Random set of the day: Space Spider
Posted by Huwbot,
Today's random set is 2964 Space Spider, released during 1998. It's one of 21 Space sets produced that year. It contains 45 pieces and 1 minifig, and its retail price was US$6.
It's owned by 606 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 is incredibly messy. The presence of both legs and wheels make this confusing to look at, the lasers out front aren't helping either.
Prolly woulda loved it as a stupid kid tho
I'd point out it only has 4 legs, but...
1. I love Insectoids
2. We don't know that Space Spiders don't have 4 legs
3. Perhaps the wheels count as the other 4 limbs
Space spider infestation? Nuke the planet from orbit, just to be sure.
I always liked those Epcot domes, no matter what colour they were.
@Robot99:
It’s a quadriplegic space spider, so the space vet equipped it with four space wheels to restore its mobility. Hopefully it’s not a jumping spider, because I don’t know that balloon tires really work in that scenario.
I wanna know what the developer was smoking when coming up with the idea for the insectoids...
Despite owning a single set from the subtheme (6942), Insectoids is easily my least favorite from Space. The late 90s subthemes (Unitron, Exploriens, Roboforce, UFO and Insectoids) are pretty below average compared to the period from Classic Space to Ice Planet 2002. This era had some pretty ugly designs... Life on Mars was an improvement, but then the theme had its first death in 2001...
I actually got the legs from this one in a bulk lot.
@ao_ka said:
"The late 90s subthemes (Unitron, Exploriens, Roboforce, UFO and Insectoids) are pretty below average compared to the period from Classic Space to Ice Planet 2002..."
Ain't that the truth. I agree 100%.
This is the only one of the four Tchibo promotional sets (the other three being 2962, 2963, and 2965) that never appeared in a US catalog. The other three all appeared in catalogs in the second half of 1998, marked as exclusives; 2962 mostly disappeared from catalogs soon afterwards, 2965 stuck around as long as the rest of the Insectoids, and 2963 actually became a standard-availability set in the US in 1999.
(I'm not including 2234 because it was practically a value pack.)
Is it a car? It's it a spider? Does it use wheels or legs?
It's it an excuse to get a bunch of cool and unique parts that will probably be more useful in 20 year's time than today?
We may never know.
Can’t help but feel like, even with both wheel and legs, it’s still gotten itself wedged on those rocks. Should rename itself the Stuck Spider
Every day a Space set is featured in RSotD is a treat.
I don't care what you think of themes like this, I want them back.
I don't remember why I was in a Tchibo store that day - I avoided thoses at any costs - but only by chance I found out they're having exclusive LEGO on the shelves, so this and it's sister 2965 were immediate buys. They also had an Xtreme Team car but that theme was meh.
What a coincidence! I just picked up the minifig for this set today and get home and find this to be the set of the day!
Ah yes. Space: the Weird Years. Was not at all into these--and then SW came along and changed everything.
I miss original themes like this.
By the way, the backstory of Insectoids is that the insectness of their vehicles is camouflage. So this is just a buggy made to look like a spider.
Still doesn't make it a better design, but ah well.
It’s hard to believe the lovely X-Wing appeared just one year after this. Given how long product stayed on shelves at the time, I guess that means these all shared shelf space.
@phi13 said:
"This is the only one of the four Tchibo promotional sets (the other three being 2962, 2963, and 2965) that never appeared in a US catalog. The other three all appeared in catalogs in the second half of 1998, marked as exclusives; 2962 mostly disappeared from catalogs soon afterwards, 2965 stuck around as long as the rest of the Insectoids, and 2963 actually became a standard-availability set in the US in 1999.
(I'm not including 2234 because it was practically a value pack.)"
Pretty sure they were available from the shop at home catalogs. I have 2965 (unless it has a different number in the US and I picked the wrong number when I logged my collection).
Space Spider, Space Spider…
Does whatever a space spider does
Can he swing from a web?
Probably not, but it has lasers
Look Out! Here comes the Space Spider.
@peterlmorris said:
"It’s hard to believe the lovely X-Wing appeared just one year after this. Given how long product stayed on shelves at the time, I guess that means these all shared shelf space. "
Yep, when Star Wars brought me back into Lego I was able to find nearly all the Insectoids sets in the toy stores at the same time.
@Binnekamp said:
"I miss original themes like this.
By the way, the backstory of Insectoids is that the insectness of their vehicles is camouflage. So this is just a buggy made to look like a spider.
Still doesn't make it a better design, but ah well."
So it’s a very buggy buggy? Hope it’s got no glitches or it’ll be a buggy buggy buggy
This set is fine, y'all just mean
I think I know what such a design could be useful for! All terrain! It can drive with the legs retracted, but switch over to legs if it would get stuck. Of course it wouldn't be the fastest or most compact thing, but it'd be a pretty cool way to travel over rocks.
Insectoids and Rock Raiders, the end of the golden age of Lego. What a fantastic theme.
@TannerTheHunter said:
"Insectoids and Rock Raiders, the end of the golden age of Lego. What a fantastic theme. "
Orient expedition in 2003 Should be part of that Golden age, But Adventurers started before Rock raiders, so it still counts?
@Miyakan said:
" @TannerTheHunter said:
"Insectoids and Rock Raiders, the end of the golden age of Lego. What a fantastic theme. "
Orient expedition in 2003 Should be part of that Golden age, But Adventurers started before Rock raiders, so it still counts?"
2000s had a lot of fantastic themes, but yes I'd call Orient Expedition an extension of the 90s crossing decades. XP