Featured set of the day: Deep Freeze Defender
Posted by Huw,
Today's selection comes courtesy of Riverwind:
Hello LEGO Fans! When I saw the Featured set articles, I was very excited, and started to look through the sets I own to find something unique to tell you about. And I couldn't pick a set!
Each and every one of my sets have some special memory tied to them, and I could write a separate article about all of them. So I decided to go for something slightly different, an old set that I've always wanted, but never got until last year. And there's a reason, why I chose this one.
Behold, the 6973 Deep Freeze Defender, first introduced in 1993, is landing on the surface of the mysterious Ice Planet! Its contrasting colour scheme immediately catches an eye, two cockpits and tons of small details make it a wonderful spacecraft. As I've mentioned above, I've never got this set when I was a kid. I was born in Russia, and LEGO wasn't widely present there in the nineties. In fact, LEGO has just recently appeared on the shelves. My father, a hard-working man, has been getting me sets on different occasions, and of course, a catalogue came with almost every set.
The Deep Freeze Defender was the one I've been looking onto most of the time. I could easily spend half an hour just admiring it on the pictures. I also loved the 6983 Ice Station Odyssey, 6879 Blizzard Baron and the whole Ice Planet theme in general, but the Deep Freeze Defender was special. The reason for this is that I've tried to recreate it from the pieces I had countless times. LEGO has always been the way my father and I were bonding through my childhood, and we've spent many, many hours building different things from a pile of bricks.
Image from backoftheboxbuilds.com.
Most of the time I've tried to build something that looks like the Deep Freeze Defender, like a space station (I imagined this set being some sort of space station, rather than a spaceship). I wasn't very good at making my creations similar to this set, because they've always ended up as just a maze of plates with different cockpits, different devices all over the place, engines, radar dishes and whatnot. However, I'm sure that this is what tremendously boosted my energy to imagine and create something, rather than just building sets. And this is what LEGO is all about.
Last year, almost 27 years later, I got the Deep Freeze Defender from Bricklink. I was amazed by the build and play features of the Deep Freeze Defender, it's incredible how complex it is with its separating cockpits and cargo bay, elevating satellite rocket and a sliding cargo bay roof. I was so incredibly happy, because I felt the same way I was feeling when I played LEGO with my father. This set for me is a sort of combination of many things I've built from the pieces I had, it's the representation of what I've tried to achieve, and also the compilation of memories of me playing with my dad.
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36 comments on this article
Another space set! Excellent :)
A great set! I'm not good at writing a nice text, otherwise i'd apply for this with the Mega Core Magnetizer.
Whoah, I didn't know about backoftheboxbuilds.com! Amazing to see dedicated fans reverse engineer all the alternate builds and provide instructions!
This is a Holy Grail-type set for me. I longingly admire it the same way Wayne Campbell admired the ‘64 Stratocaster. “Excalibur! She will be mine. Oh yes, she will be mine.”
Never had this set, but loved it in the Catalogs.
I had 2 of the same smaller ice Planet set 6834 Celestial Sled.
I always liked the Ice Planet theme since, and it likely played a big reason for Nexo Knights theme getting me back into LEGO in 2016 after 16 years.
At some point I'll probably MOC a ship like this out of my Nexo Knight parts.
So, during quarantine, this will be coming out tomorrow!
Oh, I love the design of this ship so much!
I haven't been into space as a kid, but got into it in the last decade and when I got this one around 6 or 7 years ago, I built it and hung it from the ceiling of my room. I never took it down. Gorgeous ship.
I have most of the Ice Planet sets, minus the one small sled, and I actually have TWO Deep Freeze Defenders. It was incredibly modular and offered hours of play value. Maybe I'll rebuild it in the next couple of days. My favorite set from one of the all-time great themes.
I did not care for this set when it was released, but it has since grown on me just in terms of the great detail, and modular aspects, of classic space.
This must be among the best of Lego's larger space ships. The functions, modularity and all around looks are top notch. Ice Planet's colour scheme is still my favourite of the space themes.
I wasn't there yet when it originally released. My first contact with this ship, and the theme as a whole, was through the first Lego Racers game. That circuit always stuck with me, and I finally got my hands on this ship last year.
Ended up getting two of it; One on its own, and one that came with an Ice Planet 2002 lot. The first one is proudly displayed as is, while I used pieces of the other one to add some things on to 6983 Ice Station Odyssey.
I was in my dark ages in college when this set came out and this is the set that brought me back. As a child I primarily only had classic space sets. When I saw this set on the shelf by accident, it reminded me of 6980 (which I no longer owned). So, I immediately picked it up; what with its ability to separate/reassemble and deploy a smaller vessel. Even after almost 30 years I still think this set hold up to the test of time.
Whomever what involved in this sets release; thank you
I remember finding this set at a garage sale for $1! It had the box and instructions and was missing only two pieces. It was mixed up in a pile of puzzles.
I think a theme based around a cold planet with SFX-Elements that glow when "powered" could be nice,
This was a great set and a great theme, according to brickset I have them all, although as 3 of them are the same, just with different numbers I may have over estimated. Nice Story, brings back memories.
