Futuron 6885: Crater Crawler

Since this website is devoted to old Lego sets, it's high time I visit the ugly truth that hasn't been discussed yet.  Buying old Lego can be frustrating, sometimes you run into that one set that no one seems to be selling, and prices are skyrocketing, and you find one after the sale date ended on Ebay.  You scream, and keep looking, and then, you finally cave and import that item from overseas, and the condition is okay, but not what you would have paid if you had options for better condition sets. Suddenly the set is plentiful, everyone and their mother is selling the set for half of what you paid, and they're in better condition.  Welcome to being a collector, you have just experienced my summer.

If you are intent on buying every set in a long retired theme, you must: expect to pay more, or shop around for a long time, and prepare for disappointment.  On a side note, if you want a collection of Vintage Legoland sets from the 80's for close to retail value, Town is the way to go.  I've seen sealed boxes of Town Legoland sets go for retail more times than I can count.

Here from Austria is 6885 Crater Crawler a.k.a. Saturn Main Base.

Like the previously reviewed 6810 Laser Ranger, Crater Crawler contains one of the three black spacemen, circa '88 and '89.

By my estimation, Crater Crawler is the most collectible of the Futuron landmasters.  It doesn't suffer from Yellow Spaceman fatigue and tired construction courtesy of the previously reviewed 6925 Interplanetary Rover.

Nor is it a prisoner to electrics cost spillover and part shortage as shall be explored in the yet to be reviewed 6770 Lunar Transporter Patroller.

Speaking of tired construction.  Look at those big wheels in the back.  They're special, the only two in Futuron, and boy howdy are they bold and obvious.  Sure, other space themes have them, but they're still cool, and you've probably guessed by now; my childhood was spent desiring but never attaining those big wheels.

Oh you thought I was serious about the tired construction?  Whoops, ironically, I don't think I've ever seen another truck quite as wacky as Crater Crawler; at least from this era at any rate.  It's got fences around the driver for wheel wells, held on by four white megaphones, and a domed canopy with enormous wheel arches that contains a space scooter and droid.  It appears that the whole rig is driven by joystick.

Heck, even the droid is unique.  I think the toymaker was trying to recreate R2D2 with it, what do you think?

It can walk, but leaning back would require some fine tuning of the design.  The rear reveals use of multi sided SNOT cubes; always a pleasure.

The set's scooter is probably Crater Crawler's weakest element; suffering as it does from a lack of interesting features.  The center joystick (yes another one) sits over a flashing red light and thruster rockets pointing upward seem to indicate a forward tilt for short bursts over crags and craters.

It seems peripheral and can be easily compared to the simple futuron cars for sparse details.

In visual regard Interplanetary Rover's scooter far outshines Crater Crawler's.

The model has two moving functions.  The blue dome lifts up, and is studs forward, but it sits atop a construction of wheel arches that are studs backwards.  It allows for some nice visual design cues, and it's just this side of tricky so as to catch my attention.

The other moving feature is the center twist plate, this allows the Crater Crawler to turn left and right.  Due to the light front and heavy rear the motion feels a bit spastic and overly quick when pushed along.  Perhaps the designers chose a joystick as an inside joke about its odd twisting movement?  

At least in steering weight Crater Crawler feels less sure than Interplanetary Rover.  That isn't to say the design is bad, the steering seems a tad quirky as a side effect of the different wheel sizes and short wheelbase.  I quite like this funky motion...it just doesn't impress one with its surefooted weightiness...it's weightless and go-kart quick...hardly rolling like the truck it appears to be.

My favorite components in this model are the quarter dome window panes.  

These quarter dome elements first appeared in '88 in this Crater Crawler and that most venerable of space stations: 6987 Message Intercept-Base, the hideout for Futuron's antagonistic foes...BlackTron!

They would appear shortly after in another Futuron set called 6850 Auxilliary Patroller circa 1989, and in 1990, the 9355 Dacta space theme set provided a sizable selection of the trans dark blue quarter domes; 10 in fact!

Despite looking big Crater Crawler only has 98 pieces, owing its size to the 6x10 plate, tyres, wheel wells, and dome for much of its girth.  That's count em, 7 pieces.  Most of the other parts are specialized in some way.  There are only two traditional bricks in the set, both corner bricks, both under the chassis; besides that, it's got the usual high concentration of plates Futuron is fast proving to be privy too.

Additionally Crater Crawler has fences, megaphones, space walls, space chairs, control sticks.  The set comes with a space wrench and a walkie-talkie for our intrepid explorer.  This set is chock full of fun weird stuff.  The heck, what am I gonna build with this???

It's all part of the fun folks.  

