LEGO Classic Space Set 6950 – Mobile Rocket Transport

Posted on May 6, 2012 by Andreas

Here is another Classic Space set – this time from 1982. The LEGO Set 6950 – the Mobile Rocket Transport – comes in the all-so-familiar gray-yellow color scheme, complete with a detachable large Rocket.

This one is a set I never owned before – so it is not in my original collection from the early 80’s but I did get it reasonably priced at eBay (again, I actually got two because the other one came in a set later).

Like before, the set came “partially assembled” and the first step is taking it apart and running it through the dishwasher at a low-temperature program. I really like the method, it is working nice and clean.

Unlike so many other sets that I own, this one comes with a specialty: the original box! Usually, when the box comes into play, prices soar at eBay but for one reason or the other, this did not happen for this particular auction.

One of the advantages having the original box is that they usually held “alternate” model ideas – things you could also build from the set but which are not covered by any instructions officially provided by LEGO.

This kind of proofs my point that I favor the Classic Space Theme over any of the new space themes such as “Star Wars” or “Alien”: being made from really generic bricks and not following any fixed motive (such as a Star Destroyer) they tend to really encourage creativity. You can build whatever you can imagine – as long as you got the bricks to support it.

To comment on the model itself: it is in really good condition – especially the transparent yellow parts are in really good shape, very little scratches and wear of time. And the only thing found missing is a flat black 2×2 disc.

Another thing about the model which I really like is its touch with LEGO Technic. Some other models use the bricks but this one really makes use of them by coming with a flexible all-terrain wheel suspension.

Above is a picture of the suspension section – front is left. As you can see, it will have eight large wheels mounted in pairs to four individually adjustable axles.In addition, the rear section in addition can be rotated to provide full maneuvering flexibility.

Both section are held in place by a large 6×14 plate which serves as the foundation of the platform itself. The front will also host the cockpit and (later) the control section.

The platform itself is composed from four wing elements, access ladders, control thrusters and four steering wheels to control the crane, which will be mounted on the massive support structure seen above.

With the wheels mounted and the lower hinge in place, the Rocket Transport is almost finished. Another hinge and a small platform mounted on top of it will hold the rocket in place.

The rocket itself is pretty complex – maybe the most complex one in the theme and serves the model just right.

Fully assembled and placed on an original LEGO 306 Crater Plate, the dimensions and size of the model become apparent – here are some more close-up photos of the assembled model.

The Cockpit section above – and the aft section below. Note the rocket’s clever setup with the side thrusters – very nice model design.

Finally, we can also see the hinges in action while the rocket is lifted into a launching position. The box stabilizing the rocket can be opened and the launch vehicle would simply drive forward to pull free.

The final images shows the wheel suspension in action – the front right gear easily adapting to the terrain of the crater plate while the front left section remains level on the base plate.

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LEGO Classic Space Set 6929 – Starfleet Voyager

Posted on April 29, 2012 by Andreas

In 1981, LEGO released Set 6929 “Starfleet Voyager” – with its gray-white fuselage and the transparent blue windshields a distinct visual set-away from the otherwise blue-yellowish scheme used (at this time) for the other space ships like the Sets 918, 924 & 928 – of which the first one is described in an earlier post.

Now the model that I got via eBay was pretty much showing its age – dust & dirt all over the place, some parts broken and repaired, you name it. So naturally (and as a test for all the other sets that I now own) I decided to try one of two cleaning methods usually proposed: the dishwasher.

However, you are not putting the tiny bits and pieces into the dishwasher – you will find them tossed around and lost (at best in the filter) by the water. Instead, place them into a washing bag and then place the sealed bag in the upper tray of the dish washer… and use the low temperature mode! Mine washed at 35°C (but I somehow was thinking it must have been warmer in there when I finally removed them…)

So when I got them back out, they really came back nice and clean – of course, a dishwasher cannot work wonders but the dust and most of the dirty was gone, the rest was taken care of while drying them… then came the long process of re-assembling the set, always trying to make sure that damaged or discolored pieces were used on locations where they would not show much when looking at the model.

