Schrödinger's Micromotor ~ The Quest For 6979 Interstellar Starfighter!

Hey folks, welcome to the Summer Of Slug!
On this Friday, we're taking a look at 6979 Interstellar Starfighter! But in order to do that, we have to first familiarize ourselves with the LEGO Micromotor...
A special thank you to ‪@BatteryPoweredBricks‬ for helping me out with this one! Please, go check out their stuff if LEGO with motors is something that interests you!
Music for Brian's section: "Sandviken Stradivarius" by Wintergatan
This track can be downloaded for free at www.wintergatan.net
Free License to use this track in your video can be downloaded at www.wintergatan.net
Eurobricks forum mentioned in video: www.eurobricks...
If you want in on the fun and want to join the Summer Of Slug 2023 Patreon/Discord, here's the link to get you started: / summerofslug2023
If you like these videos and want to help me create more of them, a small donation can be made here using PayPal or Stripe: ko-fi.com/rrsl...
Photography and other resources used in this video: drive.google.c...
The original music in these videos can be found for free on my Bandcamp page:
rrslugger.band...
If you haven't already, check out Manic Miners, a heartfelt recreation of the Lego Rock Raiders PC game: manicminers.ba...
For quality retro Lego conversation in the best online community I have ever been a part of, you can join the discussion on the Manic Miners Discord: / discord
Interested in the history and research that goes into videos just like this one? You can join the discussion in the Lego Research Realm Discord: / discord
I created the photography, stop motion animation, and music in this video. Original artwork by Brett Halland. Thanks for watching!

[@BatteryPoweredBricks]

This was fun! So glad you got your hands on a working Micromotor, may it live long and prosper! also... 00:03 Is your brother ok?!? 😮

[@SoylentGreen__]

Hahaa I noticed that as well 😆

[@moostudios36]

I think it’s slowly been getting worse over the whole summer

[@toast_0h]

the heat is getting to him

[@arbitrary2868]

​@@moostudios36 In that case, I hope at summers end there's a compilation of all the intros so we can *REALLY* hear the sluggification

[@Lego-Man-shorts]

Sluggers brother - tsthsmneroslg

[@darkroom0716]

The summer of slug song is getting sloppier eith each ensluggening lol

[@MatecaCorp]

A noble slug ensluggens the smallest song

[@arbitrary2868]

It's the Summer of Slug!~ *ETH THU THUMMER OTH THLUGH* _summer of slug!~_ (BUM BUM BUM)

[@AndrewChumKaser]

We're going to progress to the point where he can only manage incoherent garbling and there's a hospital monitor beeping in the background.

[@LoganFilmStudios]

Oh good it wasn't just me lol

[@tfGalvatron1]

i thought i was going crazy

[@sneed890]

UFO is a shining example of 90s Lego's best and worst features: It is pure excess. A subtheme with an amount of unique pieces, prints, and gimmicks that is so experimental no Lego exec nowadays would ever greenlight it. I imagine back then Lego was losing so much money they just said to the designers "Well, we're already in the red, so what does it matter if this causes us to go a few points even lower?" It's why I think 90s subthemes like UFO have stood the test of time, nothing Lego has made pre or post-90s looks anything like that subtheme.

[@RRSlugger]

Pure excess, absolutely! In this case, LEGO's loss is our gain! 😊

[@infinidominion]

I remember when RoboForce was new and then saw UFO stuff and knew that was what I needed to get. Still never grabbed any RoboForce but do still have the UFO stuff because it was awesome

[@MsSquid-8]

Hey slugger, just want to say that you were mentioned in the bionicle day stream! They even made a galidor logo just for you!

[@RRSlugger]

No way!! That’s awesome! 😄

[@msx80]

Where can we find the video?

[@arbitrary2868]

@@msx80 At the 810nicle Day channel

[@manofmercy1500]

There a timestamp for that livestream where it points to it? Hard to comb through nearly 10 whole hours of content just to see the tribute to our residential Slimy Slug.

[@retrobrick]

It's about 1:53:24

[@bricktoadbuild]

10:05 I agree with the “too many small pieces” sentiment, as a parent. My kids required some extra motivation to complete the recent Creator 3-in-1 Castle build. I am sure a few of the old style big walls would have cut the piece count and steps in half.

[@RRSlugger]

Absolutely!!

[@tristanlee8495]

I'm getting more and more concerned for the guy in the intro song.

