7317 Aero Tube Hangar

7317 Aero Tube Hanger is a Life on Mars set released in 2001. The largest of its line, it contains five alien Minifigures. It is the Martian base, and includes an air pump and tubes for transporting them.
== Description ==
The Aero Tube Hangar is the largest Life on Mars set. The base is made up of multiple sections, all removable and interchangeable. The largest part of the set is the central section. It is also the tallest part. The main feature of this section is the pump and the router, which allows you to choose the route of the martians in the tubes. Above it is a small, unmanned spaceship. It has two propellers for propulsion and detaches from a control center. Above that is a tall structure with no known purpose. In the back section is a place where the Orange Boulders are placed. They can be placed and lifted by a crane arm. Around the boulders are three breakdown lasers and scanners.
On either side of the base are towers. They can both be removed and attached to other structures or even each other. One of them carries many tools/weapons and has a rocket, while the other has a control panel. They can be attached to the non-vehicle section from the Excavation Searcher.
Two tubes connect the Aero Tube Hangar to another router and a pod. The router directs the Martians to one of two ports, colored Red and Sand Red or Blue and Sand Blue. The ports have a row of lasers, although they could simply be gates. On top of them is a uniquely-patterned plate from the theme. They can attach to the three larger Life on Mars (Martian) vehicles, allowing Martians to board them. The other tube goes to a smaller port. It is not elevated like the other ones and does not connect to vehicles.
In addition to the land base, this set comes with a small robot. It is a two-legged robot, with a hook and a laser. It's cockpit is small and open-aired. The legs have "kneecap" like bricks on them.
== Background ==
The Aero Tube Hangar is the base of the Martians. It is used to transport them to and from vehicles, and to extract energy from rocks.
== Notes ==
* The sand blue and sand red ports feature unique symbols and colors on them which only appear elsewhere in 7313 Red Planet Protector and 7314 Recon-Mech RP. These ports also feature "plugs" that are at the same height as "sockets" on these two sets. It can therefore be presumed that these two ports are meant to be the place to connect these two sets to the base set.
* Also, the third tube path which leads to no port can presumably be connected to the tan port included in 7316 Excavation Searcher and used with the vehicle included in that set.
* Aero Tube Hangar was the first set out of two in which The Air Pump appeared, and the only one in which the pump was colored in Sand Purple.
* The Aero Tube Hangar was one of the first sets to contain the Futuristic Arch part.
* This was the only set to include Large Laser Gun in the Sand Blue color.
* Part of the Air Pump System, Part:30585 was unique to this set.
* The Tubes of the Air Pump System appeared in 3 sets, but only were Smoke colored in the Aero Tube Hangar.
* This was the only set in which Martian Windscreen appeared as Sand Red and Sand Purple, but it also appeared in Sand Blue in this set.
* The Tube Hangar appears in the video game LEGO Racers 2 and serves as the main base of the Martians after their old one was destroyed. It also appears in Soccer Mania.
== Minifigures Included ==
== Gallery ==
Lom ATH.JPG|The set's box art.
LEGO MM Review 002.jpg|The Aero Tube Hangar.
LEGO MM Review 003.jpg|The three ports.
LEGO MM Review 004.jpg|The robot.
LEGO MM Review 005.jpg|The towers and connector beams.
LEGO MM Review 006.jpg|The Towers and Connector beams viewed from above
LEGO MM Review 007.jpg|A side view of the Aero Tube Hangar
LEGO MM Review 008.jpg|Another picture of the base
LEGO MM Review 009.jpg|The Minifigures from this set
Hangar.PNG|The Tube Hangar in LEGO Racers 2
== Parts ==
* Part:30592
== See also ==
* 7690 MB-01 Eagle Command Base
* 7691 ETX Alien Mothership Assault
== External links ==
* Bricklink