Auxiliary Patroller is an almost round saucer shaped ship with swing out wings to give it that quintessential Futuron Play element. This time the wings carry laser guns that stow inside the canopy. Make no mistake, this cute puppy is a thinly disguised fighter built for dealing with Black-Tron interlopers.
The cockpit of Auxiliary Patroller is the meat and potatoes of this set, it commands its admirer's attention. I was going to write about how uninspiring the model was, but all my mean-spirited words melted away when I took it out of the dark storage bin where it's been hiding.
The top of the model was carefully sculpted to give a good sense of roundness; no mean feat when every piece used has an angle. The back almost loses points for plainness, but for the two wing tips that jut past; giving the ship's rear some sharp character.
The swing wing guns help the model's look when out, but the laser guns are iffy due to being very blocky and stubby; by necessity for a close fit when internalized. Little wing nubs poke out when closed up and the design is almost completely covered by the cockpit when stowed, save for the forward mounted laser.
The handle on the cockpit nose gets some nice use, it's actually got some grip to it, I'll need to keep that technique in mind with my own builds, as it works well.
The chassis of the model is not as sleek as the top portion might have you expect. It starts flat face, and looks very square from the side. From a head on perspective it doesn't look quite right; though the wider footprint in the back works well enough given the topsides squared off hinges. It contains the lions share of black bricks.
All I see is a clown's nose...
There are no extras of any kind for the spaceman to use, all he gets is a computer tile, which is standard issue for much of the Futuron line, and a personal favorite of mine.
Given that I have the mindset of a 90's child I think this set would have been number 1 on my pocket change shortlist. It isn't that the pieces are especially good for parts monkey's, nor that the set has some great unique minifigure...as we get, yet another yellow spaceman. No; The primary draw of Auxiliary Patroller was its price point, coupled with these two corner windows.
You see, through the 90's, the cheapest way to get these windows never went south of forty dollars, and Auxillary Patroller had them in a set for less than seven dollars. When I learned about this set, I was enthused about it for little more than...its canopy. Sadly, the set is no longer inexpensive, but at an average price of twenty dollars it is still the cheapest source for these corner windows; short of buying them piecemeal at Bricklink. Those 80's kids had it good where this part is concerned.
The only set that came remotely close to having these corner parts for a cheap price was Space Police's 6886 Galactic Peacekeeper, which sported similar swing wing mounted laser cannons.
However, the roughly ten dollar set had a flaw compared to Auxiliary Patroller. It had a sideways Police print on solid black parts; severely hampering other legitimate uses for the piece. I'm not one for Brasso and damaging prints, and these days, I think most collectors would blanch if someone went around bragging about vandalizing these pieces... but, that is a very annoying print the way it's placed. Needless to say; Don't let that be an encouragement.
It turns out that Auxiliary Patroller and Galactic Peacekeeper came out the same year, so their similarities had a lot to do with side by side product development. Sadly, after 1989, some marketing guru must've sidelined these corner canopies exclusively for the big sets, and thus did I have a chip in my shoulder from an early age.
Fortunately, that is all done and past, because I grew up and moved on...er...well, sort of.
Okay, no, not really.
Overall Auxilliary Patroller continues the austere, elegant, simplicity that characterizes the good looks and play features of the Futuron lineup. It's a little weird, in large part, because its copycats used different parts that lack the visual punch achieved with this canopy. Here for example is Saucer Scout to illustrate my point; this one taken from Spyrius.
Saucer Scout's Octagon window is smaller, but achieves the same shape overall. It is also far more common, which managed to dilute the part's long term appeal; for me at least.
The only other example of a small saucer that I can think of is in this giant set. See it, right bottom, with the clear round dome. It's truly sleek, and achieves a smoothness unheard of in the old days. By Hollywood standards it nails the look of a tiny saucer UFO. It's a qualified success.
So there you have it, three ways to achieve a saucer dome, and while Auxiliary Patroller may not have done it best, the designers managed to give it a distinct appearance that is just as attention grabbing now, as it was then.
Now then, enough prattling; if you are strictly collecting Futuron sets, Auxiliary Patroller does have more to it than Corner canopies for cheap.
Here are the Futuron Unique Parts available for your building pleasure.
2 inverted 1x3 slopes in black
2 inverted 1x2 slopes in black
1 chassis assembly in black
This wall panel's inclusion is not totally legitimate, since it is shared with Futuron Dacta; in which it is very common. But aside from that educational toy, it can't otherwise be acquired. You get 1.
It's not a smorgasbord of cool special pieces, but it's not bad either.
Now I will do my best to bring you an alternate of my own devising.
After skeptically dismantling a dubiously made space craft I started to think the 'good' build possibilities for this set are few in number. Somehow I settled on a small radar station.
Not to be defeated, I attempted another spacecraft design, and was contented with it.
So, that concludes my conversation about 6850 Auxilliary Patroller
Final Grade: B
Pros: Canopy parts, attractive design
Cons: Limiting part selection, no minifig tools
Posts
