When I grew up I didn't know that this set existed because I live in Europe and this set was only released in North America. Later I found out about this set and I had to order it because Space Police is my favorite Space subtheme and this set is so cool and also the only base for the Space Police. The mechanism inside the base can move the jail cell up and down and at the same time move the floor section where the control panel and the docking bay are located as well as the antenna in the front. The set contains many useful parts for space builds and some that are quite rare. The set has that perfect balance between detail and playability that was very common in the mid to late 80s and early 90s. The only negative thing I can say about it is that it was not available in Europe at the time it was released.

It's tough for me to treat this set analytically -- it was at least tied for my favorite large set with 6990: Monorail Transport System as a child, and I loved the design of the Space Police I theme. That said, let's go!

Instructions

Generally OK instructions in the standard A4-ish size. They earn a few minor markdowns because the sparse design, long plates and predominance of dark colors in this set make it very easy to misalign the odd 1x2 or 2x2, particularly ones attached to the underside of a long plate. Guide lines through the attachment points or bracketed stud counts would have been nice, but TLG didn't generally do that in this era.

Parts

Long plates. SO MANY long 2 x n plates. The side brackets (black and trans-red) are nice, and black angled supports are good for plenty of things. Good black/blue mix, and the half-size baseplate is nice to have. Bonus points for not relying heavily on the interlocking-finger hinges so common in the era, and so easily broken as years of attic temperature fluctuations and/or UV exposure take their toll on the ABS plastic.

Minifigures

Two SP1 officers and a Blacktron baddie. Classics. Not a harsh word for these guys.

The build

Here's the good stuff. Especially on a design so visually sparse, the design techniques were a revelation for the time and level of set and upped the grade of what could have been a pretty boring build.

The mini-ship looks weak and pancake-flat until you mount the jail cell (horizontally, of course) on its back -- but it goes back to the strength of the mount design that a ship largely just 4 plates thick holds it securely without requiring stud lockdown or a Technic pin. With the jail cell attached, the ship has a solid presence and feel. When the ship lands, the fueling post swings down and locks it into place. Everything around the little ship just works despite it looking simple at first glance -- a microcosm of its parent set.

The jail cell doesn't require much breakdown -- excellent use of tiles for solidity despite the hinges swinging open and closed, the trans-red antennae as cell bars hold their alignment unexpectedly well, and the mount points on the back are unobtrusive and secure. Good work.

Then you get into the set itself. Unless you studied the cover closely, for a good long while you won't really understand where the opened-out satellite arm is going or why the giant hinges are required. Keep going. The point where the satellite arm swings up, mounts into place against the pins on top and the crank finally moves the entire assembly through its paces is one of the great eureka moments in Lego building. On top of those mounts, using laid-down fence pieces to secure the antenna farms to vertical (and locking down on studs adjacent to the antennae) is the technical cherry on top. Unusual, satisfying, and good-looking.

The completed model

It's been said, but the concept of this set is a little odd -- mounting the prisoner's cell on top of the base, exposed to the elements? No real enclosed space for the officers to relax, maybe take off their helmets and have a space donut? May as well not think too hard about that. Just enjoy turning the crank and swinging the entire system through a full range of motion (and one securely blocked at its ends -- you'd have to work hard to break it or take it off the rails).

You can make it a little more visually interesting by building on a classic moon crater baseplate -- the support mount points nicely straddle one end of the ridge.

Overall opinion

It seems like there should be more negative things to say about this one, but they're hard to find after you work through the build. About the best I can do for criticism is that the reliance on long plates makes for a sparse look and maybe a bit flimsy structure -- I do recall it not being very secure against assault by 4-7 year old siblings.

On the whole, though? A classic. Zero regrets making this the pinnacle of my recent rebuild project.

This is an unusual set. It comes with three minigfigures (2 Space Police and 1 Blacktron figure). In addition to the main base (which I will get to later) there is a jail cell and a very small ship. One figure can fit in the cell, and the cell can attach to the back of the ship to be transported. The ship isn't designed that well but it does its job.

The ship with the jail cell on the back.

The ship fits inside the station/outpost and when you turn the wheel on the side the platform goes out so you can see the ship. While the platform comes out the plate with the radar dishes on it go up and the cell, which can fit on the top at the back sinks down. Pictures can explain this more clearly and they are below:

In this position the plates with the radar dish are horizontal, the cell is sitting on top and the platform holding the small ship is hidden.

When you start to turn the wheel the plate with the radar dish starts to point up, the cell goes down and you can start to see the platform with the small ship as the platform moves forward.

Here we have the set in the other position. The radar dish is pointing straight up, the cell is lying down at the lower level and the platform holding the small ship is all the way out at the front to take off.

One nice thing about this set is the movement of it, which is a nice play feature and pretty neat to see. There are some nice and rare parts in this set (trans-red and black panels, baseplate, lots of trans-red antennas). There are also no stickers in this set, the Space Police names on both sides of the cell and the slope on top are all printed along with the control and arrow tiles. The set is nicely designed, the platform cannot fall off the front of the station or go too far backwards. It is an interesting build, particularly putting together the parts that move. There are not too many space station bases so this is nice to have.

On the minus side, the station is a little weird looking and there is not much to it on the inside. Overall, I recommend it if you can get it (apparently you could only get it in the U.S.). It is a pretty fun set.

although it's small, i enjoy this base

Pros: nice minifigs

Jail cell

interesting hover chair

very high-techy appernece

Cons: no sleeping or eating quaters

small

the base is supported by blacktron supports...that ain't right!

This set is very cool and also fun to play with. I like the jail cell alot which is pretty nice. The small hanger is OK but could be bigger. I like the use of blue and black pieces in this set. The little hovercraft is nice too. This is very good for a Space set and should be rereleased.