After years of peaceful Space exploration (turns out all of those aerials and dishes on Classic and Futuron sets were just communications equipment – who knew?!), Blacktron exploded into the Lego Space theme in 1987 and were unashamedly the first of the ‘space baddies’. This was the flagship set of the subtheme and, as such, needed to deliver an impact.

Incidentally, this is one of the rare sets where a weakness in some of the moving parts led to it being reissued with different parts and revised instructions (difficult to imagine that happening in 2015…!) – I have the original set where, like #6953 Cosmic Laser Launcher, turntables are a vital part of the mechanism to open the roof, so this is what will be reviewed.

Box/Instructions

The box is the usual flip-top kind, allowing eager children to see all the exciting parts laid out in the box. The underside of the lid shows off some interesting alternate models, featuring a large spacecraft of some kind, alongside a giant Blacktron Space Chicken. Neither of them utilise anything close to the full range of pieces in the set, but that’s not really the point and they more than fulfil their function as a ‘jumping off’ point to fire a kid’s imagination.

In common with other similarly sized sets, the instructions are a slim A4 booklet, with the whole thing constructed in 60 steps, including sub-builds. If ever a vintage set could have done with including part outlines, or at least part callouts, then this is it – much of the build involves placing black bricks on top of or alongside other black bricks, sometimes against a background of more black bricks. That particular challenge aside they’re fairly clear, starting with a top down view of the baseplate to help with correct placement of the supporting stanchions.

Parts

Black. So much black. With today’s many-hued offerings it’s almost impossible to describe how visually striking those first Blacktron sets were. Until then, the darkest Space had been was light grey – Castle was much the same and Town was a riot of cheery primary colours. The parts that aren’t black are mostly yellow bricks, used as accents against the black, or trans-yellow panels. Most noticeable is the massive quarter dome piece (still relatively new at the time) which dominates the right hand side of the set. There are also two large flat arched canopies in black, each printed with a prominent original Blacktron triangle-within-a-triangle logo.

In contrast to the excitement of new and strikingly re-coloured pieces, this set also was the last hurrah for the classic space baseplate first introduced in the late 1970s. Trailblazing for the time and always a welcome addition to any space layout, this was its final appearance before retirement, as a new era of raised baseplates was on the horizon…

There is the usual variety of ‘spacey’ bits like aerials, the ‘space wing’ (with the yellow one only ever released in this and one other Blacktron I set), a space seat/bracket and a couple of monorail stanchions. Other than those, there is a good selection of (black) bricks and plates, including some very useful long 1x16 bricks, the tall inverted slopes which were either brand new or very rare, and the numerous square and angled plates that make up the floor of the hanger.

Minifigures

As the largest Blacktron set it includes a relatively generous five figures, though sadly without the colour-based variation found in Classic Space/Futuron themes. However, this uniformity is definitely an advantage when it comes to creating ‘a look’ – dressed entirely in black they all feature printed white ‘spacesuit’ detailing on their torsos and completely black visors. With these shut, the team actually look quite menacing (as much a tiny plastic spacemen can), though flipping the visor up reveals the traditional smiley face beaming out from underneath. They also get a couple of accessories such as the usual walkie-talkies, spanners, a large shoulder mounted gun and, most excitingly for 8 year old me, my first (and only) metal detector.

The build

The vehicles are the first to be built, both taking very little time. The shuttle is nicely understated, with the two overarching wings constructed separately and then attached over the top of the body. The canopy is mounted on a hinge to allow access, and uses the strange ‘S’ shaped pillar piece which fits almost perfectly against the front of the wings. The rover build is even briefer and, apart from the use of ‘Dalek’ brick at the rear to mount both of the side bumpers and the curious construction for the engine on the top, there isn’t much of interest.

Construction on the base begins with the larger hanger structure and, once the small angled stanchions and large vertical supports are in place, a solid brick frame topped by large plates quickly lays out the floor space of the hanger, including the corridor leading off the back right hand side of the baseplate. Reflecting the era in which it was made, there are no particularly difficult or complex steps at any point in the build, which is mostly brick stacking. The construction of the roof panel mechanism is still good fun, though fiddly to do in situ as several moving parts have to in the right position, and lined up with turntables at exactly the right angle. The second half of the base is treated as it’s own sub-build but, despite it’s size, mostly consists of air, so goes together really quickly with most of the construction concentrated in one corner to provide a raised control platform. The large quarter dome then encloses the space and the whole thing rests on some brick built ‘rails’ (tiles with small fences to keep it on track) on the crater baseplate.