Very nice article Riverwind, thank you! I’m actually in the process of building an M:Tron style Deep Freeze Defender. Still waiting for some BrickLink orders to come in, but already looking pretty good. I’m particularly happy with the play features I was able to integrate, with the mandatory magnet crane in the front and an M:Tron version of 6848-1 Strategic Pursuer loaded in the back. Even at this age I’m having so much fun playing with them over and over!
We need a Lego Ideas Ice Planet hommage set ;)
Omg! Yes! One of my most favorite sets of all time. Fell in love with lego extremely young, but alas, had a father step on a lego one night and threw them all away. I was super pissed. Every Christmas after that all I wanted was legos and every Christmas was a massive disappointment. Finally I was old enough for my Mom to allow me to go Christmas shopping with her and THIS was the set I convinced her to get me for my gift! For my first set as a pre-teen the playability is perfect. Having not one but two!! of those cockpit (first seen in the space police 2 sets) and windscreens gave me infinite build possibilities! I made legit looking MOCs of Helicopters (with skis), fighter jets (with skis), submarines, snowmobiles, small speed boats with those pieces! I loved the trans orange pieces, the skis, the garage doors, the unique female (first female in space?) and older captain minifigs, the helmet visors, the magnets, this set had everything! Word to the wise kids, dont wash your legos in a bucket of soap and leave it in the sun for too long. I was actually scoping out the interwebs 2 days ago looking for this set. Someday :)
Always been curious about this spaceship. Now i know......looks fantastic and brilliant features :0)
Thanks for the write-up
I wasn't into Space back in the day. I wish I had been, though.
This is now one of my grail sets.
Great article. Happy to see your dream fulfilled.
These first two featured sets are both treasured memories from my childhood Lego collection. Loved the space style themes
"I imagined this set being some sort of space station, rather than a spaceship"
The back half definitely. Always kind of saw it as the cockpits and middle bit being the flying parts essentially towing a big ol' base around to where it needed to go
This is still the best set I ever bought as a kid.
The whole Ice Planet was such an awesome theme.
I must have rebuild it dozens of times over the years.
Such a shame they stopped developing SciFi space.
I really love many of the Star Wars sets they've produced since, but in no way it replaces the awesomeness of these space sets.
This was the last set I got as a kid, on Christmas Eve a few days after my 14th (or even 15th?) birthday.
I remember thinking "am I not too old for that?" after reading the suggested age range ("7-14") on the box, but after building it had to admit that this was a really cool set, probably the best (or best two, if you separate the middle and rear) in my collection, which consisted only of early 90s (and some late 80s) space sets.
@darthnorman said:
"We need a Lego Ideas Ice Planet hommage set ;) "
Nexo Knights' Knighton subtheme contained a few sets where Lego seemed to have wanted to combine Ice planet hommage, classic space hommage and steampunk allusions.
Some day, when the kids really busy and I do not have to catch up on work, I hope I'll build Clay's falcon fighter blaster (70351) with a bit more white, for example.
Ice Planet 2002 had probably one of the best color schemes ever made in LEGO Space. And Deep Freeze Defender is probably one of the best Space Ships to ever come out of LEGO.
Come on! Give us your review of the set!
Please
That’s what I’d call a holy grail steal of a lifetime deal!!!
@Russell844 said:
"I remember finding this set at a garage sale for $1! It had the box and instructions and was missing only two pieces. It was mixed up in a pile of puzzles."
This set seems like such a natural progression/extension of https://brickset.com/sets/6980-1 Galaxy Commander which has the similar front, flight capable, dual command pods component, middle connector section & a portable research/exploration/science pod.
Ugh, I hate myself for putting the original box & instruction booklet to paper recycling when I 1st moved out thinking I’d not build it that way again, instead using the pieces for Star Trek MOCs.
I have this one on my wall of ‘80s Lego sets too! Wish I could post pictures. One of the most playable sets of all time. It’s just wonderful.
Nice! One of my last sets before my dark ages. Fortunately my dark ages only lasted 3 years. Featuring Ice Grouch! Ice Babe! And Other Ice Guy!
This was a great ship--flatter and sleeker than most, and lots of playability. I rebuilt this with my kids a couple years ago after having it in storage for a long time.
I got this ship still mostly assembled in a garage sale find my granddad bought. With minimally looking at the online instructions, I was able to re-assemble what was missing, although it was in bad shape. Most of the whites had long since yellowed, and lots of the trans-neon orange bits were dirty. But you cannot deny its playability! Now it is a legendary set, so I am holding onto it still (albeit now disassembled completely) so that I can refurbish or replace the yellowed parts and make it a star of my space collection!
I got this one for Christmas...
Really great
@Lego_Lord_Mayorca
If you have patience (and I suppose after Corona goes away), look up "retr0bright"--it's a formula that can de-yellow old plastics. It started in the vintage computing community, but works well for Lego, too. I've got that project on a "some day" shelf...
I used to have this set as a kid and I still remember building all sorts of spaceships using parts from this set. And now in my collection I have it again. Its the perfect example of all that is GOOD about LEGO Space (and why we need more Space and less Star Wars :)
If LEGO did anything even close to Ice Planet or to this ship I would buy it in a heartbeat.
That's such a great set. I only had a few of the small Ice Planet sets and I still wouldn't say no to this. I like how Benny's Spaceship Spaceship SPACESHIP! echoed the modular nature of this model.