The result is pretty good – the model now looks relatively clean and – despite the damage done to some of the bricks over time – almost as good as mine in the mid-80s looked.

I remember having always liked the slim and slick design of this particular set – that and the blue-white color scheme made it really look “science fiction” way back when…

My model gave me a pleasant surprise when I received it from the eBay Seller: most (in fact: all but one) of the stones showing the Classic Space Logo had been in good condition with the planet still clearly visible (in many cases, the planet part of the logo has been washed out over time and mostly a dull disk and the better preserved red space ship remains visible.

Likewise, the two Computer bricks in the back have remained in almost mint condition – nothing really to complain about and making well up for the purchase price of about 25€.

Did I say I like the set for its elegant slim and slick design? This is what I meant: looking at the model from the front, you can see that it more resembles and attack craft than an exploratory vehicle but LEGO (at least back then) was a peaceful setting and real “fighter crafts” not in place. Which explains why even this beautiful ship goes along by having a cargo compartment which can be opened and a large box of cargo in the hold.

To me, it remains one of the most beautiful Classic Space Sets ever – and I am happy enough to own not only one but two at the moment (maybe I will re-auction one of them at a later point in time)…

And by the way: this post from earlier this year shows my original set amongst the other sets I used to own – unfortunately, back then, the picture was taken severely out of focus but you can still get the idea…

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LEGO Classic Space Set 918 – Classic Space Transport

Posted on March 26, 2012 by Andreas

It has been a few month since my last efforts on re-building old LEGO Classic Space sets. By now, eBay has done a fantastic job: I have failed to trace down my old collection (still sucks: I borrowed them to someone and cannot remember who it was) but most of the models I was able to re-capture for a reasonable price tag in various online auctions (including some I did not own). One of these is the LEGO Set 918 Space Transport.

The little brother of LEGO 924 & LEGO 928

This set is the smallest of three ships that form a loose series by design and common look & feel: LEGO 918, LEGO 924 and LEGO 928. Instructions – as usual – can be found here.

LEGO 918 Space TransportHaving a “real” LEGO Set in my hands for the first time in I guess more than 25 years, I obviously like to add it to my Luna 13 Compilation of Classic Space Sets.

The Compilation in MLCAD

Like before, I am using MLCAD to construct the model, then POVRay to render the scene. There is nothing really “fancy” in this model so I will not go through details about the construction. Finally, I got my model created and saved in MLCAD.

LEGO 918 in MLCADUsing LDView, we can now create a POVRay Scene file, replace the camera settings and render the image.

LEGO 0918 - Space TransportWhich is pretty darn close to the photo of the original… the last step now is to incorporate the model into the larger composition of LEGO Classic Space sets.

The Luna-13 Moon Base extends…

Adding this model to the already existing compilation Luna-13 Moon Base brings this one just one more step to completion…

As you can see – the base has come a long way since the earlier posts – and there is still plenty of things to be done… another day.

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Sea Bream wrapped in Bacon

Posted on February 8, 2012 by Andreas

Living in the Frankfurt area of Germany means having a challenge in getting truly fresh fish. Not that the fish at the local supermarket is old or bad – you just don’t know where that fish came from, how it got here and for how long it had been sitting around somewhere.

So when I came across this small local dealer, I could not resist to have a closer look at his display. And what I saw convinced me to get some of his fish: all the fish had clear eyes, red gills and generally a visibly good condition. The price matches the quality but hey, quality has its price. So I got us two Sea Breams. The dish: Sea Bream wrapped in Bacon on seared onions. Side-dish of fresh salad and some marinated scallops.

