Review: 7644 MX-81 Hypersonic Spacecraft

[Corvus]

Well, title says it. The description, you'll understand later.

I ordered this off of S@H last tuesday, and oddly enough, it's listed on S@H as MX-81 Hypersonic Airplane...

I'd like to apologize for the random, horrible, faded pics. I took the review outside, and the clouds kept shifting, changing the lighting, and then I had to go inside because it started raining. It's been raining for a week. It's raining now, as I type this. So, I foolishly went outside to take pics.

The front of the box.

Not bad, as far as boxes go. It features a lift-up tab...

...which shows the various functions.

Back of the box. Still not much to say...

Two manuals. I think this is just right- Not too thick, but not too many manuals, either...

Oddly enough, the box came with a little folded up piece of paper telling us not to mix the bags. It comes sorted into 4 bags, by the way.

Minifigures

The set features 3 normal MM figs, 1 normal jellie, and one of the new commanders.

I really like this guy. He has a few issues, like his hands being stuck sideways, and still being hollow, but still a great improvement. He'll make a lovely addition to any Halloween MOC.

Stickers

The set comes with a fairly big DSS for the Spacecraft. Pretty normal, but I do like the dragon sticker.

Then, suprises of suprises, a technicolor sticker sheet for the aliens!

How cool is this, huh? The tops of the actual stickers are shiny, which is hard to see in the pic.

Even the bottom is shiny! Who said stickers can't be cool?

The mining craft

The little guy is pretty cute, and well built. My only gripe is that there's nowhere to spin the drill! It seems so lifeless without a feature...

The alien craft

You'd think a Commander would be important enough to have a seatbelt, rather than be stabbed with a clip and stuck on the ship like those other grunt aliens...

I think this thing has some potential. Shiny stickers, different body shape. And when you look at those engines, this thing could be an alien Corvette!

But then you look at the back. Pretty bare, no flares or anything. It's a cool little craft, but it just...lacks.

The modules

These things have some potential, as well. With some modding, they could be pretty cool.

Unfortunetly, it's pretty boxy, there are no engines, and the wings are too small.

The top is pretty nice, though. The greebles are all right.

The controls, as usual, are a sticker. Pretty spacious, mind you. The cockpit doesn't stay flush with the body, though. The front plate underneath it can be easily replaced with a brick to fix that.

...I'm not gonna comment on this.

The main body

Too bad. The 'labratory' isn't much of a lab. A trans-red panel and some tray thing are all that compose the 'lab'. I was expecting more, but true to form, this Mars Mission set has no impressive interior to speak of. There is a lot of space, though, so it shouldn't be hard to mod. Phew!

The lab folds up like so. Pretty simple, and would allow access to the lab, if there was one.

And then we have this thing. What is it? Defense laser? Communications array? Satellite T.V.?

The modules connect like so (sorry, out of place...):

Too bad the pins stick out...

Various pics...

As you can see, this thing has more of those bars than an AT&T commercial... (There, you understand the topic description now? )

The rear. It uses a white City plane wing for the...wings. When I first saw the prototype pics, I thought they slanted downwards... That would've been really cool.

Ah, now to the platform. From the position of the drill, I think this could be a really cool turret location when I MOD it to more military space.

Back to the bars. If we had space monkeys, they'd love this. This set has more bars than a jungle gym.( )

Here we see the button that drops the platform. Pretty clever, and it's not in the way. Best of all, it really works! Really well, actually. Good job, TLC.

2 more bars and a shooter mechanism. Jeeze, this is really setting itself up for a joke. A shooter mechanism walks into a bar... Never mind!

Here we have the handle that allows you to pick it up safely. A good idea, but it's placed waaaay to far back, way off the center of balance. You have to hold on to it pretty well to keep it angled up, though it does stop your hands from getting in the way of the platform.

Ah! The platform in action. This is really a neat little feature. Not only can the ship land in a reduced footprint, but it also prevents the nice white paint job from getting red dust all over it... It's centered pretty well, too, and you don't have to worry about knocking it over, just don't shove it back at all.

Here we have the latch. When the button on top is pushed, this gets pulled inward...

...Which pulls out of this hole and allows it to swing neatly down.

Good luck, and happy mining!!

Again, sorry for the lack of in-progress review. I would've liked to take pics of the mechanism and so on, but typical of the MM sets, you can't really take it apart.

