LEGO Icons 10355 Blacktron Renegade recreates not one but two iconic sets from the '80s – but what's new and what's stayed the same?
If you buy 10355 Blacktron Renegade on January 1, you can choose to build into two modern versions of 1987's 6954 Renegade and 1988's 6876 Alienator. Both ships hail from one of the two main LEGO classic Space factions, Blacktron, and hold plenty of nostalgic appeal for long-term LEGO builders.
Blacktron had various unique style features, including its black and yellow colour scheme and its role in setting the standard for interchangeable modular builds. How much of this has carried through into the 2025 set? Let's take a closer look.
The iconic Blacktron colours remain
It wouldn't be a Blacktron set if there weren't vivid yellow and red accents on a black ship. Those colours endure nearly 40 years on and it would be hard to imagine a Blacktron set without them. The transparent cockpit windows are larger on the newer versions of both sets and the yellow stripes along the sides of the ship also remain, breaking up the black spaceship body.
It's hard to tell for sure but it also looks like there's some new printed yellow elements, along with a preference for using grille tiles, rather than stickered grills as in the OG '80s sets.
More pieces means more detail
In general, 10355 Blacktron Renegade benefits from more modern building techniques, as well as a much larger piece count. 6876 Alienator was made from just 86 pieces, and 6954 Renegade 313. Both are dwarfed by 10355 Blacktron Renegade's 1,115 pieces and the differences are plain.
As well as naturally being much larger, there's more detail and sculpting in the shape of the ship. The cockpit for both versions of the 2025 set can fit two pilots instead of just one and it comes complete with play features like retractable landing gear and two wing-mounted space speeders.
In the case of 10355's Alienator build, the modern build options offer clear improvements, with the feet looking far more polished thanks to the cheese slopes and plates leaving no studs exposed. In general, the build appears to be very sturdy thanks to the higher piece count, with stacked plates making for chunkier panels and landing gear.
Same design, cleaner printing
The basic design of the minifigures remains pretty much the same. The Blacktron pilots still don't have arm or leg printing but the torso print endures, appearing to be a little bit cleaner in the modern build. The all-black helmet, including an opaque visor, also stays close to the original design, and the 2025 Blacktron minifigures are now all kitted out with jetpacks.
Same design, cleaner printing
Although 10355 Blacktron Renegade can be built into modern versions of both 6876 Alienator and 6954 Renegade, one inclusion actually hails from 6894 Invader. The brick-built droid was originally seen in the third Blacktron '80s set, released in 1987. Once again, the main design remains the same as the original, although with some minor improvements.
The face is now marked by a trans yellow stud, rather than the red square plate from the original. There's also an added antennae in 10355 Blacktron Renegade, raising the droid up to the same height as the minifigures.
10355 Blacktron Renegade will be available for LEGO Insiders from January 1 to January 3, then for everyone else from January 4 for everyone else, retailing at £89.99 / $99.99 / €99.99.
Support the work that Brick Fanatics does by buying your LEGO sets using our affiliate links. Thanks!
Comments
Be the first to comment!