Los Mineros: Heroic Rescue (2011)

It’s not often (until recent licenses like Kong and Rampage) toy maker Lanard gets topical. Back in 2011 they released a really unique set based on the amazing 2010 rescue story of trapped Chilean miners. This set is an interesting commemoration of the rescue effort, and from package to product, is certainly colorful.

Much of the equipment and the included figures come from existing molds that have been seen over Lanard’s history. If you’ve collected the CORPS! or Emergency Rescue lines, you’ll recognize a lot of what’s here. The pod has been included in several versions of the small CORPS! helicopter, and i believe the drill may have seen action as part of the Deep-Six styled STAR Force sets.

The two figures incorporate parts from 2000s era CORPS! as well as lesser-known, more simply articulated product in the case of the firefighter. If you’re a Lanard variant collector, there’s a lot to interest you about the set, beyond the history and commemoration of the event. I’d like to see Lanard delve into rescue and construction subjects again, as it’s been more than a few years since Action Rescue was on the market.