Random set of the day: XT-5 and Droid
Posted by Huwbot,
Today's random set is 6809 XT-5 and Droid, released during 1987. It's one of 17 Space sets produced that year. It contains 39 pieces and 2 minifigs.
It's owned by 3,499 Brickset members. If you want to add it to your collection you should find it for sale at BrickLink, where new ones sell for around $140.00, or eBay.
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51 comments on this article
Original Benny!
I had this, and 6824 for sure, and possibly 6702 just because I frequently ended up with the minifig packs for Space and Castle.
Something is wrong. The helmet isn't broken!
Double space!!! Classic and SW with a Classic fleshie head.
Huwbot strikes again! (chef's kiss)
I wanted this set so badly as a kid. I was glad to see the robot in 10497. Side note: Is this set the successor to 6229?
@PurpleDave said:"Original Benny!"
Spacechair!
I have this one. I love this goofy little set.
Look, sir! Droid!
@PurpleDave said:
"Original Benny!"
Not just that…
“A house divided against itself… would be better than this”
“Abraham Lincoln, get your space rocket chair back here!”
I remember the day I got this set. We were on a trip, and I found it in a little book/toy shop. Space sets are always welcommed of course, but I also got 6655 with it. It was happy day...
XT-5 and droid
Which is which
When I saw the name I thought “Star Wars”. But this is just as good, if not better.
This was one of my first Space sets. Possibly my very first, I'm not sure.
The robot's official name is "Zyr the Opthal-Robot".
Taken from the set's description in the 1987 German Lego catalogue, page 18:
"6809 Schubsessel mit Kraftfeld-Ingenieur und >>Zyr<< dem Opthal-Roboter."
(6809 Thruster Chair with Force-field Engineer and 'Zyr' the Opthal-Robot.)
A few of his robot friends also got named there:
6702 - Zonu & Zynar the Robots
6872 - Zilu the Mini-Robot (Miniroboter)
6891 - Zazza the Dish-Robot (Tellerroboter)
6931 - Zip the Lab-Robot (Lab-Roboter)
6952 - Zero the Message-Robot (Nachrichten-Roboter)
In an advertisement comic featuring the then leaders of Classic Space and Futuron ("Captain Kirby" and "Major Spocky") Zonu was also clearly identified as the small one with the rocket step as his lower part.
Later brick-build robots are unfortunately left unnamed (even the one from 6884 of the same year).
Got one!
(and got both "minifigs" twice!)
Such creative use of so few pieces....exactly why these classic Space sets were so amazing!
Mr. Wobbly Droid and Ronald Galanos from Space: The Comic!
spaceship! Spaceship! SPACESHIP!!!
Ronald Galanos and Mr. Wobbly droid!
I bought this set last september because I'm a fan of Space! The Comic. And because it's just one of the best small Classic Space sets.
Last year I got a 6683 Hamburger Stand and ever since I had been looking for an affordable one to complete the scene.
For those who don't know, Space! The Comic is a long running webcomic featuring the Space theme and all sorts of other sets and sometimes even things outside of lego.
In one of the many signficant storylines the story follows the brother of main character Mikey Galanos (the guy from 6884 Aero Module), Ronald Galanos. He's lazy and inherited the old equipment of his brother including this hover chair and old robot, who now does his best to serve Ronald despite being overqualified and far more competent.
Ronald is forced to get a job which lands him at the Hamburger Hatch where the two serve up hamburgers. Ronald somehow keeps failing to get himself fired and his boring routine is broken when a missing person from M:Tron turns out to have gained a connection to him.
He also steals a time machine and does stuff like slapping Alanis Morisette with a fish for her misuse of the word 'Ironic'.
The comic went into hiatus again this spring but there's a huge amount of stuff already. Not all mini storylines are the best, but the overall vibe and interweaving of stories is fun IMHO.
Possibly my favourite Space mini set. Now I want to MOC a starship to fit all the minis in to!
I'm impressed they aligned the studs for the eyes. It's not a very hard thing to do, but there are so many times where aligning the studs is never done when it would help make things look better, and this is one of those times where they actually thought to do it. It's very much appreciated.
SPACE...Seat!?!?!?!!??!
Who said you need wings to fly in space. Love the coffee machine.
I got this for free when I bought a different Classic Space set, which was complete, with several spare parts that made up this and parts of other little CA sets. Great find.
I wish I had found this as a kid. It’s such a neat set.
i am surprised that the navigation sticks are not mini antennas!
