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I have always felt that 1997's UFO was underrated and it doesn't get the love it deserves, so I threw this together! The Radium Racer is the pride of the Zotaxian fleet. Its open engine design helps it to speed through the stars at lightning speeds, even with its heavy artillery. It was seen last in the battle between the Zotaxian and the rebel Zotaxian fleets before the revolutionaries fled to Holox.
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Preface In line with my promise to keep making reviews on UFO space theme I present to you the biggest UFO set by piece count and one that was very high on my wanted list for more than a decade. The purpose of this review is to make as comprehensive review of the set as I can and also provide some useful information to any collectors, who might want to buy this set either used or sealed by taking a lot of pictures of the box from different angles which are rather hard to come by in a good quality. As a bonus, I'll also provide a short comparison between this set and the 2nd biggest UFO set, 6979 Interstellar Starfighter, a review of which you can find here. A disclaimer: I intentionally avoided the word »unboxing« in the title of the review because the set I got had its seals already broken, but the contents inside were intact. It's a small thing but one I will adhere by. Any feedback is welcome and if you have any questions just let me know by posting it below. Enjoy the review! Information Set name: Alien Avenger Set number: 6975 Number of pieces: 351 Year released: 1997 Minifigures: 4 Price (then): 60.00 USD Theme: U.F.O. Introduction to the theme There are 3 main sources of this theme's backstory, those being German, UK and US promotional materials and sometimes local magazines. Unfortunately, there seems to be little uniform backstory details, that only being the planet from which the aliens come from – Zotax (sometimes referred as planet Humoreless). Even the nature of the aliens is different from region to region, but they are usually presented as evil or at least neutral. This was especially the case in the US, where the aliens were supposed invaders of Earth. This also translates to Insectoids theme, which was a theme that came immediately after U.F.O. theme in 1998. In that story line, the protagonists also come from planet Zotax but were forced to leave due to turmoil on the planet and seek refuge on a different planet which was home to large insects. In order to blend in they adapted their vehicles' appearances to look like bugs, hence the name and the gist of the theme – insects in space. If you are interested in more details, I recommend you check an excellent Brickipedia article here. I personally like the idea of Zotaxians being neutral – just look at their head wear and overall appearance. They don't look like the good guys to me Another interesting titbit of information - U.F.O. theme was also featured in a famous Lego Racers video game from 1999. There was a racing map where both U.F.O. and Insectoids themes were interlaced and it took place on the planet Zotax. There was also one playable character from the theme, also serving as an NPC. Not only that, but according to Brickipedia, this very set was featured in the game – floating in the air above the race track next to the finish line. There are 11 main sets in this there, some with different packaging (poly-bag/box variation or as a part of value packs/bundles) which have their own set number. You can check the U.F.O. set list here on Bricklink. Introduction to the set I got the set via Bricklink. The box was in good condition with no dents and with slight print wear, something to be expected for its age. Both seals were broken already but the contents of the box were still in their original, unopened packaging. You can check Bricklink listings for this set here. The box Here's the front view of the box. Some slight print wear on the edges is present, but not too much. This is the front of the box, with its flap up, a common packaging for the 90s. A single transparent window showcases some of the parts, sealed in a special plastic tray. A closer view of the underside of the flap. A closer view of the transparent window. Parts being showcase are (left to right, top to bottom) 2 trans-neon circular panels, Alpha Draconis minifigure, grey alien helmet, black alien helmet, Techdroid I minifigure and a trans-neon green windscreen at the very bottom. Similarly to 6979 Interstellar Starfighter, Alpha Draconis and a droid were chosen to be the two minifigures showcased in transparent window, along with 2 alien helmets on display which are meant for aliens only (black one for Alpha Draconis). Both figures and helmets have exact same position in the transparent window in both sets. I'm beginning to see a pattern but I will probably never understand why Chamon or Commander X were not chosen to be in place of the droid, since one of their helmets is on display. Below are additional pictures of the box. The top of the box. Left side of the box. Right side of the box. Bottom side of the box. A closeup of legal and product information on the bottom of the box. The set was made in Billund, Denmark. The back of the box, showing alternate builds. Below are pictures of the only 2 seals found on the back left and right side of the box. Mine were already broken but due to their placement and relative small size I think it's not that big of a deal. In practice I think it's not that easy (nor cheap!) to come across the same set with seals intact after such a long time. On the other hand, I think you are more likely to come across 6979 Interstellar Starfighter set with its seals still intact, since the box opens differently and the front flap partially protects the seals, while seals on 6975 are fully exposed. On top of that there are 4 seals on 6979 set, which are really long (covering most of the box sides), further increasing probability of having intact seals. Some pics of comparison between 6979 an 6975 box sizes below. A surprise for me is the fact that set 6975, despite having bigger piece count, has a significantly smaller box than 6979. Another difference, as you'll see in the next chapter, is the fact that 6975 has no internal compartments like 6979 has, separating bags with pieces and big circular »free-floating« pieces. This could be a bad thing for 6975 set, since these circular pieces can collide with each other in the box (since they are not held in place by a compartment) and this can potentially cause scratches. Luckily for me, no significant or noticeable scratches were on circular pieces in my 6975 set. »Unboxing« The box opens from either left or right side like most of present Lego boxes. All bags with pieces and free-floating pieces are contained within a green cardboard tray, that slides out of the box. On top of the cardboard tray sits a plastic tray, containing showcase pieces. Instructions and catalogues are located on the very bottom of the cardboard tray, under all bags and free-floating pieces. There's an imprint present on the inside of the cardboard tray. Mine reads: 4107370 Here are all box contents on a table. These are: a plastic tray with showcase pieces, a reflective sticker sheer, 6 plastic bags with pieces (5 bags with holes and one without holes), instructions, 2 1997 catalogues, 4 big grey circular pieces and 2 small grey circular pieces, all 6 of which are not packed in any plastic bags. Picture above shows all printed pieces in the set, exuding minifigs and their accessories. Here is a closeup of the plastic tray. If you are observant you'll notice that there is something in this tray that can't be seen from the front box window – those being 6 magnets in the bottom left-hand side corner of the tray. A closeup of all 6 cylindrical magnets. These are all stickers in this set – 4 in total. 