Algernon

I won't lie- I'm not a classic Space fan, it was far too long before my time. However, this set is pretty impressive, it really feels like a NASA mission rather than just science fiction. I like the touches on the inside of the command base. Great review.

Thanks.

Ah. I guess that makes a little more sense, but I'm still gonna have to say the propulsion isn't very clear. Wow, Major Kartofski? Maybe the Spyrians are Russian!

It wasn't just the bugs that made MNOLG2 suck. The gameplay was boring as hell. You did boring things to collect widgets, and you leveled up your character to play kholli. Wow. Exciting. I have to say MNOLG2 was one of the biggest disappointments in Bionicle history.

Interesting. That's hard for me to conceive, since dark gray is so overused now. I know I'm right- I can prove it. And yeah, Unitron was 1995- my mistake. Space Police were still involved at the time, but they seemed to be taking a backseat to Unitron. Shame Unitron seemed so sloppy, it would be nice to get a worthy successor to Space Police. It doesn't make them bad themes, but it's a shame to see LEGO abandon such a great concept. I plan on doing a review of UFO though. Yeah, but wouldn't that tear the ship apart? :P Oh well, LEGO hasn't been known for it's realism.

I'd love to see a review of Insectoids, something I wasn't planning to do. If you have the time I'm sure you'll have a lot of interested folks. Also, when it comes to silly propulsion, nothing can beat the Saucer Scout.

MNOLG was great because it was the only game to really, REALLY give you a sense of the Bionicle world. You got a sense of the culture, the personalities of the different tribes, the problems the Tohunga faced, and I don't think the Toa have ever been cooler than when in MNOLG- they were basically legends that you were never worthy to witness unless they showed up once in a great while to kick butt, disappearing a few moments later. The story was somewhat interesting and the gameplay was actually pretty good. I also liked the music. Also, this is back when Bionicle actually had some sense of mystery surrounding it, which helped MNOLG a lot. You really felt like a villager.

I noticed this, but I forgot to mention it. I'll add this in- thank you very much. :D The Robo-Guardian was the first Space set to have dark gray? This would be hard to prove... Like I said, UFO and Exporiens were both decent themes, but as the years went on Space kind of lost it's strength. The themes that followed Spyrius began having very little connection to the galaxy LEGO had created. I believe Unitron was released in 1996, though I'm not sure, and Spyrius was ending as Unitron was beginning. Also, Spyrius has a lot of connection to Ice Planet through descriptions on the boxes. Check out some of the translations to see what I mean. Amen. What the heck is that thing? Anyway, as I said, I'm talking about a full realized theme here. Spyrius was the first to have a real focus on robots. I certainly hope so! The Spyrius base is a little bare, but otherwise the window appeared in just about every base prior to Spyrius.

Wow, you posted your review not 30 seconds after I posted mine. Frankly I think it's a mistake to rate a set so poorly because of the price, since the original price is obsolete now. I think the set looks great, and your review seemed to do it a lot of justice, until you rated it so poorly. Still, great photography.

Well, I wasn't originally going to pick up Skrall, but you may have sold me on him. I'm still getting Malum and Gresh first, though.