Well, this is really a nice set, which can hopefully be upgraded with a better lab with little difficulty. Some of my military mod plans include:

-Strip the lab and install a command center

-get rid of lots of bars. The thing has more bars than Alcatraz.

-Install some turrets. This is a big command ship, so why all the forward-facing weapons? It'll need some AA defense...

-mod the landing platform to be a troop dropper with installable AA turret.

-mod the cockpit pods to be more aerodymic.

So, that's all folks. Shall I include one last "bar" joke?

[radiant7]

I appreciate your review Mr. Mandalorian, but why the negativity?. I'd try to find more positives about the set instead of kinda criticizing it after each picture. I personally think it looks freakin' awesome!. The size is very impresive and I nearly fell of my chair when I saw the first pics earlier this year. It's quite unlike anything I've ever seen from Lego.

Edited June 4, 2008 by radiant7

[Siegfried]

Thanks for the review. I really like all the Mars Mission sets this year. The usage of the big wing is a bit annoying, but you can't blame LEGO for re-using the mold. I've been considering doing the same with mine!

So, that's all folks. Shall I include one last "bar" joke?

I wouldn't have a bar of it...

[iamded]

Thanks for the review, Mr. Mandalorian! This is an, er, interesting set. Lots of frontal fire-power. Very big too, and I like the idea of those two little craft that attach on the sides. Sort of like little escape pod things. Anywho, not one of the things on my to buy list, but I do like that radio-active sticker, that could come in use. Looking forward to seeing your modifications, too!

~Peace

[Svelte]

Thanks for the great and very detailed review. I love the new holostickers!

I'm still not sold on this set though. I'm not sure why... I think it's the big wing piece and the too-technicy build (from looking at the instructions). The platform seems kind of out of place. And for the size of the set, the functionality doesn't seem as good as it could be. It reminds me of 7699 Armored Drilling Unit - looks impressive but doesn't seem to do that much. I do think Mars Mission has improved this year though.

Bar none, this is the weakest of the new MM sets I think.

[Iron Moose]

And then we have this thing. What is it? Defense laser? Communications array? Satellite T.V.?

That certainly feels like an homage to the Deep Freeze Defender... which itself feels like an homage to the Galaxy Commander.

Is there some way to centre one of the cockpit units without massive de- and re- construction?

[Cardinal Brick]

Thanks for the review Mr. Mandalorian. The Alien craft is a bit small in my opinion could have done with being just a little bit larger. The main craft however despite its few minor flaws looks very good. While space isn’t my normal theme I’m certainly being tempted this year.

[Spacefan]

That certainly feels like an homage to the Deep Freeze Defender... which itself feels like an homage to the Galaxy Commander.

Thats the observation I had when I saw the first pictures of this set online a few months ago.

I am a proud owner of the 6973 Deep Freeze Defender and 6980 Galaxy Commander, so I'm looking forward to see how the 7644 stacks up next to them. There is a definite lineage here, and these sets clearly demonstrate the evolution of Lego set design over the years.

The MX-81 may not have the most playability out of all the new MM sets (although it has ALOT from what I can tell), but its hard to beat the look of a large sleek space cruiser sitting on your shelf or dresser, at least for myself.

Anyhow, this is my first post to the forum and hope my welcome won't wear out here anytime soon.

Edited June 4, 2008 by Spacefan

[Siegfried]

Anyhow, this is my first post to the forum and hope my welcome won't wear out here anytime soon.

Having a name like that is a good start!

[brickbitz]

Thanks for the review. I have to concede this does appear to be the weakest set of the summer MM lineup.

I've noticed a trend that the larger sets have plenty of parts potential but when assembled the model is not more than the sum of the parts...

Eagle Base certainly didn't seem worth the asking price, at least this is one large model. On a positive note the lame aero tubes, darts and martian carrier pods have disappeared.

Don't get me wrong, I love MM and most of the lineup is great, this one just seems to fall a little short of the BAR.

[Algernon]

I don't understand why there's so much negativity... this is actually my favorite of the new MM sets. The finished look is very sleek and not very gappy at all. The deployable landing pad is great, and it'll make it easy to put on a shelf without taking too much room. Lots of greebles... although I will concede that it's just begging to be modded.

Still, though, I'm definitely buying this one. :) It has a really great look to it!

[Spacefan]

Having a name like that is a good start!

