Random set of the day: Spectral Starguider
Posted by Huwbot,
Today's random set is 6933 Spectral Starguider, released in 1991. It's one of 13 Space sets produced that year. It contains 208 pieces and 2 minifigs, and its retail price was US$25.
It's owned by 2152 Brickset members. If you want to add it to your collection you might find it for sale at BrickLink or eBay.
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27 comments on this article
This does a better job of integrating the white into the color scheme than most Blacktron II sets. Plus those bubble cockpits will never not be cool.
Oooh. I miss those Blacktron sets. Gotta go to my parents' house and look for the Blacktron minifigs and parts.
Did any other sets use the same suspension bricks as this one?
Parts Analysis: This set has no rare or overly expensive parts, but the shock absorbers are definitely interesting. Great parts pack if you are fond of trans-neon green. Side note: Whoever named this "Spectral" Starguider must also have named set 70169-1 Agent "Stealth" Patrol.
^^ Yep. https://www.bricklink.com/catalogItemIn.asp?P=2605c01&in=S
Having multiple rooms *with windows* always makes me happy with Space sets. It's fun to see what people are doing inside, or be given a hint of splitting based lay features.
Anyone else remember the arcade game Moon Patrol?
Allied Avenger was the first space set I remember getting as a kid. Always wanted Spectral Starguider; finally picked it up used, box included, for about $50. Nostalgia definitely makes this set better, but it is still a great design.
Oh wow!, This is beautiful.
The Spectral Starguider was the one Blacktron Future Generation set I did NOT get in the massive garage sale bucket of 1994, and it took me over 20 years to rectify that absence.
For many years, I labored under the delusion that the six-wheeled Blacktron "tank" was the rival to the M-Tron Multi-Core Magnetizer (also a highly-coveted set that took me over 20 years to acquire). Low-res pictures from the Internet and my own scarce supply of catalogs from 1991-1992 made it seem like the sets shared the same massive space wheels. My imagination swirled at the thought of having the two wheeled titans squaring off on my bedroom floor, testing whether magnets or firepower would win the day.
In my college years, as I began to make moves to acquiring the sets I missed out on as a child, I studied reviews and photographs of the Spectral Starguider and realized my childhood imaginings were a bit inaccurate, both in good and bad ways. Firstly, the wheels were obviously not the same as the ones in the MCM. In fact, they are a bit smaller. Dream dashed there! Secondly, the back of the set is rather bare; seen in full side profile, I could tell there was nothing back above the last set of wheels but a landing plate with not much else. But! I was excited to discover there was not just suspension for four of the wheels, but also steering! That more than made up for the wheel size difference. Now my only problem was how to procure one...and in new condition. Ebay was my preferred source, as I had acquired many classic sets from the 90s in sealed condition for often great prices, but this one was particularly elusive. I would always find them sealed and for sale for several hundred dollars. Auctions were very scarce. In early 2016, I almost had one, but it was not to be, for I had a rare moment of being out-bid at the last millisecond.
Thankfully, the Lego Force was with me in 2016, and right after my trip to Billund, I found another Spectral Starguider for sale, new in an opened box. It looked a little rough. There was even a tear visible in the cardboard once the display flap was lifted. But the price was right, and after all this time, I was willing to chance it that the bags inside the box were still sealed. I took the plunge.
I missed out on being home when the package arrived. Worse, it rained a deluge in Houston that day, and the shipping box got wet. A kind neighbor downstairs saw the box about to get seriously damaged due to water and brought it inside her apartment. When I eventually got home, I managed to get it from her, thanked her profusely, and inspected the contents. To my delight and relief, the set was perfectly intact! Sure, the box was in the same condition as seen on the listing, but the pieces inside were all still sealed. Plus, the display tray was also sealed, attesting to the fact that the set was at one point opened, yet never built. Happy, I put it away to build later.
That time came in October 2016, for my 28th birthday. Outside of Lego, it had been a pretty rough year for me. Job was worse than ever. Dad passed away overseas in September with no will, so I had to handle a lot of legal stuff on my own with little to no assistance. I was hosting a memorial service at my mom's house in a couple of days, so to mentally prepare myself, I planned to enjoy my birthday as heartily as possible. Of course, the woman I was dating at the time, who I was madly in love with, did a lot to make that day very special for me. I saw several other friends for dinner that night as well, and at least one even ended up attending the memorial to continue to show his support. But in spite of this external support, I took some time by myself that morning to build a Lego set, a tradition started all the way back in 1994, when Blacktron made up the bulk of my collection, and the first sparks of Lego MANIA were fired within me. Naturally, then, I knew what set to build that day, and it was the Spectral Starguider.
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I have built many sets before and after that day. But I still vividly remember a flood of different emotions come pouring forth as I built that set on the morning of my 28th birthday. Joy, accomplishment, relief, nostalgia, and excitement, but also sadness, grief, and longing. I won't get into all the details there. Besides, there would be more, even more emotional changes in life still to come. But at that moment, in the act of putting a set together brick by brick, I was comforted and whole. And I realized that in 28 years, Lego sets weren't the only things I put together from many pieces after all.
