Random set of the day: Trade Federation MTT
Posted by Huwbot,
Today's random set is 7184 Trade Federation MTT, released in 2000. It's one of 19 Star Wars sets produced that year. It contains 470 pieces and 7 minifigs, and its retail price was US$50.
It's owned by 2500 Brickset members. If you want to add it to your collection you might find it for sale at BrickLink or eBay.
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13 comments on this article
Really shows how far we've come.
Hello, random tan pieces.
These early Star Wars sets were so primitive.
I remember buying this set as a kid.
I know the Star Wars theme was only a year old at this point in time, but somehow, 11 year-old me was not impressed with this jumbled-together mish-mash of parts. By 2000, bolstered by the VHS release of The Phantom Menace, I had seen the movie enough times to be very aware of how wrong LEGO was getting the colors on the sets. Immediately sets from the year before like the Sith Infiltrator, once desired, now forced me to turn my nose up in disgust. The MTT was even worse. And if you are an apologist, defending sets like this and the Slave I from 2000, then I'm sorry, we have to agree to disagree. There is no charm in such primitivism, and if one had patience, they were rewarded with the truly amazing 2007 release of the MTT. Now THAT is a set I have long desired. It puts the original MTT 100% in the spare parts bin of history, where it should've been in the first place.
For me the MTT set was one of the first sets I bought after my Dark Ages. That it shows a Star Wars vehicle didn't count much for me. But the colors! Leaving the 90's without LEGO this set was an explosion in new colors like brown, tan and dark grey. Very exciting to see regular bricks and slopes in brown. Brown for me formerly only was known as hair piece color. From a MOCer's perspective a great set back then!
Admittedly, the design would look much better nowadays, but back then I really liked this model because I could fit quite a few SW minifigs in it and take them with me on holiday, for example.
Quite possibly one of the worst star wars sets ever made....Thank God we have moved on from this
Not a good set by today's standards, even if it was good value and great for play (the opening back!).
Still, the nostalgia goggles rocket this thing to legendary for me. No, I'm not taking them off, let me be deluded.
It is so beautiful.
Don't own it, but considering I have almost every Star Wars set from before 2005, it is in my wanted list as a completist, and out of curiosity. I don't care about how inaccurate it is, there is still a certain charm to it that appeals to me outside of the desire for a complete collection, and it may be because there is a cohesion among the sets from those first years that works well for display.
Man, they really improved on this model's design over the years, but none the less it's a great set! A nice squad of Battle Driods and display rack, a perfect play feature for the vehicle that's only gotten better with age.
I remember this wave of Phantom Menace sets being what incited my interest in Star Wars at all. The UK 'Lego Adventures' magazine has two double-page spreads devoted to the first lot of TPM sets... and as a little kid who had no Star Wars knowledge to compare to for accuracy, just the awareness that they were SO DIFFERENT from any Lego sets I'd seen prior to that, they really drew me in.
It may not be a great set now - Lego relied far too much on angular pieces back in that day, even when they didn't really work - but seeing it again still makes me feel all nostalgic for my early years of being a fan :D