Theme review: Spyrius

[Algernon]

I have a difference of opinion on this theme. The base is the best set of the theme (I have it and the Saucer), IMHO. I'm a huge fan of robots, but the robots in this line and Robo-Force just underwhelmed me completely, then and now. Exo-Force, to me, was a step in the right direction, but still not quite there. If they could make sets that look like something out of Armored Core, or Steel Battalion, now that would be something.

UFO doesn't seem to be that popular, but i loved the theme and the figs. It was so different from anything TLG had ever created up until that time, and it had some great playability and features. Space Police, M-tron, Futuron, Blacktron, and the like are easy to love...they were just awesome eye-catching themes. UFO was a little different, but i loved it anyway.

Well, it's important to remember that Spyrius isn't TRYING to be like Armored Core, it's trying to be generic science fiction. I was put off by the robots too, at first, but now that I have them I appreciate them more. I hated Exo-Force for the most part- skeletal designs are inexcusable when LEGO has so much more to work with. But I must admit, an Armored Core-ish theme would be amazing.

I also loved UFO. The bigger sets, not so much, but the range of small vehicles really impressed me. The Warp Wing Figher is one of my favorite Space sets ever. Also, the minifigs are great too. Glad to hear that someone else enjoyed this theme.

[M'Kyuun]

Well, it's important to remember that Spyrius isn't TRYING to be like Armored Core, it's trying to be generic science fiction. I was put off by the robots too, at first, but now that I have them I appreciate them more. I hated Exo-Force for the most part- skeletal designs are inexcusable when LEGO has so much more to work with. But I must admit, an Armored Core-ish theme would be amazing.

I also loved UFO. The bigger sets, not so much, but the range of small vehicles really impressed me. The Warp Wing Figher is one of my favorite Space sets ever. Also, the minifigs are great too. Glad to hear that someone else enjoyed this theme.

Oh man, i loved the UFO set..the top lifted off as a separate smaller saucer and then there was the arm to take the wheeled vehicle out of the center cargo area. Just pure plastic awesomeness. And the helmets on the aliens were fantastic, again, unlike anything TLG had ever made before, let alone the unique faces on the alien figs. What a great unsung theme.

Yeah, i think they were going for more of a 50's style robot, and this was years before clicky joints, so wheels were the way to go. Still, the bulldozer chain links were around back then, and they could have used those. It's a moot point. TLG didn't gamble a great deal back then; they aimed their products solely at kids, received little to no feedback, and were completely oblivious to their, ahem, more mature fanbase. :) We take alot of the forward strides TLG have made in the last 10 years for granted, I think. How many toy companies, or companies period, aside from Hasbro and TLG, listen to their fans and solicit ideas from the same?

As far as Exo-Force; yeah, pretty skeletal and simplistic. But, they were humanoid, and had jointed, poseable legs as well as arms. To me, that was a huge evolution in LEGO design. I was ecstatic when they put 2 hands with moving fingers on the yellow bot (the name escapes me; it was an exclusive, and actually one of the best designs to come out of the line, IMHO). EF to me was simply a stepping stone to what i hope will be improved robots in future lines. I'd venture to guess there are a few anime fans among the LEGO design teams, and perhaps they'll churn out some more "mature " designs that get ok'd for release. After all, TLG have done stuff in the SW theme that i never thought i'd see in an official product, so there's always hope. i keep hangin' on to that thin thread.

Edited January 5, 2009 by M'Kyuun

[Algernon]

Oh man, i loved the UFO set..the top lifted off as a separate smaller saucer and then there was the arm to take the wheeled vehicle out of the center cargo area. Just pure plastic awesomeness. And the helmets on the aliens were fantastic, again, unlike anything TLG had ever made before, let alone the unique faces on the alien figs. What a great unsung theme.

Yeah, i think they were going for more of a 50's style robot, and this was years before clicky joints, so wheels were the way to go. Still, the bulldozer chain links were around back then, and they could have used those. It's a moot point. TLG didn't gamble a great deal back then; they aimed their products solely at kids, received little to no feedback, and were completely oblivious to their, ahem, more mature fanbase. :) We take alot of the forward strides TLG have made in the last 10 years for granted, I think. How many toy companies, or companies period, aside from Hasbro and TLG, listen to their fans and solicit ideas from the same?

