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'Lima lima niner-two-eight Galaxy Explorer, this is Lunar Mission Control /keekh/. You are cleared to land on Landing Platform number two. /keekh/. Over.'
'Roger, Mission Control. Which is platform number two? Over.'
'There's only two /keekh/ - it's the empty one. Over.'
'Oh, ok, thanks Mission Control. And please stop saying /keekh/. Over.'
'Sorry, force of habit. /keekh/. Oops!'
Oh, the nostalgia! I've recently rescued a boxload of my pre-dark age Lego from a dusty attic, and was delighted to find a good number of boxed Classic Space sets in reasonable condition. And, having promised to review them in my introduction, I thought I'd start with one of my favourite features from my old space base: the Mission Control Centre.
A note on the name: In the UK this was always called 'Mission Control Centre', if I remember correctly; however it seems to have been 'Space Supply Station' elsewhere (notably the US). This variation in nomenclature seems to have been common in the Classic Space era: the grandfather of classic space 497/928 was known as Galaxy Explorer in the US, but by the less grandiose title Space Cruiser in the UK; the latter name being afforded to the lesser 924 elsewhere (Space Transporter to the British).
Personally, I think 'Mission Control Centre' is more appropriate for 6930, as we shall see.
The Stats
Number: 6930
Name: Mission Control Centre / Space Supply Station / Raumsversorgungsbasis
Theme: Legoland Space
Available: 1983 - 1986
Pieces: 206
Figures: 4
Price: In the region of £15 back in the day, as I recall.
Links: Brickset ... Bricklink ... Peeron
The Box - Front
Ah, I can still remember the excitement of ripping open the wrapping paper to reveal the yellow flashing and huge 'LEGOLAND' banner. I still find it interesting that Space fell into the 'Legoland' theme at the time; I wonder whether Lego didn't have confidence that Space would thrive as a separate entity. They needn't have worried.
Back
In common with sets of the time, a myriad alternative models deck the rear of the box, although they don't stray far from the space base concept.
Inside
Opening the lid of the box, we see a montage of set features and more alternatives, demonstrated somewhat disinterestedly by a badly dressed kid with the then-fashionable 'Luke Skywalker' hairstyle.
Looking down from the lid, we have some way to go to get to the bricks themselves...
... we must open the side of the box and withdraw a cardboard tray first:
Lego really went to town on their packaging in the early 80s. The tray contains a clear cellulose insert, crater-shaped, with matching lid; underneath the inset are the baseplate and instruction booklet.
The Instructions
The booklet is A4 size, and like those of the 6980 Galaxy Commander get straight to business after a small repeat of the box picture. It's no heavy tome: only 8 pages including front and rear, with no alternative builds, no Space-themed advertising or other marketing. In 1983, piece callouts were confined to Technic sets. None are featured here, nor is there a parts inventory - we're two decades too early for those.
The vehicles, built first, are crammed into the first page and a half, but I found the steps easy to follow, and don't recall suffering difficulties as a nine-year-old. Colour differentiation is a breeze (I don't think dark grey had been invented then).
It's interesting how you are asked to put the figures onto the vehicles on page 2, when you don't build them until page 3. Never noticed that before.
The Parts
A lovely pile of Lego:
I had to clean it before building. We'll take a look at the sorted pieces.
First up, there's the familiar crater baseplate. Mine was filthy when I pulled it out of the box - several years on display in the attic of my parent's house had left all manner of marks. I've cleaned it as well as I could.
I always liked how you could combine four of these to create a large crater, although the raised smooth areas could make building bases a little tricky. That's why large blue stands were very useful...
... and this set comes with eight:
Otherwise, the blue pieces are unremarkable: two mailboxes, two short ladder pieces, and the blue aerials which were new in 1983.
The grey pieces include four of the cutaway radar dishes that I've got my eye on for my Hoth display:
Remember when wheels were red, with a metal axle? A quarter of a century later, and only a little rusty.
Aside from being the bane of my life to photograph, the white pieces aren't interesting (except for the printed ones, which deserve their own picture):
Trans-blue was flavour of the year for 1983, replacing the trans-yellow of the blue and grey days. This set comes with two cockpit pieces. Note also the 'balloon' tyres, which fit over the red wheels but also have slots to accept a Technic axle.
Finally, a few printed pieces (no stickers): two classic computers, two 'grille' bricks, from the days before these
, and the little 'down' arrows that made me wonder whether Luna Base was some form of prison colony.
And we mustn't forget the Classic Space logo brick!
The Figures
1983 saw the introduction of 'Yellow' spacemen to expand Lego's repertoire by 50%. It was a welcome change! This set comes with two of them, plus two familiar reddies. Introducing, from left to right: Lieutenant Gules, Lt Commander Jaune, Sergeant Blush and Commander Daff.
Blush: Why am I an army sergeant, when you've all got naval ranks?
Daff: Shut up and face the front, smartass!
Well, they all look happy, despite being on a prison colony. There was no such thing as alternative facial expressions (it was only about 5 years after facial features were introduced, after all); but having a whole sci-fi army of identical people seems a little strange. I hope it never catches on
.The Vehicles
The first vehicle is a simple 7-stud long car with a mailbox on the back. Two 1x1 plates with 'eye' sidepieces (horizontal clips had yet to be invented) hold a gun and a camera; as such the vehicle might be used for exploration or reconnaissance.
