6932 - Star Defender 200

Rating:
Pros: Design is cool (I like the way the hoses mount on the guns)
Cons: Pods are very cramped; might look better if they didn't just look like ejector pods
Contents: 292 pieces including 2 mini-figs
Price: Discontinued
Reviewed: 23-Apr-1997
Reviewed by: Joseph Gonzalez

What should have been a routine data-gathering operation is quickly turning into a disaster! Just after breaking through the upper atmosphere of Vogon Beta, the pilot discovers that what was supposed to be a massive pool of smouldering magma is actually a giant erupting volcano. Faulty sensors didn't detect the hurling boulder that batters into the descending ship. The boulder detaches one laboratory pod where one of the yellow Futuron sentries was about to conduct some sampling procedures.
With the involuntary expulsion of the pod, the ship loses control of directional thrusters, and the last thing the main stage pilot can see is his companion's jettisoning pod spiraling down into the fiery mouth of the enormous exploding mountain.

---

The Star Defender 200 has got to be one of the best ships of the now-deceased Futuron sub-theme and finding one can be a little tricky these days, but I've seen more than few in auctions over the past year, so I though it would be a good idea to cover one in a review for potential purchasers.
The SD200 has a design all its own. Possessing a centralized roomy cockpit (with enough room to hold a small four-wheel transport behind the pilot), on either side of the centerpiece are two detachable one-man pods that (while appearing to have propulsion rockets on the back) don't seem to have any navigational capabilities. Still, the ship makes for a great exploratory craft.
The kit comes with two yellow Futuron pilots, the aforementioned four-wheeled car, and more than a few good bricks (mostly bricks and plates in white and black with two different sets of thrusters and some black hoses) for alternate models.
You may not be able to tell from pictures, but the 10x6x11 transparent panel (windscreen) is indeed printed with the number 200 which I personally am not too crazy about, but the model as a whole makes up for this.
The SD200 is often compared to the 6981-Aerial Intruder because of its central body with detachable ships mounted on each side, and the design of the 6981 is obviously derivative, but where the SD200 cabins close more tightly, the pods for the Aerial Intruder can obviously fly about on their own. It's hard to compare the two models beyond that because they are both excellent sets for displaying or swooshing.