Set Review: 7313-1 Red Planet ProtectorPlease click on the images for a larger resolution.
Name: Red Planet Protector
Set Number: 7313-1
Theme: Life on Mars
Year: 2001
Pieces: 194
Minifigures: 1
Price: USD 19.99
The sets in the Life on Mars line were among the first LEGO Space sets to be released in the 21st Century. I have the pleasure of reviewing a set from my early youth, and one of my favorite sets from the Life on Mars line.
The Box
(Image courtesy of Bricklink.com)The Life on Mars box designs featured the set superimposed on a red and dusty Martian background on about three fourths of a box, and a partial view of the Red Planet on the other fourth of the box. Here, we have the Red Planet Protector standing majestically and facing out towards the Martian landscape while its pilot reaches down to pick up some kind of artifact. The box may not be as action packed as the Mars Mission boxes were, with lasers flying in all directions and roaring engines from the human spacecraft – but it still looks quite appealing.
The Pieces
Once you open the box and dump all of the contents on the floor, you’ll find yourself with 194 pieces, an instruction booklet, and probably some separate advertisements which used to be found in sets years ago. You’ll also find a couple of bags containing the treasured acrylonitrile butadiene styrene bricks we all know and love. As you can see, the majority of the pieces are colored dark gray, light gray, blue, and sand blue.
There is no sticker sheet that comes with this set; the bricks instead have printing on them. Pictured are two studless round 2 x 2 tiles, one with a vent and one with a reticule printed on them. The set also contains two 3 x 2 slope brick with all sorts of Martian machinery depicted them.
The Red Planet Protector also has some sand blue pieces – pictured here is a 6 x 4 wedge piece as well as an 8 x 4 right wing (and we’re not talking politics here).
All in all, the pieces included with this set do not seem to be that “juniorized.” Many of the little “greebles” like the printed and transparent pieces are generic enough to be used on Sci-Fi related MOCs. Furthermore, rare colors like sand blue are always welcome by LEGO fans young and old alike.
The Instructions
The instructions for the set are superimposed on a green background depicting the Martian landscape, along with an orange border. The printing is clear and easy to read – you won’t encounter the problem of not being able to discern between two different colors like many modern day instruction booklets have.
Shown here is the final step, alongside a picture of the Red Planet Protector.
One unique function that the Life on Mars robots had was that they were modular. This means that the set was designed in such a way that you could detach many parts of the robot (like the head, legs, etc) and combine them with other sets to make an even larger machine. I will cover this more in the design section.
Pictured here is an alternative model that you can put together using various parts of the mech. Coincidentally, this particular model closely resembles the fighter in set #7317 Aero Tube Hangar (which I may decide to make a review on if this particular review is popular enough).
As you can see, these pictures show the modular capability of many of the Life on Mars sets. Obviously you aren’t just limited to these models. In the art of LEGO, your boundaries are set by your creativity.
This is how the Martians were constructed in the Life on Mars line. The Martian that happens to come with this set is known as Centauri. For those of you knowledgeable about astronomy, you will notice that all of the Martians are named after stars.
What I loved about the LoM Martians was that they had identity and uniqueness. As a young boy, I absolutely loved collecting these little guys, as well as mixing and matching the body pieces to create even more aliens. Unfortunately, the Mars Mission aliens did not possess these traits (aside from the Martian Commander).
The Build and DesignNow it’s time to actually build the model.
The build really takes about 10 to 15 minutes, so it’s a short one. You’ll first start out by building the cockpit first. Shown here is the head about halfway built, with a very pleased Centauri standing right by it proudly. The modified blue plates with the handles that you see at the top of the head are there in order to keep the two lasers in place (which you will see in the next photo). It’s a simple, but clever way in order to keep them still – and they don’t rattle around during play.
The head fully completed, with the lasers in place.
Some more views of the head. Those tubes are a nice addition and really add a “spacey” look to the set.
Now we begin construction on the legs. I would like to point out that the legs are all brick built, and do not use any specialized, non-versatile parts. The joints are composed of hinge bricks that lock in place each time you move them a certain number of degrees.
Here are the lower parts of the legs connected to the feet. The sand blue looks lovely on here.
Put two and two together…
…and you get a nice pair of robotic legs for the Red Planet Protector.
Unfortunately, since the joints connecting the “waist” to the legs are aligned at approximately a 90 degree angle, this severely limits the set’s posing ability. Furthermore, the joints connecting the leg to the foot are also restricted due to the 2 x 2 tile – this obstructs the foot in a backwards direction. The joints do also take a bit of muscle to put together and take apart.
From a side view, the color scheme is somewhat messy – you have a combination of light grey, dark grey, black, and blue all at once. The set would definitely look better if it was limited to maybe two colors. Despite this, it really isn’t noticeable when viewing the set from the front.
All that’s left to do is to connect the side lasers to the robot…
And voila! The Red Planet Protector in all of its glory!
Centauri in the cockpit, more than likely eager to test out what this mech can do.
Here is the entire set disassembled into all of its modular components. As you can see, all of the modular sections are joined together by modified bricks with pins in them, as well as Technic 2 x 1 bricks with the holes.
Here’s the alternative model that you all saw before. A robot that can walk and turn into a flying vehicle – how cool is that?
Final GradeThe set will be judged on six different categories – design, parts, minifigs, build, playability, and price.
Design: 7/10 – There isn’t anything fancy in terms of building techniques, and the legs not being all that moveable definitely hurts the functionality of the set. Nevertheless, it is visually appealing and maintains the nostalgic LEGO Space look.
Parts: 9/10 – The set has all sorts of neat printed and rare sand blue elements, and also doesn’t have many specialized pieces.
Minifigs: 10/10 – The Martians are wonderful. You just gotta love the uniqueness of them.
Build: 6/10 – The build is short and is somewhat repetitive. The joints don’t go on or come off all that easily and require some muscle to attach/detach.
Playability: 7/10 - If you really want to get the most out of this set, I highly suggest that you have at least one more Life on Mars set to go along with this. Better yet, if you have the entire theme, be prepared for hours of non-stop adventure on the Red Planet. You can also combine this with the other Life on Mars sets using the modular system to create larger mechs. There really isn’t much you can do with this set alone however.
Price: 10/10 – One hundred and ninety-four (194) pieces at USD $19.99 is the perfect price with each piece being worth about 10 cents. You can even get the set for a much cheaper price in a new and sealed box.
Final Grade:49/60 or 8.2/10This is a truly wonderful set. If you’re lucky enough and find this set at a yard sale or something at a reasonable price, I highly suggest that you pick it up. Especially if you’re a Mars Mission fan – I’m sure that you all would find the Life on Mars sets to be very appealing.
