Loader Dozer

From RRU Knowledge Base
Official render of the Loader Dozer

The Loader Dozer (sometimes written Loader-Dozer) is a heavy-duty vehicle used by the Rock Raiders for clearing away large amounts of stone. It is a four-wheeled bulldozer with a gigantic scoop that can quickly clear rubble, smash through loose walls, and carry large amounts of cargo.

In the Windows game

File:LoaderDozer PC.png
The Loader Dozer as portrayed in the Windows game

In the Windows version of LEGO Rock Raiders, the Loader Dozer is classified as a large vehicle, and requires four energy crystals for power. A Rock Raider must be trained as a driver to use a Loader Dozer.

The Loader Dozer can clear away rubble significantly faster than a Rock Raider with a shovel can. By default, it moves at a relatively slow speed of 0.5 blocks per second. Though the manual states that it can carry cargo with its scoop, it actually needs to be upgraded in order to carry any cargo. With this upgrade, it begins collecting materials and carrying them back to Rock Raiders HQ, distracting it from clearing rubble; for this reason, it's probably better to ignore this upgrade and just use Small Transport Trucks for hauling exclusively.

Appearances

  • In Run The Gauntlet, a Loader Dozer can be found in the hidden cavern with the lake, along with a Cargo Carrier. It serves no actual purpose to the player, as it cannot board the Cargo Carrier.

Upgrades

File:LoaderDozer PC Upgraded.png
A fully upgraded Loader Dozer

There are three upgrades available for the Loader Dozer, all of which add a large spoiler to the back of the vehicle:

  • Engine: Costs 20 pieces of ore
    Installs two pairs of small jet engines, increasing the vehicle's route speed from 0.5 blocks per second to 0.8 blocks per second.
  • Scanner: Costs 5 pieces of ore
    Installs a radar aboard the vehicle, with a scanning radius of 5 blocks.
  • Carry Capability: Costs 5 pieces of ore
    Adds two small cargo holds to the back of the vehicle, allowing it to carry 2 materials.

Dependency

Early concept model

The Loader Dozer costs 4 energy crystals and requires the following for teleportation:

In the PlayStation game

File:LoaderDozer PS1.png
The Loader Dozer as portrayed in the PlayStation game

Although the PlayStation version of LEGO Rock Raiders lacks rubble, the Loader Dozer is still an available vehicle in this game. Here, it has gained the ability to smash through walls of Dirt and Loose Rock just by ramming into it, and can quickly clear away webs that would trap any other vehicles. It is also the only vehicle that is not damaged by geysers and lava plumes. While the Loader Dozer can always be found in levels in the PAL version of the game, it often needs to be constructed and teleported for four pieces of LEGO Ore in the NTSC-U/C version; it can also squish Spiders and Scorpions under its wheels in this version. Despite being such a powerful vehicle, it's usually not considered necessary for completion, since it can't smash through Hard Rock, and Pusher Beams can also clear webs.

In other media

The Loader Dozer collecting Ore

Despite being a large vehicle that had its own set, the Loader Dozer usually appears in the background in the Rock Raiders books, working away but rarely having any relevance to the plot. At one point in Rock Raiders: High Adventure Deep Underground, Rock Monsters attack Rock Raiders HQ and Axle uses the Loader Dozer to push one away. The Rock Monster pushes back with unbelievable strength, but the Loader Dozer manages to overpower it.

The Loader Dozer also appears in the mini comic books for the sets 4910 Hover Scout, 4920 Rapid Rider, 4950 Loader Dozer, and 4990 Rock Raiders HQ.

Names in other languages

Language Name Meaning
Czech Čeština Nakladač
Dutch Nederlands Ondergrondse graafmachine
Finnish Suomi Maanalainen kauhakuormaaja
French Français Bulldozer des profondeurs
German Deutsch Loader Dozer Schaufellader
Hebrew עִבְרִית
Ivrit
לחפור העמסה
Italian Italiano Scavatrice del sottosuolo
Japanese 日本語
Nihongo
レイダースドーザー
Norwegian Norsk Underjordisk gravemaskin
Polish Polski Podziemna koparka (set)
Ładowarka (video game)
Russian Русский
Russkiy
Бульдозер-погрузчик
Spanish Español Excavadora de carga
Danish and Swedish releases left this vehicle's name unchanged