 7 years old.

[@TheFirstCurse1]

It's interesting but the sets really do look like a 6 year old's MOC. It has charm though. Besides that base, that set looks pretty bad.

[@keltondavisLEGO]

Totally! The creative, absurd vehicles were this theme’s strong suit. The base strayed too far from that and turned out a bit bland.

[@DUNDOM5]

r u AmeriCan or AmeriCant?

[@keltondavisLEGO]

Good ol’ American

[@JamesRichardson-p3y]

Not crazy about these sets, it looks like something a six year old would cobble together.

[@keltondavisLEGO]

That's a point of view I fully understand, but the childlike zaniness is much of what I like about this series.

[@JamesRichardson-p3y]

@@keltondavisLEGO I get what you're saying, and I bet today that would make some really good derailed sets this theme, bit I swear it just doesn't appeal to me. It's great that you like it, I'm probably the odd mab out in this Convo.

[@keltondavisLEGO]

@@JamesRichardson-p3y I don't think you're the odd one out. This theme is not particularly popular among LEGO fans. LOL.