The Stellar Striker: A Lego M-Tron MOC

As with most of my models, this one has a bit of a back story. Unlike my other ships, which I build out of sets and then disassemble, all of the parts for this one came from a yard sale. I'm experimenting with buying lots of random pieces from yard sales and other outlets, so I can have a sort of stock resource for building permanent creations. That way, I won't have to worry about taking them apart to reorganize sets. This ship was one of the first of such models, a permanent creation which I will one day use to help fill a large layout I'm designing.

When I returned home from my first major yard sale acquisition, I dumped out my haul to assess my new inventory. I had scored several pricey minifigs (Davy Jones, for one), and a large pile of pieces that I thought were interesting or useful. Then, I decided I should take advantage of this new resource by building something. I enjoy "winging it" when I build, so I dove right in and started putting things together. This was one of the products of that endeavor, and my personal favorite.

This is the first ship I have built in the red, black, and trans-neon green of M-Tron from 1990. It is one of my favorite space themes, but I haven't worked much in it due to lack of resources.

The finished product. All of the pieces came from the same yard sale except the M-Tron pilot, which I had on hand.

As seen here, the front section is built around the base of a cannon from
a pirates set.

I accomplished a visually interesting shape with the diamond-shaped front
and curved rear.

I was satisfied with the result, so I used some of the remaining pieces to build another vehicle to go with it. This time I had to use the central piece with the logo from my own collection, but I didn't need it for anything else, so I can keep that one assembled too. This one has no name as yet, but it doesn't really need one.

It has enough trunk space to hold a few tools and one of the
signature magnet-topped boxes of the theme.

I had lots of fun with both of these models, and I plan to hit many more yard sales in the future so I can build more permanent ships. In the meantime, you might want to look out for Lego at yard sales in your neighborhood. It can be a great way to boost your collection in a cost effective way. Happy building!