As far as Exo-Force; yeah, pretty skeletal and simplistic. But, they were humanoid, and had jointed, poseable legs as well as arms. To me, that was a huge evolution in LEGO design. I was ecstatic when they put 2 hands with moving fingers on the yellow bot (the name escapes me; it was an exclusive, and actually one of the best designs to come out of the line, IMHO). EF to me was simply a stepping stone to what i hope will be improved robots in future lines. I'd venture to guess there are a few anime fans among the LEGO design teams, and perhaps they'll churn out some more "mature " designs that get ok'd for release. After all, TLG have done stuff in the SW theme that i never thought i'd see in an official product, so there's always hope. i keep hangin' on to that thin thread.

1- To be fair I didn't have the Alien Avenger, but it looked a little strange to me. I did have all of the sets besides the two biggest ones, and I loved 'em all. Minifigs are the strongest part of the theme IMO.

2- Definitely more of a 50s style here. You're probably right.

3- Well, I understand that line of thinking, but after all is said or done I still prefer my Recon Robot to any of the manga-style Exo-Force models I've seen. I think it's possible we'll get another mecha line in the future, possibly much better, but given the sales of Exo-Force it'll be awhile.

[M'Kyuun]

1- To be fair I didn't have the Alien Avenger, but it looked a little strange to me. I did have all of the sets besides the two biggest ones, and I loved 'em all. Minifigs are the strongest part of the theme IMO.

2- Definitely more of a 50s style here. You're probably right.

3- Well, I understand that line of thinking, but after all is said or done I still prefer my Recon Robot to any of the manga-style Exo-Force models I've seen. I think it's possible we'll get another mecha line in the future, possibly much better, but given the sales of Exo-Force it'll be awhile.

The figs for UFO were probably the most sci-fi-ish figs prior to Star Wars. Very unique, with very intricate circuitry patterns. The helmets were the icing on the cake, so to speak...straight up excellent.

I'm glad you enjoy the theme; it's not my cup of tea, but i won't disparage it either, b/c it captures a certain look and feel that appeals to a lot of people. Just like EF appeals to some , and others dislike it. I'm just glad LEGO ventures into these themes and tries different ideas. The same can be said about Agents or the new Power Miners. I love the former and am not too plussed for the latter, but i know there are folks out there with an entirely opposite opinion. As far as robots go, they're a sci-fi mainstay, and in any incarnation, I'm sure there are fans. That said, i'm sure we'll see them in other themes, although, I agree, we may not see a purely robot-based theme again for awhile. I'm still holding out hope for TLG to attempt a transforming mech, although I think it'll be a few more years before we see anything of that complexity in an official product. If they do, i hope it's very well done, b/c the only thing cooler than a well designed transforming robot is a very well designed transforming robot made entirely from LEGO. Til then, I'll remain content with my Vulture Droids and my 2 Hyena Droids...I think they're pretty gosh darn swell.

Edited January 5, 2009 by M'Kyuun

[Algernon]

The figs for UFO were probably the most sci-fi-ish figs prior to Star Wars. Very unique, with very intricate circuitry patterns. The helmets were the icing on the cake, so to speak...straight up excellent.

I'm glad you enjoy the theme; it's not my cup of tea, but i won't disparage it either, b/c it captures a certain look and feel that appeals to a lot of people. Just like EF appeals to some , and others dislike it. I'm just glad LEGO ventures into these themes and tries different ideas. The same can be said about Agents or the new Power Miners. I love the former and am not too plussed for the latter, but i know there are folks out there with an entirely opposite opinion. As far as robots go, they're a sci-fi mainstay, and in any incarnation, I'm sure there are fans. That said, i'm sure we'll see them in other themes, although, I agree, we may not see a purely robot-based theme again for awhile. I'm still holding out hope for TLG to attempt a transforming mech, although I think it'll be a few more years before we see anything of that complexity in an official product. If they do, i hope it's very well done, b/c the only thing cooler than a well designed transforming robot is a very well designed transforming robot made entirely from LEGO.

I agree. UFO figs are great. Nice variety, too. We had five different kinds in one theme!

It's true, different themes appeal to different people, and I too am glad LEGO's trying new ideas.

Also, does this count?

[Spacerunner]

7: SPYRIUS MOCS

Here are a few brickshelf links to some fantastic Spyrius themed MOCs.

"AX-01-Galaxy" by Togaran

Mega Core Magnetizer in Spyrius theme (as well as other themes!) by bdarrow

"Lepidopt" by TheHordesMan

"G-01-Base" by Togaran

Some other Spyrius MOCs by Togaran

Various Spyrius vehicles by jindroush

WOW, it's nice to see someone noticed my own MOCs Unfortunately there are only few MOCs dedicated to Spyrius on Brickshelf.