2 separate black thermal stickers on the left and 2 reflective stickers on singular sticker sheet on the right. I was pleasantly surprised that none of the stickers gave me any trouble when I applied them to pieces. The glue seal was in perfect condition and it felt like these stickers were brand new, not 24 years old! I wonder how it will feel to apply modern stickers from current year in 24 years. One thing is for sure, they will not apply better than these old-school stickers! Minifigures Blue UFO Droid/ Techdroid I This is the only minifigure in the set without a helmet or a shoulder armour. It's the only robot in the set and one of only 2 in the whole U.F.O. line. Printing is only present on the front of the figure but is quite detailed, especially for 1997. U.F.O. logo is present on the top left-hand side of the torso, with remaining printing looking like exposed wires. Below are additional pictures of the figure from remaining angles. Blue UFO alien/ Commander X One of 3 aliens in the set (and also the whole U.F.O. line), also referred as Commander X by August 1997 edition of Bricks 'n Pieces magazine, published in the UK. The figure has a grey alien helmet, with black shoulder armour (identical to Chamon, another alien in the set). Blue colour is used for legs and arms of the figure. Printing is only present on the front of the torso and legs. The helmet sports iconic »brain« print on the front angle which the U.F.O. line is known for. Below are pictures of the minifigure with helmet and shoulder armour from all remaining angles. This is Commander X without his shoulder armour and helmet. The face and head look very insect-like to me, transparent green only adding to the vibe. The printing on the torso and legs looks more orderly than that of TechDroid I. The leg printing pattern is the same as that of Chamon and Alpha Draconis but in different colours. U.F.O. logo is present on the top right-hand side of the torso. Below are remaining angles of the figure without its accessories. Red UFO alien/ Chamon The second and the most common alien of the U.F.O. line, being featured in 5 sets. Chamon is very similar in design to Commander X, the most obvious difference being a red colour scheme for legs and arms. The figure has identical helmet and shoulder armour to Commander X. Below are pictures of the figure with its accessories from the remaining angles. This is the minifigure without its accessories. Like with all figures in the set, printing is only present on the front of the figure. U.F.O. logo is present on the top right-hand side of the torso. Below are pictures of the figure from different angles. Alpha Draconis The commander of the Alien Avenger and the most consistently named character of the U.F.O. line. Promotional materials are not in agreement on many things regarding the role of the characters but it is believed that Alpha Draconis is some sort of the leader of Zotaxians. His character is also featured in a video game Lego Racers from 1999, where he is both an NPC (the only one to represent U.F.O. line) and also a playable character. He is immediately recognised by his black helmet with gold print and grey, instead of black shoulder armour. The leg printing pattern is the same as Chamon's and Coommander X's but with a different colour scheme. I have a small gripe with the helmet of this particular figure – the print of the brain seems misaligned a bit and smudged a bit towards the front. The best indicator of this is the gold line that runs on the sides of the front helmet angle – it's quite thick on the left-hand side but it gets significantly thinner on the right-hand side and almost disappears at some point. The same figure I got in 6979 Interstellar Starfighter had a significantly better helmet printing. I digress – below are remaining pictures of the figure with his accessories. Lastly, here is the figure without a helmet and shoulder armour. Printing is only present on the front of the figure. Torso print is a bit different, since the U.F.O. logo is aligned in the centre and there are no wires or other electronic parts visible. A very clean torso design indeed. The remaining pictures of the figure without its accessories are below. Building the set Building the set was not complex and did not take a lot of time. The only thing you have to keep in mind is that these instructions are of the old-school type. This means that you don't get any separate parts list required for each step and new pieces are not highlighted in the build. Effectively, every step feels like a game of find all the differences between current and previous step. This requires more focus that modern Lego instructions. Again, I'm proud to say that I found all differences and was left with the right amount of space bricks. I'm starting to like this style of building more and more but I still prefer modern instructions The back of the instructions. Assembled set This is the assembled set, containing all minifigures and smaller vehicles inside. One of the side crew compartments in visible with Techdroid I in it. Side view. Back view – or is it? I'll touch on this in a moment. Another crew compartment is visible with Chamon in it. Another side view with the crane assembly. A view, more level with the ground. You can see 4 landing gear legs and a central engine in the middle. Keeping the tradition of the U.F.O. theme, most sets are meant to be looked at from above. Top view. Base section One of play-features of this set is that the saucer can separate into 2 section – a base section we'll take a look at in this chapter and a command module, which will be presented in one of the next chapters. Top view of the base section. Front view of the base section. In the middle, there is a planetary rover with a crew member manning it. The rover has a magnet on it, which can be used to connect with the magnet on the crane. The crane can then be used to deploy rover or store it back onboard the Alien Avenger. A closer look at the central compartment where planetary rover is stored. Note 2 circular magnets on the left and right of the central compartment – this is how command module attaches to the base section. The connection between modules can happen regardless of whether the rover is in base section or not. At the side of the central compartment there are 2 containers, each with a 1x2 printed tile inside, representing