6991 - Monorail Transport Base

Rating:
Pros: A good mixture of special and regular bricks (Space needed a break from small, weak bases)
Cons: $170!!?? Not nearly as good as other monorails; only 4 mini-figs
Contents: 568 pieces including electrical parts
Price: About $170 (Discontinued)
Reviewed: 14-May-1998
Reviewed by: Josh Opotzner

It has been a terrible time for Unitron Astronauts. The Aliens have already destroyed fourteen Space and two Defense stations. A Unitron astronaut, R. Lanier, is on the second floor at a Defense station. He desperately hopes no one will radio in to send fighters to a battle because the aliens will track the ships' course and destroy the base.
The radio scrambles, "We have sights of ships closest to you. Send all but 3 fighters to CAW 69 by 392 now. It looks like a few scouts, shoot 'em down before they spot the station."
Lanier replies, "We can send four E-67's."
Soon, the astronauts are in their cockpits and rolling around the monorail. They docked to a take-off ramp where there was a quick blast and the E-67's were off.
"No problems," Lanier continued, maintaining the devices in the station. "Oh, I'm getting something on radar, guys. About 46 clicks away from you. They're speeding up though."
A dogfight ensues as the alien ships approach the base and a single fighter breaks through the melee. The defense station easily destroys the fighter with a single shot; however, the aliens already know its location and will send destroyers to blow up the base.

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Of the three Lego monorails, this is my least favorite. Still, it's a VERY cool set as long as you've never seen the other two.

It only includes three Unitron astronauts (one cool-looking guy with preprinted helmet and silver shades) and one Spyrius droid.
The monorail has several stations. Ground Level: This is made of a black plate and a few grey bricks. The track descends to this level where it drops off a Unitron craft on a space car, starts up the track again, and the car automatically rolls away about a foot (this won't work on a carpet). The car has large plastic wheels and two hinges on each side to lock the craft in place.
Station 1: This is constructed on an elevated plate (also found in the Lunar Launch Site). The track runs right through this station. After a few bricks, the track is connected right on the station and then covered by two HUGE transparent blue arch plates. This makes it look like the monorail is going through a tunnel. There is a switch on the track which allows one to stop the monorail or send it back in the opposite direction. On the big arch pieces there is a satellite dish connected to a technic pin that is connected to a rubber wheel. When the monorail passes it rubs the wheel and makes the satellite dish turn. Cool! This place also houses a special carrier, it is connected to two swivel pieces that allow it to turn. One craft can fit here, probably for repairs.
Station 2: This starts with a normal black plate but the station stands atop two mountain pieces and two track support beams (which make it very tall.) The track ends here and inside one of the mountain pieces is a control panel with laser cannon. Inside the station there are two Unitron control consoles surrounded by gadgets. One has a 1x2 tile plate preprinted with a digital clockface (I love this.) Over the roof is a platform where the monorail comes to drop off the craft. The monorail then automatically turns back.

The "crafts" are standard-sized with dark blue canopys and hologram stickers (both crafts are identical). Astronauts lay back to fit in these. The monorail cars have special monorail floor beds. The first has room for a spacecraft and the battery box behind it. The next car is for the motor. (There's a wire from the 9V battery box to here.) On the next car, there's something that looks like a generator and then room for a spacecraft.