City

Ocean Exploration Ship

A ship that actually floats, a shark big enough to swallow a minifigure, and a submarine that steals the whole show.

Brick Rated Score

3.7/5

Set 60266 · 2020

Pieces747

Minifigs8

Year2020

Set number60266

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The verdict

The thing that got me about this set is that the hull genuinely floats in the bath, which is not a sentence I get to write very often.

It is a proper play machine: crane, shark cage, dinghy, submarine, helicopter, a shipwreck full of treasure, and a shark so oversized you can tuck a diver right inside its mouth. Where it wobbles is value, because you are paying a premium for a handful of very large specialty pieces rather than a rich, detailed build. If you have a child who lives for water play, this is a joyful yes. If you want an engineering session, look elsewhere.

Best for: Kids who want to actually float and dunk their LEGO in real water

The full review

What it is

The Ocean Exploration Ship is one of those City sets that makes complete sense the moment you stop treating LEGO as a shelf ornament and hand it to a kid near water. The centerpiece is a research vessel that measures around 24 inches long, with a working crane that lowers a shark cage and a submarine over the side, plus a helipad, a captain's bridge with sleeping and research areas, and a separate treasure-stuffed shipwreck sitting on the seabed. The hull is molded so the whole ship actually floats, and that single feature reframes everything. It is not really trying to be a display piece. It is trying to be the best afternoon a seven year old has all summer, and on that count it delivers.

The catch

I will be straight with you about the catch, because it is a real one. At its original 149.99 dollar (124.99 pound) price for 747 pieces, this is expensive, and the reason is that so much of the parts budget goes into a few very large specialty elements: the boat hull, the giant shark body, the shipwreck sections. That gives you a low, roughly 75-pieces-per-minifigure headline that flatters the box more than the build. The construction itself takes about an hour and is mostly lots of small things assembled separately, so there is little of the meaty, clever engineering an adult builder looks for. Reviewers landed in the same place I did: brilliant play value, weak value on paper.

Who it's for

So who should get this. If you are buying for a child who wants to dunk, float, and stage rescues in the tub or the paddling pool, this is close to a perfect gift and the floating gimmick will earn its keep for years. It is also lovely for imaginative solo and group play thanks to that generous cast of characters. Who should skip it: adult fans hunting for a satisfying, detailed sit-down build, and anyone short on display space, because it is large, boxy, and hard to show off. Now that it has retired, prices have climbed above retail, so a good secondhand copy is the smart way in if the floating ship is the whole point for you.

The parts story

What the build is actually like, and the pieces worth knowing about.

Building it is brisk and friendly rather than demanding. Because the model is a collection of vehicles and structures (ship, shipwreck, sub, helicopter, dinghy, shark cage), you are constantly finishing a small satisfying module and moving to the next, which keeps younger builders engaged and rarely stalls them. The most involved stretch is the bridge and sleeping quarters on the deck, and even that stays simple. It is a set that respects a seven year old's attention span more than an adult's appetite for complexity.

The standout pieces are the big sculpted ones. The oversized shark is the headliner, large enough to fit a whole minifigure inside its jaws, and it is the part most people remember. The floating hull is the real engineering story, molded specifically so the boat sits and balances on water. The submarine is the sleeper hit, a compact build with poseable robotic arms up front that punches above its size. You also get the fun sea extras, a stingray and the classic smaller shark, plus eight minifigures including Harl Hubbs from the LEGO City animated shorts. Just go in knowing you are paying for those large molds, not a dense pile of useful small parts.

Fun facts

01The ship's hull is designed to genuinely float, so the whole model can be sailed in a bath or pool rather than just posed on a shelf.
02The set retired at the end of 2021 after launching in 2020, and sealed copies have since climbed well above the original 149.99 dollar retail price.
03The giant shark is oversized enough that you can fit an entire minifigure inside its mouth, and the crew includes Harl Hubbs, a recurring character from the LEGO City TV shorts.