What you need

  • One Fish (Sea Bream) per person,
  • about 5-6 Onions,
  • some Garlic,
  • some fresh herbs – only fall back on dried herbs as very last resort!
  • a little bit of Olive Oil,
  • about 40ml Vermouth,
  • Salt, Pepper, Sugar
  • two slices of Bacon per fish

For the scallops, I added

  • 4 scallops per person,
  • some more Garlic,
  • some Rosemary (preferably) or other fresh herbs
  • a bit of Butter
  • some lemon

The Scallops come first

I am starting out with the scallops for they have to rest in their marinade for some time. Peel the garlic and chop it to fine pieces. Mix the Olive Oil (about 4 large spoons) with the garlic and the herbs, then marinate the scallops. Let them rest for at least 20 minutes.

Next is the Fish, then the Onions

If you want to tackle it one after the other, the fish is next: remove the gills (!) and all the fins. Wash the fish until it is clear and clean. Ensure that there are not scales. You want a clean and cleaned fish. Put them on the side when done.

When done with the fish, peel the onions and cut them roughly. I halfed mine and then cut each half into four. Likewise, I peeled the garlic and chopped that as well. Finally, I added the fresh herbs, also chopped.

The Cooking

Use a pot large enough for both fish. And use one that you can actually put into the oven… if you don’t have one, forget about the fish for the moment and just use a pot big enough for to sear the onions.

Heat up some olive oil pretty good, then take back the heat and add the onions and the garlic. Let that cook for about 5-8 minutes and wait for the onions to become “glassy”. Now add the Vermouth and some salt, pepper and a hint of sugar. Put the lid on the pot and let it sit on the heat for about 15 minutes. For the last three minutes, add your herbs. Then take the pot off the fire and let it cool down a bit.

Meanwhile, you should have heated the oven to about 200°C. Now take the fish, cut it in parallel cuts (2 – 3 per side) and let it have some salt and pepper (but no lemon!). Then add the seared onions and fill the cavity. Finally, wrap each fish in two slices of bacon.

If your pot is large enough to take on both fish and can be placed inside the oven, add the fish into the pot and shove it into the hellfire 😉 – if not, take some aluminum foil, put it on a backing tray and coat it with some olive oil. Put both fish onto the backing tray and put that into the hellfire… you see: the fish cannot escape, no matter if you have a matching pot…

The fish takes about 20 minutes to cook – if your oven has a built-in BBQ Grill, you can use it to give the bacon the last touch.

Finishing the Scallops

While the fish is in the oven, you can finish the scallops. They only take about five minutes (not more!) and you may want to time them with the fish being ready so they do not have to sit around and wait.

Just heat up a pan and – when hot – add the scallops. They have been marinated in olive oil so no extra oil is needed. 2 minutes per side should be sufficient (but it depends a bit on the size of the scallops!). After you have given both sides of the scallops about 2 minutes to fry, add the butter and the lemon (maybe give it a bit of a squeeze) and continue to fry the scallops until they show a light brown color.

By now, your fish should also be good to go (it is all about timing) and you can add the fish, the salad and the scallops, fine tune that with some salt and pepper and serve it. Enjoy!

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Pasta & Fish – quick, easy & delicious

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Andreas

For New Years, we had friends in the house – mother and a three year old princess – and as you might imagine: feeding a kid is not always easy. One thing I was told is “She eats it if it is red!”…

Fair enough, I thought, “Let’s give it a try – if she does not like it, there will be more for the rest of us…” – greedy me. The choice was Paste & Fish – Salmon to be precise.

What you need

We went shopping that day and got

  • some Fillet of Salmon – about 600g – fresh (but of course, you could use frozen fish as well),
  • Pasta – of course – and in this case I had the young lady pick the pasta she wanted,
  • some Garlic, 1 Onion,
  • two cans of Tomatoes – if they are already cut to pieces it makes it easier,
  • some Crème fraîche or some substitute (150g or – in my case 200ml Rama Creme Fina),
  • Basil – fresh at best!,
  • Salt, Pepper
  • some Olive Oil
  • Sherry to season the Pasta Sauce if you like (of course, not for the kid! These shots are from a later re-cooking for adults only!)