@Atuin said:
"In an advertisement comic featuring the then leaders of Classic Space and Futuron ("Captain Kirby" and "Major Spocky") Zonu was also clearly identified as the small one with the rocket step as his lower part."
Are there other characters named Dr. Jones, Chief Snotty, Hulu, Capura, and Check-Off?
How cool would it be if subsequent iterations of Space had Captain Ricardo, Commander Piker, Lt. Commander Meta, Lt. Borf, Chief Gordie, Dr. Thrusher, Counselor Choy, and a kid named Eastley?
This set gives me Wall*E vibes. Humans sit in chairs all their lives while robots cater to their every need.
Ooh, waitaminnit. I remember reading that Verizon licensed the word “droid” from Lucasfilm for their Android OS phones. This thing is illegal!!!!!!!
@PurpleDave said:
"Ooh, waitaminnit. I remember reading that Verizon licensed the word “droid” from Lucasfilm for their Android OS phones. This thing is illegal!!!!!!!"
Or was it the first SW set? Maybe they purchased a mini license just for this set? Or, or, maybe the SW license retroactively covers this set?
@PurpleDave said:
"Ooh, waitaminnit. I remember reading that Verizon licensed the word “droid” from Lucasfilm for their Android OS phones. This thing is illegal!!!!!!!"
I don't think it was illegal when it was produced. Alternatively, maybe LEGO didn't know, and Lucasfilm didn't catch it. Without the internet, news moved much slower back then, and things could have been missed.
I bought a copy of this set on Bricklink around 20 years ago. The order details have been purged, so I can't remember how much I paid for it. Definitely less than $140.
Never knew this set existed, had to try building it. Required one recolor, but this set rules. Great parts pack, great for swooshing. Wish I had one of these to commute with.
I've always thought of this vehicle as the Classic Space version of NASA's Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manned_Maneuvering_Unit.
This is the oldest and I think first set I ever got when I was a kid. I never experienced the chin strap crack as many have, but the torso and arms have definitely seen better days. Then again, so have I.
One of my first sets as a child. Still a favorite to this day!
@Murdoch17 said:
" @PurpleDave said:
"Ooh, waitaminnit. I remember reading that Verizon licensed the word “droid” from Lucasfilm for their Android OS phones. This thing is illegal!!!!!!!"
I don't think it was illegal when it was produced. Alternatively, maybe LEGO didn't know, and Lucasfilm didn't catch it. Without the internet, news moved much slower back then, and things could have been missed."
It would depend on when Lucasfilm filed for trademark on the word, I’d think. Verizon is also infinitely more visible producing an entire line of phones under the Droid name. This was a single set produced by a niche toy company in Europe, at a time when Lucasfilm was getting sued over a kid choking to death on a projectile fired by his Colonial Viper toy.
I know I have this set. I have the instructions, which has seen better days. 1987, I'm not sure if this is my set or if it would have been my older brother's. He was older enough than I was, I don't know when he stopped getting involved in LEGO and I started. I would have been 3 when it came out, but I know sets used to stay on shelves a lot longer back then also. It might be his...I don't know!
Looks like Benny 'jacked'...hey, that's pretty funny; flip the two words, you get 'Jack Ben...' ...digressing...'stole' Prof. Xavier's hoverchair...or Metron's Mobius Chair, either or...
Anywho; I was out of Lego by this time, and toys in general, but still 'kept an eye on things' toy-wise (had to, one of my fave comics was G.I. Joe...:))
The original Cerebro
Nice ejector seat, where's the rest of the ship?
Have Japanese toilets gotten too ambitious?
One of my very first, if not THE FIRST, LEGO Space set I received as a child. I still own it. Simple and fun, but nostalgia definitely makes me think of it more fondly than I probably would've if I hadn't owned it as a kid.
@CC said:
"I bought a copy of this set on Bricklink around 20 years ago. The order details have been purged, so I can't remember how much I paid for it. Definitely less than $140. "
Even before bringing inflation into account, I'm pretty sure that "new ones" means sealed, if not MISB.
@PurpleDave said:
"Ooh, waitaminnit. I remember reading that Verizon licensed the word “droid” from Lucasfilm for their Android OS phones. This thing is illegal!!!!!!!"
This was not the droid Lucasfilm was looking for.
@AllenSmith said:
" @PurpleDave said:
"Ooh, waitaminnit. I remember reading that Verizon licensed the word “droid” from Lucasfilm for their Android OS phones. This thing is illegal!!!!!!!"