The completed model

The result is one of the most impressive and visually striking Lego sets in the entire Space theme. Despite a relatively modest number of pieces (though large for the time), it still squats menacingly across the two baseplates, filling the available space well and intriguing to look at, despite its overwhelmingly black colour scheme. The inside offers plenty of play options, with computer terminals and control points at various positions within the hanger. The addition of a corridor is an odd thing to get excited about, but this was (and still is) quite a distinctive feature not really matched since – a fully enclosed area (accessed via hatches) which provided a unique space for play. The ‘S’ shape gives it both visual interest from the inside, as well as being ideal for pitched gun battle à la Star Wars.

The main feature of the opening hanger canopy works well enough with the original part selection, though it is a close copy of that found in the Cosmic Laser Launcher a year earlier. Here, as there, it is an excellent tutorial in creating a mechanism from system parts – albeit not wholly successfully with regards to stability and durability, and later editions replaced the turntables with sturdier Technic elements. The movement of the second structure backwards and forwards along tiled tracks also works well, sliding the control room out towards the craters using the same rack arrangement as found in the hanger roof. Both the hanger and the control areas are festooned with various dishes and aerials, which makes sense as it is obviously some kind of listening post. The variety in size and colour (variously black, yellow and trans-red) keeps the set visually interesting and contrast nicely against the general blackness of it all, as well as the trans-yellow panels.

Both the vehicles included are effective little models and serve to expand the play possibilities of set away from a single location. The small spaceship is great looking, sleek and swooshable, though reviewing the set nearly 30 years later and some of the parts have not worn well – specifically the finger hinges holding up the wings (or not in my case) which have significantly loosened over time. The tiny rover is much more basic, but functional in it's own way – the side mounted bars give it a suitably rugged look and there is some extremely economical construction for the engine which uses just two parts, using the 90 degree turn of the handle on an upended torch piece to attached a trans-red rocket base.

Overall opinion

This is one of the those sets that is often attracts the label of ‘classic’ from AFOLs, especially those who were around when the set was in production and was prominently featured in the ever-so-tempting Lego catalogues of the time. It does mostly deserve this reputation – though not the first large-scale space base, it certainly had a lasting impact, most obviously in the curved canopies and liberal use of dishes that adorn the exterior of the (arguable inferior) #6988 Blacktron 2 base some years later.

As a play set there is plenty of mileage to be found here, greatly supported by the various elements of the build – all of the different computer points, ladders, levels, vehicles and the wonderful corridor offering a myriad of stories and scenarios for any child with a spark of imagination.

I would argue that the two main play features were done better elsewhere – the opening roof mechanism had more function within the Futuron set where raised a launch platform holding an astronaut trapped in a microwave into a launch position; and the moving platform construction is overshadowed by the more complex and kinetically exciting arrangement (it moves and spins!) found in the ‘lower base’ of the Futuron monorail.

However, these little quibbles don’t in any way detract from the qualities of the whole, and this stands both as a notable milestone in the development of the Space theme, and (more importantly) a fantastic set for both play and display.

This is the greatest of all Lego Space bases in terms of size and design. It was presented at a time where Space was updated with new subthemes and parts which gave much more potential to the entire series and this is an excellent example of this development.

It's almost a shame that the villains should get this gem leaving the goodies with lesser designs. On the other hand, this way we get the best base in one of the most attractive colour combinations in Lego Space history, that of the original Blacktron. And the nice guys got two monorails, so no complaints there!

This base extends traditionally over two moon surface base plates and includes a large hangar which houses a small flyer, a connecting, entirely enclosed corridor and a two storey control tower. The entire structure is supported on the commonly used inclined pillars. The hangar includes a neat, high control centre. The control tower is sliding with a rack and pinion mechanism and can be attached to the hangar and be accessible via the corridor, or it can slide further out. The base includes also a small rover.

Pros:

• Design: This base is simply beautiful. It is very large and nicely detailed. It also deceives the eye looking fuller than it actually is. It is similarly imposing as some great Lego castle designs. Thankfully it doesn't make use of the later gimmicky and juniorized raised base plates, which always looked very unrealistic. The main theme may be a rip off the one year older 6953 - Cosmic Laser Launcher, but here it's further developed and not so empty anymore.
• Building experience: Building this base is really fun, it's a traditional Lego affair putting mainly one brick on top of the other and one can see step by step how the building evolves. Thankfully it's not repetitive at all.
• Parts: The base is a must only for the beautiful big panels with the imposing Blacktron insignia. There is also an extremely rare trans. yellow quarter dome and many useful panel pieces. The set comes also with a plethora of tools, neatly attached to the interior of the hangar.

