Random set of the day: Chill Speeder
Posted by Huwbot,
Today's random set is 4742 Chill Speeder, released during 2004. It's one of 6 Alpha Team sets produced that year. It contains 58 pieces and 1 minifig, and its retail price was US$4/£3.99.
It's owned by 1,976 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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29 comments on this article
That is one weak looking podracer.
"Hey speeder, are you stressed?"
"Nah man. I'm chill."
It says Chill, but all I'm seeing is Thrill!
Oh man, the drop-off from Mission Deep Sea to Mission Deep Freeze... I ended up with nearly all of the earlier line (helped, I admit, by Mission Deep Discount), and exactly none of the latter. The timing of the two in my life made a difference, but still... Mission Deep Freeze is one of my personal worsts as LEGO themes go. This one doesn't look TOO bad--I do like the sand blue--but it is not making me reconsider the theme.
Flex my man... what did they do to you? His smile and optimism—gone.
This theme's climactic ending is still unresolved to this day... the same thing latter happened to Exo Force in 2008.
Alpha Team’s awkward teenage years.
His face says derp face to me more then chill face. The sand blue is cool but the ski doo thing looks weird. Alpha Team was a great theme, it's just a shame the story was left off. It would be cool if they brought it back (and no, not that stupid Ultra Agents nonsense). Agents 2008/2009 whenever it was was an awesome theme.
I read Chili Speeder. The perfect ride/meal combination on a cold night.
Unlike @Formendacil, I consider Alpha Team to have gone out on a high note, as Mission: Deep Freeze was my favorite incarnation. I loved the ice theming, the fact that every set transformed in some way, and the ice orbs with their decoder gimmick, which was why every set had a trans-red piece somewhere.
@PurpleDave: I want to argue with that... but I just can't.
I don't miss the wierd faces from 2000's. There were a lot of them.
@Lyichir said:
"Flex my man... what did they do to you? His smile and optimism—gone."
Wait this is supposed to be Flex? I legit thought this was Crunch. So not only did they not give him his own characteristic face, they outright gave him someone else’s!
Meanwhile the guy in 4743 (https://brickset.com/minifigs/alp024/charge-alpha-team-arctic) is supposed to be Charge...
unlike most people (apart from @theothermike), I really enjoyed MDF, I think it was the best of the alpha team. the builds and their concepts where really neat and I hope we see something like this in the near future, as every vehicle has some crazy transformation. such a cool gimmick, my personal favourite being the ice blade, 4743, it goes from a jet sled to a freaking helicopter. beautifully simple transformation.
It's amazing how such a small set can transform just like all the bigger ones: it turns into a walker. The part selection is great, too. Whenever I see sand blue pieces, I think of the AT Mission Deep Freeze sets.
I had most of the sets from the first wave, but oddly enough in contrast to the original subtheme (wherein I had 6776), I did not have Ogel's Mountain Fortress. I think all three subthemes were great.
Never had an Alpha Team set, but I loved looking at it in the catalogue. Need to get some sets on Bricklink.
Legendary set!
At first glance I thought this was some Star Wars Hoth set - until I noticed the logo and minifig.
Something very 1980's/90s about that design.
This was my first Mission Deep Freeze set. I now own all but the Mountain Fortress and Zed's vehicle.
This set is great. It perfectly encapsulates what the subtheme is about.
And all that in a small package!
The vehicle can change into 'Alpha Mode' from a speeder to a walking robot with shoulder guns configuration (complete with bracket so Flex can stand upright on it). Mind you, this was when mechs had only scantly been done before.
It comes with tools too, such as the red magnifying glass and ice orb.
And the minifig was both sleeker than ever and less characteristic than ever. At least he has that wide mouth like before.
Fun fact: this set comes with a red magnifying glass to 'decode' the ice orb, which uses red and blue lines to hide a beetle pattern on one side but not the other. It's hecking expensive on the aftermarket. That trick was done first with the Exploriens line.
Fun fact: the background is canonically either antarctica or a frozen-over desert. Yes, a former hot sand desert. Those ice orbs are powerful!
Fun fact: Mission Deep Freeze was not originally the subtheme name. It was a fan name that was eventually adopted by lego through a character encyclopedia.
A pretty neat set. It's sand blue, it transforms into a walker, and I was happy to get my favorite agent, Flex, even though he doesn't look the same. One of the rare cases in which I thought the smallest set of a line looked better than the other small-to-medium sets.
@Brickalili said:
" @Lyichir said:
"Flex my man... what did they do to you? His smile and optimism—gone."
Wait this is supposed to be Flex? I legit thought this was Crunch. So not only did they not give him his own characteristic face, they outright gave him someone else’s!"
@phi13 said:
"Meanwhile the guy in 4743 (https://brickset.com/minifigs/alp024/charge-alpha-team-arctic) is supposed to be Charge..."
The best explanation I can think of is that the original Flex and Charge retired (or something much worse happened to them) and the codenames "Flex" and "Charge" were reassigned to two new faces.
@Binnekamp:
It appears the red magnifying glass is available as a replacement part (Batcave set from The Batman), but not through PAB.
@Bricknave:
“The name’s Flex. James Flex.”
Nah, doesn’t sound right.
@PurpleDave said:
" @Binnekamp :
It appears the red magnifying glass is available as a replacement part (Batcave set from The Batman), but not through PAB."
That's the thick frame version, no doubt. The thin-frame version with red glass is very much contained to 2004. I know because I had to order one for an incomplete 4746. That set was a bit of a money sink, unfortunately. Darn 3069bpb0091!!!!
@Binnekamp:
I can never remember the list of changes made to that piece. If you need a specific version for something, more’s the pity, but if all you need is a red lens, checking your options might keep your costs down.
Me chillin on the speeder
I Dont comment on any posts on here but I just had too this time. Wow what a weird coincidence, today on 30th November, a Lego YouTuber called Cheesey Studios uploaded a video tutorial on how to build a custom Minecraft Phantom. In said video he has the part 4222970 Mini Handle in dark/earth blue, that specific part only appears in this colour in this set to which he very nicely points out, but also gives another colour option, but yeah, I thought this was a very strange coincidence.
@Lego_guy said:
"I Dont comment on any posts on here but I just had too this time. Wow what a weird coincidence, today on 30th November, a Lego YouTuber called Cheesey Studios uploaded a video tutorial on how to build a custom Minecraft Phantom. In said video he has the part 4222970 Mini Handle in dark/earth blue, that specific part only appears in this colour in this set to which he very nicely points out, but also gives another colour option, but yeah, I thought this was a very strange coincidence."
Oh my gosh! I was going to say that.
The second time in two weeks that a RSotD has a name that sounds like a quote from Batman and Robin (1997). 5970 was the first.