[@CappnRob]

UFO was truly ahead of its time in ways. Printed legs for almost every figure, as well as extremely complex prints on the torsos and helmets and beads, trans neon head elements, really makes me wish I took better care of the sets I had as a kid lol. As for those stickers they do likely get weaker with age, the ones I had as a kid would glow pretty brightly when pressed on.

[@SuperSecretBricks]

As a kid, I really liked the flying sauced groove the theme had, and I especially wanted the minifig with the Alienesque headgear. But the overall blockiness, colour scheme, and new big printed specialised part kinda put me off

[@NIRDIAN1]

The heat-sensitive stickers also need a lot of Heat-Difference! When I lived in Norway they worked flawlessly, back in the Netherlands, with several heatwaves back-to-back, less so...

[@catfish552]

I can absolutely believe that micromotors were expensive to manufacture. If I compare them to RC servos (which is not *entirely* fair since servos need to have a control board and potentiometer as well, but still), they're still pretty tiny by today's standards - let alone what was around in the late 90s. It's honestly pretty amazing what they managed to squeeze in there.

[@edmundolastra3279]

Still have this set from when I was a kid and I can attest that it struck me with awe when I finished it. I wonder how my micromotor has held up. Yet another Schrodinger's micromotor I guess Thanks for the fantastic videos as always slugger!

[@Lordodragonss]

I really wish Lego still had this "electric bricks" system. Its such good and intuitive system

[@CarsSimplified]

It was absurdly well-designed! The stud contacts were a seamless integration that modern connections just don't have. The 1x4 double light piece that lights up solid one way and flashes back and forth (handy for police car or construction vehicle warning lights) when you turn them around (reverse the polarity) is some amazing system design work that would be amazing to see brought back. I'll stop here but I could go on for a while.

[@Lordodragonss]

Indeed! I'm trying to collect as much as I can of them as I show them to kids on my workshops and they find it so easy to use! @@CarsSimplified

[@BatteryPoweredBricks]

The 9v system will always be my favorite. The Power Functions system was ok, but I did miss the ability to turn the connectors and reverse the polarity.

[@AminalCreacher]

I've always adored the micromotor. It's the perfect size for minifig-scale motorization, and TLG haven't made anything like it since.

[@Crazy-Drokon]

Thank you slugger for featuring my alts! Such an honor! I also own the big starship, my motor works fine (at least for now) but i dont know if set's previous owner replaced it or its the one from the set. Seems you had no luck with the heat sticker too. The proper one changes colours from brown to yellow to green and to deep blue as it is being heated the most. Brown and green have good visiability but from my expirience blue color varies, in my childhood I remember the blue stage was pretty bright, but 2 stickers in my current posession turns much darker blue.

[@RRSlugger]

Hey Michael! Great to hear from you again!! ❤ Our brief online conversation years(?) ago really stuck with me. The way you described "core" bricks and the like really impacted the way I view building LEGO today - thank you for that! I may be shouting you out again in the future should I make a video on that topic! 😊 Likewise, your alternate builds for this UFO set were a real eye opener for me. Up until that point, I had always assumed the giant saucer pieces were just "bad pieces", completely untenable. Seeing what you were able to do with them, however, absolutely changed my opinion on the matter. Again, thank you for that!

[@Crazy-Drokon]

@@RRSlugger I think our conversation was maybe one year ago? I'm still watching every new video, its a delight! Especially now, when I am on an archeological expedition for the whole summer and my network is very weak in this wilderness. Watching every new Summer of Slug video from my tent in the glorious 144p resolution! Shame I dont have much opportunity to leave a comment under each of those under this conditions. I'm deeply touched, I have never known my thoughts would make such an impact on you! It feels like the topic of how the Lego company has changed it's design approach might be an interesting idea for further discussion. Or maybe even a video essay as I see more and more people commenting how bloated the sets has become and how children dont have enough patients to even complete them, not even speaking about building mocs and alts. Ill be waiting for your future glorious videos and dreaming of a big UFO combiner ship I want to make upon returning home haha!

[@RRSlugger]

@@Crazy-Drokon Oh, that sounds awesome Michael! Enjoy your expedition! ❤️

[@moostudios36]

UFO is one of my favorite space themes, glad to see it get some coverage!

[@RRSlugger]

It’ll be getting a lot more here soon enough! 😊

[@mudwire1]

@@RRSluggergetting to hear more about UFO as soon as my alien avenger arrived is good news

[@Lego4life2107]

my father actually had the 6483 set (coastal patrol) and we found it in my grandmothers house last week, i was looking for something to watch while i build it and i see this video, what a nice coincidence :)

[@RRSlugger]

Perfect timing!!