My screen name largely sums up my interest in Lego, but is not soley limited to Space. Thanks for the warm welcome.

[Iron Moose]

Two more questions:

1 - how stable is the entire craft when balanced on the platform? Is there a chance that it will just collapse?

2 - what are the total wingspan, height and depth measurements of the model?

[Spacefan]

I don't understand why there's so much negativity... this is actually my favorite of the new MM sets. The finished look is very sleek and not very gappy at all. The deployable landing pad is great, and it'll make it easy to put on a shelf without taking too much room. Lots of greebles... although I will concede that it's just begging to be modded.

Still, though, I'm definitely buying this one. :) It has a really great look to it!

I don't understand the negativity either, one man's treasure is another man's trash I suppose.

That said, having grown up with Lego during the 80's this set has a certain nostalgia factor in its overall look and feel that harkens back to that earlier period in my life which I fondly remember. Aside from the Factory Star Justice set (elements of which I loathe), I expect the 7644 to be the closest thing to a Classic Space revival that we'll ever see again from the Lego Group, but I hope to be pleasantly suprised someday. Though I'm not living in the past, and do appreciate everything Lego is doing now and will do, and has done since.

And, like you, I'm one who's definitely buying this set. No matter how few of us there may be.

[Sir Dano]

Hm, needs more firepower.

[Iron Moose]

Aside from the Factory Star Justice set (elements of which I loathe

Do tell.

(I'm being curious, not confrontational. )

[Zarkan]

Great review, Mr. Boba Fett.

I really like this set a lot. Some of the features may not be as good as I hoped they would, but overall this looks to be a really nice set. I'm so happy that the giant spacecrafts are finally back.

I've noticed a trend that the larger sets have plenty of parts potential but when assembled the model is not more than the sum of the parts...

Eagle Base certainly didn't seem worth the asking price, at least this is one large model. On a positive note the lame aero tubes, darts and martian carrier pods have disappeared.

Hm, actually, I don't see the comparison. Eagle base looked terible to me right from the start, so it was no suprise when it ended up being the weakest kit in the first year. This big ship, on the other hand, looked great as soon as I saw it, and still looks good.

[Spacefan]

Do tell.

(I'm being curious, not confrontational. )

Well, first and foremost like many other people I'm no fan of those dreaded unprinted minifig torsos and stickers.

But also the cost to piece ratio of the set, it just seems too expensive for everything that you get, such as too many small parts and a lighter than usual piece count for the price.

Though if it had included printed minifigs and other elements, I maybe would of been able to swallow its 100 USD cost a little easier.

But Star Justice is still Lego SPACE in the most classic sense thats available today, and I will probably pony it up just because...

Anyway, I hope were not breaking Forum protocol by not discussing the 7644 review of the original poster or that particular set in general.

[maiq the liar]

Wow! i'll definately have to check this one out. i always tried making a big mining deployment ship, but it always turned out crappy.

Edited June 4, 2008 by maiq the liar

[Brainbox]

Thanks for the review. I actually quite like this. I can't afford it, so I'm not getting too attached to it, but in its own way, it's great. It's certainly reminiscent of Space sets of the past, as others have said, and the drop-down ramp section is just really cool. As an idea, you understand. Sure, the lab is a little crap, but at least the effort was made (sort of ). The sheer fact that it's so big though, really makes me like this. There's just something appealing about large spaceships. Not capital ships, just big space ships. With lots of guns!

Anyway, I hope were not breaking Forum protocol by not discussing the 7644 review of the original poster or that particular set in general.

Hey, it's no worse than Batbrick and I. No, really, it isn't even in the same league!

[Asuka]

Thank you for that nice review, Mr. Mandalorian.

Wow. Somehow it´s almost like Classic Space´s back indeed....

It´s a great star ship. It looks stream lined, original and impressive and even the huge plane wing part looks

rather cool and smooth on it.

It´s equipped at least with some kind of engines on top of the wings and although they´re made with only two

a little '<insert that tiresome argument>' parts it´s better than nothing. There´s a lab or some sort of engine room with enough space

inside to allow one or two MFs to play Scotty.... yeah!

The two cockpits´re nicely detailed with a cool use of these orange 1x1 round plates and to detach one or all two

of them reminds a lot of the playability of the good old Space sets. It seems even like it´s easy to attach them to

some kind of Cloud City Twin-Pod Car thanks these hinged wings. Looks like some solid fun to me.

