6933 - Spectral Starguider

Rating:
Pros: Neat design; model is actually three vehicles in one
Cons: None noted
Contents: 204 pieces including 2 mini-figs
Price: Discontinued
Reviewed: 31-Dec-1996
Reviewed by: Joseph Gonzalez

For the first time in the history of the Legopolis universe, Blacktron forces are actually working in conjunction with rescue operations on the planet of Ceti-Alpha II. Strange earthquakes rocked almost an entire hemisphere of the tiny planet, with disastrous shifting in tectonic plates that caused lava eruptions in many inhabited locations. The populations of most cities were evacuated by the Space Police and Futuron forces. The Blacktron faction (begrudgingly assisted by the Exploriens) now have launched numerous excavation/exploratory vehicles to do various experiments and to try to discover the cause of the seemingly unnatural disasters.
The Spectral Starguider with high-tempered titanium-lined wheels can safely travel over still-cooling lava floes and conduct the necessary experiments, while one of its flying detachments can fly ahead to seek out any further ruptures in the planet's crust. If the vehicle begins to sink suddenly or danger arises, both pods can be jettisoned from the land roving body to join up and take any experimental results to the home base for studies.

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The Spectral Starguider is a two-man six-wheel transport with two detaching flight modules that make up most of its functioning sections. The first of the flying modules is a globe-jet which extends forward of the two front wheels, this is the same type of model featured in the Allied Avenger and the Aerial Intruder with only minor modifications.
The second of the flight vehicles is located above the first and second sets of wheels. It is only slightly larger than the globe ship and functions better as an extension of the globe ship since there is no forward-viewing window. There is only room in this second vehicle for a minifig to stand because of a 2x2x2 box with a printed circuit door which is located inside the control booth. I guess this second vehicle is some kind of mobile lab or maybe just a transport which can stay with the mobile unit, or take off with the forward globe-jet.
Upon looking closely at the Spectral Starguider, it looks like it really could have been just a four-wheel vehicle because the last pair of wheels just supports a standing platform for a minifig, and the car wouldn't have looked any worse without the last two wheels. I guess the company just wanted a larger vehicle without having to add too much. As it is, the overall model is fairly impressive and I have previously stated that I enjoy the use of these "globe-jets" throughout the Blacktron 2 sub-theme.
There aren't any particularly unique bricks with this set except for the medium size wheels which I don't have with any other space sets. These wheels are just a little bit bigger than a standing minifig (size wise, they're somewhere between the small, wide wheels of a Celestial Forager, but not as big as a Mega Core Magnetizer wheel). There are also four of the 2x2x2 spring-loaded units which appear in later sets such as the 6248-Volcano Island and the 1728-Crystal Crawler, these units are used as shock absorbers on the front and middle sets of wheels.
The model serves a great purpose as a solid medium-size land vehicle and fits in well as part of the Blacktron 2 series.