Alternatively, perhaps it is a space mail-truck? The world of 1983 had yet to imagine e-mails; letters from loved ones back on Earth seems quite romantic.
The second vehicle is articulated, though only able to bend around the z axis; it can therefore be a little unwieldy over craters. It has two rear-mounted hoppers, and comes equipped with a metal detector - the staple tool of Classic Space - and an axe. It is clearly designed for collecting mineral samples.
As you can see from the high angle, a number of jumper plates are used to secure the hoppers whilst avoiding the 'balls'. A simple yet clever solution; necessary as these hopper pieces are designed to fit into the end of an articulated limb, like in this set.
Finally, we have two identical hover-ships, which when not in use sit on the elevated section of the station.
They are very simply built, but attractive, and the design of the station to include the two landing pads for these craft is a wonderful play feature. Clips at the rear of each hold a gun and a walkie-talkie; I imagined these scooters to be used in marshalling the larger spaceships around the base. One of my favourite 'foibles' of Classic Space is that every ship from the smallest scooter to the largest cruiser has a steering wheel!
The Base
The build is very straightforward - stands, platforms, and two walls. The trickiest part is measuring where to put the round blue bricks that form the feet of the stands; after that it's plain sailing.
The platforms each consist of two blue 1x8 plates that the dishes of the scooters mesh into quite nicely. As a kid I worried a little about the gaps between the plates on the platform, thinking my poor little yellow guys would fall through. Never fear, little Rufus, gravity is a less potent adversary on the Moon.
There is space in front of the chairs to allow the men to sit without removing their aqualungs, fortunately. Notice the 1x1 blue cylinders attached to upright grey guns on each side of the station - these will hold the smaller radar dishes. It's a slightly clumsy technique, but does allow a degree of rotation for the radar, if only in the horizontal plane.
The Completed Base:
Simple, yet sturdy and quite pretty; the blue and white colour scheme give it a clean and modern look, especially when compared to the older blue and grey sets. Its colours match the 6980 Galaxy Commander perfectly; the two were released in the same year, and I'm sure were meant to partner each other.
The back is a little plain:
It's definitely a building designed to sit on the edge of the base, looking in.
The Complete Set
Let's have a good look around the station. From the front:
The eagle-eyed among you might notice a very slight addition to the above picture - there's an extra 1x1 trans-red round plate atop the articulated vehicle. This, I think, is the only leftover piece from the original set (remember when the round trans plates came two at a time, attached via a little sprue?)
The two trans-blue cockpit pieces give the men a clear view of the base, and open for easy access. There is sufficient headroom for the wheeled vehicles to park underneath. Nevertheless, the height of the station and the panoramic views it affords suggests 'mission control' rather than 'supply centre' to me.
Notice how the men can sit comfortably in their chairs with breathing apparatus still on.
Here's Commander Daff receiving his mail (2x1 tile not supplied!) - those mailboxes have to have some use - and a close-up of the side radar dish showing how it turns.
Finally, a view from the side. The baseplate looks a little warped here but I think it's the effect of the camera lens. From this angle, the station has a purposeful look, enhanced by the angle of the stands and the rear-pointing aerial pieces.
Looks like those spacemen have been up to some shenanigans while we've been looking round.
Conclusion
I still feel genuine affection for this set. I remember hankering after it after receiving the Galaxy Commander for Christmas; I even tried to build it out of the latter. I must have cajoled my parents into getting it for me for my next birthday, and was delighted finally to add it to my expanding spacebase.
Design: 10/10 It's a simple yet beautiful station, and versatile; the command pod can easily be placed in the centre of the two platforms if you wish. It looks the part, and matches perfectly with the Galaxy Commander.
Build: 8/10 Aside from counting studs to place the stands, there is no real challenge, but there is minimal repetition and you always have the finished product in sight. It took me about 20 minutes, not including photos. The ground vehicles are a little basic by today's standards, but there is an interesting technique used in the articulated truck.
Playability: 9/10 With four figures, each with a vehicle, there is plenty of opportunity for play. However, if you're like me, you'll spend most of your time playing with the larger spaceships rather than anything fixed to the ground. There are plenty of alternatives, as displayed on the box, but I liked the main model so much I don't think I ever changed it.
Figures: 8/10 Four figures is reasonable for a set this size, but - in common with most of classic space - there isn't much variety. Getting yellow men in 1983 was quite a step forward. For the time, it gets a good score.
Price: 7/10 It's difficult to judge these veteran sets on price, especially as I didn't buy it myself, and I don't have a feel for whether £15 was a lot of money. On a parts per price ratio, it doesn't seem particularly good value; however most of the 206 pieces are large, and it does come with a baseplate. Perhaps the extravagant packaging was to blame.
Overall: 84 %. If Lego sets were actors, this model wouldn't be cast in a leading role, but it would be in the running for the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in the film of Classic Space.
Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it. Please do let me know what you think of the set and the review.
Rufus
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MultiQuote
They are not called cheese slopes for nothing. 
.
Posted 03 March 2010 - 09:10 PM
When I browsed the space section of the catalogues when I was younger I was more impressed by the bigger and more functional stations. But as you said, this one is also important for the logistiscs in our space world. 
The drinky member.
-TheBrickster, EB TrainTech Moderator