Cons:

• Playability: I think the excitement of the set derives mainly from it's beautiful design and its sheer size but otherwise there are other cleverer sets than this; The main function, the opening of the hangar is a direct copy from the Cosmic Laser Launcher but here is rather compromised. In the Cosmic Laser Launcher the canopy opens and lifts the space probe in launching position, but here the hangar opens in a similar way only to reveal the spaceship that could anyway take off even with the hangar closed. I guess that the idea is that the hangar needs to open to allow the spacecraft to land vertically (hence it's vertical boosters on its wings) but nevertheless this feels rather incomplete. Also the sliding mechanism of the control tower doesn't feel that it enhances playability significantly.
• Design: The vehicles of the set look slightly poor, as if the designers at Lego thought back then that the base was great on its own, so they didn't need to put too much thought on the vehicles. I would prefer it if the base came with a spacecraft that looks at least that it can take off and land vertically, to give some meaning to the opening mechanism of the hangar. Also the control tower could be a bit more enclosed, comparing to the hangar section and the beautiful corridor it feels almost half-finished. Some stairs between storeys one and two wouldn't hurt either.

Summing up, there are some shortcomings in this base too, but I feel I cannot cut any bricks from my rating because I'm almost sure that every child (or adult collector) that ever obtained this set must have fell in love with it.

i got this one off ebay and payed a bit for it but i think it was worth it. bought a bulk lots a few months ago and was blown away when 95% of this set was mixed in with it. so now i have TWO of these. the blacktron range was a great design idea and this base is just a great design. the corridor between the outpost and main area is really cool as is the way the outpost detaches by the rack gear. one looks great, two look awsome so if you can get your hands on one i would recommend.

There isn't a question in my mind that this was the best Lego space base ever designed. The rarity and demand just demonstrates how great of a set this is. It doesn't really matter if you collect the Blacktron series or not, but the sheer design of this base is incredible.

What makes it great? Playability, pieces, the aesthetic appeal, the lack of the larger base plates that would make a set appear larger than it is, the good use of large elements to actually aid the size rather than making it a hindrance, the corridor like section which is very future-like, something that you would see in a sci-fi movie like Alien or Star Wars, the two vehicles, and a huge section of the base that could join together with the other section, all built upon large stilt-like joints at the bottom.

I feel strongly that many of the later Lego space bases were more superficial. For instance, many used that ugly mountainous base plate that forced you to think a certain way in designing your base. Also, most bases would employ that large clear dome-like structure. Sure, this base did as well, but it did not serve as a distraction or an element that would be used merely to enhance the size of the set (and possibly price).

I have to admit not liking the long gear-like pulley thingee, but the way it's incorporated into this set is very tasteful. And it's done twice in a very intuitive and non-distractive way. As mentioned, one way it's used is to conjoin the "message" part with the main base portion. And the second part is to open up the main section.

Again, like many other sets, I regret not having bought this one when it was in the stores and being forced to pick it up off of ebay. But I was very happy to get an epic like this one.

I just got this set not too long ago, and I must say it is a great set. The base itself is huge, bigger than even the Alpha Centauri base! The set also includes 5 minifigures, not too few, not too many. The base is built on top of stilt legs (you'll never run out again!) and is very well designed. The set has many computers and decorated parts and the hallway to the other end of the base is very well designed and the corners fold up. The main section has a tool rack and a control center with a ladder leading up to it. The main radars fold apart along with the folding walls, controlled by the handle on the side. The only gripes about the main section are that the tool rack doesn't have enough tools (three more would help), the plane takes up too much space, the small container under the base has nothing in it, and lastly, there is no ladder or staircase leading up to the base, so how do you get in?

The rover is pretty cool too, since unlike others it has a restraint system (and not many rovers nowadays use balloon tires). The mini spaceship is also well designed and the wings are designed to be unable to fold upwards. The ship is also well armed and the window is a very rare panel. Finally the station, which is mid sized, well built and looks cool. On top of that, the station also sits on a rack system that moves it to and away from the main base. My only gripe to the station is there is no way to get to the upper floor, just as there is no way to get to the base period.

Overall the set is well designed and looks great, but could use a few more accessories and maybe an elevator, ladder, staircase, or ramp.