Deep in the sewer, Mighty Max comes face to face with a rat hell bent on plaguing the world with vermin. Rattus, known as Lao Shin, has been using his lair to spread pestilence and plague over the world. To defeat the rat, Mighty Max first has to escape from his giant spider henchman, Arak Nid. Then Mighty Max has to escape his prison and defeat them both with the sewer plague vehicle.
Mighty Max traps Rattus comes from the third and final wave of Mighty Max Doom Zones. Released among some of my favourite sets like Grips the Hand, Bytes Cyberskull and Sinks Nautilus. Rattus has been one of the most difficult playsets to collect, the most expensive I’ve added to my collection, but it comes fully equipped with two villains, a vehicle and a large prison play feature.
The bottom of the set has a large sticker, showing the pollution pouring into the sewer system. It also has plenty of sculpted rats, pipes and barrels mostly moulded in grey. The top section of the playset contains the elaborate prison Rattus has constructed. The floor near his control platform flips down, trapping victims behind bars. Moulded on the rear wall is Arak Nid’s spider web. There’s skeletons on either side of the trap, probably the spider’s last few dinners. The floor of the prison slides out, just like the comic, allowing Mighty Max to escape reach the sewer plague vehicle. The vehicle itself sits at the base of the playset and is built using the ears of the rat head to create shovels.
The Cartoon
Released in 1994 during season two, Year of the Rat takes Lao Shin in a slightly different direction. As the Ancient Emperor of Rats, he is freed from his spiritual prison by a curious historian, Ki Wan. Ki Wan is imprisoned while Lao Shin posses his body. Even though Max, Virgil and Norman face Lao Shin early, they can’t defeat him until they solve the challenges in his temple. It’s a race against time as Lao Shin prepares to take over the world with his army of rats.
Deep in the temple, the Mighty One discovers the heart of the Emperor, shattering it frees the historian, destroys Lao Shin and the army of rats scatter.
The Comic
