When we talk about boldly going where no one has gone before, most of us don’t mean in the litterbox. Unless you’re this adorable LEGO feline astronaut by miscellanabuilds, of course. Borrowing its wide blue eyes from LEGO’s official new 21349 Tuxedo Cat, the model is probably the cutest thing you’ll see all day. With those outstretched paws and curly little tail, you’re not sure whether to pet it or cheer it on as it orbits the giant ball of yarn we call Earth.
Ever since the launch (pun intended) of the LEGO Ideas Saturn V set, there have been several NASA-inspired sets over the years that have captured the imagination of space enthusiasts of all ages, from the lunar lander to the shuttle Discovery. LEGO is adding a buildable astronaut to this line-up of display-worthy sets. LEGO Creator 31152: Space Astronaut comes with 647 pieces and will be available on January 1st for US $54.99 | CAN $69.99 | UK £44.99
The LEGO Group provided The Brothers Brick with an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.
LEGO has come out with several amusement park Creator sets in recent years, in a number of popular LEGO themes like Pirates, but one theme that was missing is space… no longer! LEGO Creator 31142: Space Roller Coaster is a super-fun roller coaster with plenty of space-themed accessories, and the alternate models represent other popular amusement park rides like vertical drop, and spinning rides, all inspired by our long history exploring the solar system. LEGO Creator 31142: Space Roller Coaster comes with 874 pieces and will be available on August 1st for US $109.99 | CAN $139.99 | UK £94.99
The LEGO Group provided The Brothers Brick with an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.
According to this spectacular LEGO creation by Andrés Herrera, maybe Planet of the Apes could be somewhere other than Earth. I love this spacewalking simian, with its clean lines and perfect posing. The instrument panel breaks up its clean look quite nicely without being too complex. And the rocky lunar turf beneath its feet provides the right atmosphere, or lack thereof. But my favorite part has got to be that monkey head inside the space helmet. Working within such a confined space can lead to challenges when trying to craft something as complex as a face. But Andres handles it like an absolute pro using plenty of studs in all kinds of directions.
With NASA preparing to launch the first Artemis mission that will return humans to the moon, it’s the perfect opportunity to revisit the first time mankind walked on the lunar surface. This lovely little diorama by Robert4168/Garmadon portrays the classic moment of Buzz Aldrin standing next to the flag after the Apollo 11 landing. The iconic white spacesuit looks great at this scale, and the rough lunar surface looks the part. The best detail though? Using a microfigure astronaut for Neil Armstrong’s reflection in the suit’s faceplate.
Folks, we here at TBB have got to admit that LEGO builder Sandro Quattrini is a character-creating machine. He churns out constructed personas so fast that it’s hard to keep up! The latest one is this spaceman-looking chum with a blaster for an arm (no relation to a certain Capcom hero). The contrasts at work here are wonderful. Smooth, sleek white casing with the occasional exposure of rough, mechanical interior channels both Eve and Wall-E at the same time. And the posable hinges developed here are absolute magic! Amid all that, my favorite part has got to be Robo-Kid’s robo-kicks. I mean, it’s not every day you see such splendid use of the minifig Scout Trooper helmet!
Every once in a while we get a build that is out of this world. Not only because of techniques or parts usage, but because it is a work of art made with LEGO pieces. Ring-Rise by Tom Loftus (Inthert) is exactly that. A colourful painting. A cinematic shot with perfect framing. Just an astronaut and his cat, all alone on a monochrome alien world, looking out on the colourful rings of a planet. A simple idea, flawless execution.
Tom knew he wanted to incorporate the famous basalt columns of Iceland into a build. The Alien Landscape category of the yearly Space Jam contest was the perfect opportunity. Layering them in shades of grey (black to dark grey to light grey) give the impression of light coming in from the space-scape beyond. The planetary ring uses Simon Pickard’s intricate curving surface technique that few have mastered. Tom spiced it up by making it as colourful as he could, evoking the psychedelic hues of nebulae and other heavenly bodies.
Check out more builds by Tom here!
This isn’t the first time Tom Loftus (Inthert) was inspired by the art of Spacegoose to create an adorable Cat-stronaut figure. While the previous feline (The aptly named Space Cat) was all about journeying into mystery, Astra is already there. The amazing part usage of metallic black beehives for limbs is a standout feature, but it’s the eyes that really do it for me. Those Mixel 1×1 round eye tiles give this critter the same Crazy-Zoom look that I remember seeing just before a pet tore through the house at Warp 10.
From the rear, you can see that Tom paid equal attention to the stylish and functional-looking backpack. There’s a joke here about “the cat’s pajamas” but I can’t quite make it work. Let’s just pretend it did and share a brief chuckle.
There are a lot of things that can happen in the world of LEGO space. Why not check out our archives for more of them?
Life in space sounds fun, but there’s still work to be done. Tino Poutiainen shows us a slice of orbital life in Starboard drydock, complete with a complex clump of technology and a cleverly constructed astronaut. Standout details include the layered helmets, flex tube arms, and astromech head incorporated into the backpack. The satellite is super swanky, too, with an interesting hinged cover for the electronics. The organic curves from the string elements add just a touch of weightlessness to the scene as well.
Tino is no stranger to sharing cool space-themed builds, but my favorite creation of theirs is the more fantastic Glass Cerebus. What’s your pick?
There’s something extra cool about LEGO creations that could easily double for high-end action figures. Omar R Ovalle knows just how to deliver that sort of build, as seen here in CAT. Part of their “Space Monkey and the Astronuts” theme, this is one heavy duty worker. There are a lot of clever tricks in play here, but one you might not expect is the use of black electrical tape to bypass sourcing some hard to find LEGO elements. Personally, that just feels like a smart extension of custom sticker use, which is also used here to great effect.
Omar cites Marco Marozzi as a source of inspiration for this creation. You can certainly see the influence when you look at some of Marco’s featured builds. How about you? Inspired? What sort of mech do you want to build today?
For some, the month of April in the year 1972 may not be memorable but for astronaut John W. Young this date marks the journey of a lifetime – he became the ninth person to walk on the moon. Young’s iconic jumping salute which has been captured both in photography and video is recreated in LEGO bricks by spacemanship123.
This brick-built astronaut seems to make use of a lot of tile type pieces as well as some slopes and a few LEGO Technic elements. A spacesuit does seem like it would be a tough model to design because of its bulky nature and also its requirement for articulation seeing as it is a figural build striking a pose. Designer spacemanship123 was able to make it happen by using various clip pieces in addition to some ball and joint elements. Overall I would say the idea behind this build is unique, perhaps even out of this world! It’s not an everyday occasion that a human lands on the moon, or that an astronaut is built out of bricks.
Boy, LEGO builder Yuri Badiner sure makes lunar exploration look like fun, doesn’t he? I was under the impression that space travel involves following strict procedures and abiding by careful measures and counter-measures. But this photo makes me want to switch careers to become an astronaut. These two are having a blast on their Apollo rover. While the build techniques are fairly basic you’ve got to give props to his excellent photography. In fact, excellent LEGO photography seems to be Yuri’s thing. With photos this engaging, we’ll be sure to be on the lookout for whatever other hijinks he gets his LEGO minifigs into.
