I’ve been sourcing bulk LEGO® lots recently in search of older gems they might be hiding. Since opening my online store, I’m always on the lookout for neat, retired sets to sell. However, I’ve also discovered that I enjoy restoring these old sets and getting to build them as I work to ensure all the pieces and Minifigures are present and clean. One such find is City of Atlantis (7985).

The entire Atlantis theme came and went during my dark ages. It was short-lived, with sets only appearing on store shelves from 2010 through 2011. To me, it seemed like an attempt to revive something like the Aquanauts from the 1990s. I loved the Aquanauts and had multiple sets. My sister and I used to have many adventures with those. Interestingly, I remember wishing back then that I had a sunken city or temple for those stories. I suppose I could have built one, but I didn’t have the brick stores that I have today. We tended to keep our sets built, so there wasn’t much opportunity to create extra playsets.

Perhaps it was that nostalgia which made me so excited for City of Atlantis. It’s exactly the sort of set I would have loved as a kid. While going through a recent bulk lot, I found the instructions and decided to put my other restoration projects aside for this one. So, let’s dive right in!

SET SPECIFICS

FULL REVIEW

COST

SUMMARY: While it’s impossible to fairly compare against modern sets, City of Atlantis clearly holds strong collector appeal today.

Since this is a long-retired set, I’m going to look at it through a slightly different lens than usual. Typically, I evaluate value by comparing a set’s price to others on the market. However, my metrics are based on kits released within the last decade. I also can’t accurately report on build time because this wasn’t a brand-new set. The process took longer than normal since I had to clean and sort the bricks myself — they didn’t come in neatly numbered bags.

So, for today, we’ll skip the usual value analysis and simply take a look at what City of Atlantis cost when it was released, and what it tends to go for in the latter half of 2025.When City of Atlantis hit store shelves in 2011, it retailed for $89.99 CAD, which worked out to about $0.13 per brick. I can’t say for certain whether that was a strong deal at the time, but by today’s standards it would be slightly better than average. Of course, you won’t find it for that price anymore — used, complete sets currently start around $250 CAD on BrickLink. That’s roughly a 177% increase in value, meaning City of Atlantis has appreciated by about 12–13% annually over the last 14 years.

BUILD

SUMMARY: The build is simple but satisfying, with enough charm and play value to make rediscovering City of Atlantis a real treat.

With that markup, you might be thinking about trying to build this set yourself with bricks you already own. Truthfully, the vast majority of the 686 pieces are fairly common. However, you wouldn’t be able to recreate an identical facsimile without some serious BrickLinking. Thirty-two elements from this set appear in fewer than ten other sets, and twelve are unique to City of Atlantis alone — including those really neat seaweed elements. And then there are the Minifigures… but we’ll circle back to those a bit later.

The build process for City of Atlantis is straightforward. There are no groundbreaking techniques, and nothing particularly new for experienced builders. However, there’s a fun play feature involving a rotating dial that makes the golden statue of Poseidon pop up from the temple floor. Other, less exciting play features include a trapdoor and a swinging axe booby trap.

One aspect I found marginally annoying was the instruction booklet. The colors were slightly off — everything that should have been black looked dark grey. More than once, I found myself searching for a dark grey element only to realize later it was actually supposed to be black. That’s especially frustrating when you’re working with a bulk lot.

Apart from that, City of Atlantis is a nice-looking playset. There isn’t much substance to the main temple structure; I feel like the set could have done without the front gate and pathway to give the main building a bit more heft. Still, as a kid, I would have loved this. It’s also easy to expand on your own if you have some extra bricks lying around.

MINIFIGURES

SUMMARY: The Minifigures are the real treasure here — distinct, collectible, and packed with nostalgic charm.

Earlier, we discussed how much City of Atlantis has appreciated in value over the years — and it owes a large part of that to its Minifigures. Four of the five are unique to this set, and two of those account for most of its current collector value. The golden statue of Poseidon averages about $35 CAD used and $46 CAD new. However, the pièce de résistance is really the Lobster Guardian, averaging around $71 CAD used and a whopping $228 CAD new. I was shocked to learn how much people are willing to pay for that character. Personally, I prefer Poseidon — the Lobster Guardian’s stumpy, unmoving legs don’t do much for me.

Otherwise, the Minifigures feature mostly standard parts. The set hails from a time before the LEGO® Group began including alternate hair pieces for helmeted characters. So, if you remove the divers’ scuba gear, they’re both bald. Still, each has a double-sided face, as does Poseidon — in his case, one side is yellow, as if the statue has magically come to life.

I bet some of you are realizing you had this set as a kid and are now wishing you’d held onto those Minifigures… and good on you if you did!

ENTERTAINMENT

SUMMARY: While its play value is modest for adults, City of Atlantis shines as a source of creative inspiration and Minifigure collectability.

As a nostalgic piece, City of Atlantis doesn’t quite strike a chord with me — after all, it came out during my dark ages, and I never played with it. That said, I can see how I might have wanted this set as a kid. As an adult, it’s fun to imagine expanding it into a proper temple rather than just a façade. From that standpoint, it provides some nice MOC inspiration.

However, Minifigure collectors are probably the ones who’ll benefit the most from this set today. Two very valuable characters — Poseidon and the Lobster Guardian — make it particularly appealing. I’ll be putting this set up for sale in the True North Bricks shop once this review publishes, and I have to admit I’m a little reluctant to see them go.

NOTE: The set sold within a couple of hours of this post and is no longer available in the shop.

CONCLUSION

Rebuilding City of Atlantis has been a delightful trip down memory lane — even if it missed my childhood, it hit all the right notes for nostalgia potential, creativity, and just plain fun. The build is straightforward but satisfying, with charming little play features like Poseidon’s popping statue and the classic booby traps. The Minifigures are the real stars here, especially Poseidon and the Lobster Guardian, whose collector appeal has skyrocketed over the years.

As a playset, it may not dazzle modern LEGO builders with cutting-edge techniques, but it’s a beautiful little underwater world that invites expansion and imagination. For adults like me, it’s a perfect source of MOC inspiration and a reminder of why we fell in love with LEGO in the first place.

Since this is a retired classic rebuilt from a bulk lot, I’ve skipped the usual numeric scores. Consider this review more of a celebration of rediscovery — a reminder that some sets are just as fun to revisit as they would have been to own as a kid.

Whether you’re a collector, a nostalgic fan, or just looking for a compact, expandable underwater adventure, City of Atlantis is worth a look — and maybe even a place on your shelf, before Poseidon and his Lobster Guardian make a clean getaway. I’ll be putting this set up for sale in the True North Bricks shop once this review publishes. If you’d like to dive into Atlantis yourself or add the Minifigures to your collection, you can check out the full set by clicking here.

Until next time,

-Tom

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