some sort of a hand-held device. On the side of the base there is another compartment. It houses a small buggy. A closer look at one of the two crew compartments. Techdroid I fits quite nicely. The other crew compartment houses Chamon. His helmet and shoulder armour make him more difficult to fit which means that his legs have to be bent somewhat. Here comes the dilemma – I'm not actually sure what's the front of the base and what is the back! The two pictures above both show candidates for the front side. The last picture above shows 2 rotating black thingies, which may very well be the engines or weapons while previous picture shows the side with 2 stationary beam emitter-looking contraptions. I assume marketing team at Lego did not know the difference either, since their promotional materials are not consistent – examples below. Promotional picture, showing rotating thingies as engines. The front of the box and instructions, showing rotating thingies on the front, reinforcing weapons theory. You may assume this ends the debate (if you, like me, thought that they got this sorted out for the actual product) but... This is the last step in the instructions, again showing rotating thingies as engines. Aargh! Were 90s Lego sets always this confusing about pointless details? Jokes aside, it doesn't really matter what's the front and the back of this set since it is circular and can be switched up at any time. If I had to guess I would say that it makes more sense (despite what instructions say) for rotating thingies to be weapons. I think it makes more sense for weapons to rotate than engines. This is of course looking more from play-ability perspective. In the end I'll leave it up to you to decide. Maybe there is no front or back? Now that would truly be extraterrestrial! ...getting back on topic. Here's the underside of the base. Not the best looking part of the set. Command module Command module attaches to the lower base section using magnets. The command module has 3 out of 4 stickers on total (2 reflective stickers on the side and one of thermal stickers on top of the cockpit canopy) in this set and is assembled using 2 small circular grey and 2 circular trans-neon green panels. 2 antennae are on the side of the module. The overall appearance of the module is very similar to the top portion of 6900 Cyber Saucer set of the same U.F.O. line. The main difference being the number of antennae – 6900 Cyber saucer has 4. There's room for only 1 minifigure in the command module. Gotta reinforce the chain of command. A closeup of the first reflective sticker. A closeup of the second reflective sticker. Thermal sticker before activation. To activate it, just hold a finger on it for a couple of seconds. Thermal sticker after being activated by heat. Notice the colour change to green and revealed pattern – a U.F.O. logo. Underside of the module. Notice 2 cylindrical magnets, used to connect to the main base. Planetary rover The rover has the second thermal sticker on it, right next to the magnet that connects to the crane, which is used to move rover on and off the Alien Avenger. The rover is controlled by one pilot at the very front . At the back there is a printed 2x2 tile with U.F.O. logo. Overall design is somewhat similar to certain vehicle designs from Lego Racers video game in my opinion. I love the black barrel wheels. Below are pictures of the buggy with a pilot and from different angles. Small buggy There's not much to say about the small buggy – has 4 wheels, fits 1 sitting minifigure, has 1 printed control panel and is small. Comparison with 6979 Interstellar Starfighter Size comparison bestrewn some U.F.O. sets. Left to right: 6979 Interstellar Starfighter, 6975 Alien Avenger and 6900 Cyber Saucer. When comparing 6979 and 6975 I think it's safe to say that 6975 feels more compact and overall takes up less space. It's also packed with more play-features than 6979, although it has no electronics, which 6979 has. Both sets feature some sort of detachable crafts that use magnets to connect to main base/ship. 6975 has more parts than 6979 but it doesn't show that at the first glance. 6975 also has 1 more figure and has all aliens of the theme, which is rather nice. The build process of both sets felt quite similar to me and I cannot really draw any definite differences here. Both sets feel appropriately »alien« to me but 6975 feels »more alien«, since it is shaped like a stereotypical pop-culture UFO. I like both sets very much but I think I like 6975 a bit more, since it's the flagship of the theme, has more play-features and has more minifigs. If you're deciding on which of these sets you should get (new or used) I would advice you go for both. But maybe go for 6975 or at least start with it. Also note that if you want these sets in new condition you will want to set aside some budget as well. They are not cheap sets to get in new condition but 6979 is usually a bit cheaper than 6975. Also,like I mentioned before, you are more likely to get 6979 perfectly sealed than 6975 if that is important to you. Conclusion Opening and building this set meant a lot to me. This was the flagship set I was always looking at in 1997 catalogues I had laying around. This is THE U.F.O. set – the flagship of the theme. Like I already said in my 6979 review, it's hard to be objective for me when reviewing sets from this theme but I tried my best. The question of price is always present, but, like I already stated, I'm ready to pay this price now. If you are a die-hard fan of the theme I think you have already made your mind regarding what condition you want your set to be in. For others I always advise to grab a used set in good condition. It is an interesting set from a wacky theme but don't spend too much money on it if you don't feel it's worth it. Hopefully you enjoyed the review and got interested in the theme. If you did then my job here is done and I'm happy. ... also go check another review of the same set here to get a separate take on the same subject. Design: 9/10. I dig the shape of the set and its many play-features. Underside of the UFO could have been handled better. Parts: 8/10. A lot of big circular parts, lots of printed parts and a lot of trans-neon green. Build: 5/10. Despite my somewhat growing love for old-school instructions (for the sake of challenge) I also find it frustrating at times. I still prefer modern instructions. Minifigures: 10/10. U.F.O. line has in my opinion one of the best looking minifigs ever. The detailed prints, shoulder armour and helmet combo – it just works. And you get all but one minifigure from the entire line in this set! Play-ability: 9/10. A ton of play features, much better than 6979 set. I can see kids having a lot of fun with this set. Price (New Complete): 6/10. Despite the set not being perfectly sealed I still paid pretty penny for the set. I can't complain too much but the price can always be better. I only recommend buying this set new if you are a big fan of the theme. Otherwise go for a used set in good condition which will set you back a lot less financially. On display. My fleet grows stronger...