[@LitrlyMeowtooth]

Slugger basically can somehow predict if someone's gonna be doing this or that at a exact moment. When I bought my first bionicle, he made a video on bionicles. Same with you. Crazy, right?

[@minerman60101]

@@LitrlyMeowtooth sane left

[@rebricks]

I feel like surely there is enough of a market for smaller Lego-brand electronics like this one, but what do I know about economics! Great video like always! Your production is something I aspire to.

[@Alfwin]

The UFO theme is as old as I am! I never had the theme as a kid, but my dad had a 6915 Warp Wing Fighter which I always thought was really cool. A few years ago, I was lucky enough to find an Interstellar Starfighter sealed in its box for just $120 USD at a second-hand LEGO store. I built it up - luckily, the micromotor still works fine - and it's currently displayed in my living room. With all the detailed printing, the fiber-optics, and just the sheer size of the thing, it really feels like one of the most opulent LEGO sets ever (and I say this while sat a meter away from a 10305 Lion Knights' Castle)!

[@RRSlugger]

Nice!! Hopefully that Micromotor has years and years of life left! 😊

[@ubervocal8777]

The saucer shaped piece was created back in the 80s and not specifically for UFOs. There are photos of it being used in a number of prototypes for the never produced Seatron theme.

[@BatteryPoweredBricks]

Another commenter on this video pointed that out. I can't believe we never saw it in the Seatron prototype pics, Hiding in plain sight!

[@ubervocal8777]

@@BatteryPoweredBricks I look at those photos every once in a while as I would love Lego to produce the theme or at least give us the parts in those colors. It's not going to happen, but it's a nice dream!

[@BrickTsar]

Brian with the dacta topless house - a classic set

[@BatteryPoweredBricks]

They made the right call rebranding it as the "Intelligent House" instead 😅

[@LEG10N-o7]

Interstellar Starfighter my beloved! 😊

[@CarsSimplified]

I had that UFO set! I have no idea if my micro motor still works but I remember it working last time I used it. I can also say that the sticker in your possession has lost a lot of its color shift abilities. They turned quite a vivid green when they were new. However, I feel like that's about how dull mine was ten years ago, so perhaps they will at least always retain some level of effectiveness for a long, long time. This is my first R.R. Slugger video viewed while in the Slug homeland of Canada!

[@RRSlugger]

Hey, welcome to Canada, Steve! Enjoy your stay! ❤️️

[@empatheticrambo4890]

That old lighting rig is amazing!! I’m surprised there isn’t a third party alternative, but that is incredibly niche

[@infinidominion]

The amount of LED kits out there is actually amazing

[@minerman60101]

Those fiber optic cables were used to great effect in Eliminator, a moc from Bionicle's Dark Hunter contest. They provide him with trans clear eyes, something never found in an official Bionicle set. I was first wowed by this motor in JK Brickworks' video "LEGO Motorized Mini Golf Maze", and I'm glad to have this historical exploration.

[@msx80]

This is the first video i see "live" after discovering the channel a couple days ago on mastodon and binging it for hours 😂 awesome content, i love all the little curiosities you put in each video 👍

[@RRSlugger]

Thank you! Welcome to the channel! 😊

[@Kuchenwurst]

Oh wow. The Vakuumschmelze factory is, in fact, in my hometown. It is part of the Heraeus Company which also sits right here. I did _not_ expect to hear a connection to this ramshackle industrial town today, especially on this channel :'D this kind of made me happy and I want to say thank you for making me happy! :') You go slug! I fucking love your content and your music and you're awesome and keep on rocking please :')

[@RRSlugger]

That's really cool!! Thank you! 😊

[@BatteryPoweredBricks]

That's awesome!

[@lammyjammy]

This is exactly the kind of content I like to see. I had heard about these micromotors that they tend to break and not work. Which is indeed rare for LEGO components, which tend to have a very long lifespan even for the electronic stuff. It was cool to learn about the history of this rare motor. I was lucky to find an Interstellar Starfighter, mostly complete (I think the figures were gone), at a yard sale years and years back. Last I checked, the micromotor works. I should probably go through my parts and actually assemble the full set. I don't think I ever did that, I just started with the half-built corpse of the set and took it apart.

[@BatteryPoweredBricks]

The mini-motors used in Mindstorms / Technic had a similar issue with disintegrating magnets. Beyond that and the wires breaking down Lego electronics are very robust. Very thankful for that as that's the primary focus of my channel 😅

[@lammyjammy]

@@BatteryPoweredBricks You're talking about the motors that usually come in black or grey, and are (somewhat) cube shaped right?