Just to make things right:

1) Togaran is my former nick I used on Brickshelf.

2) G-01-Base was renamed to G-01-Tower

3) Models under last link are mine too, Jindroush took pictures and made a gallery from this event in Brno, that's why it's in his gallery.

There is no need of correction.

One thing worth noting is the two somewhat different color schemes used here. Both are black and red, but the transparent colors are different. The robots use red with neon green accents while the saucers and base use almost all blue, with some neon green accents but used very sparingly. We saw this sort of color division again with Roboforce a few years later. The Robo Guardian also inexplicably had some dark gray, which was the first time that color was seen in a space set.

Almost everything after these sets had trans-neon green as a prominent accent color. That color had probably become overused by the time space died out.

When I was young I thought that TrRed is used to better fit with black/red color scheme of robots. If you try, you would have seen that TrDarkBlue really doesn't look very well on robots.

I agree with overusing TrNeonGreen - Since it was invented it was used on both M:Tron and Blacktron (1990, 1991 - two years in a row) and since 1994 is it used on every space theme - Exploriens, Ufo, Insectoids

It is a very nice theme but it introduced the <insert that tiresome argument> taste with the 6879, the wingow piece is huge...

For me, this corner panel is one of symbols of Lego space, not juniorization. Used ever since Futuron and I still hope it will come back one day...

Interesting review Algernon, you've done great job. I reall ylike Spyrius color theme and vehicles. In my opinion, the Robo Guardian is the best set. Compared to space themes released before Spyrius, it's a weak one, Lunar Launch Site could have been made much better (look at Ice Planet base!) and it doesn't have any huge ship. But guys - there are robots! and that totally got me.

Here is a picture of nearly completed collection:

[MetroiD]

I also agree that the Spyrians' base is really nothing special compared to the Ice Planet base for example. However, Spyrius is still a personal favourite series and 6889 is one of my all-time fav sets. As a matter of fact, there are only two sets I haven't taken apart and the robot is one of them, so that must mean something...

Algernon - thanks for the great review! Now you've got me hooked - I think I'll use that old baseplate and try my hand at building a base for the Spyrians. It's been sooooooooo long since I last built a space MOC, I'm sure this will be fun!

[CP5670]

When I was young I thought that TrRed is used to better fit with black/red color scheme of robots. If you try, you would have seen that TrDarkBlue really doesn't look very well on robots.

I've tried making that change on the Robo Guardian and it looks okay to me, at least not any different than the other Spyrius things. Trans-red might go better with the black/red in general (as it later appeared in the Ogel sets), but that could be said about the entire theme.

I also agree that the Spyrians' base is really nothing special compared to the Ice Planet base for example.

I actually like the Spyrius base better than the Ice Planet one, especially its hidden rocket launcher. It's about average as far as the bases go, and there were both better and worse ones made.

[Oky]

Nice review! I loved this theme! The Robo Guardian is one of my fave sets of all time! It is just so cool!

I have it along with the other two big sets of this theme, plus the Saucer Scout, I think. The Saucer Centurion is pretty cool as well, and the base, although not being super great, is very nice too. I think that splitting rock thing is a really neat idea! After seeing you point out the flaws in these sets, I guess it's not the best Space theme out there, but definitely one of the better ones!

I think the Saucer Scout is supposed to work like this: The "tubular" pieces on the wings are jet engines that can provide propulsion through both both open ends. The ones on the side are for forward and backward propulsion. The ones at the front and back are for sideways movement and rotation. Make sense?

[CP5670]

I think the Saucer Scout is supposed to work like this: The "tubular" pieces on the wings are jet engines that can provide propulsion through both both open ends. The ones on the side are for forward and backward propulsion. The ones at the front and back are for sideways movement and rotation. Make sense?

That's what I was saying earlier. It's a little goofy but clever idea.

[Algernon]

Seeing this topic getting attention again makes me realize I promised you all a Space Police 2 review.

Oh snap.

[Spacerunner]

Seeing this topic getting attention again makes me realize I promised you all a Space Police 2 review.

Oh snap.

That would be great! I'm looking forward to it

Is somewhere here list of all space themes review?

[Oky]

That would be great! I'm looking forward to it

Is somewhere here list of all space themes review?

I'd love to know that too! Reading a review about one of my favorite space themes left me craving for more! If there isn't such an index, someone should make one!