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Lego 6999 UFO Cyber Saucer with Promotional Mask unboxing and review
Alpha Draconis posted a topic in LEGO Sci-Fi
Preface It's been around a year since I made my last UFO set review, time really flies doesn't it? I've had this set sealed for quite some time actually but never quite had the courage to open it and I think it's obvious why – the packaging is really unusual and unique – I don't think I've ever seen a similar odd-looking packaging. But then again I'm no expert on Lego packaging so this may not have been that unusual in the past. But one can only wait for so long and I intended to open and build this set at some point and the moment has arrived. To those who haven't yet read any of my previous UFO set reviews (which are 6979 Interstellar Starfighter and 6975 Alien Avenger) I owe you a short disclaimer – this is my favourite theme and I may look at it with rose-tinted glasses so please keep that in mind. Nevertheless I'll try to be as objective as I can with my conclusions. As always, I'm looking forward to any feedback, critique and I'll gladly answer any questions about the set or the theme you might have. Enjoy! Information Set name: Cyber Saucer with Promotional Mask Set number: 6999 Number of pieces: 109 Year released: 1997 Minifigs: 1 Price (then): 20.00 USD Theme: U.F.O. Introduction to the theme For the introduction to the theme I kindly invite you to check it in my 6975 Alien Avenger set review, as I have nothing more to add to it. The theme was short lived and the small amount of lore is inconsistent at some points (mostly stemming from different marketing materials between regions). Nevertheless, the aesthetics are some of the best in my opinion and the minifigs the best looking to-date. The theme was second-to-last in the continuous space themes releases, ending with Insecoids theme in 1998, which shares some of the lore with U.F.O. theme. There are 11 sets in the U.F.O. theme, which you can check here on Bricklink. Introduction to the set I bought the set via Bricklink. The box was in good condition with minimal amount of scratches and wear which is something you can expect on a set that is a quarter of a century old. All the seals were unbroken and contents of the box were still in their original, unopened packaging. You can check Bricklink listings for this set here. The box/ packaging This is the front of the packaging. It holds the mask on the left hand-side and the Lego pieces in the compartment on the right-hand side. The wear is minimal and in line with set age. These next few angles should provide a better idea of packaging shape. The back of the packaging show alternative builds and a kid with both the mask and the set in action. On the bottom right-hand side is the demonstration of the thermal sticker. More on that soon. This is the profile view of one side of the packaging with the mask dominating the picture. The profile view of the opposite angle is different due to the compartment with pieces being located on the right-hand side and obscuring the mask. A closeup of legal and product information on the packaging. The set was made in Billund, Denmark. Here are a few more closeups of mask-part of the packaging only. It's held in by 2 pieces of the packaging (front and back of the packaging cardboard), with the mask being held in between them. I wonder how easy it would be for a kid to rip the mask out back when these sets were widely available in stores? A closeup of stickers on the mask. Did I forget to mention it is based off the helmets that the aliens of these theme wear? Looking through the eye holes, you can see a piece of instructions or catalogue in the mask compartment of the packaging. Otherwise no backs with pieces or other paper materials are in the mask compartment. Packaging seals are located on the top and bottom of the packaging and hold together both parts of the packaging. The picture above shows top seal of the pieces compartment. Interestingly, there are actually 3 seals in the picture, one applied over the other. I suspect this was done to increase seal strength, since this is a very unusual packaging shape. All seals on the packaging are reinforced with at least another seal over the original one. I also don't think this was done by a third party, since all additional seals look identical, in the picture above you can also see that both additional seals have their own number (2817 and 2517). They also look of the same »style« to me, all with a black bar in the middle and none look broken. A different angle of the same seal grouping on the top of the pieces compartment. 2 seals on the bottom of the bottom of the pieces compartment. Interestingly there are no numbers on these seals. Front view of 2 top mask compartment double seals. Back view of 2 top mask compartment double seals. Back view of the 2 bottom mask compartment double seals. The sides of the pieces compartment have no seals but are instead glued together. A slightly different angle. Unboxing Unboxing for this set happened in 2 parts – first I opened the top of the prices compartment and built the set. Afterwards I broke all the remaining seals ion the top and bottom to release the mask. The mask review will be presented in a separate chapter. These are the contents of the packaging. A total of 3 bags, instructions, a poster and a catalogue. And the mask, of course. From left to right: instructions, a poster and a catalogue. The poster is of the same design as the one I got in 6979 Interstellar Starfighter. A side-note – I found this code on the top left-hand side of the poster. Does anyone know what the code represent? The catalogue. The back of the catalogue. The 3 bags containing all of the Cyber Saucer pieces. A keen eye will notice an elastic band in one of the bags – this is to be able to attach the mask to the head. Minifigures Blue UFO alien/ Commander X This is the sole minifigure in the set and one of the main characters of the theme. He is named Commander X in August 1997 edition of Bricks 'n Pieces magazine, published in the UK. The figure has a grey alien helmet, with black shoulder armour (identical to Chamon, another alien of the U.F.O. theme). Blue colour is used for legs and arms of the figure. Printing is only present on the front of the torso and legs. The front angled helmet print represents the brain which is one of the trademark looks of the U.F.O. theme. Below are pictures of the minifigure with helmet and shoulder armour from all remaining angles. The top view of the helmet. The front angled print extends to the top of the helmet where electronic interface of the helmet can be seen. Commander X without his shoulder armour and helmet. Top right-hand side of the torso sports U.F.O. logo. The leg and torso printing is very detailed, especially impressive due to the fact this was made in 1997. Below are remaining angles of the figure without its accessories. Building the set These are all of the pieces used in the build. Building the set was easy, since it isn't big anyway and because it uses very unique looking and big pieces. Picture above show all the big circular pieces that form the main body of the saucer. Here's what an underside of one of the circular piece looks like. This is the only other printed element in the set, besides the minifigure and 2 circular pieces of the saucer body. There is only 1 extra piece in the set – a transparent neon-green 1x1 circular plate. The 2 sticker sheets in the set. I'm pleased to say that the glue didn't dry out and the stickers stuck to the pieces with no issues and are not falling off. On the top of the picture are 2 reflective stickers and below is one thermal sticker, which changes colour if exposed to heat (from finger) and reveals U.F.O. logo. The colour changing can be seen on pictures below (starts with green, turns to brown-bronzeish and then dies out). The front of the instructions. The back of the instructions, showing alternative builds. Assembled set Here is the assembled set. It is composed of the landing gear with thrusters and the main circular bods with cockpit. In between is a turntable which allows you to spin either the main bod or landing gear. The cockpit opens and has space for 1 minifigure which is accommodated on a red seat. The heath sticker is applied to a smooth 2x2 plate, which