Theme Review Next in my series of LEGO Space theme reviews is the sinister Spyrius faction! If you missed my review of Ice Planet 2002, check it out here. Again, this series was inspired by BerndDasBrot's excellent M-Tron theme review. Hopefully you'll agree with us that both of these themes were hallmarks of LEGO Space! Spyrius, like Ice Planet, is one of the more controversial themes in the LEGO Space fandom. The unusual (and slightly inconsistent) color scheme threw some fans off, and some people felt that the general "mood" of the theme was erratic. For example, the main base was the perfect spy hideout, with a minimalist structure and a "fake" mountain that opened up to reveal a missile/satellite. Then we have the Robo-Guardian, a giant ten-wheeled robot armed to the teeth and often seen attacking Unitron and Space Police in large numbers. Not very subtle! Despite this, Spyrius made excellent enemies to our friends the Space Police, and I think it was one of the most inspired themes in LEGO Space. Read on to find out why! Table of contents: 1. Background information 2. The Spyrius collection 3. Best set award 4. The minifigs 5. Unusual elements 6. Catalog shots 7. Spyrius MOCs 8. Trivia 9. Sources and credits 10. Closing comments 1: BACKGROUND INFORMATION Spyrius was released in 1994, right alongside Unitron and just after Ice Planet 2002. They were the first "bad" theme to succeed Blacktron- who left some very big shoes for Spyrius to fill! However, though Spyrius followed Blacktron in terms of release, both Spyrius and Blacktron were seen in conflict with Ice Planet, and one could hypothesize that these evildoers coexisted. The two factions had some important differences, though: Spyrius played a slightly more specific role than Blacktron, namely to spy on the unwitting Ice Planet folks and steal valuable technology from them. Whereas Blacktron seemed to be waging a full-scale war against the galaxy, Spyrius seemed content to lurk in the shadows and quietly monitor their enemies, thieving and pillaging when they can. They were more like space vikings than anything else! Make no mistake, however- that doesn't mean they can't hold their own in large-scale combat: Here we see Spyrius attacking Unitron... and they seem to be winning! Clearly these spies are no pushovers. Spyrius was discontinued in 1996, beginning LEGO Space's slow decent to obscurity. Although new factions trickled out in the following years, most of them lacked the inspired designs and functionality of the factions released prior to 1994. By the time Robo-Force was released in 1997, Space was utterly exhausted, and the later factions had little to no connection to the epic universe LEGO had created. Of course, there are a few exceptions- UFO, in my opinion, was a well conceived theme with excellent minifigs and at least a few great sets. Exploriens, the last "civilian" faction in LEGO Space, wasn't as good as M-Tron or Ice Planet, but it wasn't at all worthless. There are also always those folks who insist Insectoids is worth a second look. To be sure, there was still some fun to be had with Space, but Spyrius was the last faction to really reach the greatness that Space is known and loved for. In my opinion, 1996 was the end of the golden age of LEGO Space. 2: THE SPYRIUS COLLECTION Spyrius consisted of 9 sets, including the various releases of the Surveillance Scooter as well as an unnamed flyer that was included in a Castle value pack. Without these excess sets, Spyrius had five main models. Apologies in advance for the scarcity of pics. I was only able to re-assemble several of the sets in my collection for photographing. But, fortunately, I got the most important ones, and I can still review the others from memory. (click the images to go to the corresponding Brickset page) 6939 Saucer Centurion [1] [2] [3] [4] Spyrius wasn't very interested in maintaining a Space fleet, it seems- they lack a capital ship of any kind. Instead, we've got a very nice medium-sized saucer with some good construction and cool features. I really like the dual cockpits, which in my opinion are much more interesting than the trans-green quarter-circle windows of the UFO theme. The Saucer Centurion has an extendable claw, lots of firepower, and a deployable rover that the ship releases by -get this- splitting in half! Weird or what? Nonetheless, it works very well and the ship remains stable despite being severed in the middle. It has a very cool look to it, and the general design is excellent. No big flaws to mention here- any self-respecting Space fan should own this set! Includes two minifigs. Score: 9.5/10 Outstanding 6949 Robo-Guardian [1] [2] [3] This is one of those sets you have to see in real life to appreciate. Tall, intimidating, and durable, this model is a rolling fortress with two deployable mini-scooters (including the head) and a compartment for the droid. Spyrius brought us LEGO's first mechs, and I've yet to see any of their descendants live up to the creativity seen in Spyrius robotics. Those arms look like they'll just flop around when you look at the box art, but in reality a clever gear system keeps them locked into whatever position you move them to. All ten wheels will move when you push the robot around- the four on the top aren't just space wasters. It has some awesome printed tiles (and a sticker), and aesthetically it's very impressive to behold. It's not a perfect model, however- the arms appear very disproportionate to the rest of the body. I would have preferred something that flowed better with the rest of the design. Also, it's very lacking in terms of hands. But besides that, it's still a testament to Spyrius's greatness, and a must have for any collector. Includes three minifigs. Score: 8.5/10 Excellent 6889 Recon Robot [1] [2] [3] I love this thing. Study construction, good aesthetics, jointed arms, and cool decals shape this up to be one of the best small-medium sets around. Everything is well concieved and works beautifully- there are no glaring weaknesses in the Recon Robot. This is the kind of standard I'd like to see Robo-Force live up to, or even Exo-Force for that matter. If I had to get picky about this set, I'd probably say that the arms need another