LEGO Icons Blacktron Renegade alt build stands on its own two feet

An initial review of LEGO Icons 10355 Blacktron Renegade's alternate build, the Alienator, highlights that it's far from a gimmick but a successful set in its own right.

10355 Blacktron Renegade is a modern remake of a classic LEGO Space set but it has an alternate build that revisits a second set, 1988's 6876 Alienator. Even more so than with the Renegade, the Alienator build is much larger and more detailed than its predecessor and leaves plenty of spare parts at the end for creating extra side builds using your own imagination.

As well as being able to 'walk' on its two mechanical legs, the body of the vehicle can lift away to become a separate space ship, before coming back into land on its walking gear again. LEGO YouTuber JANG's LEGO Reviews shows off its capabilities in his review of the alt build.

"This isn't trying to be the original Renegade – it's also not trying to be the original Alienator," noted the YouTuber. "It's kind of its own thing and it's very successful at that, I feel. If you imagine this being the A-model and then you just end up with a big bag of bricks to do custom builds, like a base or a lab on the surface, I can definitely see that being worth it.

"There is a front heaviness issue that could be addressed, or you just roll with it and lean into it more and make this a walking landing platform. I personally like the Renegade but the Alienator plus all the extra parts is definitely something worth thinking about."

Despite the issues he points out, the alt build is far from just a gimmick or a secondary option but appears to be just as engaging as the initial build. It offers some level of modularity – although admittedly not as much as the A-model – and packs in enough play features that you might find yourself weighing up which version of the retro ship you want to build.

Check out the full review of the alternate Alienator build of 10355 Blacktron Renegade. You can buy the LEGO Icons set for yourself for £89.99 / $99.99 / €99.99 and access the alternative instructions for free via the LEGO Group's Building Instructions portal.