attaches to the top of the cockpit. Reflective stickers are applied to, what look to me, 2 side-flaps attached to the main body. There's a safe-box located on one of the landing gear feet which contains the printed 1x2 smooth surface element shown earlier. I assume a handheld scanning device or perhaps a power source of the saucer? This is the saucer, flipped upside-down with landing feet in the air. A different angle of the flipped saucer. The set was definitely made to be looked at from above, as almost all the sets in the U.F.O. theme. And lastly, the side view of the saucer. This angle too, isn't too flattering. The mask Now comes the special part of the review and a part I'm not sure I personally encountered in any other set so far – the promotional mask, which represents the alien helmet of the U.F.O. theme, more specifically Alpha Draconis' helmet, since his is the only one being black. It's a single moulded piece with a ginormous sticker on the front angle and on the top of the mask. The mask has 2 elongated eye holes. I'm not sure why eye-holes have this shape but I assume it has to do with the mask shape itself and different sizes of kids' heads that this was supposed to be fitted on. Otherwise, there's not much to say about this helmet. It's plain black on the inside and has 2 holes on the side that the elastic band in the set is supposed to be tied to. Below are additional pictures of the helmet form different angles. Here is the mask next to the set. Next to the minifig helmet. And lastly, the included elastic band. I didn't really try to fit the mask on my head (or rather, my face) since I already saw it wouldn't fit comfortably. The eye holes were a bit too low for me. It's going to make a nice and interesting collector's piece. No pictures of me and the mask though. Instead, here is the picture of what a dog would look like with the U.F.O. mask. Conclusion Having the opportunity and privilege to open a sealed U.F.O. set always means a lot to me. It's my favourite theme after all and my collection is getting bigger. With these reviews it's always hard for me to be unbiased but I'll always try my best. These sealed sets are always expensive and to put is shortly – are not worth it for an average person. For a collector and a fan like me though, that might be a different story but I'll let you be the judge of that. If you feel like it's worth it and can actually afford to pay for a sealed set then I'd say go for it but you can always find these sets used and in pretty good condition, although if it's the mask you're after, these are not quite common, even in used condition. I hope you enjoyed this review and hopefully leaned something new. If that's the case then the purpose of this review has been fulfilled. Design: 9/10. I'm a sucker for a classic UFO shape and this is as classic as you can get with the theme. Big pieces don't bother me at all – they are essential to the U.F.O. theme. Parts: 9/10. All the necessary parts are present, which for a nice and eye-catching set. Build: 5/10. Not complex at all and all big pieces make for a fast build. Low score because of my gripe with old-school instructions which don't show you needed parts and where they fit in every step. Minifigures: 9/10. Could always use more aliens but 1 figure still seems fair. Play-ability: 10/10. Along with the mask, this must've been a blast to play with back in 1997. Price (sealed): 5/10. Very pricey for what it is. As always, I recommend buying this set sealed only if you are a big fan with a budget to spare. Otherwise there's nothing wrong with used sets just make sure you buy them form a reputable sellers and ask for pictures before buying it. My fleet is resting. For now... Trivia I believe this Cyber Saucer was featured in 1999 Lego racers video-game – it was the saucer at the start of the Alien Rally Asteroid track, whose beam, when it hit a racer, caused them to move backwards. Interestingly, only the saucer part, without landing feet is present in-game. Screenshot below is from YouTube channel MedalOHonor123. Another rendition of the saucer can be found at the end of the track but it' just hovering above the track, doing nothing but giving off cheesy alien sounds. A full model of the saucer also appears on PC box cover of the game but not on all versions, at least form my quick google search where I was only able to find one example. -
Lego 6979 UFO Interstellar Starfighter unboxing and review
Alpha Draconis posted a topic in LEGO Sci-Fi
Preface This theme means a lot to me, even though I never owned any myself when I was a kid since I wasn't old enough at the release to be interested in these kind of sets. I did, however, have a lot of old 90s Lego catalogues from my older cousins, who passed them down to me. When I was a bit older I acquired a taste for this line, but it was discontinued for years at that time, so I had to wait. Opening this set sealed really meant a lot to me, since I always wanted to do this. In the future I intend to hunt down all other UFO sets, preferably sealed and I might do a review on those as well. I made this review so that you can see how it was like to unbox and assemble this set back in 1997 and because I never found a similar modern review of the set, when I was looking to buy it. There are a lot of reviews on it, but I couldn't find any that would include a sealed box. I tried my best to make this review as comprehensive as I can. This is my first review so any feedback you might have is welcome. I hope you enjoy this review! Information Set name: Interstellar Starfighter Set number: 6979 Number of pieces: 292 Year released: 1997 Minifigures: 3 Price (then): 80.00 USD Theme: U.F.O. Introduction Description of the theme on Brickipedia: »The UFO Aliens come from the planet Humorless. They spend their time fighting the Exploriens and Roboforce, and scare Earth farmers in their free time. They have the ability to read minds. They have droids do their work for them, though they usually steal those droids, like in Andy Droid's case. Alpha Draconis is their leader.« source U.F.O. alien species is called Zotaxian. Their backstory differs from region to region - promotional materials back in the day weren't in sync and thus we get different backstories – in some versions Zotaxians even invaded then equivalent of Lego City, while in other versions the story was confined to space themes only. source A thing to mention is that aliens from Insectoids theme are also Zotaxians and come from the same planet as U.F.O. aliens. For different reasons, depending on the local promotional materials issued at the time they had to flee their native world and find a new home. U.F.O. theme was also featured in Lego Racers video game from 1999. There was a racing map where both U.F.O. and Insectoids themes were interlaced. I got this set sealed via BrickLink. The box was in overall good contention, aside from some print wear. But most importantly, no dents! You can check BrickLink listings for this set here. The box Here's the front view of the box. Wear on the edges shows that it was sealed for almost 24 years but I guess that is a necessary evil and not really that important. This is the front of the box with its flap up, revealing transparent windows showcasing some elements of the set. Yes, I learned that was very common for Lego sets at the time but I grew up with sets that had simpler boxes with no flaps so this feels alien to me... I'll see myself out Upon closer inspection we can see what is showcased – 2 minifigs (Alpha Draconis on the right, Andy Droid on the left). Above them (the very top of the window) are 2 transparent neon-green circular pieces that the U.F.O. theme is most known for. They form cockpit canopy of the starfighter. Between the figures are alien helmets – black one on top (Alpha Draconis') and below it one in grey (Chamon's). Fun fact is that Chamon (the 3rd figure in the set that the grey helmet belongs to and has shoulder pads, just like Alpha Draconis) is not showcased in this transparent window, but his helmet is. Instead, Andy Droid was chosen to be showcased. I wonder what was the reason for this? On the very bottom of the largest window is the battery box that takes 9V battery. Yes, this set has electronic parts that produce visuals (and also some audio but I don't think that was the designer's intention – more on that later). Immediately below is another tiny window, showcasing the cockpit lights. Lastly on the very bottom we have a line of 5 small transparent windows. The contents showcased are (from left to right): electric wire with brick, 2 magnets, red electric micro motor, 2 magnets, electric wire with brick. Below are additional pictures of the box. The top of the box. An observation – I noticed a number imprint on the top of the box (4217). I have no idea what this was used for. Maybe something to do with production and/or distribution system back in the 90s? Left side of the box. Bottom side of the box. A closeup of legal and production information on the bottom of the box. It says the set was made in Billund, Denmark. Right side of the box. The back of the box, showing mostly alternative builds - a practice that is not that common for set packaging nowadays. Below are pictures of box seals, which can be found on the front of the box, under the flap. This is where you are supposed to open the set. You have to take the cardboard with transparent windows off in order to access the box contents. Unboxing Like mentioned before, you have to open the box from the front, with its flap out of the way. I cut the seals with a knife along highlighted areas and the lifted the cardboard with transparent windows up from the box to access its contents. This how contents of the box are distributed in the box. The box is divided in several compartments (light green cardboard), each holding specific bags of parts or larger parts. Items showcased via transparent windows are held in a separate packaging which sits on top of the compartments. Instructions and promotional materials are located on the very bottom , under cardboard compartments. Another imprint on one of the green compartment cardboard (4107390). Here are all box contents stretched on a table. These are all parts that not packed in any plastic bags or additional packaging inside the box. Above 2 pictures show all the printed elements excluding minifigures and their accessories. On the left are the instructions, in the middle are promotional materials and on the very right is a ... poster? Indeed, you get a cool one-sided poster with this set. This was a very pleasant surprise and I guess that a much more common practice in the past. This is a separate packaging, containing all the elements that are showcased via transparent windows on the packaging. These are all plastic bags containing the remaining bricks. Plastic bags are of the old type, of course, with holes all over them to enable air circulation. Nothing remarkable otherwise. Note the bag on the very bottom right-hand side contains the only sticker this set has, 2 light grey 1 x 12 beams, along with 9 optic fibres (they might be difficult to observe in this picture). This is the only sticker in the set. For those unfamiliar with the theme – this sticker is somewhat special because it changes colour based on heat. The idea is that you put your finger on it and it then changes to green colour, revealing U.F.O. symbol as shown in above picture. These are optical fibres you get in the set. 9 in total, 8 to use and one spare. Above are shown all electronic components of the set. On top is the battery box, below it are (left to right) black electric twin lights, red micro motor and light grey fibre optics electric element. Lastly there are two black electric wires with brick. Finally, you also get four black cylindrical magnets. Minifigures UFO Red Droid/ Andy Droid This is the only minifigure in the set without a helmet or a shoulder armour. It is the only robot in the set and supposed brother of more known Ann Droid from Exploriens theme. source The minifigure sports quite interesting printing (front of the minifig only), with U.F.O. logo on the top left-hand side of the torso, remaining printing looking like exposed wiring and electronic components to me. Below are additional pictures of the minifigure from remaining angles. Red UFO alien / Chamon One of 2 Zotaxians in the set, also referred to as the Red UFO alien. The figure sports grey alien helmet and a black shoulder armour. Printing on the minifigure itself is also only present on its front. The only other printing can be found on the front angle of the helmet, looking to me as a brain with interlaced cybernetic implants. Below are pictures of the figure with all its accessories from the remaining angles. Here is the front view of Chamon without its helmet and shoulder armour. The face is one of the more memorable ones for me – that grin makes the figure look both funny and creepy at the same time. The printing on the torso and legs is also quite detailed but looks more organised to me that, say, the printing on Andy Droid's torso. Mandatory U.F.O. logo is also present on the torso, this time on the top right-hand side. Below are pictures of Chamon figure with no accessories from remaining angles. Alpha Draconis The only (consistently) named minifigure in the U.F.O. theme. Although his role is again not consistent in promotional materials between regions, he is supposed to be the leader of Zotaxians in some capacity (ranging from dictator of planet Humoreless to leader of the Zotaxian fleet). He was also featured both as a playable character and an npc in the legendary Lego Racers video game from 1999 (although he was missing his shoulder armour). He is most famous for his black helmet and grey shoulder armour. Printing on the helmet is the same as on Chamoin's helmet, but the torso and leg printing are a tad different. Below are pictures of the figure with all its accessories from the remaining angles. Here is Alpha Dracoins without his accessories. His face print looks to me almost bug-like. I wonder if this connected somehow with Insectoids theme? His torso printing is different from Chamon's and Andy Droid's. There are no electronics in sight, only a large U.F.O. logo in the middle of the torso. There are hints of electronics shown on his leg printing. Printing is, again, only present on the front of the figure. Below are pictures of the figure from different angles. Building the set I unfortunately didn't take any pictures of the set assembly but to be honest there is not much I can say on that except the instructions did not age too well. There are no required parts shown for each step of the building process so you have to have a keen eye for details and every step feels like a game of finding all the differences between pictures. My worst fear was that I would end up with an extra piece at the end that I knew I missed somewhere. Fortunately it did not come to that and I'm rather proud of myself for achieving this These are all the extra pieces of the set – one optic fibre and one trans-red electric light bulb cover. The back of the instructions. Assembled set This is the assembled Interstellar Starfighter. I'll try to capture as many angles as I can. The front view – one of the best angles in my opinion. Angled front view. You can clearly see black electric wires coming from the battery box just behind the main cockpit and going to micro motor and optics fibre element hidden behind a printed trans-neon green element located in the middle of the starfighter. The back of the starfighter. Another side view. Front view of the fighter, more level with the ground. Definitely not one of the good-looking angles. Side view, more close to the ground. Another side view from ground level. Top view. Next to 6900 Cyber Saucer. Another feature of the set is that it has a smaller detachable space craft. The main ship Magnets on the back of the main ship are used to connect main ship with the smaller detachable space craft. Below are some pictures of main ship only. Above is the bottom of the main ship. It is clear that the preferred angle to look this set at is from above. Detachable space craft Below are some pictures of the smaller space craft. It is assembled from two smaller circular pieces with a trans-neon green cockpit. On the top of the latter is where the only sticker is located. Do the electronics work? Not all. The twin lights in the cockpit work flawlessly, while red micro motor is dead, effectively rendering fibre optics in the back bust. The grey fibre optics element works on its own though. Fibre optics in the back should flash one optic at the time. This is caused by