Launch Command
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Launch Command is a LEGO Town subtheme, which is centered around spaceflight, but unlike LEGO Space which is science fiction themed and set in the future, the Launch Command line is set in the present and portrays contemporary technology like space shuttles. It was released as a subtheme in 1995 and comprised a launchpad, ground crew, a transport jet and a lunar rover. The theme was discontinued in 1997 and - after a two-year hiatus - succeeded by Space Port which was released in 1999.
History[edit | edit source]
Although this was the first theme centered around real-world spaceflight there were several Town sets before the release of Launch Command that were focussed on present-day space technology. The 1990 set 1682 Space Shuttle already comprised a launchpad and a space shuttle with an external tank and solid rocket boosters. It was in fact very similar to Launch Command's 1995 set 6339 Shuttle Launch Pad. However, the first set clearly referenced the space program by using the NASA-logo, the US-flag and the words United States on the sides of the shuttle, while Launch Command used its own fictional logo.
The next set with a space shuttle was released in 1992. 6346 Shuttle Launching Crew comprised a transport truck with a space shuttle on a semi-trailer and several escort vessels. This shuttle was the first to sport red and blue stripes on its sides with the characteristic "V". This pattern was reprised on the two new shuttles of the Launch Command theme which were interestingly labeled with the numbers "2" and "3" and not "1". So it can be assumed that the shuttle from 6346 was considered No.1 and they were probably meant to be from the same space agency.
With the release of the Launch Command theme in 1995 a new logo for LEGO Town space agency was introduced. It consisted of a stylized shuttle top view flanked by red and blue half-circles. The stylized shuttle was reused in the logo of the 1999 theme Space Port where it was inside a yellow ring on a blue base.
Sets[edit | edit source]
| Image | # | Set | Pieces | Figures | Price | Released |
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5125 | Launch Command Accessories | 30 | $3.00 | 1995 | |
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6336 | Launch Response Unit | 177 | 2 Crewmen | $16.50 | 1995 |
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6339 | Shuttle Launch Pad | 564 | 2 Crewmen, 1 Astronaut, 1 Scientist | 1995 | |
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6516 | Moon Walker | 29 | 1 Astronaut | 1995 | |
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6544 | Shuttle Transcon 2 | 320 | 1 Astronaut, 2 Crewmen | $35.50 | 1995 |
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6614 | Launch Evac 1 | 119 | 1 fireman | 1995 |
Minifigures[edit | edit source]
