[biztos]

Can't comment on kits from after about '80 but this reminds me, when I was a kid my older brother would labor extensively to build the most elaborate and beautiful spaceships, while I would pack my bricks tight into a minimalist indestructible vessel. When the inevitable clash arrived, my ship almost always prevailed, though I usually had to run away after.

[spiralx]

My brother and I used to build space fighters with a pilot inside who could see outside, with the goal of being able to throw them at the wall as hard as possible without them coming apart - our parents were not fans lol. It's perfectly doable if you build around the pilot using nothing but flat grey bricks, wings and horizontal boosters, and ensure almost every piece is reinforced by multiple overlapping pieces above and below.