Blacktron really hit a crescendo that year with the Message Intercept Base and the Alienator. OK, it was mainly due to the base, but let's not discount lil old Alienator!

Blacktron is why my spare parts collection is predominantly black parts. Even though I was introduced to Blacktron through the Blacktron: Future Generation wave, I held the original wave in high regard. The primitivity of the early Space sets was gone. Blacktron's ships, vehicles, and base paved the way for the future of LEGO Space, in which the bad guys would dominate (sorry Ice Planet, Unitron, and Space Police II)! Perhaps, sadly, this is what also sealed LEGO Space's doom more than the arrival of LEGO Star Wars. It was reported during BIONICLE's tenure that villain sets or characters tended to sell worse than hero characters or sets. Even though that remark was made specifically about BIONICLE, I wonder if some of that attitude affected sales of late-generation Space themes like U.F.O. and Insectoids.

This is a really interesting looking set. It looks like LEGO decided to do their take on an AT-AT, but in Blacktron guise. I see all kinds of parallels, between the relative shape, the guns on the nose, driver mounted in the "head" of the vehicle.
And I have to admit, I like it!

I have this set. Actually, I have 2 of them.

The only two proper Blacktron sets I owned were the Invader and Battrax. The one I wanted the most was the Renegade, followed by the Message Intercept Base. This one...didn't really do much for me. I mean, at first, it evoked images of an AT-AT, but then you realize that due to the way the legs are constructed, it just shuffles along, never picking up its feet. For the time, it was pretty clever, but "clever for the time" can still fall short of expectations. Still, at least they got the color scheme correct, unlike the final Blacktron I set.

Oh man. Black Tron is the best.

a favorite of mine too still have it together after all these years!

What the hell does that name even mean

One of lego’s best ever. A perfect toy and a joy to play with.

Arguably the most iconic of a fantastic space lineup. Always glad to see something Blacktron :)

I loved the theme, the sets and the color scheme. I actually have one official set, but built myself couple of Blacktron MOCs. These bad boys are awesome!

Yeah, Blacktron, baby!

I think we just grew apart, it’s not you. It’s me.

At last! It must be one of the set which procured me some of the best play time as a child, along with all the castle sets I had the chance to own at the time. When I came back from the retailer in the car, I remember being fascinated by the moving legs, wondering how they managed to work. Must say that the build and final result did not deceived me. Hours of Lego space adventures with this one. It was so innovative!

One of my favourite Blacktron sets.

@Brickalili said:
" @ALFIE22 said:
"What the hell does that name even mean"

Interestingly, UK catalogues call this the Blacktron Strider which makes way more sense, even if its more of an awkward shuffle than a stride"

Yep. The big LEGO Websites use the US-Market names, which are mostly the best, but sometimes over the top.

Interesting use of the castle corner wall panel 2345 to give that smooth 45 degree texture on the back of the vehicle, which from the instructions is cleverly pivoted so that it can open to reveal the space inside for stowage.

My favourite theme. Own the Invader set, and after my dark age, I bought a lot with all de blacktron theme. A must have...

A.K.A. the Scoots 'n Shoots to the 'Trons around the moonbase.

All hail the Blacktron Empire!

@Huw said:
"Check out my 'Blacktron Alienator Home Page' in the archive, https://archive.brickset.com/blacktron/alienator/homepage.html, written back in about 1995."

LDraw existed in 1995?!! 0.o

This was my last childhood set. Bought in Woolworths. I felt slightly too old to buy it, but it was the thought "look at that spaceman!" that made me take it to the cashier without another thought!

"Alienate: cause (someone) to feel isolated or estranged."

I think it kills everyone you know so that you feel alienated. Or something.

I had this set and loved it. I think if I had the pieces I could still build it from memory...

@chrisaw said:
"This set will do it’s best to exclude you from the friendship group."

Comments like this may inspire someone to rebuild this with a Friendstron theme.

Love this set. Second only to Battrax.

At the time the first Blacktron sets came out, I hadn't seen any of the Star Wars movies. I don't think I was even aware of them at that young age, so I didn't get the references LEGO threw into their Space theme. In hindsight, it's all pretty obvious, but when I first saw the Alienator, the idea of a walker was new to me and I loved it. I still, to this day, prefer the Alienator above the AT-AT or any other walker from the Star Wars universe, because the Blacktron vehicle looks so sleek and bad-ass. The black with the yellow and trans-yellow accents is just so striking. And the Space figs never looked this good.

Happy to be one of the 4280 Brickset members to own this. It may be my favorite LEGO Space set ever.

After my older brother got 6894: Invader I sooo needed a Blacktron set!! I asked for this set for Christmas ('88 I guess) and it was a long wait until Christmas finally came! Great memories!

i got this set as a "reward" for making it through 2 weeks of being grounded for some reason when I was 10...

This was my first ever LEGO set. My grandmother bought it for me at Toys R Us in Rhode Island while I was there on vacation for the airplane ride back home to Colorado. Blacktron was such a cool line for 10-year old me.

Ah, sweet childhood memories! The Alienator was one of my favorite space sets. It packed a lot of punch for a small set. Classic all around.

Such a great set--this one had a cool alternate build on the box, too. Great selection of pieces in this set, lots of possibility without any added parts.

Behold... The Alienator!

I like Lego Star Wars but I sometimes wish they loose the license and start making Space sets again.

I think LEGO's response to the AT-AT was 6940 (also going with the Alien naming theme). Generally the UK names for space vehicles seemed more descriptive than the US names, which often tended to sound like car model names (e.g., Battrax, Invader, Renegade, Tyrax, Super Nova, etc.)

My main criticism of this set is the cockpit: the driver/pilot is so exposed on the sides! An easy modification is to add a Black Slope, Inverted 45 4 x 2 Double (part 4871) with computer or grille tiles around the pilot to make a cockpit/control scheme similar to the small spacecraft from the 6987 base.

@Zander said:
"Comparing US and non-US set names would make an interesting article."

Ooh, I second this. Hard.

@CarolinaOnMyMind said:
" @Zander said:
"Comparing US and non-US set names would make an interesting article."

Ooh, I second this. Hard.
"

Thirded! Delving into all the old names I remember would be super nostalgic

Loved the yellow and black Blacktron. Saw the base on clearance once . Went to get the cash and it was gone when I got back.

Classic Space. Fond memories.
Honestly, we need a retro Classic Space theme.
Get rid of Star Wars and all the other licenced stuff and bring back original themes. Or are LEGO designers nowadays incapable of producing proper own ideas?

I'm near to cry watching this set... one my favorite toy when I was a child. So much a good remembrance.

@seppo21 said:
"Loved the yellow and black Blacktron. Saw the base on clearance once . Went to get the cash and it was gone when I got back."

That is so tragic!!

@Mr_Cross said:
"This was my last childhood set. Bought in Woolworths. I felt slightly too old to buy it, but it was the thought "look at that spaceman!" that made me take it to the cashier without another thought!"

It was my last one too! Wasn't until 1999 that I bought a set again. The only Blacktron I owned but I treasured that all black minifig for a long time

@gsom7:
The original LDraw program was written for DOS. Pre-Windows.

Ahh Blacktron I. Arguably the best LEGO subtheme ever! I had the Renegade when I was a kid, but none of the other sets, but that has changed. The only one I'm missing I believe is the Battrax (actually maybe the Alienator as well ) and I have the box and instructions and the parts, just need to put it together!

Ah! I had this set! But all my LEGO went to my cousins. And one day I stumbled upon it on Bricklink for a decent price so I bought it. It still sits proudly in my shelf hangar.