This year marks the 25th anniversary of Rock Raiders, a theme that for many adult fans of LEGO is always worth celebrating thanks to the evocative subterranean setting, cool colors (teal!), and wonderful vehicle designs. LegoMathijs still carries a torch for the theme and his latest project takes us deep beneath the planet Onyxx with a truly massive celebration of the Rock Raiders theme.

LegoMathijs’ diorama is pure, high-grade nostalgia, incorporating many elements unique to the Rock Raiders theme and working mostly with parts and techniques of the late ’90s, minus the BURPs (big ugly rock parts). With dozens of minifigures, an array of vehicles, and a motherload of crystals, the scene shows the promise on the package of Rock Raiders sets writ large.

The base is an embiggened version of the Rock Raiders HQ set, complete with a revamped crane, docking bays for smaller flying craft, and a beefier mining laser.

Here we see one of the larger mining vehicles that sports the iconic chrome drill bit synonymous with Rock Raiders. I love the retro walking mechanism that LegoMathijs employs, the same technique used by the LEGO group in many an early mech model. The Blacktron container box and faded grey elements further add to the nostalgia for LEGO collections of a particular era. This vehicle is piloted by Rock Raiders staple driver Axel, whose distinct smile has never sat right with me – it’s like a Roblox character masquerading as LEGO!

Finally, we look closer at the working rail cars with power functions. While Rock Raiders never featured a motorized rail, this addition makes it clear that it should have!

Are you hungry for more nostalgic LEGO builds at epic scale? Why not revisit LegoMathijs’ majestic Futuron base.