But first, what are the pieces that this set brings to Futuron, and does it hide any great secrets?

First up is this dazzling blue forward facing stud brick.  You get 1 in total.  It's part of the robot.  Is it rare, no, but it is one of only 13 blue pieces in Futuron.  Ignoring of course, the blue Spacemen. 

Next up we have this five stud brick also in blue, which was rare in the 80's, unused in the 90's, and actually enjoyed a renaissance in the late 00's.  There were thirteen released across 8 sets, and three of those showed up in the 80's.  It's still not particularly common, but there have been more of late than in days long past.

Next we have this control stick and base, a grey and blue combination part.  The grey stick is the second most common color, out of 6 colors, of this particular lever piece, and the blue base is third rarest color variant out of nine colors.  Neither is very rare.  Futuron just has one of each, but hey, we've got us a classic grey part.

     

Next I have a bit of a conundrum.  You see, there's this set called 9355-1: DACTA Space Theme Set.  It's pretty much a Dacta Futuron set, and it contains this next piece I'm including, but as a Futuron set it's just,  well, Dacta is a classroom brand, and I don't think I want to go into detail about it; at least for now.  Suffice it to say, if like me you choose to ignore the Dacta collection, then this tunnel corner wall can be considered unique to Crater Crawler.  It's the only time this part was used as a wheel well.  You get two in white.  This is the most common color of the part, and it's pretty big.

 

Our next part is this blue dot, from the droid.  You get one, and it is actually pretty common otherwise.

 

Then we have one of this ordinary 6x10 plate in white.  Great for spreading a model's footprint out in a jiffy.  It's pretty common outside of Futuron.



Here's another blue piece, a spigot.  Two spigots form the droids legs.  They give it that R2D2 look I mentioned earlier. 



Next we have this printed plate in blue, again, just one is included.  It goes on the droid and it is the only printed piece included with a droid in Futuron.  The print is fairly common in Futuron on white tiles.  Blue was available in Classic Space from 1985 and was seen again in Space Police 1 and Town Police.



Finally we come to those two big tyres.  Magnificent aren't they.  They've got gaps in the back as a rubber saving measure, for they are indeed rubber, not plastic.  I only learned that particular detail by looking at one in person.  The part first surfaced in 75'.  It hung around until 03' before disappearing for good.  There is an alternate yellow color, which is especially rare.  For further comparison here is its hub as well, though the hub is plentiful in Futuron.

   

Before we leave off this tyre, here is the original tyre and hub design.  the Tyre was available from 72' thru 76' and actually there were some sets during the period when the molds changed, that could be had either way.  The gear was available from 70' thru 76'  It was also available in the old gear sets, such as the one seen below. 

 

Isn't it weird how our toys have changed?  Even today the Danish toymaker is constantly changing the designs of its molds.  I find mold changes to be exceedingly frustrating, but also deeply intriguing.  What stirs with the hearts of Lego employees when they finally retire a mold, is it sadness, or pragmatism?  We grow up with the parts, and then, just when it had engraved its shape in our minds, the winds of change bring an updated version. 

That's enough of my whimsy, I spent far too much of my childhood examining mold changes with a frown, because even then, I cared about what was done with my toys down to the smallest scrap of plastic.

And now, without further ado, here is my alternate.

Asteroid Detection Station

Final Verdict: B+
Pros: Cool Space Walls/Windows, Giant Wheels, Black Spaceman, Loads of extras
Cons: Poor selection of standard pieces

Futuron: Box Retrospective part I

I feel it would be a disservice to not bring up the Lego company's old alternate designs.  They were a great part of my childhood, apparently a source of much frustration for other children, and a delight if they were actually figured out...when they were good.

Sadly they aren't offered on the boxes anymore, which is a great oversight, but given how specifically the sets are built today, I can't blame the Lego group, the sets are no longer made with an eye towards variety, but rather towards accuracy; I'm looking at you licensed themes. This has led to some interesting trade offs, which I'm not prepared to talk about...so

On to the boxes.

First up I want to thank msilverm for posting a picture of 6810 Laser Ranger's alternate models.  It's the only one I could find.
Source: http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=133323

I really like the background colors used in Futuron.  They blend together to really make the theme colors, (or lack of them), pop in the image.



The first thing that grabbed my attention here is the little robot.  It's very clever with its limited palette of pieces, but there is so much character to it.
The little scooter is also very nice, It's got a bug eyed look that just screams chibi-Futuron
And then there's that long ship on the bottom...I'm not really digging it, it just seems like an alternate model bent on using the 2x8 white plate, and not a particularly good attempt at that.