This was not the droid Lucasfilm was looking for."
^ You've got the best comment in the thread, AllenSmith
@PurpleDave said:
" @Murdoch17 said:
" @PurpleDave said:
"Ooh, waitaminnit. I remember reading that Verizon licensed the word “droid” from Lucasfilm for their Android OS phones. This thing is illegal!!!!!!!"
I don't think it was illegal when it was produced. Alternatively, maybe LEGO didn't know, and Lucasfilm didn't catch it. Without the internet, news moved much slower back then, and things could have been missed."
It would depend on when Lucasfilm filed for trademark on the word, I’d think. Verizon is also infinitely more visible producing an entire line of phones under the Droid name. This was a single set produced by a niche toy company in Europe, at a time when Lucasfilm was getting sued over a kid choking to death on a projectile fired by his Colonial Viper toy."
Registering a trademark only helps to establish use and avoid some infringement defenses. Infringement can still occur without registration.
The only IP situation where registration is crucial is in patents. That's what I learned in law school- but that was a long time ago and it's admittedly not my area of specialty.
How did the Viper pellet issue have anything to do with Lucas? I hated having to open up my Vipers and Raiders and file down the pellets so they would still fire.
@StyleCounselor:
No, trademark gets messy if you register yours, but someone else can prove they were using it before you filed. If they can, either your claim gets declined/revoked, or they’re just exempt from your trademark protections.
The Viper issue came down to the fact that BSG and SW came out around the same time, and neither the family nor their lawyers realized they were suing the wrong company. Oh, and that lawsuit is the reason anyone who sent away for a “rocket-firing Boba Fett action figure” got one with the rocket glued in place instead.
@PurpleDave said:
" @StyleCounselor :
No, trademark gets messy if you register yours, but someone else can prove they were using it before you filed. If they can, either your claim gets declined/revoked, or they’re just exempt from your trademark protections.
The Viper issue came down to the fact that BSG and SW came out around the same time, and neither the family nor their lawyers realized they were suing the wrong company. Oh, and that lawsuit is the reason anyone who sent away for a “rocket-firing Boba Fett action figure” got one with the rocket glued in place instead."
Lucasfilm did sue BSG based on copyright, and their studio counterclaimed on the same grounds citing Buck Rogers, etc. They settled out of court.
Two kids were seriously injured by shooting the pellets down their throats, and the industry reaction/overreaction killed shooting toys for a long time- including Boba. (sob)
When Lego developed the current class of shooting pellets, my first thought was, "Wow! That's brave."
Yes, as I said, copyright and trademark are based upon first-in-time creation or use rather than registration. Registration just gives you other benefits. For example, it presumptively establishes the use in nationwide commerce as of the date of registration.
@Explorer6890 said:
"I've always thought of this vehicle as the Classic Space version of NASA's Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manned_Maneuvering_Unit ."
Perhaps back in ‘87 when this set was released. Today, there’s the MMU with the CMF Series 26 Astronaut: https://brickset.com/minifigs/col436/spacewalking-astronaut-series-26- (minifigure-only-without-stand-and-accessories)
@StyleCounselor:
But if it took Lucasfilm ten years to get around to registering "droid" as a trademark, this wouldn't have been in violation of anything when it was released. If the trademark had been registered, this would have been a clearcut violation, being a robot that's called a "droid", unlike the Apple Corps/Apple Computers kerfluffle. Personally, I think that latter one got blown out of proportion, since the Beatles hadn't registered "Apple", but rather "Apple Corps". Would they have gone after companies named "Bad Apple", or "Big Apple", or "Applesauce" as well, just because they include the word "apple" in the name?
Classic.
A great little set - and a great example of just how varied and interesting the entire 1987 space line was: classic sets in multiple color themes; the first Blacktron sets; and the first Futuron sets including the monorail.
@Explorer6890 said:
"I've always thought of this vehicle as the Classic Space version of NASA's Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manned_Maneuvering_Unit."
The MMU is only useful in zero-G. It's as tightly contained as possible, so it wouldn't hinder the pilot in close proximity to satellites. It proved to be less useful than expected, which led to its replacement with SAFER, a similar concept that's much smaller and only intended for emergency use. This feels like a step up from the MMU, possibly even to the point of being able to function in a full gravity environment (and almost certainly in weak gravity, like on the moon). Depending on exactly what it uses for propulsion, it could potentially even be used to hoist small amounts of cargo in gravity. And it would probably be a lot quicker to hop in this thing than to gear up with an MMU.