Random set of the day: Mag Racer
Posted by Huwbot,
Today's random set is 6648 Mag Racer, released during 1992. It's one of 27 Town sets produced that year. It contains 62 pieces and 1 minifig, and its retail price was US$7.25.
It's owned by 3,671 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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32 comments on this article
That's a very interesting sticker for the flag, never seen that before.
@MCLegoboy said:
"That's a very interesting sticker for the flag, never seen that before."
The fun part is, the flag is flown at half-mast. Not to honor a fellow late competitor but only to fit into the product foto. It's flown at the top in the instruction.
This is a fun little off-road racer and in retrospect, I think this small 1992 series - along with 6551 - should get more recognition.
Mag Racer? Mag what? Magazine? Magnet? It clearly doesn’t have mag wheels.
TIL that 1x1 round plates used to come on sprues.
Yeah!!! This thing rules! Everybody loves dune buggies!
two fuel-sponsored racecars in a row. that's enough for a drag race already!
I went to the Henry Ford Museum recently, and they sell t-shirt that says drag-racing was invented as soon as the second car was built.
My Lego-loving relative brought this back for me from a trip to Europe, and I thought it was incredible. The Blacktron torso on a non-Blacktron minifig blew my 5th grade mind. I always kept this one assembled. Recently ran across it in storage and right now it’s sitting on the bookshelf above my desk. Love it!
Irony...I was just watching "Speed Racer" on a movie channel...and this set's doing nothing to help the headache...:) (Also: I guess this would be the 'Mock 5' :D)
This is the only set I own with suspensions, lucky me. Sadly, this little guy doesn't have a rival, so it wanders around aimlessley...
Is a 'mag racer' powered by mags or somehow racing mags? Whatever mags are?
I bought this for the Blacktron torso and the shock absorber wheels. Great little set!
Sadly I am missing the sticker.
The "5" always left me confused as a kid. 6509, 6510 and 6503 were my other numbers but the only "2" I could find was 6508
@TomKazutara said:
"shock absorbing axles, still have some them, but really miss them in sets."
https://brickset.com/sets/containing-part-6325276 does give the same effect
Ah yes, the Blacktron racer is in Town!
Between the minifig, flag, shock absorbers and uncommon shape this might be the best racer in Town!
Also, this is the earliest Octan branded vehicle, alongside the far less memorable 1890 !
@watcher21 said:
"Sadly I am missing the sticker.
The "5" always left me confused as a kid. 6509, 6510 and 6503 were my other numbers but the only "2" I could find was 6508"
in 6395 you have 1-2-3-4 cars!
I think this was my first set with the suspension wheels. Still love it, fun little build!
@watcher21 said:
"Sadly I am missing the sticker.
The "5" always left me confused as a kid. 6509, 6510 and 6503 were my other numbers but the only "2" I could find was 6508"
6502 has the number 2 and can go off-roading.
I love almost everything about this set. The basic smiley face, the compact, simplistic build, the suspension pieces. Only the presence of stickers is a let down.
@Brickalili said:
"Is a 'mag racer' powered by mags or somehow racing mags? Whatever mags are?"
Magnesium alloy wheels, more commonly aluminium alloy or, in this case, plastic alloy!
The little details count, like the suspension and the canopy hinges open to allow access rather than having to break apart. Probably based on Magnetic racing 1:32 cars, as explained here
https://magneticracing.com/what-is-mag-racing/
@MCLegoboy said:
"That's a very interesting sticker for the flag, never seen that before."
I had this and 6551 and those sticker-flags didn't last long... terrible idea.
@jkb
@pazza_inter
Both were just before my time and 6335 arrived when I went pirates.
Got both sets a few years back and 6395 is real beauty
The start of the great Octan empire, from a humble service station and race sponsor to the mega corporation it is today.
The guy in this set is a blacktron racer lol
Looks like a left over space set that was recolored. They forgot to change the driver torso out though.
@watcher21 said:
" @jkb
@pazza_inter
Both were just before my time and 6335 arrived when I went pirates.
Got both sets a few years back and 6395 is real beauty"
6335 is great, too. I was trying to get into my dark ages when my little brother got it, and I was kinda envious.
@ambr:
I can’t find any information on when magnetic racing was invented, but it sounds fairly recent, where this is…not. Besides, he’s got a Blacktron shirt, not M-Tron.
Love this little buggy. Still have this in my collection!
I am so glad I bought this as a kid with my pocket money. I still have it to this day. Awesome little set. Apart from the stickers (the Octan branded spoiler is printed though) I can't fault it in any way.
The very first LEGO set I ever knew: my brother got it for Christmas two days before I got my first set. I could build this from memory even though it isn't mine! He still has it, with only the antenna/flag missing (and those were lost EARLY). This set alone drove a deep fondess for Octan, never mind Blacktron and race cars.
When I got this set as a 4 year old I was not aware of Blacktron I at all. To me there was only one Blacktron faction and it was the much more recent 1991 range. That kind of caused me a lot of surprise, to see a 'Town' torso appear in a Space set when I finally got my first 'full' Blacktron I guy in 6704. I soon would learn, that this was actually a Space torso making it into a Town set...
Anyways I think he looks very cool as a race car driver (much better than his rivals from 6551 !) and I absolutely loved the earliest Octan models, so yeah, definitely a set I will always remember gladly. Sadly though the flag on mine got lost (most likely due to child me not applying it very securely, so it fell off easily). The side stickers on the wedge are still holding very securely though!
Great set! Sadly my Octan guy had trouble fitting in and decided to join the ranks of Blacktron long ago (like others I'm sure) Still, he did leave his Mag Racer with the Octan crew. There might be some good in him yet...