I remember my brother getting this one year for Christmas and wow did we fight over playing with it. Its still in bags stored safely until my two kids 7 & 6 can play with it without fighting over things. I dread to think how long my parents must have saved for it. I found an original Lego catalogue from backthen. It was in the attic amongst the other Lego my parents had put away for my kids. It had prices in it. It cost £99.99 brand new, which using a price converter on the web puts its current day price at :

If you want to compare the value of a £100.00 Commodity in 1987 there are three choices. In 2013 the relative:
real price of that commodity is £245.40
labour value of that commodity is £303.90
income value of that commodity is £329.50

Source: http://www.measuringworth.com

Hopefully that will start to put an end to the idea of when I were a lad Lego was a lot better value. Its not Lego that's gone down in value, its wages relative to prices hence it FEELS so much dearer now than it actually is.

Box/Instructions

The instructions are nicely laid out, though they are a case of spot the difference and don't have as many stages as the current sets would. This makes for a very satisfying build experience as a bit more work is involved with it.

Parts

You did feel a bit cheated with the relatively huge trans blue parts to the base and terminal, however it was the monorail you focused on.

Minifigures

As with all of the sets of this eera, simple and basic. The helmets gave way oh so easily.

The build

Very satisfying and a whole lot of fun, even nearly thirty years on.

The completed model

Sooooo much fun you don't know where to begin with it.

Overall opinion

One of my best childhood memories.

I did a review on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQ_jTBkckBY

I bought this set for 50€ in a car boot sale but unfortunately I don't have the box and the instructions! :(

When completed, I think it's a great set, because the track is really large, there are a lot of pieces, 5 minifigs, 2 bases and 2 vehicles

but let see the pros and cons!

Pros:

-Large!!! more than 1 meter!

-2 bases, the main that has big windows, with a chair and mini computers, the second, with an elevator and two places with computers

-the train is fast, you can put 4 minifigs max in, the locomotive has the batteries but the other has a case

-a second vehicle, with a case

-5 minifigs! (2 different)

-2 speeds, reverse and forward

Cons:

-the main base was not interested to build... I think there was an error in the manual, for the part that moves... and difficult because you have to count the plots on the big plate

-difficult to assemble the rails too

-the car is ugly...

-when the train is working, it touch the decoration

_only 3 accessories!! a talkie walkie, a wrench, a blaster

The set has a good playability, but the parts that are moving in the principal base are useless, otherwise, it's one of the best set I have!

thanks for reading, sorry for my bad english, I'm french^^

This was an amazing set. I rebuilt it hundreds of times, played with it for years. The track was fairly short, but running it as a point-to-point instead of a loop worked too. Combined well with other space sets as a centerpiece.

Space was my favorite theme in the 80's. After collecting classic space for most of my early childhood, I fell in love the Futuron theme at first sight. The color scheme was fresh and different, and the new minifigures looked awesome with their blue visors and printed space suits. I think I started begging my parents for the Monorail Transport System in July, and finally had it in my hands next Christmas morning.

Box/Instructions

The art on the box is great. It shows the actual set on some distant planet, with stars and a grid of lasers in the background. The inset shows the entire setup, along with an explanation of the 9v battery system. Like all classic boxes from the era, the top flap opens up to reveal the special parts included in the set, along with the minifigures.

The instructions are well done and easy to follow. The last page of the instructions shows some alternate builds for the monorail.

Parts

Lots of nice trans blue parts give this set a great sci-fi look, especially the large quarter-dome pieces on the ground level base. Most of the set is built with basic bricks, and it still looks great even by today's standards.

Minifigures

Futuron minifigures, still some of my favorite minifigure desings. The simple diagonal zip-up spacesuit still looks great, and this is the first space theme to have helmets with visors.

The build

For such a large set, it comes together rather quickly. The ground level base is probably the trickiest part of the build, as you have to align pieces correctly on a large gray baseplate. A kid should have no trouble putting this together in a couple of hours.

The completed model

Simply fantastic. A fully functional space monorail and two bases in one set. Great play features without having to resort to silly things like flick-fire missiles. The train transports a crate of materials to the lower base, which opens up via a hand crank to accept the cargo. A smaller manned transport is included to take the crate off to it's final destination. The upper base includes several computer terminals, and a working lift to load more cargo onto the monorail. Radar dishes are attached to the side of the track to further flesh out the base.

Summary

This is a great set, and if you can find out at a decent price I would definitely pick it up. I just dug this out and build it after sitting in the basement for the last 20 years. In terms of looks, it still competes with anything put out today, and runs like a top even after all these years. I can't wait to show it to my own kids. The only thing I wish it came with is more track, the simple oval gets monotonous after a while. It does include two hills, which make it a bit more interesting.

After seeing it set up again, my parents said that they almost didn't get this for me all those years ago, they didn't want to "spoil" me. I'm so glad they decided otherwise, and I still came out alright ;)

I got my set from an eBay seller without having to go through an auction. I won't say how much I paid cause I got it for a steal. It came with both the monorail expansion tracks so it is massive. I plan to have it run around my space setup (three 928s, two 924s, two beta one base, rocket launch, blacktron base etc etc). The set itself is simple enough. The direction change that is activated by the track is clever so you can have an open track with the direction change at each end. With a few spares (blue battery box, trans yellow canopies) it is easy to change the colour scheme to classic space. If you come across a working one get it you won't be disappointed.