Aquanauts was the first subtheme in the Aquazone theme from 1995 to 1996. The story consisted of the Aquanaut miners, a group of miners based at the Neptune Discovery Lab, fighting against the villainous Aquasharks and their leader Thresher for control of the crystal mines. The first generation of sets consisted of a yellow base color to the subs which gave the Aquanauts a more realistic appearance to real submarines.
1996 LEGO Sets
1996 marked LEGO’s early digital pivot with the creation of LEGO Media and the launch of LEGO.com, establishing the company’s online presence. LEGO Technic was rebranded for global consistency, and several new themes expanded creative play. Wild West explored frontier adventures, Dark Forest revived outlaw factions within Castle, and Time Cruisers combined multiple eras through time travel. Exploriens emphasized scientific exploration within Space, while Pirates introduced the Imperial Armada, expanding LEGO’s nautical storytelling universe.