novareb Posted January 5 (edited) INTRO Hi folks, novaeb here! As this is my first review here on Eurobricks, to give a brief explanation of why you're seeing a review of a 13 year old set- I was the perfect age demographic for LEGO's space and action-adventure themes in 2011-2012, and I've made an attempt to pick up some classic sets from my childhood now that I'm an adult with (somewhat) disposable income. And when I was younger, I read a lot of text reviews on Eurobricks- video reviews aren't my thing. So, I've decided to start reviewing myself! And to begin with... Today we'll be taking a look at one of the smaller sets from the ill-fated Alien Conquest line of 2011, 7050 Alien Defender! 1 by Nova EB, on Flickr MINIFIGURES 2 by Nova EB, on Flickr 7 by Nova EB, on Flickr This set comes with two minifigures, an ADU (Alien Defense Force) soldier and an alien soldier. The ADU soldier- who I'll be calling Shades- is exclusive to this set. He's completely decked out in that beautiful medium azure bodysuit (my favorite LEGO color), and is rocking some dark blue body gear with little pouches on it everywhere. I love these figures- I think they are totally cheesy, ala 50's B-movies. But they also remind me of Halo in a way, like if they dipped a Marine in cotton candy. He features a silly double-sided face, which can be repurposed for generic uses, it doesn't scream "sci-fi" that much. It's a useful head though! I do wish he came with his own blaster- while his vehicle features a couple, it would be nice for him to have one. The alien soldier, however, is the opposite. He features an amazing custom mold for a head with brains peaking out, big bulbous eyes and little protruding teeth, which is one of many beautiful alien heads that Alien Conquest introduced. This figure is reused throughout the line, and features a black and magenta bodysuit littered with tech pieces. I think this works wonders for a generic alien for any MOC. He also comes with a small ray gun with a stud attached, which works as a small alien sidearm. BUILDS 3 by Nova EB, on Flickr The first build you'll be assembling is this tiny hovercraft for the alien soldier. It's only about 13 pieces, and works about as well as it can- it's a simple build, with two little blasters and a joystick for the alien. While it's real basic, I'm glad it's included to give the Defender something to fight against. 4 by Nova EB, on Flickr The main build of the set is the actual Alien Defender, which is described by the set's description as a scout vehicle. I can definitely see that- it reminds me heavily of a cross between Halo's Mongoose and Warthog, with that giant cannon on the back. It was a very basic build, but it came together quite quick and was enjoyable enough. It makes heavy use of those angled plate-bricks, which I think work well for the front canopy as well as the main blaster on the back. My favorite detail in the set is up here- revolvers to suggest suspension! However, my second complaint with the set is here too- I wish the cockpit's sides were a little more bulky- replace the 1x1 light-bluish grey stud with a 1x4 plate in the same color, and put the stickered plates on those. It's a simple mod you can do at home with common parts, but out of the box it makes the pilot look very exposed. 6 by Nova EB, on Flickr The main play features are all located in the rear- two flick-fire missiles and a rotating and angled cannon, making use of two of the blasters Alien Conquest features clipped on. There's also a small license plate here reading P-A7-7ON- I guess referencing American general George Patton? I really don't know, that's my best guess. 5 by Nova EB, on Flickr The set features a lot of stickers in the front to give detail- unfortunately the copy I purchased from Bricklink has them a little misaligned, but whatever. They're cute stickers, adding an ADU logo and some controls and a targetting computer for the driver. I don't mind them being stickers- it's a small impulse-type set- I just wish I could have aligned them better myself! FINAL THOUGHTS I think this is a great impulse-set for a line that deserved its planned second wave. The set comes with everything one would need to stage out a small alien fight: two great minifigures, a little alien speeder, and an awesome scouting vehicle. It isn't perfect- a blaster for the pilot and some bulk in the vehicle's side would have made it perfect- but for what it is, it's close enough. I got this for 7$ USD out of box, and it retailed for 10$ in-box in 2011. I think that was a perfectly fair deal, and I'm happy to give this set a 9/10. I'd really recommend picking it up if you enjoy the Alien Conquest line, or you just need some weapon platforms for your next BrikWars game! Edited January 5 by novareb comma fix Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
