Rufus

Happy Birthday Cammo! Hope you're having a great day, and that the Lego Fairy brings you lots of nice prezzies!

Ahhh, the best way to lose an addiction - swap it for another! Congrats nonetheless; nice to see another Londoner on the site. How about combining your two hobbies and doing some Lego reviews?

Why do you need to? You can access all the functions via the buttons and the BB code help. You can post a review without making the input box bigger (unless you have a really small screen).

I've been following this thread closely since day 1 and it wasn't mentioned until someone noticed the change in the first post - usually there's a big hullaballoo when new information comes out. I've not seen this information anywhere else online - another EB exclusive!

At 2503 pieces it'll be the third biggest SW set ever, if I remember correctly.

I don't know if this has been posted, but I thought I'd point out that the AT-OT/dropship is on sale at S@H UK for £127; you get free shipping if you order today (I have ). Home One is also on sale for £67 or thereabouts.

But who would dare laugh at Vader?? Some great shots all round, as ever!

Hmmm. With the wings up, the set looks smaller than I expected. Like others, I'm also a little disappointed with the asymmetrical centre wing, but I can't see how they could have made it differently without it being bulky or weak. Love the landing gear and the cockpit design though, and I'm very glad they've carried over some of the positive aspects of the RAS. On the whole, I'm looking forward to adding this to my shuttle collection, even though the execution could perhaps be better. Good review by the way!

Fantastic review, Z06, and a great way to go gold in style! This is a lovely set - there seem to be a lot a features, and it looks great fun. I've never really encountered the Aquazone theme before - it was right in the middle of my dark age - but you've done a great job of bring the theme to life. Nicely done!

Well I love shuttles, and this is a must for me. The interior looks a bit shallow, like the RAS, but I'm sure it can be modded. How come it's so early in France? I thought it wasn't due till August.

Great review, Sieggy - interesting and informative. I'm not a fan of Japanese RPGs - more of a Fable kind of guy - but I've been spending hours watching Mrs Rufus playing FFXIII and I'm sure she'll agree with you. The graphics sure look stunning to me - we have the 360 version and a 1080 TV - but the characters can look a little two-dimensional from a distance during fights. She's been using the Piggyback guide book to help - I think she got stuck on one boss fight and didn't realise how important the Paradigm Shift function was, but the book helped. All I know is that when new FF games come out I lose her for days.

Nice! Interesting technique with built-up plates on the angled sections of the 'waist'. I'd like to see a bit more detail on the engines though; they look a bit unfinished. Do you have a reference picture for comparison!

That's not bad! I think the front should have more of a downward curve to it (from memory), but you can tell at an instant what it is - good work! It's a little scaled down though. Still, !

Did I miss something? That's big news, but no fanfare. Well spotted, LegoGalactus; I wonder where KimT found that info? At 2500 pieces that's a big set. If those pieces are all in the shuttle it's going to have a huge wingspan and be difficult to display. Perhaps there will be a landing pad after all.

Lovely review, Walter, and a great way to go gold! For all its flaws, this is a great - and unique - set: one of the few which I have always on display. One day I will mod it...

Beautifully done, cavegod. Like many others I've been following your progress, and it's great to see such a bewilderingly huge project finally come to fruition. It is indeed a monster! What are you going to do with it now??? It would be a crying shame to destroy it, but it must have consumed most of your Lego collection!

Thanks for the comments! Good old washing-up liquid! Actually the big windscreen is a little scratched, but you can't see it in the photos. Good point, I'll go back and mention that at some point. Thanks!

Serves me right for skim-reading the previous posts... It goes on the end of the blaster - it was commented on in the Rumours thread (mostly 'Huh?'). Actually, I watched Empire again recently, and as I recall he does have a blaster with a grey/silver nozzle (I think you see it in the multiple-bounty-hunters-on-the-star-destroyer scene).

This is funny, but sad at the same time. Why couldn't they just say 'Sorry, that username is not allowed' rather than highlighting the 'rude' word? I feel very sorry for the people of Scunthorpe when this sort of thing happens

I couldn't agree more! The new Carbie block is such an improvement, and Boba really looks the part. Plus who can't love Bossk, even is you don't agree with his skin colour? Thanks for sharing, CopMike! Do you have the whole set?

