6887 - Allied Avenger

Rating:
Pros: Very cool design
Cons: No negative aspects noted
Contents: 98 pieces including 1 mini-fig
Price: Discontinued
Reviewed: 23-Dec-1996
Reviewed by: Joseph Gonzalez

The unscrupulous Senator Slugg is en route to a judicial hearing this morning aboard the consulate transport Julius. Slowly but surely moving, the large unescorted cruiser will reach its destination in only an hour... or will it? Attack alert warnings are terribly unnecessary as a dark moving mass of Blacktron Hornet Avenger class fighters is sighted. Speeding from the cover of clouds like angry insects spilling out of a hive, the surprise attack of one-man fighters can only mean no prisoners will be taken. In orchestrated waves of vile precision, the swarming ships make destructive passes over the consulate cruiser, and much like their namesakes, their medium but deadly firepower will down the slow-moving transport in very few minutes. Senator Slugg has much more to worry about right now than explaining the inappropriate use of charitable funds to a judicial committee.

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This is another great Blacktron II fighter craft. The design involves another "globe-jet" (described in the 6981-Aerial Intruder review), and upon looking closely at pictures of the 6933-Spectral Starguider and 6988-Alpha Centauri Outpost, it looks like the same small craft is used to one degree or another in those other sets (with minor modifications in each case).
I am very interested in the way Lego decided to use a similar design in the same sub-theme sets and I wouldn't mind seeing this kind of thing done more often (but not too much).
In the case of the Allied Avenger, the globe-jet is actually an extension of an x-wing craft (or is it the other way around, and the x-wing is an extension of the globe-jet?), anyway, the x-wing half of the craft involves innovative use of 1x2 flat hinges, 2x4 horizontal-to-vertical modifier plates and four 8x8 boat prow flats. The design also utilizes a rear fin which isn't really necessary, but neither does it detract from the ship's composition. I feel the designers did a great job on this model.
There are not a lot of pieces used in construction, and no particularly new pieces used, but a totally unique design is the finished product.
I'll say again that I really like these Blacktron II ships, and in my opinion, they're worth the double-the-original-price you'll probably pay if you find one in an auction.