[Legoist]

Your review is outstanding!

Here I'd like to make my comments & criticism on the theme (not on the review itself).

6939 Saucer Centurion [1] [2] [3] [4]

Score: 9.5/10 Outstanding

The Centurion seems indeed quite a good set. The octagonal shape is unusual for LEGO spaceships, which makes it standout in a very distinctive way. I agree that the double seat and the "splitting" feature are very nice, although the rover vehicle itself is not very special. Perhaps it would have been better if the windshield remained attached to the vehicle when deploying it (however the rover's driver is the droid, so perhaps he doesn't need the windshield at all).

My score is 9/10.

6949 Robo-Guardian [1] [2] [3]

Score: 8.5/10 Excellent

The concept is quite ok, but personally I find the end result too blunt, bordering the hideous. It keeps feeling to me like it was built by a young kid for some reason.

My score is 4/10.

6889 Recon Robot [1] [2] [3]

Score: 9/10 Outstanding

About as bad as the other robot, perhaps a slightly better overall look but less functions.

My score is 4/10.

6879 Lunar Launch Site [sorry, no out-of-box photos]

Score: 7/10 Decent

It seems that the base is but a bunch of mega-pieces, not very much building value here. The tower itself is mediocre (not terrible, but neither nice) and very empty inside. The land vehicle is quite poor, while the small saucer is not bad. +1 point because of the cool idea of the splitting rock to disguise the missile launch site.

My score: 5/10.

6898 Saucer Scout [sorry, no out-of-box photos]

Score: 6/10 Passable

This is actually quite cool for me! It's certainly different and innovative. The fact is, I see this saucer operating in two ways: one would be hovering horizontally like on the cover, with the minifigure lying and watching through the camera (would be better if the camera could rotate 360 degrees); the second is in a vertical stand, with the minifig watching directly through the glass and the saucer propel forward by a backburner underneath. In any case the four motors on the sides don't obviously work all at the same time: the two above and below the minifig are for horizonal thrust, while the two on the sides are for going forward/backwards (while in horizontal position) or upwards/downwards (while in vertical position). I see the combination of these 4 (+1 eventually one burner on the back/bottom) engines giving this little saucer extraordinary control flexibility.

My score: 9/10.

1954 Surveillance Scooter [sorry, no out-of-box photos]

Score: 5.5/10 Mediocre

Yes we have hundreds of tiny spacecrafts, but this is not a reason for downgrading the score, it's certainly not a fault of the set... Among those hundreds, this is neither special nor below average IMHO.

My score: 7/10.

1704 (unnamed) [sorry, no out-of-box photos]

Score: 5/10 Mediocre

I agree on all accounts for this one. It looks flimsy, and not very sensible.

My score: 5/10.

As for general comments on the theme: as by my grades, there's a large gap for my tastes between those 3 spaceships (the 9s and the 7) and the rest. My average appreciation is pretty low, a little over 6 (a low grade IMO) but with only 3 sets on the positive range it means quite a bad theme (I'd score the whole theme a 5 as in "pick a couple and forget the rest"). For me the problem here is not in the concept but in the execution. Also for some reason I really do not dig the colour scheme...

[Algernon]

Legoist, you might want to consider the standards of the time when reviewing the robots, because LEGO hadn't built any official Space robot prior to Spyrius, save one rather ugly classic set.

[Spacefan]

Legoist, you might want to consider the standards of the time when reviewing the robots, because LEGO hadn't built any official Space robot prior to Spyrius, save one rather ugly classic set.

I agree.

This is what passed for LEGO Space robots before Spyrius:

No Exo-Force back in those days...

[Section8]

3/5, solely because you and others stated that Exploriens wasn't entirely worthless, which I agree with.

I remember playing with most of these sets since my friend owned them. The large robot and saucer were pretty decently and ingeniously built. The small saucer was pretty worthless though. Possibly you should include 1785 as part of this line. The one Spyrius-looking robot is unique, for more than one reason.

- Is it just me or did Spyrius steal Space Police I's color scheme?

---

No, SP1 had way more blue elements, across the board and no red except trans-red. The two are very distinct, based on those criteria.

This is what passed for LEGO Space robots before Spyrius:

And I'd love to see a modern set with half as many similar components as the one you posted. That set is a treasure trove of great 1980s design and great 1980s pieces.

[CP5670]

Great pieces, certainly. But you have to be pretty generous to call that great design.