joint at the elbow, since they're built into a 90-degree angle. But this is a minor flaw, and in most respects this set is a gem! Includes one minifig. Score: 9/10 Outstanding 6879 Lunar Launch Site [sorry, no out-of-box photos] The Spyrius base isn't genius, but it fits the theme very well and introduces some cool concepts that really help to define Spyrius. It only has one very small building on it, but it comes with some neat vehicles and the mountain in the center of the base splits in half to reveal a satellite! I think this feature really goes well with the Spyrius theme and helps define them as an extremely advanced, sinister, and powerful faction. According to some catalog translations, they hide pirated technology inside mountains and guard them with giant robots. Neat. Unfortunately there's not much else to say about this base- it's got some good minifigs and a trap door, but it's only about as remarkable as the box art. Spyrius won't go down in LEGO history for having a great base. Includes three minifigs. Score: 7/10 Decent 6898 Saucer Scout [sorry, no out-of-box photos] I don't understand this set. There's no obvious propulsion, unless you count the tubular additions to the wings... which would spin the ship around in dizzying circles. Also, the pilot appears content to stare fixedly at the camera atop the cockpit rather than where he is going. The least that can be said is that it helps ground Spyrius's tech into the realm of saucers and robots, since we have two of each. An interesting combination, to be certain, but it's a shame this baffling model fails to deliver the idea effectively. I'd only recommend this to collectors. Includes one minifig. Score: 6/10 Passable 1954 Surveillance Scooter [sorry, no out-of-box photos] We have WAY too many flying planks like this, and the idea wasn't very interesting to begin with. This is one of the better renditions, though, since it actually has propulsion and some frontal firepower. Plus it's an easy way to collect the minifigs. Still boring. Includes one minifig. Score: 5.5/10 Mediocre 1714 Surveillance Scooter (polybag) [sorry, no out-of-box photos] Same set as 1954, only it comes in a polybag. Includes one minifig. Score: 5.5/10 Mediocre 3013 Space Jetter [sorry, no out-of-box photos] Oddly enough, Ice Planet wasn't the only theme to see a strange a re-release of an unremarkable set. The Space Jetter is identical to the Surveillance Scooter, except it came out in 1998 with the Space Diver. It's anyone's guess as to why. Includes one minifig. Score: 5.5/10 Mediocre 1704 (unnamed) [sorry, no out-of-box photos] Spyrius was provided with an extra flying vehicle in the form of a value pack. This set is unremarkable, straying from the saucer/robot theme of the faction, and showcasing some sloppy construction. Only an obsessive collector should consider this set. Includes one minifig. Score: 5/10 Mediocre 3: BEST SET AWARD And the winner is... 6939 Saucer Centurion Spyrius had a lot of great sets, and it was hard to single out any one of the sets as the best in theme. In the end, however, the Saucer Centurion was the most solid of the Spyrius line. I know a lot of people liked the Robo-Guardian, but in my opinion the wonky arms hold it back from being the best of the best. The Saucer Centurion, on the other hand, has no glaring aesthetic issues to speak of. I'd have to REALLY nitpick to find anything wrong with it, and under close enough examination just about any set could appear flawed. For this reason, I think the Saucer is very deserving of this award! This saucer is very heavily armed. Even the Space Police didn't have this much weaponry. The cockpits seat a Spyrius pilot and an android. (sorry for the blur) But wait- the android isn't actually seated on the ship! It's sitting on a rover of some kind! The rover is ejected from the cockpit when the ship splits in half! Close up of the splitting function. The halves don't move more than 1 stud apart. Here's a neat extendable claw. Very cool little piece that works well. The rear end of the ship. The Saucer in all it's glory. Size isn't everything. I think this set holds it's own against classic capital ships such as the Galactic Mediator and the Deep Freeze Defender. The Saucer Centurion is one of the most inspired and functional Space sets around- Dual cockpits, cool rear engines, lots of firepower (or tracking antennae of some kind, up to you), and one of the coolest ways to deploy a rover in Space history! What's not to love? The rover itself is a little lacking, but it was pretty standard in 1994 when the Saucer was released. Everything works great with the Spyrius theme- mysterious, high-tech, and powerful. It's small size means you get a great set for a low price! Final grades: Color scheme: 9/10 Functionality: 10/10 Build: 9/10 Minifigs: 8/10 Execution: 10/10 Overall: 9.5/10 Outstanding (overall grade is not an average) 4: THE MINIFIGS Spyrius had some good minifigs, with a nice variety of faces and a cool droid. Personally, I prefer Ice Planet for minifigs, but these red and blue spies still impress. Apologies for the bad pictures here, my camera doesn't zoom very well. A standard Spyrius trooper. The helmet isn't printed here, but some other figs have prints. Apparently, Spyrians work out. And here's the droid! This little bot is wonderful. Cool face and printed legs. The Spyrians are clearly experts at robotics! Here's a few different troopers with their helmets up. For some reason, the I get French vibes from the mustache guy. Maybe the Spyrians are descendants of the French? Could be! Spyrius has some cool minifigs, introducing the first ever LEGO droid. However, after all is said and done, I don't think they'll go down in history as legends. Quite a few of the later (and even earlier) Space factions had more impressive minifigs than Spyrius, and I don't believe that this is a strong point of the theme. 5: UNUSUAL ELEMENTS Unfortunately Spyrius didn't have too many noteworthy exclusive parts, save a few printed tiles shown below: 6: CATALOG SHOTS Here are some great shots of Spyrius from some old LEGO catalogs! Click on the images to view the larger versions. 1994: 1995: 1996: Some rough translations from the above shots:

My favorite Glatorian! The aesthetics on this set are amazing. It's great to see LEGO's art team getting it's rear in gear again- this is the most fire-like fire set we've had in YEARS. I can just see this guy billowing in flames. Great review!

Hmmm. Robot dogs? Squidmen? This theme is starting to sound a little too cartoony. That's making me nervious. ... Oh boy, I can't wait for pics of the Space Police! I sure hope we get some soon! Lets discuss our lack of pictures for the next ten pages!

I disagree with that reviewer completely- I have Strakk, and I have to say he's probably one of the BEST Glatorian available. None of the other Glatorian look as elemental as Strakk. His huge ice shoulder blades are awesome (a little big, yes, but that doesn't detract from the look imo), his mask is perfect, and his axe is deadly looking. The color scheme is great, I love the ice-like ends to the shoulder armor and axe. His body is built into a slouch, which is weird, but it does add to the wild monster-like appearance LEGO was apparently going for. The only complaint I have is that his legs are a little boring, with no new pieces to speak of. Otherwise Strakk is WAY better than Skrall.

I'd agree with that. Tarix looks more like the Mistika. And that is a very bad thing. Gresh looks freaking awesome. GREAT aesthetics, and thats what's most important.

Gresh looks way better than Tarix.

Have you even played them? Metroid Prime 3 has difficulty settings to accommodate hardcore gamers like myself. Mario Galaxy is an AMAZING game with some of the cleverest platforming I have ever seen... it is a little easy, but that doesn't make it bad. Super Paper Mario is just fun. And if you think Mario Kart Wii is easy, you've got another think coming. That game can be tough as nails.

Mario Galaxy, Metroid Prime 3, Mario Kart Wii, No More Heros, Super Paper Mario, and a few others all qualify as great games my friend. LATELY Nintendo has not announced anything worth playing, but hopefully in 2009 this will be remedied. Right now Xbox 360 has more interesting games than the Wii.

Us Space fans are few in number, but loyal.

Every time I see there's a new post I check to see if pics have been posted. XD

I bought this set, and I have to say it's turned me on for the rest of the theme, but I'm not very drawn to this set in particular. The construction is lazy.

I agree. Great to see LEGO being creative with it's artwork again.

Well, BZPower's piece of shit server is keeping me from seeing the comic, but I'm intrigued. EDIT: Yay, it works now. That comic was unusually good. Some of the lines are still cheesy, but that's to be expected, and the general storyline is a huge improvement. Rather than having six "classes" of characters all working together against another six, we have different ideas behind each one. Three are working together, one is an outcast, one is an antagonist, and one is just a beast. I love it!

Agreed. It's difficult to squeeze emotion out of robotic action figures aimed for preteens, and the only time I've been captivated by Bionicle storyline was when it didn't try so hard to do the impossible- 2001. 2001 was more about exploring the world, which is much more interesting to me than the horribly generic personalities behind the fifth wave of Toa. Instead, it focused on Bionicle's strong point, which is the world.

Quoted for truth. It's great to see LEGO taking an old theme in a new direction. I'm excited as ever.