In 1987, LEGO® Space turned to the dark side. Blacktron was introduced, and suddenly we had villains in the void. They had the same enigmatic smiling faces that our good guys did, but that obviously made their scheming and spying all the more concerning.
The combination of black, yellow, trans-yellow and trans-red parts was highly effective in creating visual impact in the design of the original Blacktron sets. In 2025, the theme returns for a one-off LEGO® Icons nostalgic recreation – we're Back in Blacktron! – and almost all of the new parts in 10355 Blacktron Renegade come in that established colour palette.
Products in this article were gifted by The LEGO Group; the author's opinions are their own.
This article contains affiliate links to LEGO.com; we may get a small commission if you purchase.
10355 Blacktron Renegade
- Release date: 1 January 2025
- Pieces: 1151
- Ages: 18+
Price:
- US$ 99.99 on LEGO.com US
- CA$ 129.99 on LEGO.com Canada
- GB£ 89.99 on LEGO.com UK
- AU$ 179.99 on LEGO.com Australia
- NZ$ 179.99 on LEGO.com New Zealand
- DE€ 99,99 on LEGO.com Deutschland
- NL€ 99,99 on LEGO.com Nederland
- FR€ 99,99 on LEGO.com France
- PLN 439.99 on LEGO.com Polska
- NOK 1399,90 on LEGO.com Norge
- DKK 899.95 on LEGO.com Danmark
I have no doubt that my level of excitement and nostalgia for this theme may cloud my judgement in the set review, coming this weekend. Before I begin to gush superlatives and am overcome with what would rightly be seen as a baseless Blacktron bias, let's take an overview of what new parts are here, and perhaps find a more objective view of what they have to offer.
Yellow and black are both common LEGO colours; most standard parts appear in one or the other. With that in mind, I found it surprising that there are quite so many parts here that are of note!
New mould
- 6x Slope Inverted 45° 6 x 8 Double with Pin Holes on Sides, Cutout Center in Black (6534030 | 5119)
I was not really expecting any new parts in this set, so this one is pleasing to see, and is an interesting addition to a group of similar elements.
Essentially, it is like two 6x4 inverted slopes (60219, above right) stuck together with the base cut out, plus the handy addition of two LEGO® Technic pin holes at each end.
I wouldn't consider this to be part to be POOP, because you can't actually make this exact part from existing elements. There are Technic parts that perform a very similar function but don't perhaps present the same aesthetic opportunities that this might.
However, in January 2024, two very similar parts were introduced.
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| Photo by Zachary Hill |
No, not the round blue brick! To the left of it is Slope Inverted 45° 6 x 8 Double with Pin Holes on Sides (5117). The new 5119 is in fact simply a cutout version of 5117. (I don't own this part in either of the colours it is currently available, Black and Dark Bluish Gray, so have used this image from my colleague Zach's review of 10330 McLaren MP4/4 & Ayrton Senna.)
The other similar part, Aircraft Fuselage 8 x 8 Bottom with 4 Pin Holes (5118, shown above lower left), is like 5117 but with lower side walls that have 2x6 plates extending outwards.
The consecutive Design IDs of these 3 parts makes it fair to assume these parts were always intended to be used together, but for some reason 5119 was either delayed or not needed until now.
However, I doubt that this family of chassis elements are destined to revolutionise our builds in the way that some smaller or more modest new parts seem to, perhaps like those rounded plates I investigated recently.
Exclusive prints
A pleasant surprise is the absence of stickers, and that means some new printed parts that are sure to delight fans of the theme.
- 1x Flag 5 x 6 Hexagonal with U Clips with print New Print in Black (6525968 | 17979pr)
- 2x Slope 30° 1 x 2 x 2/3 with Blacktron astronaut intercom design Print in Black (6525967 | 85984pr)
- 3x Slope 30° 1 x 2 x 2/3 with buttons, radar and manoeuvring chart design Print in Black (6525966 | 85984pr)
- 4x Tile 2 x 2 with Groove with big yellow arrow and line Print in Black (6524424 | 3068bpr)
- 1x Tile 2 x 2 with Groove with Console with sine wave, targeting screen, buttons and readout print in Black (6524426 | 3068bpr)
Here's a slightly closer look at each of those prints; click the image to make larger:
I'll admit, I'm seeing these with heart-eyed emojis. Each design has given enough attention to what came before but also offers something new, for us to use in our own potential new Blacktron MOCs. I am excitedly looking forward to employing them in something of my own.
A further, wonderful surprise is the recreation of a classic Blacktron console:
- 2x Slope 45° 2 x 1 with Bottom Pin with console print in Black (6524425 | 3040bpr)
It's so very close to being a perfect copy of the original (3040bpr0008), but there are subtle differences. Most noticeable is the yellow rectangular retaining line framing the console, which in the original had radiuses on the inner corners. Here, they are sharp right angles but the outer corner remains curved. The yellow buttons are ever-so-slightly bigger, as are the red squares that also now feature a very slight gradient, which makes them lighter toward the bottom. I think it is also worth mentioning that the quality of the print is significantly better too.
Recolours
- 1x Windscreen 4 x 4 x 4 2/3 with Handle in Trans Yellow (6534033 | 11289)
- 6x Road Sign Clip-on 2.2 x 2.667 Triangular with Open O Clip in Yellow (6534027 | 65676)
- 2x Wheel 41 x 15 in Yellow (6534032 | 68327, 7233)
- 8x Slope 45° 2 x 1 Inverted with 2/3 Cutout in Yellow (6534029 | 2310)
- 4x Brick Curved 1 x 2 x 1 2/3 with 1 Cutout in Dark Bluish Grey (6549523 | 5907)
Triangular road signs have appeared in yellow before but only with the old mould (30259), and those most recently in 2012, so this is again a highly welcome decision.
