Random set of the day: Polaris I Space Lab
Posted by Huwbot,
Today's random set is 6972 Polaris I Space Lab, released during 1987. It's one of 17 Space sets produced that year. It contains 390 pieces and 3 minifigs.
It's owned by 1,677 Brickset members. If you want to add it to your collection you should find it for sale at BrickLink, where new ones sell for around $615.80, or eBay.
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47 comments on this article
Ooooh! I like those transparent pieces in the middle!
LEGO was inspired by the Spaceballs movie, which came out in the same year, so they made this set.
Ooh, that reminds me, I have this in a bulk lot. I should try putting it together.
Look at all these Bennys
Just happy as can be
With 1980s space stuff
As far as the eye can see
This is very good and worth as much as a hundred goats.
This is basically a Futuron set in color scheme (including printed parts) and design aesthetics! I've always wanted to see what 4 of these sets in a square would look like...
Also I don't know if it was just my (pre-owned) copy, but the clutch power on several of the white plates was very weak. I haven't really come across this issue with white plates from other sets from the same period (my experience is older plates usually have too much clutch power - I've even broken a few trying to separate them!)
Oooh! Very nice. I love all that gleaming white. And the transparency and that baseplate.
Wow, what a cool set. I don't think I had ever even see this one before!
Ice Planet-ish color scheme before Ice Planet
Looking at the set entry, I see that it's tagged "Monorail," due to those little sliding things on the sides. It's a cool set, but not anywhere near as cool as the other set with that tag released that year, 6990.
I really want some more of these classic space sets (I seem to have only/mostly small ones), but goodness they're expensive!
Nice... It reminds me of my Major Matt Mason Space Station from 20 years before!
https://flic.kr/p/2nC5xgG
@AverageChimaEnjoyer said:
"Ice Planet-ish color scheme before Ice Planet "
If you ignore the fact that this uses trans-red and trans-blue, neither of which Ice Planet used, and only uses opaque blue on the astronauts, yeah. I mean those are just minor differences, right? Honestly, I sthink the color scheme has more in common with Blacktron II.
@MCLegoboy said:
"Look at all these Bennys
Just happy as can be
With 1980s space stuff
As far as the eye can see"
And nary a hint of the only commonly-accepted Classic Space color scheme...
Great classic space set. Love the ship that launches from the center of the Lab. Wasn't lucky enough to get this set back in 87 but had a friend that had it. Managed to get 1 sealed and 1 opened through ebay a while ago.
I got this set from an old co-worker a few years back. included the box, everything was in great shape. Very interesting set, and quite a unique design.
And swap out the trans blue for trans-neon-perfection-green, and you got a bad-ass Blacktron 2 B=base. Maybe add some more black to be safe though.
Ooohhh I own that one! Best of the three large Classic Space bases (I also own 6970 and 6971). Has some quite interesting building techniques for a 1987 set.
Look at that beauty. Another one that got away.
Getting real Thunderbirds vibes from this one. I think its the retro sci-fi look with sliding chairs to get you to your vehicle
Wasn't this the very final set with Classic Spacemen?
I remember so well how this set seemed to me huge back in the days of catalog gazing. It seems rather small now...
But this reminds me that we already got huge castle and pirates locations. It's now time for a ucs space station!
I have this one, but it was given to me in poor condition. Missing many bricks, yellowed bricks, nicks and marks everywhere, no minifig...
I had one complete and very swooshable shuttle, though! I also remember using the same building technique from the horizontal elevators (for lack of a better word) (the second minifig stands on one, waving at the viewer) on a building crane.
I still use the baseplate to this day to expose my Galaxy Explorer 10497
The instructions for this (and 6950/6386) came with a large bulk lot of City/Creator/Star Wars etc that we bought immediately before Covid outbreak and which I am still sorting through. It was pleasing to find that all three sets turned out to be complete, though I ended up needing the money and had to eBay them a few months later. This one sold for quite a handsome sum despite a cracked baseplate and a fair dose of yellowing to the white bricks, the other two less so as I think a lot of attics must have been getting cleared out at that time.
It was a more substantial build than I expected, perhaps not having a second baseplate makes it look less impressive in the catalogue photos.
@Maxbricks14 : In fairness, the set does have a 'passing resemblance' to the "Mega Maid".:D
@PurpleDave: Well, wouldn't this be in the 'Classic Space 2.0' veneer of things (color scheme reminds me of 6980: Galaxy Commander)
What a weird looking space station. Looks like it was built by Futurons, but they didn't know what to do with it so they sent there some old blokes on the verge of retiring.