Preparations

Peel the onion and cut it to small pieces. Do the same with the garlic. And then pick some of the Basil and cut that as well.

The Cooking

You need a larger pot – give yourself some room there because you will have to use the hand blender later to really give the pasta sauce a good “mix” and you do not want it all over the kitchen 😉 – a large pot helps with that…

Add enough olive oil to the pot to just cover the bottom, then heat it up. When hot enough, add the sliced onions and wait for them to turn slightly “glassy”.

Then add the two cans of sliced tomatoes – of course, you could just use whole tomatoes (although I suggest to use skinned ones!) or use fresh ones when available (again, I suggest to skin them). I have two reasons to use the canned ones: at this time of the year, fresh ones just don’t have any taste at all and even if you get fresh ones, the canned ones taste more intense unless you use home-grown tomatoes… so whichever you chose, add them to the onions.

Note: if you use fresh tomatoes, you may have to add a decent portion of tomato puree to give some substance to your sauce. Just be careful with the proportions of tomatoes, tomato puree and crème fraîche – make sure you get the consistency right.

Now, add some salt, pepper and – at least I like it that way – some sugar. The sugar is supposed to counter the acid of the tomatoes and pronounce their natural taste.

Let the tomatoes cook for a little while – maybe 5 minutes or so. Then add the Crème fraîche (or your substitute) to the sauce.

… and then mix it all together. Some people – and usually kids – do not like onions. But they will only recognize the onions when they can see them. So running it all through the hand blender will cut everything so finely that the onions will become “unrecognizable” but their taste remains in your sauce. While blending it all, also add the fine-cut basil. You will eventually end up with a nice sauce that you can put on low heat and have it sit there simmering ever so slightly while you take care of the fish.

The Fish

If you get your fish – in my case the Salmon – as a fillet but with skin, you need to get rid of it (the skin, not the fish!).

It takes a little bit of practicing so you can cut the large fillet into smaller pieces to have it easier or you just run the whole fillet in one go:

  1. Get a very sharp knife with a long enough blade
  2. Put the fillet on a clean, solid and flat surface – with the skin facing down.
  3. Put your flat left hand on top of the fillet to press it down.
  4. Cut through the fillet horizontally, just above the skin – a good knife will just cut through the fish easily, separating the meat from the skin.

Note: you run the knife across the whole length of the fish while applying sufficient pressure with your other hand. Just – please! – make sure that you do this slowly and carefully to not cut yourself! The result:

If it does not work in the very beginning, don’t worry. Start with some small pieces and try larger ones as you get a better grip on the process.

Finally, cut the skinned fish into small pieces of reasonable size. If you are dealing with kids, it is a good idea to cut very small pieces – not because they would not be able to deal with the larger ones but because it gives you a better chance to make sure there is no fish-bone left that they may have trouble dealing with.

Finally, add the fish to the simmering pasta sauce and keep that pot on the fire at low to medium heat for the rest of the time your pasta is prepared. You see I am not “paralleling” the cooking of the pasta because the fish will take some time to cook in the sauce anyway. No stress, everything goes easy one after the other…

The Pasta

It is entirely up to you which type of pasta you want to use – almost every kind will work so pick the one that has funny form (for kids like them), you like best whatever you might have left in the house. Just please do not forget to add salt to the water you are going to cook it in 😉

When the pasta is ready, just place it on a warm plate (you can actually put the plates onto the pot you use to cook the pasta – the heat will warm them up quite quickly) and your pasta will not be served cold when it reaches the table.

Add the sauce to the pasta and decorate with some fresh herbs – Basil, Watercress, etc. Pick something fresh – please don’t use dried herbs… then add salt and pepper as you like it and enjoy.

Variations

As you can see – very quick, very easy and very delicious. If you don’t like fish – no problem: substitute the fish for some chicken. And if you have no kids at the table, season the pasta sauce with some Sherry while it is cooking – adds a nice taste.

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