How big is your car going to be, and is it primarily brick-built or Technic? If the former, the recent Creator set 4993 Cool Convertible has brickbuilt doors that sit flush and open nicely. They are attached using a clever technique with a 2x2 turntable at the bottom and a 1x4 hinged plate at the top. You'll be able to download the instructions from lego.com. If that doesn't help, then I'd suggest posting pics of your progress so far, so people will be better able to help out.

'Mercury.... any mercury around here? Mercury??! I can't see any mercury anywhere.' 'We're not looking for mercury dangit - this is an American mission, we're looking for uranium.' 'Oh, I forgot. But why is this vehicle called the Mercury Crawler when it's design to seek uranium? Stoopid Brits.' 'Perhaps it's meant to look for uranium on Mercury?' 'Or mercury on Uranus?' 'How rude! Oh, you mean the planet.' Yes, this was 1984, and I was happily ensconced in my pre-dark age love affair with Classic Space, the 10 year old me blissfully unaware of the confusion that Lego's multiple-international-naming-policy would cause my later reviewing exploits. As well as the '<insert planet-related element name here> vehicle' name of the English-speaking nations, this was a laboratory in France, Germany and Portugal ('Laboratoire tout terrain', 'Cosmo-Lab' and 'Laboratorio movel' respectively). All names are appropriate, though my not wholly unbiased opinion is that the imaginative UK name does the most to bring this medium-sized set to life. The Stats Name: Mercury Crawler (UK), Uranium Search Vehicle (US) Number: 6928 Theme: Legoland Space Years: 1984 - 1985 Pieces: 196 Minifigs: 2 Price: £6.85 back in the day! Links ... Brickset ... Peeron ... Bricklink The £6.85 price is an estimate; this price point was used for the 200-piece Space sets in 1982-3, according to my surviving Lego Builders Club magazine, and I clearly recall the similarly-sized 1985 'Dark Star/Gamma V' (6891) sharing the same price point, so it is reasonable to assume this set was priced to match. Below is an extract from the 1984 catalogue, showing a variety of sets from my heyday: Notice again the variety of names; US Classic Space fans beware! The Box - Front I must have had remarkable presence of mind to keep all my boxes from back then, either that or it was the early stages of obsessive-compulsive disorder. This one has borne the twenty years in the attic reasonably well. Like all from the Legoland Space era, a non-descript yellow terrain is used as the backdrop; the bold yellow Legoland banner adorns the upper surface. Back The rear shows off one of the set's features - the opening rear section, and a number of similar alterative models: There is no badly-dressed kid this time, thankfully. Top marks again for packaging - this box is the sliding-drawer variety: This is a sadly-missed feature of sets of this size. You can easily build the set straight out of the box, without the need for large expanses of table. The Instructions Lego didn't put so much effort in their instructions: this is a single sheet, folded to show the identical picture to the box and one of the alternatives; the instructions for the latter aren't included. Many steps are crammed into this small space, using three to four parts per step, with no call-outs. It can be tricky in places to notice where all the new parts go, especially with all that blue; however, little me managed ok so it can't be too bad. The Parts It's a fairly unexciting collection, mainly of bricks and plates; perhaps surprising is the relative number of plates for a reasonably 'tall' model. Of note are the trans-red shields, found only in space sets from this year. Space fans will be all too familiar with the large number of balloon tyres. There are few printed parts: Nothing new or remarkable, but I'll never complain about computer screens or those lovely space-logo bricks. The Figures 1984 was the year that saw the introduction of black and blue spacemen. This was my first set with a black-suited man, and this is one of the reasons I cherished it at the time. The black colour looks great on spacemen: As you can see, the printing on the white dude hasn't survived so well, though I can't say for definite that this isn't a substitute whitey from a different set. The Build There was a lot of surface muck on the pieces that had been on exposed areas of the set; a good wash later and they're shining. I noticed when building that the plates in particular were stiff and squeaky to put together; whether this is related to age or the different tolerances used in Lego's moulds back then I cannot say. The model is built in sections: first the front half, minus wheels: It's essentially a specialised base module with bricks on top; there are a number of 1x1 clippy plates to hold tools, and a few open wing pylons that will connect the vehicle's various radar appendages. The rear is built on a similar base; in construction, the door sections are reminiscent of the rear doors of the great 497/928 Space Cruiser/Galaxy Explorer. 