I wanted this so much, but got 6953 instead. No matter, that's also a nice set. I have lost many part over the years though.
What happened to the Random part of the day? It's been missing for two days?
OT: weird but cool set!
Pretty substantial for it's time, though the spaceship seems in universe much older than most othe clasic spacecrafts. Futuron 6953 has a similar problem.
Used prices have been rising in the last years.
@WizardOfOss said:
"What happened to the Random part of the day? It's been missing for two days?
OT: weird but cool set!"
It's suspended for unknown time due to lack of images. See Huw's comment at yesterday's post.
A classic base. This is the Classic Space I appreciate: it can be sometimes gray blue and trans yellow, but other times it's gray and trans green, blue white and trans yellow or a sleek white and black. And of course some permutations of the above. All are Classic Space. And above the colors what really matters is the sets themselves.
This set seems a lot more futuristic with all the white compared to the dusty and old looking gray. That's why I'm personally a bit sick of the 1979 colors being so predominant when referencing it.
I like that the middle hinges open to launch a rocket with a tiny crew compartment in it. Exploration has never been so experimental!
Nostalgia mode turned up to eleven.
I have both this as well as 6990, plus several of the spaceships from the era.
Wonderful sets, and that white is so much nicer than the off-white we get today in sets. Should actually be a different colour code if one is honest, since this white is much more like Cobi white than current LEGO white.
Never liked when Classic Space turned White, have a complete CS-collection up to when this abomination begun.
My brother and I had this, but found it more useful as a source of parts than as a complete model.
Nice little space base. I would have died to get this as a kid.
And yes @MaxBricks14 from your message a few days ago, I’m just here for a two week holiday (mainly for LotR stuff). Nice country.
My favorite base (even more than 6990--which is still great, of course!). I've always loved this one.
@Lamarider said:
"Never liked when Classic Space turned White, have a complete CS-collection up to when this abomination begun."
Abomination ….? Really?
In the pre-Internet days, the only knowledge I had of this set came from an advert on the backside of a little children's book. Was a bit weird back then, when the oldest Space themes I knew of were M:Tron and Blacktron II (which of cause I didn't call "II").
The advert also had a little comic about the (presumably) leader of Classic Space called "Captain Kirby" (a standard black Classic Space minifig) alongside his robot companion "Zonu" (the smaller robot from the 1986 minifig pack) met the Futurons and their commander "Major Spocky" (an attempt at making a "white" Futuron, using the yellow torso, but exchanging all else for white).
I remember thinking that this was a very cool set when browsing catalogs in 1987. Looking at it now, I was trying to figure out how it was legal to have the gangway extend beyond the base plate. Looking at the instructions, the gangway uses hinge plates to relieve any stress this might cause on the elements. Brilliant!
I have this. Great moon base. Looked so futuristic and was my launching point into Futuron. I do wish the rocket in the middle was more... Space-y.
@jkb said:
" @WizardOfOss said:
"What happened to the Random part of the day? It's been missing for two days?
OT: weird but cool set!"
It's suspended for unknown time due to lack of images. See Huw's comment at yesterday's post."
Ah okay, must have missed that. That's too bad....hope it will return some day...
@TheOtherMike said:
" @AverageChimaEnjoyer said:
"Ice Planet-ish color scheme before Ice Planet "
If you ignore the fact that this uses trans-red and trans-blue, neither of which Ice Planet used, and only uses opaque blue on the astronauts, yeah. I mean those are just minor differences, right? Honestly, I sthink the color scheme has more in common with Blacktron II."
IDK it's the way the image is saturated I guess
@WizardOfOss said:
"What happened to the Random part of the day? It's been missing for two days?
OT: weird but cool set!"
See post here https://brickset.com/article/111392/random-part-of-the-day-lattice-3x6-w-3-2-shaft-no-1
This was a wish list item when I was a kid, I used to pour over the Lego catalogues each year to see all the cool sets coming out and this was always a favourite.
Classic.
This was one of my favorite sets as a kid> I regret storing it near a window tho, so rather severe yellowing on some pieces after all these years. :(
On my wish list, it will go nicely with the rest of Futuron -:)
@brick_r:
I can't remember for certain, but I thought light-grey/trans-green was the second of the three major Classic Space color schemes, not this proto-Futuron look.
Have it, love it!!! Still on display next to my bed. Sweet space dreams every night
@PurpleDave: Well...maybe; 6861: X1 Patrol Craft (a fave of mine) came out 1980; but is that a 'ship' or more of a 'vehicle' akin to the buggies/rovers...anywho '81 had this...strange contraption: 6929: Starfleet Voyager (Hmmm...could TLG have gone after Paramount...:))