rotating a Technic rod in the grey fibre optics element, allowing only one fibre optic to be lit at the time and providing flashing of all fibre optics. Rotation should be achieved by using the red micro motor, while grey optic element only provides red light. But since micro motor is dead only front twin bulb lights in the cockpit work. The micro motor is known to produce some noise so that's what I was referring to when I said there was some unintentional audio produced by electronic parts. Better working front lights and optic element than nothing! I have heard that these red micro motors are a bit iffy anyway, so this is something I was half-expecting. A gif and a picture showing working front cockpit lights, proving I am not full of... err... brick? A side note: when taking the battery box out of the set it's a good idea to utilise one of the holes in the plate below the battery box in combination with a Technic or a normal rod to push the battery box out of the set from below first. Otherwise the bottom battery cover might stick to the plate and you'll end up tearing the upper portion of the battery box out of the set while the bottom will be stuck to the plate. When this happened to me it caused me a mini heart attack (the crack noise mostly) but fortunately I did not break anything. Using this method is a safer alternative. Note that none of the parts used on the rod assembly on the picture above are a part of this set – I borrowed the tip of one of the s-foils cannons on my UCS X-Wing. Conclusion Opening this set was a very interesting experience for me and it was hard for me to be objective when reviewing this set. The price of this set sealed is also something that a lot of people would find hard to justify. But for someone like me, who adores the theme it was worth it. I would not recommend this set sealed to anyone however – you have to be either a big fan with the means to buy it, otherwise just get a used set. Sure you'll miss all the fun unboxing experience and the parts might be in poor condition/broken but it's going to be way cheaper. On the other hand, if you are a big fun with a budget – go for it, just don't expect all electronics to work. Hopefully this review will make you help make the decision whether to buy this set either sealed or used. Design: 8/10. The front of the fighter looks really nice but the main issue I have is with detachable space craft. No full circular shape - what were they thinking? Parts: 8/10. Electronic parts, along with circular parts and minifigures are really nice, it's a shame that the red micro motor is not working though. Build: 5/10. Oh how building instructions have improved. Hats off to any former kids building large sets before required parts for every building step were established as a norm. It's a game of concentration and patience. The build itself is nice but it's the instructions that bring the experience down significantly. Minifigures: 10/10. The helmet design, shoulder armour, printing... these figs have it all in my view. Still one of the best figures TLG ever produced and they aged really well too. Playability: 8/10. Lots of functionalities present on this set. From flashing lights and detachable smaller space craft to alternate builds – you decide how to play! Price (sealed): 6/10. I don't think I paid an unfair price for this set but it was still substantial. I know other older sets with higher demand sell for way more, so I can't complain too much. The price could always be better though. I hope you enjoyed this review and that you got to know more about the theme in general or just learned something new about the set. On display. -
Discuss History Channel's Project Blue Book tv series starring Aiden Gillen as Dr. J. Allen Hynek and Michael Malarkey as Captain Michael Quinn. The series is inspired by the Project Blue Book files. The series consists of two seasons right now. Discuss.
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Hi Eurobricks! I want to share a site I have been working on for the past couple years: www.1980somethingspace.com The site focuses on LEGO Space sets from 1978-1999, check it out!
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- roboforce
- exploriens
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This is the first proper Lego Space scene I have ever constructed. The display is centred around Classic Space, but I've added some later items and parts (mostly acquired second-hand) for interest. I found most of the Classic Space items and figures at an exhibition more than a year ago, but it was Benny's Space Squad that proved the impetus for doing this scene. The background is from a Klutz 'Lego Make Your Own Movie' book/kit. The base plate was a dark grey clone brand (Wilco Blox) plate until I found two slightly worn classic 'moon' plates on sale for just £6 each in a small independent shop. I quickly snapped up both! What do you think? Any comments or questions welcome.
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- bennys space squad
- classic space
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Hope you don't mind me posting this. I've just created a new set over on LEGO IDEAS based on Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Any support would be very much appreciated. Any feedback is also very much welcome! SUPPORT HERE ! Thank you in advance!
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- close encounters of the third kind
- space
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[Lego Ideas] Flying Saucer - Meet the Greys by DivingFaces_5018
divingfaces posted a topic in LEGO Sci-Fi
The Flying Saucer piloted by the Greys - Luckily it didn't crash this time! Ready to explore the far reaches of space (and Earth now and again!). The Flying Saucer has retractable landing legs so that it can be displayed as having landed or can be flown about with the landing legs up and fully secured. Three of the Aliens come with their own piece of Alien technology and the other one has a map (even Alien's can get lost!) Please support my idea. Any feedback is also very much welcome! Thank you in advance! VOTE HERE- 4 replies
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- alien
- flying saucer
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ETX 0937 space ship UFO Envoy MOC with Alien Puppycorn pilot figures
Murdoch17 posted a topic in LEGO Sci-Fi
This model was heavily inspired by A Plastic Infinity / Arcane Sweetie Belle's old (2012-ish) build, as seen here on Flickr. I took the basic design of the ship seen there and added newer parts and an updated color-scheme. This Unidentified Flying Object is meant to be the space ship of two of the Unikitty! CMF Alien Puppycorn figures' species. The ship without the figures. The trans yellow cones are simple forward-fixed laser weapons, but don't be deceived: they are only part of the defense grid on this ship! The rear of the ship features two engines, while the lime green 2 x 2 round tiles on the hinged tail are supposed to have this print here for a national symbol. The cockpit can seat two pilot figures and the roof is quite tall, so their unicorn horns can fit. The cockpit hinges to allow access to the inside to place the figures at the controls. The pilots of the ship, as best I could recreated in LDD. They are supposed to be two of these figures here. As usual, any comments, questions, suggestions and / or complaints are welcome. I plan on building the ship in real life after getting my final Classic Space models in order later this year / early 2019, but the alien figures are already on the way right now.- 1 reply
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- envoy
- mars mission
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Hello people, I present to you something that I was thinking for a long time: an Unidentified Flying Object , although I suppose you can identify it at first sight. ;) I wanted to capture the essence of a simple and classic ship: the flying saucer of all life! It has a small cabin with its control panel, little lights on all sides and 3 articulated legs that are collected during the flight. The curious thing has been to unite the two cymbals through some strategically placed technic pins. I thought they would not hold much but the result has surprised me. I hope you like it :D Here, all the pics. Thanks!
