So you could easily call this a little set as it is under 100 pieces, but in comparison to most other small ships which tend to have 30 less bricks, this set is actually quite big, and the physical size of the built ship is surprisingly large.

Of course, due to the size of the ship and it’s relatively low parts count, this ship is a little thin and in a way incomplete. The biggest issue is the bottom of the cockpit isn’t enclosed, you will actually see that the astronauts legs are exposed underneath. I don’t think this detracts from the set any but if you are a perfectionist you may not like this. The other incomplete aspect is that it comes with a wonderful Classic Space robot, but no place to fit him. Hopefully another ship in your fleet will have a place for him.

But where this ship excels is in its size, it is probably twice as large as any comparable ship, and maybe not as long, but appears a lot bigger than many terrestrial vehicles with slightly higher brick counts. For this reason this set is a must have, it gives you a ship that is much larger than your typical single passenger ship, but not as big the larger ships that can carry multiple passengers and lunar rovers. It also has enough going on on the outside that it looks pretty interesting as well.

The flaps on the sides are on hinges which give you a little range of motion, and the storage compartment (creatively made of large car doors) in the back gives you a bit more playability.

The parts may not be the most exciting, there aren’t a lot of anything with maybe an exception for the antennas that come in trans yellow and red, but there is a little bit of everything that defines Classic Space. This is a set from my childhood so I’m not sure how much it would cost to get now, but I imagine the only piece that would cost you would be the trans yellow cockpit cover, everything else is fairly normal.

If for no other reason than it’s unusual size, I’d say this set is worth getting if you can get your hands on it. But it is a nice looking ship and the robot is a fun little bonus!

This is my favorite Lego-set ever!

I love the robot, the movable sides, the cargospace with doors. Most of all the colours used especially the trans-yellow antennea and wingtip-cones. And to top it of it has two robotic arms (not very usefull, but still I like 'em). It has been my fav since it was released, just love it, especially together with 6891 and 6931. For me 1985 was the best Lego-year to date.

A few months ago, I decided to collect all the "entry-level" non-licensed spaceships that would correspond to an approximate price point of $20 today. Though Brickset has no price information for this kit, the US pricing information for the 1978/79 Space wave can be scaled according to parts count and inflation to produce an approximate price point of $20.

First, a note on the name. The Brickset database lists this as "Xenon X-Craft," but in old catalogs and in other databases it's listed as "Lunar Patrol Craft." I prefer the latter name, because that gives the ship a mission that clearly fits the moonbase theme of early Classic Space. "Xenon X-Craft," by contrast, resembles names for sets in much later space themes, which are less grounded in "near-future" space exploration and can be charitably described as word salads.

Next, a word on the parts. Perhaps due to the influence of Star Wars and its industrial-gray design language with strong, purposeful lines, as a kid I never much liked the design language of later Lego Space, with its bright, fluorescent colors and chaotic clashes of angles and antennas. This design language began in the Classic Space era with kit 6872 and its contemporaries. I suppose a lot of people will like 6872 for the transparent yellow antennas, transparent red antennas, and black hoses, but I don't. I prefer antennas in gray, and the rear antennas and hoses in this model get in the way and spoil the lines. Because of all the antennas and hoses, as well as the relatively rarity of this set in the first place, the complete kits on Bricklink and eBay right now are pretty overpriced - $35-80 the last time I checked, except for a single one priced right at $16.

Now, an opinion on the colors. Though this ship uses the Classic Space colors of blue, light gray, and transparent yellow, they are inverted from their more usual form: here the fuselage is gray and the wings are blue, instead of the other way round. I think that's ugly, so I built a digital version with inverted colors and will soon order parts for it online.

A small opinion on the design: It's ugly and it makes no sense. The rocket engine is placed so far above the center of mass that it would make the ship spin rapidly around the pitch axis if it were activated. More on that later.

Finally, a note on the build. Though I've criticized this kit freely in the last few paragraphs, I actually really like it. I built a makeshift version out of spare parts that matches the original pretty closely, except for a lack of hoses and the use of a substitute engine assembly on top. All assembled, the Lunar Patrol Craft makes up for its ugly appearance by excelling in the two most important things for any Lego spaceship: playability and adaptability. Its size and shape are such that it fits perfectly in my hand for swooshing. The forward wing flaps fold down to make a fully enclosed cockpit, and you can stash the pilot's helmet or other gear in the locker behind the cockpit.

With just a few small changes using parts that were common back in 1985, you can make a droid bay behind the cockpit. It gives the little robot something to do, and I imagine at least one kid did it way back in 1985 to make up for the lack of an official Lego X-wing. That weakens the structure of the rear fuselage a bit, but the ship is so small that it's not a problem unless your bricks have lost all their clutch power. With a few more simple parts from the era, you can relocate the engine so that it thrusts more or less through the center of mass, while retaining the droid bay. That spoils the lines a bit and changes the hand grip in a way that makes it a little less swoosh-friendly, but it's an easy mod either way. If all you're a kid in 1985 with a few Space sets and you want another Lunar Patrol Craft, it would be easy to build another one in gray from any number of contemporary sets.

Altogether, then, this is a really fun little ship. There's enough things I don't like about it that I can't call it "great," but I still recommend you get some variation of this ship in your collection. It's a great platform for mods of all kinds. Aren't those what Lego is all about?

I got this set off ebay, I don't remember how much it cost but it was about £5,I would pay that but no more.

The ship is quite an odd shape (the pic doesn't show it that well) the engine is higher than the cockpit and there are those light-saber things on the front and sticking up at the back, as well as those pipes connecting the engine to the wings.

The mini figure is nice, tho the fact that his costume and skin are the same culler is a bit strange. The robot is good too, there is no place to store him on the ship sadly :(

the cockpit has gaps in it but the flaps on the side can be pushed up to hide the gaps, there is also a small place to store tools underneath the engine (you can't put the robot in there)

All in all, a good set, as said before don't pay more than £5 (about $9 I think) I would have liked a place to store the robot, even if it wasn't on the space ship

Thanks for reading :)

Drathmaul1997

This was called the Lunar Patrol Craft in the US.

A nice sleek ship with a few drawbacks. There was nowhere for the robot to ride. There is a nice storage compartment behind the cockpit, but nothing to put inside. Some cool parts, including the thrusters, rocket, hoses, & lots of old-style light wands. the cockpit was not airtight at all beneath the wings, despite the nice cockpit screen above.