Lego 6770 Lunar Transporter Patroller

Lunar Transporter Patroller, Otherwise known as Light and Sound Magma Carrier, was a 1988 release that brought back the 9V battery box print made famous by 6990.  It was part of the Lego company's line of electric light and sound sets that first appeared in 1986.  The 9V Light and sound system was a major highlight of Lego building sets through the end of 1998.

Lego 6770 was, first and foremost, a method of getting Light and sound parts out into the market for a reasonable price.
It is just a transport and trailer with a built up battery box on top of it.  If there was ever a Lego light and sound set to bring out the cynic, 6770 might be it.  Fortunately; with some additional thought it can be more than that.  More on that last bit at the end.

Like the rest of the Futuron lineup, 6770 sports a selection of moving parts.  Those moving parts include the radar dishes on the battery box, steering levers, and the trailer connection.  Compared to other Futuron sets,the moving functions don't leave much of an impression.  The steering is as straightforward as a car pulling a removable trailer. 

The use of transparent parts is spare relative to the size of the set.  There are 7 transparent parts, and all of them are quite small.  Two of the transparent pieces are light covers, and of those parts one is Futuron's rarely seen Transparent Green, which feels out of place.  My guess is that Lego didn't want to use the blue color lest it appear to look like a Police color pattern, but I would have preferred either Blue or red to the green.  In fact other than the blue visor there are no transparent blue parts; making this the only Futuron set that does not include transparent blue dishes, plates, or windows.

As a transport rig Lunar Transporter Patroller has a few elements in its favor.  The battery box unit can come off and tip up, becoming a radar tower way-point.  (It is back heavy without the battery, and will fall if unweighted.)  Additionally, when paired with the cargo from 6990 the trailer can become a third cargo transporter for the Futuron fleet; thus living up to its name.  Of course, the audience for this set was probably composed of parents who couldn't get 6990, and opted for something else with light and sound elements, so there is that limitation on further playability.  That aside; there're plenty of crates in the Space theme that need carrying; or in a pinch we build one ourselves.

 Adding one 6990 crate to the model creates a much more 

compelling addition to the Futuron fleet.  

The battery box is much more useful as a waypoint station

than it is atop the transporter

Lunar Transporter Patroller is the largest Futuron set to not include an accompanying mini scooter.  This makes it most comparable to Lunar MPV Vehicle.

I was one of those kids who never had any electric LEGO sets, and I could never understand my parents, or other parents who didn't like them, but as I grew older I became aware of the grownup distaste for things with which children can make noise.  Not to worry, as the sound brick is not very loud and can be operated without harassing frustrated parents. 

The brick produces two space sounds as can be heard here.  Turning the Light brick around will switch the lights from flicking on and off to a steady light.  I only discovered that feature upon getting the set.  It's pretty cool.

There is also a soundbrick with town sirens, so...try not to mix them up if you can

Additionally, the electric system gave sets like this a price premium.  Given the plain design, 6770 doesn't generate a lot of demand.  I managed to find a lightly used example for the original retail price of 24.99 which was only $3 dollars less than the price sticker I found on my Cosmic Laser Launcher box.

Here's the full list of the Lego Space 9V assortment.

 Classic: Sonic Robot: 1986

  Classic: XT Starship: 1986

  Futuron: Monorail Transport System: 1987

 Classic: Sonar Transmitting Cruiser: 1988 (The last Classic Space set)

 Futuron: Lunar Transporter Patroller: 1988

 Space Police: SP Striker: 1989

 Blacktron: Future Generation

Alpha Centauri Outpost: 1991

 Unitron: Monorail Transport Station: 1994

UFO: Interstellar Starfighter: 1997

Here's a selection of 6770's more interesting parts.

1 short bar for you. 


2 long bars but if you combine the Castle set, Smuggler's Hayride, from Star Quest's bundle you can jack that number up to six.


1 rocket booster.  For being a space theme, it's kind of depressing how few rockets Futuron has to offer, here's one of them.


1 light brick.  This was a somewhat common piece as it featured in many of the Light and Sound sets, it's just that there weren't too many of those to begin with.  They're incandescent bulbs, check the listing to see if it's working before you buy.  The sellers usually specify working or not.


1 sound brick.  You turn the top indented portion.  This was the last Space set to feature this piece, which is a pity, as I like its sound better than the town siren.  It only came in white, though you can get the town siren in black.  This is another part you'll want to check seller listings for, as they can fail eventually.


1, here's that transparent green part I told you about.


 1, this is a 1x2 electric plate, it has gaps in the plastic to let the metal plates conduct electricity through the construction.


1, here's a larger 2x4 electric plate, this is a little more common than the 1x2 electric plate.


1, and here's the big 2x8 electric plate, for getting your electricity to distant locations.


1. Here's a coupling that is very common in the town theme, but not so common in space.


1, and here's the other half of the coupling.  I prefer the Lego Space theme's other steering methods more, but, this part is serviceable, and it brings options to the table.


2, this ordinary looking plate is only in one Futuron set in black, but you get a pair. It's more prevalent in white


Overall, the parts selection does provide something extra for the Futuron enthusiast, and the electric parts provided here definitely help to expand your lighting and listening options.

I've brought it up before, and I'll just bring it up once more.
This printed battery box only appeared in two Lego sets, and the other one was very expensive, so 6770 is a great way to collect this otherwise rare piece for a reasonable sum.



In the end Futuron 6770 is a model of mediocre design with a pretty nice selection of electric parts, and a decent assortment of wheels, and parts to expand a collection.  I wouldn't recommend it as a first Lego set.  On its own It's lacking in the design and play category. 

It occurred to me that the short bar can be moved down by one stud and will prevent tipping; should you not have an available battery.

Now let's see what kind of alternates can be achieved.

Radar transport truck; with spare tire

My personal favorite: hovercraft

Battery Box...woot!  I especially like what I did with the radar dish. 

You win some, you lose some.  The parts strain the credibility of any use I can come up with for the battery box.  So, I actually prefer the middle hovercraft over the other two.  I also found the parts to be lacking in computer tiles and slopes, which I would have loved to use.  Once again, the sheer number of plates places some restrictions on the building options.  If you need a lot of bricks, 6770 has four, so good luck with those.  It is an excellent way to build out your old school technic wheel supply.

Final Grade: C+
Pros: less popular = better prices, 9V battery box, sound brick, good part addition, 8 wheels.
Cons: Uninspired model, yellow spaceman, few transparent parts, limited play-ability.

Until next time, ~Cure-all Pill