Futuron: 6875 Hovercraft

Today's installment in Futuron is a this little spaceship called Hovercraft which is about as similar to ACVs or Air Cushion Vehicles as that British show's classy little van. 

Now, that's better.  and the point is, 6875 Hovercraft is nothing like an ACV. But where there's a will, there's a way.

Naming conventions aside Hovercraft is a good example of the Futuron theme; It looks more like a domed canopy to which small scooters and multiple guns have been applied.  The front of the ship has six guns facing forward if you ignore that the little side pieces are actually small ships; and those guns are probably just running lights.  I ignore that.  Everything pointing forward has to be laser weaponry by child logic; the very best kind if I may say so.  And so this ship is just bristling with armaments.  Your Blacktron ship can't withstand firepower of this magnitude!

The back of the ship sports little round dishes that are by all indications part of the propulsion.  They are part of a heavily concentrated section of aesthetically minded black pieces in a small area; a rarity in Futuron.

Furthermore, the ship is propelled by four white rocket engines mounted beneath the ship in a diamond pattern.

The arrow tile indicates an action.

 Swing the latch forward

The cockpit lifts up, providing the primary moving feature.

The design attempts to create a bubble dome around the pilot, a design which can now actually be achieved perfectly with this piece (circa 2010-present).

Isn't progress wonderful.  The Lego Group keeps improving things, I mean, hurr durr, when I was a whippersnipper we had to use our imaginations and build our space ship canopies out of 2x4 red bricks.  Thanks, but no.  I am however part and parcel to my age, and I favor the more angular windows such as these from my childhood merely as a matter of prejudice. 

Getting back to Hovercraft, it sports these two space scooters that present a really cool idea executed in a mediocre fashion.   They're kind of chunky and too big looking as seperate vehicles, though they do give the main model a nice look.

These removable segments can reattach to each other.

The result is this rather uninspiring super-scooter

 Hovercraft is decently big thanks to its long 2x16 plate which forms the basis of the model.  It's perfect for a kid's hand, and it provides a nice hefty weight to give you that extra sense of value.  It's not my favorite, but it's not bad, ending up somewhere in the middle of the theme visually.

There are certain pieces within Hovercraft which are peculiar to itself in the Futuron theme.

This white jumbo plate/brick is exclusive to this set in Futuron, albeit two can be had in black elsewhere in Futuron.

Here is the inverted corner slope which pairs well to the upright slopes in Lunar MPV Vehicle.  You get two of them in white, and there are no other variants in Futuron.  It is an uncommon part, but it's been around for a while so it is not too hard to find.

Hovercraft has two of this rather common piece, again in white, and for our purposes they are the only two in Futuron.

That wraps up the assortment of five Futuron specific parts.  Alas, none of them are unique, although three of them are not especially common.

Now this is how you build a hovercraft, Lego style...

Okay, Hovercraft jokes to the side, here's a space pod for quick transport.  It's a bit square, but, pretty cute.

6875 Hovercraft has only three prints in the entire set, an arrow, and the shirt/smiley face.  Overall it has a nice spread of engine parts and spacey bits, but it seems very heavy on plates, once again to the detriment of brick selection.

Final Verdict: B+
Pros: Two canopy windows, lots of engines in white, good main model
Cons: Few prints, chubby scooters,  yellow spaceman