Featured set of the day: Monorail Transport System
Posted by Huw,
legozebra has chosen today's featured set:
LEGO has produced many train sets over the years, but three in particular stand out to myself and likely many other fans for being very special: the monorail sets. Released in 1987, 1990, and 1994 respectively, these sets were before my time - but even from the early years of getting into LEGO, I had seen images of the sets and found them particularly charming in their own way.
I remember back around 2007-2009, when I was just getting into LEGO and discovering sites like Brickset (that are incredibly useful to me as an AFOL), I was fascinated by images of retro sets, and none excited me more than the Futuron Monorail, 6990 Monorail Transport System.
When trying to pick which set I wanted to highlight for the featured set of the day, my mind kept coming back to how charming I found the monorails as a kid, and how charming I still find them today - particularly the first and most simple of all, 6990.
While the track layout wasn’t anything special compared to the much more complex layouts of 6399 Airport Shuttle and 6991 Monorail Transport Base, this set in particular called to me because of the sleek white and transparent blue colour scheme, one of my favourite classic LEGO Space color schemes to this day.
This set is also very fond to me because it was how I first discovered bricklink.com, an amazing resource for sourcing and buying discontinued sets, parts, and figures at great value compared to the “wild west” markets of eBay and the like. My (or rather, my parents’) first Bricklink purchase was this beauty, and I relished every second of playing with it.
By today’s standards, the larger elevated structure is flimsy and the “transformation” feature that allows the quarter circle domes to rotate is easy to break and would never be sold in a modern set, but to my younger self, there were no flaws. The satisfying sound of the monorail slowly riding the curves and dips of the track were enough to entertain me for hours, and for many years, this set was the centrepiece of a classic space-themed area in my LEGO room.
I hope that I’ve been able to bring back some good memories of this set, and any of the other monorail sets, to people that are lucky enough to have owned this in their lifetimes. And while I understand the patent for the tracks and rail system may not even lie with LEGO anymore, I still hold out hope for a monorail to make a comeback in some way, shape, or form in the future - set BL-19003-1 and the recent feature in LEGO Masters US is a good start!
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38 comments on this article
Oh how I coveted that set as a kid!
Classic set and great thoughts. Being more of a Town guy myself, I like 6399 better, but I can understand the enthusiasm aroung this pioneer set among Space fans. I also wanted it as a kid but back in time on the eastern side of the iron wall it was truly expensive, untouchable and magical. Miss the monorail sets and hope LEGO will bring it back soon.
my microscale homage to this great set, made for the Brickset 60th anniversary microscale competition a while ago https://www.flickr.com/photos/legomanijak/39696933105/in/dateposted-public/
Aesthetically this is definitiely my favorite of the Monorails, though I must say it has the most boring track configuration of them.
6991 looked somewhat weird and slightly unfinished in comparison but it's really fun to watch it run around the track whilst interacting with the ground-base sections.
Does anyone know the date when they stopped using the original thin wires in this set?
The 9V cable was a first in this set and originally came as 1 plate in height. They quickly changed it to the later far more common 2 plates high version, probably because they were too fragile.
Also note that this set is the only monorail that came with a cardboard backdrop most used sets nowaday are missing^^
If I want to suggest a featured set of the day, how do I go about that?
Yes. Good.
The Unitron Monorail was the last, and at the lowest retail price I saw at $169 in 1995 it was very expensive. If Lego could make it for less than $399 today I would be surprised.
@Atuin said:
"Also note that this set is the only monorail that came with a cardboard backdrop most used sets nowaday are missing"
REALLY?
What did it look like?
Was it the light blue grid, shown on the box? - Bricklink doesn't list anything in the set's inventory.
This is the rail.
On my wanted list since ever...
@mickeyD0715 said:
"If I want to suggest a featured set of the day, how do I go about t
Send us your nomination and tell us why it's special to you to:
https://brickset.com/contact
@UVARiovia said:
"Oh how I coveted that set as a kid!"
Oh how I covet this set as an adult!
I got this set as a kid at Christmas one year. Must have been 1987 the year this set came out. I had City, Space, Pirates, and I remember playing with this set for hours. I always wanted the Monorail city set to go with it, but I used to incorporate this into the city no matter what. Surprisingly the system still works today and I still have it. Great set!
This is provably something a lot of Space fans will like.
This! is the set of my childhood that brings back most fond memories of them all. What a set, what a childhood <3
I managed to purchase this on eBay a few years back. Imagine my joy when I opened it and found the track extension pack in the box too.
This was such an awesome Christmas! Was not easy coming down stairs for the rest of the party while this remained partially built...
I used to put my other bases inside the track layout for it to make multiple stops. Cosmic Laser Launcher, Ploaris 1 Space Lab. In fact, you could easily modify the Laser Launcher base to allow the monorail to pass right through it (just make sure the rocket was raised or you'd have quite the collision...).
