To start things off, the box:
Front. Note the lack of all the usual info that adorns all sets these days. doesn't even say the amount of pieces (204, has it written on one of the sides)
Rear, with just a bunch of interesting alternate models shown. Gosh, I miss those days...
With the flap open. Here we see the plastic tray, along with shots of the model and all the main play features.
Instructions and the cataloug (Yes, it was that near-mint-esque)
Front is the exact same as the box, so nothing really new to report here. the Rear, on the other hand, is typical of back then, when intructions were made to tell you how to build the set, not to advertise the rest of the theme.
The cataloug cover, though the only part most of us would be interested in is this page. Nevermind the page of M-tron and Space Police 2 before it.
Anyways, on the the actual set!
All 204 parts layed out. We see that there is much Black, a smattering of white and trans neon-grean, with a bit of grey to break it all up.
Nothing really special about the figs, other then these two particular ones are very shiny
. set probably could have easily accommodated a third, but two works quite well.
The first part of the build, the cockpit. Almost exactly the same as the ones from the Ariel Intruder, with the minor difference of the big dish on top, and the small engines on the side. When connected to the next bit of the build, we end up with This nifty little ship. And when we add it on to the last section of the build, we end up with the final product:
Final thoughts:
Well, as Blacktron sets go, this one ranks third on my favorites list (Behind Alpha Centuari Outpost and Ariel Intruder. Also, this list is of only sets I own, so only the Invader of the Blacktorn 1 sets are on it)
I break it all down as this:
Parts: 8/10 Selection isn't great, with it being mostly 6 large wheels that take up a lot of space, but even so, almost all of it is useful to some extent
Playability 9.5/10 This is easily the make-or-break part of my review. I just LOVE Driving this set on the table, on the floor, or even in the dirt (Those pictures are of my other copy of this set, taken last year, before I acquired this nice shiny one)
Design: 8.5/10 I feel it is a little weak here, seeing as it is mostly a ship on a chassis with 6 wheels and a little platform on the back.
Figs: 9/10 How can you say two Blacktrons are not awesome? would have gotten a full ten if there had been a third, but even back then TLC had some limits.
Nostalgia: 9.5/10 When I first got this set back in 06 or 07, I wasn't particularly fond of it, but over the years, I have found this set to be amazing.
Overall score is 44.5/50, or 8.9. That rates as very good in my books.
One last parting shot, of all the goods.
Hope you enjoyed my first proper review of a space set!
