6811 - Pulsar Charger

Rating:
Pros: Green rocket engine; sleek and speedy looking; a good selection of pieces to make your own creations with
Cons: The front nose piece is a little large and may be an annoyance when you are trying to make your own things.
Contents: 25 pieces including 1 mini-fig
Price: Discontinued
Reviewed: 7-Jul-1998
Reviewed by: G. M.

Being a little plastic mini-fig, Fred didn't ask too much from his owner, a nine year-old boy. Fred had led a relatively easy life until he was bought in an auction over a newsgroup known only to him as RTL. Some man had bought him and his vehicle as a toy. Fred was not a toy! He was part of an M:Tron Space set from the early 1990's and deserved a little bit of respect. Fred never got the respect he deserved until one day the boy who received the small ship had a battle between a U.F.O. and a Galaxy Explorer. The U.F.O. won and knocked the Galaxy Explorer out of the window and it shattered into 325 pieces.
Fred could take no more of this. From his spot on a dusty shelf, the little mini-fig raised his imaginary gun, charged the imaginary electromagnetic plasma enery pack, and fired an imaginary bolt of electromagnetic energy at the boy who just stood and looked, wide eyed.

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OK, well, the story isn't exactly what many of you may have had in mind, but it serves its purpose to describe an older M:Tron set, the Pulsar Charger.

The Pulsar Charger is the smallest set in the M:Tron line unless you count the small unnamed bonus pack set. It is a very little starship with a good deal of swoopability and playability -- not to mention looks. The centerpiece of which the rest of the set is assembled around is a 2x6x2 nose piece also used in the Celestial Forager, Shark Scout, and a number of classic Space sets. The nose has the M:Tron logo on it as well.

The cockpit is made of a chair and a steering wheel. The wheel doesn't seem to fit. A 2x1x1 hinged brick with a 1x2 computer tile would do a better job. The wheel also shows that the set is old and very good because of the wheel's simplicity. Attatched to the back of the ship is an extremely groovy 1x1x1 finned rocket engine in neon green. If this awesome piece was not present, I would think that the ship was just a measly scout, but with the inclusion of the piece it looks like an interplanetary voyager. The wings of the ship are 4x4 wing plates. One wing has a long green antenna (the antennae debuted in this subtheme, so all of the sets have them) and the other has a weird little 3x1 robot arm that hooks into the seat. Is this proof of a research vehicle? Well, whatever it is, it adds to the playability of this set.

The set also comes with an M:Tron astronaut in a red and white suit. It would have been nice for they guy to have a weapon of some sort, but the 1x1x1 cones mounted on the front of the ship look like lasers and sort of make up for it. If you can find this set in an auction or garage sale, go ahead and pick it up. It would make a nice addition to any space collector's collection.

Before I finsh up this review, there is one more thing I must add: a big thanks to Joe Wood for helping me acquire this set.