Retro Build 6890: Cosmic Cruiser

This is perhaps THE Lego set that has had the most influence on my youthfull brain.  At around age 5, when it was released, it must be one of the first sets I ever got, and I loved it.

Many an heroic space battle has been fought by this ship, and I just loved the hover bike that was stored in the back.  This is my personal Galactic Explorer, my `starter` into Lego

Having gotten hold of an original instruction, and having been able to find back all the pieces (yeah, some logos are bit faded, but considering it`s 30+ years of age as it was released back in 1982...), I sat down today and restored this icon of my youth to it`s prideful glory.

And it has already been swooshed a lot today, even to the extent that the GF was looking on with raised eyebrows when I went piw piw piw...

The pilot is one of the classic Red space men, who back then where considered the `jocks` of the line.  I think I have a better torso still somewhere, but somewhere is quite immense in the still to sort boxes that came above water when I relaunched my Legoness a few years ago.

The plan is so delicious old school.  No arrows where something has to go, no list of bricks needed step by step... real old style building by using those two orbs you find on your face left and right of the nose.  And something I already saw the kid freak one a while ago when he got an older Harry Potter set.  Aaach, kids these days...

The first part of the build is the jetbike, build on the old car frame.  This also serves as the central command part of the vessel, as the bike locks into the back and the pilot then sits in the cockpit.  Goldorak anyone???

The main vessel is build around a set of 6 wing parts.

These are then connected to each other, and `feet` for the vessel to land on added.

Remember with Benny`s Spaceship last week I told you about the `icon that shaped a generation`.  Here it stands proudly, 33 years after date, on the blue back ground.

The vessel is then build up with the canopy and pointy bits.  Officially they are of course antenna, but to someone grown up with Yamato, Goldorak, Star Trek, Galactica and other universes far far away, those where of course lasercannons... as I said, piw piw piw.

The full vessel and the jetbike, as they are seperated.

And by opening the hinge at the back, the jetbike gets put inside and locked in place, enabling full control for spectacular adventures (like in my case, landing in the Yellow Castle courtyard back then...).

I`m so glad the vessel is now standing on my display shelf in it`s original form, I missed it, and it was the release of Benny that indeed sparked the intrest to look for all the old bricks and get my hands on the instructions... and already loved every second of it so far :-)