Tag Archives: astronauts

LEGO Creator 31142: Space Roller Coaster [Review]

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.

Read on for our full review

One small step for a monkey, one giant leap for apekind

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.

Space Monkey

Not just any Mega Man knockoff...

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!

Robo-Kid Alt Shot

Kitty wants to go outside.

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.

Astra

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.

Astra (2)

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?

YEEEEHAAAAW!

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.

The Apollo Roving Vehicle