I couldn't resist selling a bunch of the track that came with this and the expansion because they go for so much and I'm not that into trains... I regret it now, but I did build the monorail and a little figure 8 loop out of curved track.
I got this for Christmas in '88. I did nothing until it was finished. Loved it. LOVE IT! Still have every piece and one expansion.
@Minifig_Jez
Yes it looks exactly like that.
Unfortunately mine doesn't have it as well, so I can't tell you more about it.
But here is the Bricklink um.. link:
https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=161384&name=Paper,%20Cardboard%20Backdrop%20with%20Space%20Horizon,%20Starfield%20and%20Grid%20Pattern%20 (6990)&category=%5BPaper%5D T=S&O={%22iconly%22:0}
Never had it as a kid, but that has been rectified since. Amazing set!
@Minifig_Jez said:
" @Atuin said:
"Also note that this set is the only monorail that came with a cardboard backdrop most used sets nowaday are missing"
REALLY?
What did it look like?
Was it the light blue grid, shown on the box? - Bricklink doesn't list anything in the set's inventory.
"
Yes, it’s the same blue grid as the background on the box: http://peeron.com/inv/parts/161384 The missing backdrop from my first monorail purchase was the reason why I bought a second 6990 :-))
I've got the sequel to this (6991: Monorail Transport Base) sat in a cupboard, very much used but still with its box. It lived in my parents loft for a long time but has now travelled all the way to Australia with me.
Based on Catalog prices:
This set was 345 Dutch Guilder in 1987 Would be around €285 now with inflation.
Also cost 100 British Pound which would also be 280 pound now.
So I loved seeing sets like this back in the day in Catalogs, but they were really expensive even back then.
Btw, not complaining about the price, but Monorails were some of the most expensive LEGO sets at the time.
Fortunately for me, I bought a lot of monorail track and parts on Bricklink when I first discovered that site several years ago! Someday I am going to find the time to put it all together, but just thinking about it gives me a warm feeling inside. What a wonderful set!
Would love it if they did a Disney monorail set.
Sets like these make the comment "They don't make'em like this no more" mandatory.
I have had the pleasure of owning all three monorail sets at one time or another, and this 6990 is just a great set, but not always the easiest to find in good condition as it seems many displayed them in brightly sunlight room and many seemed to have a lot of 'yellowed' parts.
This is the only big set my parents ever bought for us on one Magical Christmas. My youngest brother has it set up in his basement where it gets regular use. Sometimes even by his kids.
I too always wanted one of these, but always and still think it will be too big / expensive, and probably in 2020 a little disappointing, but like many many sets I built various alternative models from the back of the box (and made the "train" but without the runners)
While the tracks are long out of the production. One can buy a 3D printed tracks and new special pieces here:
https://www.4dbrix.com/products/monorail/monorail.php
Managed to pick one of these up in mint condition a few years ago before the price went sky high. I had the original space sets as a child, still do. But this came out after I lost intrest in lego and entered a 27 year dark age! I decided to collect all the classic space I never had as a child, and was lucky enough to get most before the prices went crazy! This was at the top of the list. It is still magical, even to adult eyes after all these years.
Love this one! It may be the last set we bought before my dark ages, and it's only large box we kept, thankfully. The set was different enough from all the Lego we already had to convince my parents that we should be allowed to spend our money on this.
I've never cared much for Lego trains, but I have hoped for some time now that we'd get a monorail similar to this.
Though I prefer the Unitron Monorail over this one, it still deserves the credit for being the first of the three Monorails LEGO has produced.
With no many nostalgic AFOLs that would be more than willing to buy such sets, LEGO should seriously consider bringing them back as Direct to Consumer sets.
I'm really happy that I have this and some extra track pieces - monorail is just special.
to all the hopefuls out there: the moulds are long buried and they will never come back. I'm sorry.
Few Lego sets have electrified (pardon the pun) the AFOL fanbase as much as the monorail sets. Rare is the space-base display that does not include some sort of transportation system similar to the monorail. Every single Lego fan convention I've attended has had at least 1-2 monorails up and running. It may have started with 6970 Beta Command Base, but this set cemented the idea of monorail transportation firmly in the minds of Lego fans everywhere.
Could the sets be re-created by Lego, with the original molds long gone? Sure they could; if a bunch of folks with 3-D printers can reverse-engineer the dimensions to within acceptable working tolerances, then certainly the professional molders at TLG could do the same. But the monorail sets were money-losers for the company back in the day, and TLG surely won't let that happen again. The costs that buyers would be asked to pay would no doubt be beyond prohibitive...
Maybe The Lego Group should consider bringing back a monorail as a crowd-funded set similar to the Star Wars Sail Barge?
@eleavitt200_ said:
"Maybe The Lego Group should consider bringing back a monorail as a crowd-funded set similar to the Star Wars Sail Barge? "
Wasn't that Sail Barge a $499 pledge? For what should have been a $99 retail set (well, maybe $199)? Anyone willing to pay $1000-1500 for a new monorail set? (On this site, yeah there probably are a few...)