Second up since I'm using Brickshelf it's 6848 Strategic Pursuer
Airmauro thanks Alsazian and I in turn thank the both of them for these pictures of the box.
http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=350720

I was a good decision by the Lego group to show Strategic Pursuer tilted as it just doesn't look so good standing straight up.



The back of the box shows the window's rising function...eh, okay.
I'm kind of fond of that cannon, radar thing at the top right, and the space craft isn't bad, but the floating robot boxer is just weird.

 

Third Box: Represent 6884 Aero Module
This one is just from Airmauro
http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=320693

The box does a good job of bringing life to the otherwise uninspired construction of Aero Module.  Yes it's got the window, and yes the wing locking system is excellent, but at the end of the build it's still heavily reliant on far to many uninteresting pieces that don't work great in many combinations.



The designers did their best, but hamstrung as it is by a wealth of plates the models appear stretched and empty.  As it turns out the Lego company did use the window on one of the alternates.  It might be the best alternate, but it's a prisoner to the previous construction, and less interesting overall.

 

You know what, Airmauro has a really cool idea on Brickshelf, which I'll get to in a moment.
Here's 6925 Interplanetary Rover
http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=322165

Excellent photography and placement gives the set a lively presentation.



The Robot and spacecraft on the left side are pretty cool, but I'm not sold on that top right rover.
Overall I think the models do a good job showing off the part variety, and the cars at the bottom are a nice touch.  I'd most likely build the robot if I were still a kid with loads of free time.

 

Last but first, but wait what?

Anyways, here's 6830 Space Patroller, the outset model I blogged first.
Brought to you by Stevebd
http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=469255

It took a bit to find a box to show you and it's a bit damaged.  But what can you do?



Overall I think the designers really nailed the alternates with this one.  There's a robo dog, a satellite tower, and a pretty good pair of unique space craft.  The set looks elegant and simple when built, which only serves to highlight just how well it brings together many disparate elements.

 

If you're interested Airmauro has a museum section among his Brickshelf Folders where you can find many boxes with alternate models posted.  Cool stuff.
http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?m=AirMauro

This ends the first retrospective.

Futuron 6925

Today's entry is 6925 Interplanetary Rover, an odd amalgamation of good ideas, cool spacey design and badly juniorized/mismatched construction.  I'm not sure what I think of this one offhand, so without further ado, I shall dig into the quirks that constitute this toy.

Up front I need to say that I love every idea that went into this toy; but having made with the niceties, I think the final product is a troubled example of excellent function over hobbled aesthetic.  The central problem of Interplanetary Rover derives from its chassis and a pair of half baked homages.

In the function department The plates work perfectly for keeping the truck from twisting too far to the right or left,   The wheels shift over rough terrain very well, and the garage fits the scooter with exacting precision, leaving no wiggle room.  There is nothing bad to be said about how this toy does what it does.  If play value is all you need from a set, then Interplanetary Rover can perform near the top of the heap in its price category.

Despite my adoration for nostalgic nods to the past I think Interplanetary Rover's design is too much a victim of classic space nostalgia without developing its own clear identity.  The upright cockpit is a nice nod to Walking Astro Grappler and, I believe, the last set that uses its canopy in this straight up position.  The suspension and the metal detectors with dishes recall to mind the Uranium Search Vehicle, an interesting rover from Classic Space that managed to look cool and odd all at the same time.  Interplanetary Rover failed to be as clever and interesting as either set.  It doesn't bring the homages together in a meaningful way. 

In a desperate bid to give the model the appearance of unity the designers chucked some uninteresting matching brick assemblies underneath and slapped four matching metal detectors with dishes at every corner.  More needed to be done with the chassis, and something needed to happen in the middle that didn't.  My best guess is is that the designers saw a good handhold here.  Too bad it didn't help the look.

Visually the model is the sort that needs to look heavy and truck-like, but instead it looks thin as a sheet.  There's plenty of room for the wheels to swing free and traverse lunar terrain, but somewhere along the way the desired function and allotted budget conspired to restrain the full potential of this set.  It could have been shorter and bulkier, or heftier; instead it got spindly and overextended.   The overall construction looks confused and unhinged.  The back is a garage, the front is a cabin, neither half uses the full plate it's on in an effective, visually arresting manner.   The two halves are mismatched and far too white to captivate the eye.  Between the main cockpit, and scooter garage there's a lot of empty stud and tube space doing nothing.  Underneath the plates; the bricks holding the wheels blend badly with the plates and feel disjunct and underdeveloped.  In my opinion more should be going on with the chassis structure.

The only portion of Interplanetary Rover that feels new and unique is the fence headlight cluster, which again lifts a visual aesthetic from Tri Star Voyager, and Star Patrol Launcher, but manages to make it look different by doubling up and changing out some parts.