[@BatteryPoweredBricks]

@@lammyjammy Yep, I've seen people make attempts but they are basically as un-repairable as the micromotor

[@SoylentGreen__]

I found your channel a couple months ago and have thoroughly enjoyed the Summer of Slug have started my journey of watching all of your videos as well as recently purchasing my first Rock Raiders Set 4910 Hover Scout! Thank you again for taking the time to make such an amazing video! 😊

[@RRSlugger]

That’s awesome! The Hover Scout is such a great little set - I’m glad you’re enjoying it! ❤️

[@SuperSecretBricks]

The Hover Scout is brilliant, one of my favourite set as a kid. I also had a great companion for it: Rock Raiders Crew, which contains most minifig from the theme!

[@ZukusScaenicus]

Those big quarter-circular pieces were a staple of my early LEGO experience, as 4 very nicely printed ones (as well as 4 equally unique underside pieces) came with the original Millennium Falcon set, one of my largest and most prized sets at the time. They were so different than all my other pieces, I wanted to include them in all my MOCs. They also briefly showed up in Insectoids, Aquazone, and Alpha Team, and I guess haven't been used since

[@BoardGamesBricksHobbies]

Mars Mission and Alien Conquest introduced 1/4 round pieces that aren't exactly the same but are similar enough that they feel like spiritual successors.

[@oakydoke6202]

i love that the summer of slug intro gets sillier each episode

[@BatteryPoweredBricks]

It was pretty silly to begin with 😂

[@meteorsr2339]

7:25 I can confirm, this thing did indeed make me the coolest kid on block, albeit in 2011 rather than 1997. It also didn't last for long, as Alien Conquest came around later that year and my friends suddenly got bored by my "old" UFO.

[@LitrlyMeowtooth]

The intro changing is so funny

[@thatguythatdoesstuff5899]

When lego cuts corners, they make round bricks. They used to make octagonal bricks, but we don't talk about those.

[@Pacca64]

The lego motor I had the most experience with was the MASSIVE servo motors the Mindstorms NXT line used. It's crazy to see a mindstorms compatible motor so small! Definitely could've been useful for silly small scale things.

[@WronaBros.]

Wow, I love your channel for all this LEGO trivia I had no clue about! Won't be surprised if the next video is "The Forgotten Gadget Bomb Brick" and Slugger will have become death. The destroyer of worlds.

[@lysander4084]

I love those motors and fiber lights so much!With Lego being a "premium" product now they sure could bring such things back

[@Al.Sulikas]

I agree, properly utilising all those large specialty pieces is indeed challenging. Not just these UFO dish quarters, but also the legs from Insectoids to give another example.

[@RRSlugger]

Those ones perhaps even moreso! Haha, soooo hyper specialized. 😅

[@NIRDIAN1]

There she is! In all her glory! This ship was absolutely mind-blowing to teen-me. What an amazing video on it, as well as the one thing that both made it stand out, as well as leaves it in a sorry lost state... And I am so glad there is now decent footage of the fiber optics as mine... sadly died last time I packed her up...

[@BatteryPoweredBricks]

It took a lot of restraint to not go buy a bunch of UFO sets when Slugger approached me about this video 😅. I just don't have shelf space to display sets so it would probably just sit in a box 🤷‍♂

[@NIRDIAN1]

​@@BatteryPoweredBricksMaybe one day...! The series is definitely worth it to put together and toy with electronics on...!

[@lorderoks]

I'm very fortunate to have this set from a garage sale we visited when I was quite young. The motor still works last I checked, but IIRC one of the clips did get damaged. I should go find it in my basement and see what's going on with it!

[@BatteryPoweredBricks]

If I had a time machine you could find me prowling garage sales in the 90's for sure 😅 I miss those days! Finding Lego was pretty rare but still there was always the prospect!

[@Lordodragonss]

I love learning with Slug!

[@AkaAkoVT]

80022- Spider Queen’s Arachnoid Base makes use of some satisfyingly big pieces. Maybe not quite as bulky as the UFO ones, but still :D

[@KellerHands]

Did I just hear Wintergatan music on Slugger's channel?? I love it when seemingly unrelated channels intersect like that

[@BatteryPoweredBricks]

That was on my section, I exclusively use Wintergatan music with the occasional Slugger song as well 😁

[@KellerHands]

Goes together really well and great job on the video!