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Hi all, Here is a little moc inspired by the Washington Monument scenes from "Mars Attacks" and "Earth Vs the Flying Saucers". Hope ya like it
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This classic-styled UFO is just a fun little project I came up with while messing around with the new slopes that came out on the London Bus / VW Beetle. I have had it pointed out to me it looks somewhat similar to the car in some cartoon TV show I don't watch called 'Rick & Morty." I don't know for sure, but looking at pictures online, it seems like I could have been subliminally influenced by those video ads on Facebook I've scrolled past recently. The ship has two engines and an opening cockpit with seating for one figure at the controls. Meet Norma Alley, who goes about everyday the same way, for her whole life. Get up alone, got to work where no-one knows you, then she gets to a bar where her crush doesn't even know you exist, and finally go to bed in your tiny apartment with your cat that couldn't care less if you came home at all... only to start thew whole process over the next day. (Man, that was the most depressing and sad thing I've ever written, and was partially inspired by the Paul McCartney song "Another Day".) LDD file included here for the ship and it's pilot figure. Any thoughts, questions and complaints are welcome, though i don't know if I will build this one in real bricks. It is possible to do so, but as this is just a table-scrap, I probably will not built it.
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S.H.A.D.O. maintenance bay With a large fleet of spaceships and many ground units like the APC mobile, the S.H.A.D.O.* agency needs a modern and well equipped bay. My latest build is the S.H.A.D.O. maintenance bay where the agency's mechanics and engineers can fix and re-fit the Interceptors and possibly the ground units. The facility is full of details and it features also a service vehicle, a forklift and an hand pallet truck. Under the wing an operator is welding a support and please take a look at the sparks A little workbench and the column drill press are positioned on the right. A spare nuclear missile is ready to be loaded. Flickr gallery. Thanks for stopping by. *SHADO (an acronym for Supreme Headquarters, Alien Defence Organisation) is a secret, high-technology international agency established to defend Earth and humanity against the mysterious aliens. SHADO was the main subject of UFO, the popular '70 British television science fiction series about an alien invasion of Earth.
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Hello everyone! Here my latest build, the S.H.A.D.O. Interceptor, also known as Moonbase Interceptor that is the primary defence spacecraft of the secret SHADO Moonbase. The S.H.A.D.O. Interceptor appeared in the 1970s British television sci-fi show UFO. The Interceptors are white and red one-seater space fighters used over the Moon and in Earth's orbit, equipped only with a self-destroying frontal nuclear missile. The Interceptors, usually, fly in groups of three during a period of red alert. During the flight, the three missiles are fired almost simultaneously. These spacecraft can't fly in Earth's atmosphere, for unknown reasons. My brick built Interceptor has also a detailed interior, lifting the top it's possible to see the cockpit and the jet engine on the back. Below the back view. Few weeks ago I built another vehicle frome the same TV series, the SHADO mobile. Thanks for stopping by.
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Hello, today I show you my latest build, the S.H.A.D.O. mobile "evo" from 70's British TV series UFO. The show's basic premise is that in 1980 Earth is being visited and attacked by aliens from a dying planet and humans are being covertly harvested for their organs by the aliens. The show's main cast of characters are members of a secret, high-technology international agency called SHADO (an acronym for Supreme Headquarters Alien Defence Organisation) established to defend Earth and humanity against the mysterious aliens. SHADO has a variety of high-tech hardware and vehicles at its disposal to implement a layered defence of Earth. Among these the ground units including the APC SHADO Mobile, fitted with caterpillar tracks, in the pic below the evo-lution version bruick-built. My LEGO SHADO mobile features extras: - a bubble canopy; - a front hook; - a radar antenna with auxiliar light; - a back entrance and other accessories. The crew is composed by three: commander, driver and radio operator (all of them well equipped). I recreated a detailed interior with many features, included on board computers and many weapons useful to prevent potential aliens' attacks. Here the gallery on flickr. Thanks for stopping by.
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A project of three years or so (not continuous), this ship has gone from average size to just under three feet. The UFO series was one of my favorites growing up, so after going through my old legos and putting the sets back together, I started building this monstrosity. It breaks apart into 23 different pieces, many of which are designed to function indepedently, and all parts are modular. The Ship has electronics integrated in the middle, with a 9 volt motor, a 9 volt battery box, the old fiber optic assembly, and the double flashing light brick. It has a crew of 13, 1 of each classic alien, 3 of each robot, and 4 custom figures. There's also a pile of weapons, all stored on the ship in various places. r. If anyone is interested, I will post more pictures, as there are a lot of details packed into each part of this model, and I didn't want to flood the topic in pictures
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Location: D04 Tags: Civil, Vehicle, Land Vehicle, Spaceship Begin Log: It seems like the desert never ends here on Terrial Minor. I've been rumbling along in my M.A.N.T.I.S. Mech Armor Unit for hours with no trace of any Biomass. The power source Dan created seems to be holding up. Vvvvvvmmmmmm............. What was that? Activating Battle Arms! It seems to be some sort of UFO, piloted by a space slug! It seems to be attracted to the slug shaped lower armor on my suit. No signs of any hostility. I'll have Big Sal analyze its methods of communication so we can come to some sort of agreement. It hasn't attacked me yet, so I'll take that as a sign of peace! End Log
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Hi everyone, I had exhibited at Legoworld the Netherlands with a Space layout. It has been 6 years since I have done something with my Space collection. The last time I had everything in one landscape, but this time I wanted to separate all the sub-themes in different landscapes. The landscapes are also in time sequence. In the landscapes you can see the overlap of some subthemes. One other idea was to connect the worlds with each other with a monorail. The monorail set 6990 was the set to connect all the worlds. The first set is from 1986 and the time line ends at 2011 (Alien Conquest). I do have Space Police III, but I did not have the bricks to create one more landscape. I do not have Mars Mission or Roboforce, because of lack of interest. The link to the pictures: http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=549231 I hope you like it. Sander
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Hey guys, I was digging around a box full of souvenirs from LEGOLAND Billund and came across this half-used sticker sheet... As you can see it has some interesting prints such as UFO heads from 1998, Adventurers and Alpha Team heads from 2001, etc... Anyone know what set it came in? Here's the pic Thanks! legozebra
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- Alpha Team
- Adventurers
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