As Futuron's largest ground based vehicle Interplanetary Rover pales by comparison with Battrax, Multi Core Magnetizer, Spectral Starguider, Solar Snooper, and even the comparatively puny Ice Sat V, and Spy Trak 1

Despite the poor mishmash of wildly divergent looks and bland stretches of white, the final model is a fun truck to play with.  The suspension works very well, the snug garage is a fun play feature which houses its small vehicle quite well; and is a major feature in all of the bigger Futuron sets.  The Interplanetary Rover carries an airborne scooter in keeping with the theme standard.  Ground transports carry scooters, while the space ships carry a tiny car.

Like the Space Patroller; Interplanetary Rover has two robots mounted on the back of the driver's cabin; they're cute bug eyed droids that help to break up the monotonous white tones of the model by being solid black.  Unlike the Space Patroller the robots do not serve a dual purpose.

Compared to the rest of the Futuron line this truck looks unedited.  For a theme with sets as beautiful as Stardefender 200 and Monorail Transport Base it's a disappointment.  The sets in Futuron pushed trends forward with new designs of good and odd quality, but Interplanetary Rover got saddled with the past and struggled for an identity.  Whether it's Futuron's worst set is something I will have to revisit in the final retrospective.  I can say only giving it the super ubiquitous yellow spacemen certainly did it no favors, a red spaceman, black spaceman, or even a blue one would have been a nice touch.

Whatever my thoughts on the model, the question remains, how good are the parts.
My favorite metric is of course, what's unique, or rare? 
Here's the unique part.
That's right, Interplanetary Rover has a unique variant of the downward arrow print on a 1x2 brick.  It is one of only two sets with the print, the other version is black and there is only one of each.  The black variant appears in Blacktron's Invader.  As a fan of older printed parts, I have a soft spot for the function alert arrows.  Lego was always inviting the minds of inquiring children to ponder the workings of the set from the box art, and like a laser, these arrows got right to the point.

Next up is a selection of Futuron unique parts, that is pieces which are perhaps not rare, nor unique, but are within Futuron, only available here.

These corner walls were commonly available in a sizeable selection of sets, Lego doesn't make them the same as they used to, but the part concept does continue to live on in an altered form.
They are of course white, much like most of the parts available in Futuron.  If you were to collect some classic space sets you could accumulate quite a few more in white, but otherwise, the two you get here are it.

The plates, aargh!  These plates, which don't help to bring out the Interplanetary Rover's better side are unique to the Futuron theme, but they are by no means rare.

These fins are unique in any color to Futuron, and they are once again white.  The color variant is not rare within the space theme, but if all you want is Futuron, well, there's two of them.

While there are plenty of these in white, Interplanetary Rover has the Futuron color lockdown on black.  You get two.  Outside the theme the supply is massive.

And again with the unique to Futuron, but not rare.  You get four of these in white.   Within space you can get an equal number between two of the Mars Mission sets, and they're plentiful in some Nasa space shuttles, but they're much more common outside of the space theme.

The Futuron theme contains six of this piece in total, but only two of them are black, and it being an awful piece to only get one of is about all you need to know to convince you why this set has both of them.

 Lastly, this light is fairly common in classic space and pretty much a given in many town and model team sets, even easy to get in quantity within the pirates theme, but it is unique to Interplanetary Rover within Futuron.  In an interesting side note, this is the only set in the Futuron line to contain trans yellow parts.  There are four of them and they go on the robots.

All told there are 19 pieces within Futuron that only come in 6925, one of those parts is a unique printed color variant.  Many of the parts come in quantity's of 2/4/6/8, and provide a sizeable selection of like pieces, but there is also a fair selection of individual parts.  Not bad, the Interplanetary Rover gets an approving nod from me for what it brings to Futuron Purist constructions.

Now we must get down to the brass tax, how well does 6925 do for an alternative option?

Here you can see my dandy little transport truck and trailer carrying, you guessed it, a scooter.  I had a few false starts, I kept trying to use those corner wall pieces, but they just wouldn't take. 
Once I got that grille on the model began to take shape, of course the limitations of the canopy hinge held me up for a moment, but once I got used to it, I was home free just having fun.  Fortunately the set had enough parts to assemble a workaround for the studs forward approach I was forced to take.
Drop a spare tire in the back and the trailer for a space hoverscooter, and there you have it.

I just love making the scooters fly :)

Final Decision: B
Pros: Secondary market prices, excellent parts selection, Unique part, fun play features
Cons: Mediocre Aesthetic, Ubiquitous Yellow Spaceman