[@GreenBlueWalkthrough]

Great video and thanks for mentioning that big elements are not default bad it's how you build with them that does or does not make them bad.

[@Entertaininglylame]

Well done batterypowered bricks! Another great vid! Thank you both!

[@BatteryPoweredBricks]

Thanks! I couldn't have done it without him 😁🤣

[@centurybug]

I had no idea these had reliability issues! I had one as a kid (from 6979). AFAIK it still works, it seems I got very lucky. I really wish they'd make a modern replacement. Also, I have one or two of those heat sensitive stickers, and some definitely work better than others. I'm not sure what would cause that.

[@markofbrick]

Based on where the micromotors were created (and generally how the now vintage parts were distributed) I'd bet a Euro BL seller would be more likely to have an original high quality one. On the topic of sets costing more to produce than their retail price, an infamous theme is the "Inventor" line. Of the 4, the biggest 3 all had expensive motors, gear boxes, and even a mindstorm-like hub. One of the set's main models is also a drink mixer??? That is absolutely wild to me.

[@ryz8]

what an interesting video! that UFO is crazy looking, if I had that as a kid I wouldn't go anywhere without it haha.

[@docnecrotic]

I'm hoping the theme song goes full on noise music by the end. I'm loving its gradual descent into madness.

[@mottmatt7844]

Love how you trolled us via subtitles at 7:12

[@RRSlugger]

Fixed it! I didn't know if the Micromotor would work or not when I wrote the script, so I prepared for the worst! 😅

[@mottmatt7844]

@@RRSlugger awww I thought you were playing with the medium on purpose. Thanks for the peak bts.

[@loreescape47]

This was the only UFO set I never had! Love getting to see how it works up close!

[@legomann4345]

Man you keep on astounding me with the depths of your lego knowledge. I got this same set in a large bin of mid to late 90s lego and could not figure out why the motor wasn’t working. Now I know, but to me ufo dosent have the appeal to shell out good money for a new motor.

[@RRSlugger]

Indeed - unfortunately, its an expensive fix for an expensive set... 😭

[@kierandesmond9799]

I had this set as a kid and adored it 😄

[@PhobosDDeimos]

The UFO series was one of my absolute favorites, growing up. Glad to see so much love for them. I was fortunate enough to be friends with a kid, that through some miracle had almost all sets of sets, including the Interstellar Starfighter. We are talking, open a page in the catalogue and he had them all. Amazing. So at least I witnessed this set in all its glory back then. I'm very thankful for that.

[@filoteo]

Bpb collab!!! Yes!!!

[@ghiojo]

Yes! 10:20 Some justice for larger bricks! I always felt like people dunk very hard on large, specialized pieces, but forget the fact that such pieces, aside from being a challenge to build with, also give a good starting point for people who aren't experts in building with Lego, and also I think does drive down the price of a set, while still allowing it to look massive. If you make large specialized pieces specifically for a set it's always gonna cost more, but reusing the same piece in several sets should drive down the prices, since you don't need 5-10 pieces to achieve the same effect. Wonderful video as always! I have never heard of micromotors before either, I was surprised to find out these even existed!

[@mattd2026]

Man this was a fun video! The motors history and information was intriguing and learning about the incredible set in itself was equally awesome.

[@threesixtydegreeorbits2047]

Micromotor is my jam

[@BatteryPoweredBricks]

a person of good tastes

[@JBBrickman]

As much as I love the normal videos on this channel, I must say this was such a treat. I can’t wait to see if you so any more deep dives on obscure Lego topics like this, this motor and it’s history was very interesting! Also I had never heard of Lego having fiber optics before, maybe a future subject?

[@SuperSecretBricks]

Yeah, it's always fascinating to discover stories beyond the set that's presented!

[@beltbuckleboy2885]

another amazing video from the slugger!

[@_LLevi_]

It's very interesting that newer versions are the ones that will fail, didn't know that before. Another thing interesting about these motors is that they weren't only built in Hungary but designed by a Hungarian as well, Marcell Jánosi he also invented the 3inch floppy disk.

[@RRSlugger]

That's awesome! 🤯

[@BatteryPoweredBricks]

I didn't know that, that is cool!

[@asphaltmemories4597]

Thank you for the nostalgia trip and parts history lesson, UFO was such a wacky and great space theme and its a shame it hardly gets the recognition it deserves. In fact its arguable that its lived in infamy for giving the lego world the dreaded large half dome wedge pieces. I have the starfighter taken apart somewhere in my moms place, ill have to see if the Micromotor on mine is fried...