The curved brick was only introduced in August 2024, in pearl gold (6548967) and then white (6518954).
Returning
- 2x Wedge Plate 8 x 6 x 2/3 with Grille in Black (6534034 | 30036)
This exciting winged chassis, introduced by LEGO® Exploriens in 1996, crops up every few years in a set but the black version has previously only been in four sets; the last seen all the way back in 2001.
Rare
- 1x Windscreen 6 x 13 x 2 in Trans-Yellow (6534132 | 13252) in 2 other sets
- 16x Plate Special 1 x 2 with Clip Vertical on End in Red (6372383 | 78256) in 3 other sets
- 2x Dish 4 x 4 Inverted with Open Stud [Radar] in Trans-Red (6503463 | 35394) in 2 other sets
Minifigures
Three Blacktron astronauts are included; these are the new version with back print that was introduced with Gift with Purchase 40580 Blacktron Cruiser in 2023, and they come complete with classic smiley heads!
The torso has a new EID (6535085) but I didn't notice anything different from the 2023 version (6429710).
Conclusion
Ahead of the set review, I felt I should ask myself: would I be willing to pay for this with my own money?
Earlier in the year I investigated the UK price per gram value of 2024 LEGO® Marvel sets based on a hypothesis made by BrickNerd's Chris Clarke, so to begin with, let's see what the price per gram is here.
To quickly recap: the recommended retail cost divided by the total weight (including box & instructions) gives us a price per gram. The most expensive 2021 theme that Chris found by this metric was LEGO Marvel at 6.49p per gram; which suggests roughly 20% higher costs for the premium of being a licensed set. For the 7 LEGO Marvel sets released in August 2024, this had increased to an average 7.25p per gram according to my calculations; an 11.7% increase.
The 2021 average price per gram for licensed LEGO Icons sets was 5p per gram. At the same rate of inflation as LEGO Marvel we could expect this to now be in the region of 5.58p per gram.
The UK cost for the Renegade of 8999p divided by 1377g equals 6.54p per gram. However, LEGO Blacktron isn't a licensed theme. Unlicensed LEGO Icons sets in 2021 were averagely 4.42p per gram, which we might expect to have risen to 4.93p by now.
Could the price be a result of a lower production run? Or are we seeing a "nostalgia tax" here? Whatever the cause of the higher cost per gram, it would seem upon this quick initial analysis that this set is on the more expensive side of things.
If you were to use the commonplace metric of price per part, this set comes in at 7.81p which seems far more reasonable, but price per part has been shown to be a less reliable method due to element size variation.
Taking into account that 6.54p per gram price, it should be a tougher decision whether to buy it or not. On an initial look at the stuff here though, nostalgic value is carrying this for me. Even at what at first seems like an elevated cost, this set would be on my wanted list.
In fact, I probably want (need) a second one, because as we saw at the reveal yesterday, there's a rather nice looking B model!
If you aren't nostalgic for the old space baddies subtheme, you're probably going to be slightly more discerning. On a purely raw LEGO cost, I wouldn't recommend buying the set just for parts at full price. Even as a decent parts pack, black and yellow elements are generally not in short supply and in my experience BrickLink prices generally reflect that. In fact I was once sent an extra bag of black elements from a BrickLink seller who was looking to offload some of their surplus at a heavy reduction because I was paying mostly postage costs for a couple of big elements!
If you are a fan of the parts alone and not the ship, I'd advise waiting for the PaB update (hopefully in April 2025) to add some of the more interesting parts, as surplus to your Blacktron MOCing inventory.
However, you may be too excited and impatient for that, given that the new and rare parts will initially have novelty value and will inevitably be subject to inflated prices; particularly in respect to those beautiful new printed parts. Sourcing the 50+ elements could prove expensive enough to justify buying the set.
Come back this weekend to see if building the reimagined Renegade revises my initial verdict based on parts alone, and what other treats this "bad boy" spaceship set has in store for us.
READ MORE: What is Blacktron anyway? Plus, the set's designer runs through its functions
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Nice review of the cool new parts!
ReplyDeleteThe "aircraft bottom with cutout" feels like it'll be a great part. I've liked the recent additions to that family of parts, and this will be great for things like fire planes with a water bombing feature or for all sorts of other applications. Incidentally, one interesting thing to me about these new parts is how they include Technic pin hole connections integrated into the slope itself... it might be cool to get some smaller, more basic slopes with that sort of connection built in.
The printed parts look great. I love the use of the big flag piece for the nose of the ship, and how it allows for weapons and cameras concealed underneath. The new printed slopes and tiles for various consoles and controls are cool too, and the comparison between the classic 1x2 slope and the newer, more crisply printed one is stunning!
Thanks Andrew! Yeah some regular slopes with similar technic holes would be really cool!
DeleteWhile the "quality of the print is significantly better" on the 1x2 slope, the centering thereof on the face of the element isn't.
ReplyDeleteI think it needs to be noted that the original was blurry and the line was also heavier. Furthermore we are viewing the piece enlarged here - the placement may be off to one side but it is less than a millimetre.
DeleteI still believe the print quality is better and stand by my comment.
I neither discounted nor claimed your comment to be false, in fact I quoted it in agreement. But it is still off center, even by your own admission. Which means that you stand by my comment as well. Cheers!
Delete