LEGO Blacktron Cruiser (40580) GWP Review!

The LEGO Blacktron is a theme I know very little about. Having found LEGO, and the wonderful community that goes with it, only a few years ago I missed out on so much classic awesomeness, including Castle, Space, Pirates, and of course Blacktron!

I will do my best to give an honest review based on the set from an ‘outsiders‘ point of view, from the parts that were used to the choice of stickers. So grab a hot beverage, sit back, and enjoy the review. You can even watch build it, as I went live on Instagram, its great fun and the interaction with readers is nice, you should definitely follow us and join in one day.

Product details:

• LEGO Blacktron Cruiser (40580)
• 356 pieces
• Space theme
• 1987 to 1993
• GWP from 1st January to 14th January
• Spend requirement £170 ($/€190)

The Box & Contents:

It’s a growing trend these days for LEGO to reinstate Classic box designs, just like last year’s Galaxy Explorer (10497), the box features a yellow surround and banner over one corner just like the sets from yesteryear.

I particularly like the use of the Neon blue grid the runs off into the distance, very cool and suits the theme to a tee.

Crack the box open, slide out the contents and you’ll find 3 numbered bags, 8 in total as multiple bags per number. Each bags constructs different sections which ultimately clip together to form the entire Cruiser. 

Inspiration behind the Blacktron Cruiser

There is also a ‘no frills’ instruction manual featuring a cool black outlined design of the Cruiser. Along with all that there are also stickers, yes this set comes with stickers, but why is the question, a GWP (gift with purchase) set that is a hark back to better time where the original Blacktron Invader (6894) featured prints.

The Build:

Being a ship that has 3 separating sections it makes sense to have them in different numbered bags.

Bag 1 has you construct the front, which houses the control panel/dashboard, the canopy and front facing lasers. There are also fold out wings that attach towards the back of that first section. These fold in and out depending if cruising or going full pelt, or at least that’s what I gather.

The second bag is where you make the centre section which happens to be the cargo hold, fill with tools for exploring and mining. The 3 flaps swing upwards & outwards allowing access to the inside. There is one gripe here and that’s the way the 2 solid panels connect to the base. The cups used don’t have very good clutch power and so constantly pop out, they also rotate making it hard to reconnect without proper concentration. I know its a small concern but one worth mentioning.

The final bag obviously makes the rail of the ship, with its flappy halfplates covered in 1×2 transparent red tiles. I actually like the way this is done and how it looks, caught just right the light reflects off of them and adds to the imagination of the Sun’s rays bouncing off of them.

Just below the tail wings is a lone thruster, given that its a small ship this should suffice, anything more and you’ll be blasted into oblivion in milliseconds!

As you can see from the images above there are a handful of stickers to place throughout the build, most of them are the Blacktron logo. These aren’t necessarily hard to place although the ones that go halfway down the panels needed slightly more concentration than usual.

There are a couple of tiny sidebuilds which can be stored in the cargo bay. One is a Minifigure scale Robot made from just a few parts. The other is a black box that stores 2 black bars, could this be what is being mined or is it some sort of Space currency?

The Minifigure:

The first LEGO Blacktron set dropped in 1987 and was considered the criminal side of Classic Space. The black represented Space whilst the Yellow accent was the Stars, I personally love this colour combination and the whole look and feel of it, very cool. Everyone likes the bad guys!

It’s unclear if LEGO have stuck to that portrayal with this new updated set, but the colours are the same so it makes sense to.

The Minifigure hasn’t changed much with perhaps a slight design update to the torso. The classic yellow head and face have also been left intact and it’s great, having a Blacktron Minifigure in my personal collection has finally come true, even if it is a new one.

Covered head to toe in a black spacesuit looks badass. The white torso print depicts the tubes and buttons found on most Astronaut gear, the contrast is harsh but needed as any other colour just wouldn’t work.

It’s nice to get an entirely black helmet and visor, and the air tanks are a great addition too.

The Conclusion:

Overall the set is a worthy call back to the LEGO Blacktron theme from yesteryear. It’s inspired by one of the very first ships the Invader, both having foldout wings and the hexagon tail panels.

As builds go its enjoyable yet at times frustrating, as the majority of parts are black and yellow, finding specific parts, especially smaller ones, can take slightly longer to find.

The Minifigure character is cool dressed all in black. The print is nice but not very detailed this making for a rather boring Minifigure to look at. Saying that it is nice to finally have a Blacktron Minifigure in the collection.

Is this GWP worth picking up with a spend requirement of £170? I’d say yes, if you’re a van of classic Space and Blacktron especially. The 14th January marks the last day this promotion runs, so be quick!

https://www.lego.com/en-gb/product/blacktron-cruiser-40580

Thank you for reading this far, we hope you enjoyed the review. Please feel free to ask questions via the comments section below.