[@GearsAndBricks]

Heyyy, i know that guy! @BatteryPoweredBricks is awesome. This is really helpful, and I always like the scenes of the manufacturing process of parts. Also, the mystery of what happened is solved. I had wondered what happened to the sealed micromotor from the US. I had put it in my cart, and then it disappeared! I am not upset, I am actually relieved to know that it went to very good use! 👍👍🛸👾 That set is very neat. Keep up the good work!

[@RRSlugger]

Oh! Sorry to snipe it from you!! 😅 I'd like to think it went to a good home in the end, haha. ❤

[@GearsAndBricks]

@@RRSlugger it did! I have enough micromotors at the moment. And it would be a shame for me to buy a thing, then not open it. All good! Seriously. I found it funny.

[@BatteryPoweredBricks]

The full video of the manufacturing is from the Eurobricks post. Fascinating to see, I would have never imagined such a video existed!

[@GearsAndBricks]

@@BatteryPoweredBricks is there a link to the post?

[@BatteryPoweredBricks]

@@GearsAndBricks In the description of the video! The video is near the end of the thread but the whole thing is fascinating

[@darkroom0716]

Wow, guess you arent alone with the TC/TT love! Make sure to use the proper rites, rituals, and cantrips to keep that little micromotor running.

[@UsuarioUsual7]

Unpopular opinion: for making mocs of UFO, I prefer the alien conquest color scheme(purple, ligth gray, black and trans neon green ). Now the UFO'S set or moc really pops.

[@knowexit6931]

The heat activated stickers are great if you find one that hasn’t been stored in a warm environment mine still works great I recommend checking with the seller if it appears completely black it is a good sign that it works great

[@sebastianbaker3532]

So interesting learning about that motor, now im worried about my light up bricks hahaha Also fascinating how the Lego group has changed in design features. Never realised how prominent printed pieces, large shapes and electronic features were!

[@paullempges7860]

"Large dish pieces developed specifically for this theme" *Cries in Seatron prototype*

[@RRSlugger]

I never made that connection, but you're totally right!! It's crazy to think about how long they held onto that mould idea for.

[@paullempges7860]

@@RRSlugger Yes it's weird! Because they have much more of a perfect saucer shape than anything truly organic. Maybe something like UFO was also planned to come for a long time, so they knew they'd eventually make those molds anyway!

[@BatteryPoweredBricks]

Mind blown 🤯 I never noticed that before!

[@ArjanGroe]

Slugger, this video in particular is interesting to me. Love the schrödinger micro motor, and the fact yours works!

[@RRSlugger]

Thanks Arjan! I was quite pleased with this one too! 😊

[@ki-adimundi8695]

Thanks for the video, Slugger! I own the Interstellar Starfighter as my parents bought it for Christmas via eBay in 2010. I always liked the light-up features and the industrial noises the motor made when it was active. Interestingly my set still works, though the heat-sensitive stickers have lost almost all of their intensity. Thanks to your video I can appreciate the functions this set holds even more, I had no idea at all!

[@cakemanLHK]

1:02 I will allow myself to hijack this moment for little linguistic fun-fact. In American (and evidently also Canadian) English, "factoid" refers to a small piece of factual information; a small fact. However, in British English, "factoid" refers to a piece of information that is regularly presented as and believed to be a fact, but is not. Just as how a humanoid resembles a human but is not human, a factoid resembles a fact but is not a fact. I just think that is an interesting and potentially quite detrimental semantic dichotomy depending on the context.

[@RRSlugger]

Cool! I learned a new factoid today! 😉

[@cakemanLHK]

Now, wait a minute…. 🤨

[@BatteryPoweredBricks]

@@RRSlugger 😂

[@n00b1n8R]

It's really shocking to think that a company as big as lego in the 90s was so incredibly mismanaged 😅

[@RRSlugger]

Totally! Even a modern juggernaut like Disney fared rather poorly during this era! 😮

[@thewanderer7307]

@@RRSlugger This era being last week? rofl

[@RRSlugger]

@@thewanderer7307 Haha, we might not *like* what Disney is pumping out these days, but financially they're doing just fine. 👍

[@thewanderer7307]

@@RRSlugger Have you been reading the news about them? I would not be so sure...