I'm not as fond of as Blacktron 1 about Blacktron 2, but still Lego came up with beautiful ideas.
6704 & 6710. love it
One of the best sets of the Blacktron II range.
BT2 was great--it'll never be quite as great as BT1, but still very cool. I loved the Allied Avenger 6887--I remember piling 4 missiles onto each wing (and with four wings, that was a lof missiles!). And agreed--those cockpit pods were awesome!
@Lego_Lord_Mayorca said:
"[continued from previous post above]
I have built many sets before and after that day. But I still vividly remember a flood of different emotions come pouring forth as I built that set on the morning of my 28th birthday. Joy, accomplishment, relief, nostalgia, and excitement, but also sadness, grief, and longing. I won't get into all the details there. Besides, there would be more, even more emotional changes in life still to come. But at that moment, in the act of putting a set together brick by brick, I was comforted and whole. And I realized that in 28 years, Lego sets weren't the only things I put together from many pieces after all."
Thanks for sharing. I can understand your feelings. :)
Thanks @Lego_Lord_Mayorca for sharing this with us!
I also wanted to collect all of the BT2 and M-Tron sets ever since 2015. My childhood nostalgia kicked in at that time (it still tilts me from time to time, of course) so I went on a rampage with buying all of those.
First thing out of the way, to me, the M-Tron Mega Core Magnetizer was and still is the alpha and omega of all Space sets from 90s. It came from NL, great condition, decent price. The trans neon cockpit is still so striking and inventive to me. Can't get enough just looking at it!
Later, when my Lego nostalgia spread throughout my complete thought-train, I had Spectral Starguider as a bonus with other BT sets that I bought. Aerial Intruder was the major thing for me from this range of sets, so I did not pay any attention to the Spectral Starguider for a long time.
Then, one time, cause of boredom and idling state of my life, I took it out from the box (not original) and started building it. Yes: it was plain at the back, though shock absorbers and steering were an interesting surprise, but when I finished building it, it somehow came to life. Wheels were smaller than MCM's and it was in the different class, but man did it posses some character! Starguider suddenly appeared as a compact gentle tortoise that was keen to share its two cockpits with other BT2 sets! As it rolled haters were hating, yes, the absorbers didn't do much as they were not mounted on all wheels, but the steering gave it some snake-like movement, must I say: it was a surprise, to be sure, but a welcome one! So happy that others recognize this!
Thing is, in times like this, building older sets transcends my thoughts to other more pleasant thoughts.
Stay safe!
YESSSS!!!! Finally!!!! One that i owned as a kid and still have fully built!!!
I love how in these sets were modular, you could freely exchange cockpits between 6887, 6933, 6981, and 6988. Never had any of these as a kid, that has been of course rectified in the meantime :)
31 years later, this set is still as great as it was when it first came out. Age doesn't really seem to have any effect over those wonderful vintage space sets.
Very happy to see a set I had when I was a child. I have a distinct memory of building this at my uncle’s house while watching “Perfect Strangers” on a small black-and-white television set.
Can’t say it’s in the best of shape, but it’s one of the few pre-Dark Age set I have since reassembled! Gotta figure out where I put that bin!
This one is sitting on the shelf in my son’s room along with a couple of other blacktron sets passed on to us by a family friend, 6878 & 6832.
The steering controlled from the platform at the back and the suspension are still just as good now.
I was sorting parts yesterday and remember seeing the suspension bricks, wheels, canopies, and a few more oddball parts that are in this set, but had not gone looking to see if they all went together. Great timing, Huwbot, you saved me a bit of searching around to identify the set they belong to.
I got this one as a hand-me-down. Think it was the only Blacktron set I ever had. Might have to change that...
6933, hailing from the very start of my KFOL days, is a Classic Space set depicting a medium to large terrestrial vehicle belonging to the Blacktron II faction. The price-to-piece ratio is actually quite awful given today's standards: it's not just 209 pieces for $25- it's 209 pieces for $25 in 1992 dollars, which amounts to $46 USD today, which is above LSW levels.
It's not immediately clear what purpose the vehicle is intended to serve. The lower bubble cockpit (a feature of Blacktron II) is clearly supposed to house the driver, although no instrumentation is provided. The upper compartment contains some sort of slotted container with instrumentation on it, and while the protruding pin may suggest a cannon of some sort, its firing path is obstructed by the satellite dish. This would imply that the vehicle is unarmed and serves some sort of data-gathering array, consistent with the "Spectral" prefix. It is powered by three rear-facing rocket thrusters and probably has quite tremendous acceleration as a result.
Overall, while not as memorable as the Mega Core Magnetizer or Deep Freeze Defender, it is a fine example of early '90s Classic Space. I don't collect this theme, personally, but it's only due to a lack of space and finite resources.
The biggest set I had as a kid, I felt like a king!
Those big 6-wheeler vehicles are just awesome, and even the 2 variants they did with Nexo Knights were well done imo (AXL Tower Carrier + Magmar Siege Machine)
Tower Carrier especially was nice with the transform/split function to reveal more interior and a hidden catapult.