[Algernon]

Yes, we're not dissing classic Space, but every classic Space set can't be brilliant you know.

[Section8]

Great pieces, certainly. But you have to be pretty generous to call that great design.

I said great 1980s design. Of course the designs from the early 90s were better. I wonder if will hit that high point again...

[CP5670]

I said great 1980s design. Of course the designs from the early 90s were better. I wonder if will hit that high point again...

I would say the 80s and 90s space sets were pretty comparable overall. There are far better examples of 80s sets than that one. Space changed over time but not that dramatically, and it didn't really get better or worse when you look at the overall picture, at least not until the very end.

Edited March 4, 2009 by CP5670

[Skulls_Eye_Schooner_Sailor]

A very nice review you've got going here. My brother and I had the two saucers and robots as kids. Sadly, they are no longer in one piece! I would greatly like to repurchase them at some point, and pick up the base as well!

This is definitely one of my favorite lines! But why isn't this review indexed?! Also, the whole space theme has almost no reviews, either that or most of them were never indexed! How can this be?

Also, I will add that the Spyrius vehicles were inserted into some catalog scenes invading the Ice Planet homeworld, so yes... they had something to do with them! Also, wasn't there something in the catalogs about the Spyrians trying to steal the rocket technology?

[Aanchir]

Nice job here. I liked Spyrius for a number of reasons, and still like it in retrospect. It had very unique designs for its craft, but still adhered to some standards-- specifically, the use of robots and saucer-craft as the main vehicles. Certainly robots and flying saucers are some of the standard alien technology from old movies, and Spyrius definitely coherent as an "evil alien" faction.

I'd argue against the claim in the beginning, however, that the Spyrius mission was more specific than Blacktron's. Although some of the names for the Blacktron craft hinted at greater motives (like the "Invader"), Blacktron names were inconsistent between languages, and some of the promotional tidbits from catalogs are more telling. Here's some translations I whipped up using Google Translate and some guesswork:

Race in outer space

Who will win? The M:Tron, the inventor's cronies, or the wily Blacktron spies? Or will the faster Space Police travel light years to the point where there is trouble? LEGO Space sets build a galactic adventure. They are distant vision of the future - today.

Blacktron

"Secret"? Don't make us laugh!

So - nowhere are there better spies than us. And when something "should be organized," then we are the professionals! Most is on the M:Tron fetch: hyper-magnetic technology, for example. For our know-how will earn us all that is offered in space. And the M:Tron have computers to snatch, which for us is a breeze. We can clear them out with time to spare. Aren't we right!

M:Tron

At the center of everything

Sure - we are the great inventors with the cool computers and the top magnet hardware! Whatever happens in space - we help and save with our powerful equipment. We were really good at it - were it not for those Blacktron types. They're always after our equipment and our computer plans. The danger makes us more determined!

Space Police

We maintain order!

How fortunate is it that we're here? Who else should take care of justice in the galaxy? With our super-fast space ships and cutting-edge engines we race at light speed through space. You see our alarm lights? We are everywhere like the lightning, because we use the Lego Electric System. Call us if you need help, we'll be there at once!

This sample best illustrates the point, but I have other samples that help verify this point. Blacktron was chiefly a spy faction intent on stealing technology from the M:Tron computer/magnet specialists and satellites from the Ice Planet astronauts (a Dutch source calls them something that can best be translated as the charming "Icetronauts").

Of course, while Blacktron apparently stole these technologies for profit (a 1993 catalog described Blacktron II as "selling them to the highest bidder"), Spyrius had a slightly different detail revealed: they would guard the technologies on the planet Spyrius with their robots before using them for whatever purpose they had in mind (I get this straight from an English catalog, since Spyrius was more during my era).

The reason I did this research was that I was searching for what older space theme could do with a revival (a hypothetical one, of course, I wasn't actually predicting LEGO's actions) to accompany the new Space Police theme. Thus, the themes that coexisted with Space Police were my primary focus. I think I found out enough info to make some conclusions (although most of these were that the localized peacekeeping of today's Space Police is largely incompatible with the interplanetary conflicts the old themes entailed).

But anyhow, back to Spyrius. Great theme. Looking back, my brother and I got most of the sets besides the Recon Robot and Lunar Launch Site. They were wonderful sets, and I still hope some similar "alien spy" theme (if not Spyrius itself) could present itself as the follow-up to Space Police (although today's reluctance to focus a theme on a single faction would make that a bit unlikely without a continued Space Police presence).