[@RRSlugger]

@@thewanderer7307 Every single monetary metric of theirs is measured in *billions* of dollars, not millions. It's fun to ruminate about their downfall, but the reality is that they're doing just fine. 👌

[@Danny-no2zp]

Fascinating! Actual suspense generated too. The magnets are also very expensive these days 😢

[@DarkAtuin]

In summer 2004 I bought a sealed one still from a store. Right off the box the motor wasn't working. Lucky me, Lego customer service could still provide me with a working replacement back then^^ First time I heard about the variants, but since some (maybe all?) 9V motors had inner variants, it should not come at a surprise. I have 4 of the Micro Motors (1 of cause not working). One of them is from 6483, bought in 1998. Guess I'll have to get them out sometime and inspect them a bit more deeply... I always liked that eerie noise the ship makes with the motor running^^ Although those tiny clips on the motor plate break really easy :(. Oh, and you missed that cone in the center of the FOS unit :P

[@BatteryPoweredBricks]

What is the "cone in the center of the FOS unit"? I've been trying to figure out what you meant 😅

[@BrickTsar]

Only the best is good enough - except when we take shortcuts to save money

[@RRSlugger]

"Only the good enough is best!" 😉

[@a_dead786]

its fascinating how one set can include so many of the different odd elements lego has made

[@the-NITRON]

Love how the intro song is getting more cursed with each new summer of slug vodeo XD The only UFO set i remember owning was 6836 V-Wing Fighter, (not to be confused with the LEGO star wars V-wing Starfighter set, though honestly the only V-Wing i truly accept in Star Wars is the one featured in the Rouge Squadron game, but i digress) So i missed out on the much larger ships. Luckily, i later owned the Lego Star Wars AAT set which featured the large shell pieces. I ended up using it alongside the base for the rock raiders Chrome Crusher to make a horseshoe crab shaped spaceship MOC named the 'Z-Bomber' However, that classic MOC is long gone, but I've since built a brand new version using the newer curved bricks that ironically was used for the Clone Wars iteration of the AAT set. (The first clone wars AAT not the newer, smaller version)

[@RRSlugger]

Love Rogue Squadron. ❤️️ That sounds like it made for a really cool MOC!

[@LoenieHg]

07:25 I think it even makes you the coolest adult in 2023! As always great video.

[@irelandpokemon9958]

It’s Fridayyyyy!

[@theonewhowatches869]

Sorry this one took so long for me to get to. Just, had trouble getting around to it. `Drifting through the blackness of space was powerful Zotaxian starfighter, and on board there was a visitor. "Why have you come here, Earthman?" the ship's commander demanded. "To make a deal, one that benefits us both." The Spryius Chief responded with his usual degree of calm confidence, which did an excellent job hiding the fact that he was actually rather nervous. "This ship's power core is of sub-par quality, it will fail you just as you pass the moon, and you will be helpless to stop the Roboforce as they capture you and force back the Zotaxian armada." "Hm, for what reason should we believe you, and even if you speak the truth, why? What would our end of this bargain be?" The commander asked. "your end, would be sanctuary, for myself, and for all the Spyrius that I command." The Chief could hardly admit it, but he simply lacked the means to evacuate the Spyrius through time, which meant that the video revealing their secrets posed a very real risk of spelling the end for the Spyrius. "As for my part I will provide you with a better Energy Core. you see, you were short changed and the ship's current core is made of sub-par materials. I can provide one that's not only in pristine condition, but made with the original materials before the corners were cut." He then produced a red block, instantly recognizable to the ship's crew. "We will compare this energy core to our own, then we will consider your offer, Time Crosser."`

[@RRSlugger]

Haha, interweaving the real world ailments of the Micromotor into the story - very clever! 😊

[@Slobezero]

Oh yeah the heat sensitive stickers used to work a lot better, the demonstration image on the magazine is pretty accurate to how they worked.

[@RRSlugger]

Dang! I missed out then!

[@TheNoparu662show]

10:25 I actually really enjoyed the build of this set. Although the final product is nothing crazy, I appreciate the level of detail on display here, which I find it to be more reminiscent of a modular building or an urban setting within a licensed theme. Though I do get your point that a similar effect could be achieved with a lower piece count, it didn't stand out to me as excessive, and still stands as one of my favorite Hidden Side sets, only second to The Lighthouse of Darkness.

[@RRSlugger]

That's fair! I had a different experience building it, and especially in retrospect after having built such play feature marvels as the two Western sets I looked at recently, the Shrimp Shack feels like it does very little with so much. That being said, I still think it's a fine set - not bad by any metric, just over-engineered, in my opinion.