Of course.... the cockpits aren´t airtight and even this reminds unfortunately of the post blue, grey and trans yellow

era of CS. Anyway, there´s no real fun without some MODing I guess.

Another great advantage of the set´s that it´s not overpacked with shooting things. One technic shooter, cool in grey

and only one trans orange prison pod too. Well, I can surely live with that especially since it´s nicely asymmetrical.

The drill rover´s very charming, a little like a rebuilt Oldsmobile Convertibe stranded on Mars. Sweet! And that platform

feature´s plain nifty and well done too, very playable and useable for a lot of things. Hmm.... recently I complained a lot

about the dense use of studless technic beams for the inner structure of vehicles like these ExoForce tanks par exemple

which makes MODing (in an economical way) pretty frustrating.... but the beams here´re used in a very proper way.

It should be fairly easy to MOD, let´s say, the back of that lab section up to perhaps even the cockpits to create a larger airtight

area that could be boarded from the platform.... just to fit this certain spacers need for, um, realism....

There´re many more nice details too like that 'satelite t.v.' thingy and that cylinder with trans blue

2x2 dish for the knob or these cylinders with cones on that handle, and that Alien craft´s pretty

nice and detailed as well.

Like I said before.... I really feel like Classic Space´s back.

[Corvus]

Hey, thanks guys. So you tolerated the bar jokes and faded lighting?

I appreciate your review Mr. Mandalorian, but why the negativity?. I'd try to find more positives about the set instead of kinda criticizing it after each picture. I personally think it looks freakin' awesome!. The size is very impresive and I nearly fell of my chair when I saw the first pics earlier this year. It's quite unlike anything I've ever seen from Lego.

I don't understand why there's so much negativity... this is actually my favorite of the new MM sets. The finished look is very sleek and not very gappy at all. The deployable landing pad is great, and it'll make it easy to put on a shelf without taking too much room. Lots of greebles... although I will concede that it's just begging to be modded.

Still, though, I'm definitely buying this one. :) It has a really great look to it!

I don't understand the negativity either, one man's treasure is another man's trash I suppose.

That said, having grown up with Lego during the 80's this set has a certain nostalgia factor in its overall look and feel that harkens back to that earlier period in my life which I fondly remember. Aside from the Factory Star Justice set (elements of which I loathe), I expect the 7644 to be the closest thing to a Classic Space revival that we'll ever see again from the Lego Group, but I hope to be pleasantly suprised someday. Though I'm not living in the past, and do appreciate everything Lego is doing now and will do, and has done since.

And, like you, I'm one who's definitely buying this set. No matter how few of us there may be.

I'm sorry you guys thought I was being negative- I actually love the set. It brings a real feel of Classic Space to MM (No, I'm NOT talking in the third person. ). However, it does have its own small issues, which are nothing, really. I said that there's not much of a lab- but that's the beauty of lego. There's a lot of room in the ship, so it should be a piece of cake to mod to a bigger lab. Too many bars? I'll take them off. I really like the set, I just want to change it to suit my tastes. It looks beautiful- It will find a home among my other MM sets as a favorite.

Iron Moose: Good question. It's about 17 inches wide, 11 inches tall (with ramp down), and 16 inches wide. As for the platform, it's pretty stable. It tilts back a small degree so it doesn't collapse when tapped on the nose, but I wouldn't leave it on the edge of a table while in that position.

[zero1312]

I think this thing is compensating the poor lab with the bar army.

[Ralph_S]

Nice review. Just one little point. Since there is no sound transmission through space, but there is an atmosphere on Mars through which this this thing supposedly flies, hypersonic airplane makes far more sense than hypersonic spacecraft ;)

[radiant7]

Sorry Mr. Mandalorian, I guess I was just getting a bit defensive because when this set first appeared here, there were literally 2 pages of people just bagging out the new MM sets (but then the thread took a turn and people started to warm to them, much like the Agents).

I do agree that it definitely needs some MOCing, but with that work I think it has the potential to be a really amazing set in terms of what you could cram into it. The lab is a little disappointing, I've always wanted an enclosed cabin space in a vehicle this size because then all the little space guys can have a true meeting place!

The drop-down landing ramp is my favourite part, it has lots of potential uses. Maybe it's even possible to integrate pneumatics :D