Random set of the day: Spy-Bot
Posted by Huwbot,
Today's random set is 1498 Spy-Bot, released in 1987. It's one of 17 Space sets produced that year. It contains 62 pieces.
It's owned by 639 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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22 comments on this article
Looks like he broke his leg in that pose
Oh that is cute as a button.
And look at all those printed slopes and tiles!
Gotta love classic robots!
I love the mini sets from the 80’s, this set has so much play value!
Prototype for the future Spyrius faction technology?
This would've been a neat set to have multiples of due to the hinges, computer panels, and other small detail parts.
What a neat little throwback! Definitely gonna sift through my old LEGOs to see if I can still build it.
Sweet! Did a review of this guy some time ago and I remember him well. As best I can tell, he's the only clasic space set to not come with a minifig. I got mine bundled with Twin Starfire--anyone get him separately? This guys was pretty cool, lots of classic computer panels and lots of articulation.
That is one funky lookin robot
Great pose. More articulation than a modern day Iron Man.
I love the amount of randomness in this set choice.
those are some very googly lookin' eyes
Nice robot but I doubt he can walk with that joint in his leg.
No disassemble!
Look at him go! Robboi!
Now that is one cool set!
Lets get this right, first things first - Classic Space = Awsome
However, I've always thought its not the most cunning of spying robots, it does not exactly fade into the background of Classic Space nor does it look like any of the other robots in the range.
But - Classic Space = Awsome, so who cares!
Lets get this right, first things first - Classic Space = Awsome
However, I've always thought its not the most cunning of spying robots, it does not exactly fade into the background of Classic Space nor does it look like any of the other robots in the range.
But - Classic Space = Awsome, so who cares!
@ra226 - ISTR this was only available as a set with Twin Starfire, and apart from accessory packs (32x32 crater plates, etc) it was the only Classic Space set without a minifigure.
Robots like this are definitely a blast from the past! At the same time, they're also a key example of how LEGO Space sets are often even more a "product of their time" than Castle or Pirates sets. There's been a lot of discussion lately on Eurobricks about whether kids today could enjoy Classic Space builds as much as more modern themes, and something I try to remind people of is that how people imagine the future tends to change much more rapidly than how people imagine the past.
A robot like this with a boxy grey body, a computer screen face, and lots of buttons on its torso already looked dated by the time I was introduced to LEGO in the early 90s. And the same can be said for many of the other iconic elements of Classic Space design, like the vaguely shipping crate shaped planetary outposts — even by the 90s, the popular image of what a futuristic moon or mars base/colony would look like involved a lot more tube and dome shapes (including domed windows like we saw in so many 90s Space and Aquazone sets) rather than that sort of rectilinear design. I mean, in this day and age we already have real-life robots that look much more refined and futuristic than this, so it's understandable that kids would expect actual space robots of the future to be at least as sophisticated as the sorts of robots they can already see in museums or even on a toy store shelf.
That's not to say that kids can't enjoy Classic Space inspired stuff when it's put within a frame of reference they can more easily relate to, like how the LEGO Movie introduced Benny as a character with overtly retro design preferences. Nor that the more superficial elements of Classic Space like the cool planet logo or the blue spaceships with yellow windscreens couldn't appeal to kids if combined with more modern, detailed designs (as we've seen with several of the Collectible Minifigures that appropriate the logos and color schemes of older Space factions).
But in general, it's important to remember that a lot of the unique characteristics of classic LEGO themes aren't quite as timeless as us AFOLs like to imagine.
I've built about 95% of this one from a big facebook marketplace haul. Hoping to get him into my bricklink store soon. :-)
@sid3windr
Number 1498 is ALIVE!
Ah, one of my favorite classic sets that I can build blindfolded.
I remember building as many of these as part would allow when after I picked up my first one. I'm sure I still have one built somewhere in a bucket.
So cool.