[@RoninCatholic]

Oh hey, I actually had that set! I was pretty uninterested in the mechanical/battery operated lights aspect and I don't think I ever used the set as intended, but more just to build flying saucers and other spacecraft, treating the big battery box as just a very large brick.

[@yeeoof1995]

the UFO crew must've been the most fashionable lot in lego space!

[@RRSlugger]

No doubt about that! ❤️️

[@corphish129]

I have very little familiarity with UFO, but every time I see it I'm surprised. The sheer amount of graphic detail and the alien helmets make it seem like it should have come out years later than it did. Very fancy, though as you point out, probably too expensive to produce.

[@RRSlugger]

Totally! If you compare them to Exploriens (which came out only one year prior), the difference is night and day!

[@imahaloguy]

Love the shoutout to other creators. Kudos Slugger! Do you have any Lego Trains from any era?

[@RRSlugger]

I've got a few from the "My Own Train" series - no motors or 9v track though. 😅

[@BatteryPoweredBricks]

@@RRSlugger Better get on that, best place to find 9v track is Germany 😁

[@M0torsagmannen]

thi is such a cool deep dive into a single piece in Lego history

[@TomKazutara]

0:46 I had . I got the 6484 and it worked well and was the best "smaller" electric set a kid could have .

[@MaksLangerd]

When i am not big fan of bigpieces from UFO - minifigures look amazing from that series. Especially helmets. One of the best Lego Design to this day

[@kailahmann1823]

Guess I then had luck to get this set with a working motor :) And yes, the whole theme feels like it was designed with "money doesn't matter" - so many super fancy features and rare prints…

[@For891]

I have the shuttle and my motor works great. I did have to replace all my wires though.

[@cyclomorrison3620]

I got an interstellar starfighter for Christmas in ‘97 or 98 and I loved it! I reassembled it at my parents attic last year and the micro motor still works fine! I remember having played with it a lot as a kid and since it was the only Lego motor I had back then, I used it to motorise cars and tractors and a lot of stuff that was probably way to heavy for the little red motor. Yet it still works fine

[@RRSlugger]

Sounds like you might have lucked out with that motor! ❤️

[@VestedUTuber]

Interstellar Starfighter? I've got one of these... and the micromotor was borked out of the box so I modified the ship to take a regular-sized 9v motor. A gearmotor that size likely has a coreless motor inside, and those need significant amounts of cooling. Cramming one in a plastic box is a bad idea. The fact that the older units last so long is surprising.

[@Zenlore6499]

The chaos of TSOS lives on!

[@thecianinator]

The heat sensitive stickers do indeed wear out over time. Friend of mine had one of the sets back in the day, it was pure black when cold and vivid green when rubbed or even just pressed for a while.

[@RRSlugger]

Oh, wicked!! Would have loved to see that!

[@MrFranklitalien]

thank you for diving into powered bricks, now I have to binge through the whole system

[@mike.94]

Great Vid, I acknowleged many new pieces!!

[@hilariousskullnamedcatzo647]

This is an actual surprise insanity of slug video because I was still in school while you uploaded this. Anyways THIS would be a set I would want DESPERATELY if I were a kid in the 90's, though the giant bowser set is the set i want desperately, at the moment at least... Me trying to form a comprehensible sentence but I was in a bus with a poor AC for one hour in the Texan sun: 0:03

[@trontosaurusrex9532]

Ah that micro motor was so fascinating to me as a kid. Great video on it! Ufo has some fantastic sets and look forward to your vids on them. I also like Insectoids from around this time. Well to be honest,every space theme was great to me.

[@Lego-Man-shorts]

This was a fun video! And gave me something to try to get as a Lego collector (the interstellar starship)

[@filipw1432]

Thanks for taking on the UFO-theme - I love it! A year ago I also purchased a Interstellar Starfighter and it had a non functioning motor. I managed to disassemble the motor without breaking it, and got it spinning a bit when being partially assembled. Unfortunately it did not work after putting it back together. However, if you are interested I can send you the pictures of its internals. I've also played with the though of buying some of the shelf motor to replace it. The trick would certainly be the form factor but also the quite slow speed which you demonstrated in the video.

[@RRSlugger]

You managed to get it open, eh? That's awesome - more than I could accomplish! Yeah, I didn't realize it, but the slow speed of the Micromotor seems to be an important factor in its usage, making replacement more tricky...

[@episodenull]

I had the UFO set with this part as a kid! I had no idea it was such a rare piece.

[@catface101]

9:08 can hold two mail boxes with the magnets