Tag Archives: M-Tron

Let the bricks do the heavy lifting

Is there a word for second-hand nostalgia? The reason I ask is that, although I never grew up with any of the ‘classic’ LEGO space theme, I’ve always been attracted (hah!) to the magnetic M-Tron theme. Unfortunately the closest I’ve come to owning any of the sets is a pair of Collectible Minifigures from Series 26. But the beauty of LEGO bricks is that you can live vicariously through them! So when I put together a hardsuit and exo-suit (inspired by Devid VII‘s recent construction worker, incidentally), M-Tron seemed a perfect fit. They are the heavy-lifting space faction, after all! All they need now is some magnets…

M-Tron Power Lifters

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90’s Space minifigures get a LEGO habitat of their very own

LEGO Classic Space has had a few upgrades in recent years, and with the launch of the most-recent collectible minifig series, LEGO fans now have a whole new crew to build habitats for, like this trio from ABrickDreamer. They feature a few of the sub-theme characters and sometimes-rivals of the Classic Space minifigure. M-Tron features the red and black color scheme, Blacktron II appears in white and black with an alien planet background, and Ice Planet 2002 surveys some icy terrain. I really like the subtle inclusion of the striped background with stars inspired by the LEGO Ideas set 21340 Tales from the Space Age.

LEGO SPACE cmf 26 Habitats (part 1)

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‘M’ is for Marvelous Magnetic Mech

What’s your favourite LEGO space theme? I think mine would have to be M:Tron. The colours! The vehicles! The magnets! Over on Flickr, user legomess ticks off all three with this modern take on the theme. They’ve done a great job of blending classic parts (like the magnet holders and neon-green windscreen) with newer ones. The overall design is neat, too. I like how such a big, bulky walker wanders around on its tiptoes!

M-Tron Ionic Walker: “Scorpion”

Naturally, it wouldn’t be M:Tron without a bit of magnetic play action. The ‘M’ in M:Tron may have stood for ‘magnet’, but in this case it’s equally apt for it to mean ‘massive’, ‘mecha’, or simply ‘magnificent’!

M-Tron Ionic Walker: “Scorpion”

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The magnetic charm of red and black

My first foray into LEGO space began with M-Tron way back in the late 80’s, so the theme has always held a special place in my heart. Builder Okay Yaramanoglu brings back the nostalgia in a big way with his MagnePulse Xcelerator. With far more curves than the original sets, this starship/rover duo showcases some excellent parts usage. I love the use of X-Pods for the two cockpits, the thrusters made from those space-y rover wheels, and the pair of canoes on the front of the wings. But the best design bit is one that seamlessly blends into the ship: the three-piece M-Tron logo made from a round plate, a wedge plate, and a white rubber band. Simply beautiful!

MagnePulse Xcelerator

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Hello, Dolly!

With this brilliant-looking robot, Julius Kanand pays tribute to M-Tron. The black, red, and trans-neon green pieces are all used in perfect proportion to each other to recall the color scheme of LEGO’s old, much-beloved and/or maligned space theme.

M-Tron Robot_Front

There’s some really nice parts usage, too; from the six-sided, rubber-framed dice at the shoulders to the socket wrench-as-antennae. But what I think works best is the minifigure dolly cart used as the shins and feet. The back of the dolly provides a natural vent effect, and the dolly cart is so stable that this robot can stand on one foot! It’s definitely an impressive engineering feet.

M-Tron Robot_Balance

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Load up and roll out

There’s always a ton of cool builds that show up in February thanks to various “Febrover” contests. This year was no different with Isaac Snyder’s (on Flickr as -soccerkid6) M-Tron rover and loading station.
M-Tron Loading Station

First off, so many shields! It’s incredible to see so many of one piece used so well. The shield shape gives the base of this build a concrete look, very fitting for space-corporation LEGO design. I’m also a huge fan of the use of ladders as the frame. It feels like this whole build was taken right out of an industrial outpost controlled by M-Tron.
Astral Gatherer

But the rover is the real star of the show. The wheels were installed backward so Isaac could use the grey disk as a detail effect, which is very clever. I totally dig the mini-crane on the back as well, with again a ladder being used, this time as the crane arm.

M-Tron should really make a comeback. If it does, I hope it looks like Isaac’s stuff!

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A Classic Space spin on the 10251 LEGO Brick Bank

I think it can be a fun practice when someone takes an official LEGO set and puts an entirely new (or old) twist on it. This Classic Space version of 10251 Brick Bank released in 2015 built by Justin Winn is just the kind of thing I’m talking about. Its façade is easily recognizable as the bank, but has all the classic colors and vibe of the retro-space and M-Tron themes. I’d love to see this idea applied to the entire modular series!

Justin’s Classic Space Brick Bank has a full interior, with a vault and plenty of old-style computer terminals.

10251 Brick Bank Interior Shots

This isn’t the first time Justin has “spacified” an existing LEGO set! Check out his customization of the 10196 Grand Carousel!

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M-Tron sifts the desert sands from this huge new mining facility

M-Tron is known throughout the galaxy for its abundant use of magnets, even deriving their name from the self-attracting rocks. But where do all those rocks come from? A giant metallic asteroid? No, intrepid M-Tron miners harvest the magnetic grains from the desert sands of alien worlds. This mining outpost was a collaboration between Wami Delthorn and Tim Goddard, with a few additional models by Jeremy Williams and Alec Hole.

Dig

Don’t be deceived, it’s much larger than it looks at first glance, as this night shot of the whole base shows.

Moston Substation B

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A stellar recreation of the Stellar Recon Voyager

Recreating classic LEGO sets is a popular theme in fan creations—most notably so in the Classic Space theme, but other space themes see revivals also. This time the set to receive the treatment is Alec Hole‘s rework of the 6956 Rescue Star Cruiser from M-Tron (also known as Stellar Recon Voyager in the USA).

Neo 6956 lower view

Alec has rebuilt the classic 90s set very faithfully, while keeping his own building style plainly visible. The general shapes and details are there, from the supported black wings to the mesh elements on the sides of the cockpit. My favourite parts are the thrusters, as well as the Nexo Knights shield tile pieces used as texture on the wings. And with M-Tron being short for Magnetron, of course there’s lots of magnets.

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What is M-Tron up to on Zosma 4?

Given the shared building blocks of matter and the uniformitarian geological processes likely occurring all over the universe, it seems fairly likely that future human explorers will encounter landscapes similar to our own on distant worlds. Mark Erickson has built an excellent gulch that would look right at home in the American southwest. But the builder says that this is the planet Zosma 4, with an M-Tron mining crew trundling along under the watchful eyes of a certain Captain Simon Lou. While the little M-Tron vehicles will probably evoke a certain nostalgia for LEGO Space fans who came of age in the early 90’s, I’m much more impressed by the realistically layered rocks — truly lovely.

Interstellar Surveillance

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