'Rocket wings' and megaphones make minor greebling on this section. The wheel sections are identical, and consist of two technic axles threaded though technic beams, with bushes and balloon tyres pushed on. Non-friction pins allow the wheel sections to follow the contours of the terrain... ... however, you may notice that I've omitted the base 2x2 plate (right picture above) that should be placed underneath the two 1x2 technic bricks (steps 1 & 2 in the instructions below): Those parts were missing when I rescued the box from the Attic of Obscurity. I can't remember for sure, but I probably did this to improve the ground clearance - I recall these plates used to snag on the crater plates of my base. The Complete Set After connecting the wheel sections, and adding the various radar dishes and metal detectors, we can view the finished model: For a ground-based vehicle, it's quite attractive. The colour scheme, while perhaps not original, is smart, and fits in nicely with the rest of the range. The multiple appendages give it a purposeful look. It ought to be quite manoeuvrable, given the articulated centre and tilting wheelbases, but as you can see in this high view, the turning circle is a little limited: This could easily be improved by reversing one of the stop plates either side of the centre joint; there is a risk of the vehicle jack-knifing if you do this and push from the rear. Thanks to The Cobra for pointing out that you can't separate the front and rear sections - well, you can, but the two halves will flop on their wheel bogies. From the front, the vehicle has quite a small profile. The radar dishes and metal detectors are independently moveable: perfect for searching for whichever element takes your fancy. The cockpit is roomy, and comfortable for the driver, who has only the usual steering wheel to control it. The designer has thoughtfully included small ladder elements at the front, and at the rear: The rear opens up, giving easy access to the black spacedude at his computer station. The rocket wings and megaphones at the rear may represent the propulsion system. Finally, a shot of the complete model with hatches open: you can also see the tools attached to their clippy plates: a gun, a hammer and a walkie-talkie. There should also be a spanner, which I must have seconded to another part of my base. Conclusion & Thoughts In Classic Space, like in most Lego sci-fi genres, the space-going vessels tend to get all the limelight, leaving ground-based vehicles and bases on the sidelines. Nevertheless, as vehicles go, this is a lovely set; well-designed, attractive, and with a bountiful selection of play features. Design: 9/10 I think this is a beautiful vehicle, with a great colour scheme, purposeful look, and a sturdy construction. It looks the part traversing the cratered contours of the Classic Space base; my only criticism is the low ground clearance, which causes a bit of scraping over the humps. Build: 6/10 Its a quick 20 minute build; nothing taxing, and no 'wow' moments; the end result however is pleasing. I didn't enjoy the wheel section - carefully aligning the bushes on the technic axles to keep them spinning freely is tiresome. Parts & Figs: 7/10 There's nothing too exciting on the parts front, but the black spaceman is to die for . Still, I wouldn't recommend paying an extortionate figure on the second-hand market unless you're desperate to fill a 6928-shaped whole in your collection. Playability: 8/10 This set abounds with little features, be it the rotating radar/detector apparatus, the opening front and rear sections, and two figures to pick up the many tools and pose with them. The most fun to be had, though, is just pushing the little thing around, particularly if it's the one set your little self took on holiday with him! When it's part of a big space base, it'll probably get overlooked with all those swooshable spaceships around. Price: 7/10 This was par for the course for the £6.85 price point in 1984; it seems good value now, but if you compare it to the similarly-priced 6981 Dark Star/Gamma V from 1985 it doesn't have quite the same pizzazz. Overall: 74%. Looked at objectively, this set suffers for what it is: a vehicle. A lovely vehicle, but in Classic Space the ships always steal the show. For me, the nostalgia value is huge, and this set will always have a place in my heart. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed the review. Please do let me know what you thought of the review, and the set itself. Rufus

I've been planning this one for a little while. Had to improvise on darth #6!

Great review as ever, def! I've never seen this set 'up close'; it looks a lot better than I'd expected. I might just try to track one down.

I'm sure you're right BC; but it might be an error for a whole batch. I got an extra AT-ST driver head in my 7657; I seem to remember reading about others getting the same (alas, I can't remember where), but the two EB reviews of that set (including yours) don't mention it, so obviously it's not every set. Dr D: Is your UCS MF one of the original certified sets, as Dunamis' was (IIRC)? Edit - corrected set number.