Tag Archives: Classic Space

A Classic Space spin on the 10251 LEGO Brick Bank

I think it can be a fun practice when someone takes an official LEGO set and puts an entirely new (or old) twist on it. This Classic Space version of 10251 Brick Bank released in 2015 built by Justin Winn is just the kind of thing I’m talking about. Its façade is easily recognizable as the bank, but has all the classic colors and vibe of the retro-space and M-Tron themes. I’d love to see this idea applied to the entire modular series!

Justin’s Classic Space Brick Bank has a full interior, with a vault and plenty of old-style computer terminals.

This isn’t the first time Justin has “spacified” an existing LEGO set! Check out his customization of the 10196 Grand Carousel!

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LEGO auctions on Catawiki include 928 Galaxy Explorer, 7755 Diesel Locomotive, and other rare LEGO [News]

A couple weeks ago we started featuring curated LEGO auctions featured on Catawiki. Current auctions include some rather rare LEGO sets from the 70’s and 80’s, along with custom models by LEGO artists.

One of the most nostalgic LEGO sets from the Classic Space era is 928 Galaxy Explorer. A copy of the set complete with box and instructions in great condition is up for auction right now.

See more interesting LEGO auctions on Catawiki

The future will be green

As a child, there was a special excitement connected to the release of a new colour of Classic Space astronaut; so when Peter Reid persuaded LEGO to include green spacemen in his LEGO Ideas Exo-Suit set, my heart skipped a beat. These same minifigures have inspired Kloou to build an epic retro sci-fi styled control tower. Arguing that the green spacemen have been denied a full range of sets he thought it only fair to build this amazing base in suitable green livery.

He’s done them proud, with the UFO tower sporting the traditional space symbol in 3D, some seriously cool radar arrays and multiple landing pads for a whole host of space scooters. What more could a spaceman ask for?

Classic Space is all grown up

Neo Classic Space has existed for some time as a modern interpretation of the nostalgic grey and blue theme from the early official LEGO space sets of the late 70s into the 80s. But builder AFOL anon is stepping up the game with the sleek space cruiser. The SHIP (easily clocking in the 100-stud length for a SHIPtember entry) retains the styling of its smaller cousins, with an arrowhead shape, side-mounted blasters, and spoiler, while simultaneously smoothing out the hard edges.

I particularly love the shaping from the rear, where it gives off faint vibes of a Super Star Destroyer in classic space livery.

She’s got it where it counts, kid. I’ve made a lot of special modifications myself.

The newest Star Wars movie, Solo, actually showed that the origins of the Millennium Falcon had her covered in a sleek blue and white paint job. I’d like to think that if you go back a few more years, her factory finish looked a lot like this awesomely LEGO Classic Space redux from BeO Johansson. A classy makeover of the original Ultimate Collector’s Series Millennium Falcon (not the new version we reviewed), the blue and trans-yellow color scheme is packed full of nostalgia, helped with some fun nods to the old space sets from the 70s and 80s, such as the rear wing.

Although this version of the UCS Falcon doesn’t feature an interior (unlike the new version we reviewed), the cockpit, the builder has done some nifty upgrades to the cockpit, outfitting it with period-appropriate telemetry, AKA old-school computer elements. Continue reading →

Honey, I shrunk the Exo Suit!

If you take the time to reflect on LEGO news in 2014, you might remember the hotly anticipated LEGO Ideas release of Peter Reid’s Classic Space-themed set 21109 Exo Suit. Builder [E]ddy Plu took his shrink ray and cranked out this pint-sized version of a modern classic, and the icing on the cake is that it seats a microfigure from the discontinued LEGO games series. These particular figures originally appeared in the game 3842 Lunar Command. His build is instantly recognizable and incredibly cute.

In space, no one can hear you “swoosh.”

Over the past few years, Rob Damiano has been building up a believable world around his Classic Space-inspired Nova Team. We have featured his work before and were pleasantly surprised to see this lovely Nova Team star-fighter. In a nod to the Classic Space ship numbering system, Rob named his star-fighter the LL-824 Paladin, and it is clad in the iconic blue, gray and trans yellow colors. It looks incredibly fun and swooshable. However, what really makes Rob’s work stand out is his photography, which utilizes a mix of practical effects and digital editing. While the Paladin is great, the setting and lighting help bring it life. It is reminiscent of the lively scenes found in LEGO product catalogs of the 1980s and 1990s, which also happen to be one of Rob’s sources of inspiration.

Classic Space doesn’t get much better (or smaller) than this

Can you feel the nostalgia oozing out of this gorgeous little trophy-scale homage to LEGO Classic Space? The diorama by Paul Lee is a perfect micro replicant of a Galaxy Explorer, Rocket Launcher and Moonbase as they would appear in a 1980s LEGO catalogue. Special attention has been paid to getting the moon craters as close as possible to the classic baseplates. This build is simple and elegant with a lovely warm after-glow of sentimentality.

Working LEGO pinball machine built from 15,000 bricks features Benny in all his Classic Space glory [Exclusive Feature]

Pinball machines bring out the kid in all of us, hanging out in an arcade losing quarters and setting high scores. And the Classic Space era of LEGO sets appeals to so many of us who got our first LEGO sets back in the 70’s through 90’s. The Brothers Brick contributor Bre Burns hits it out of the nostalgia ballpark with a fully functional LEGO pinball machine called “Benny’s Spaceship Adventure.” She spent several months perfecting the design with over 15,000 LEGO bricks, including LEGO Mindstorms NXT programmable bricks to make sounds and count your high score.

Bre has kindly shared loads of details about her LEGO masterpiece, which stands over two and a half feet tall, exclusively with The Brothers Brick. Let’s pull back that ball launcher, flick those flippers, and learn more about this amazing LEGO creation!

But first, let’s take a look at the pinball machine in action as Bre shares its working features and tells us a little bit about the design process in our latest TBB video.

Learn more about Benny’s Spaceship Adventure, with more exclusive photos and details!

LEGO giveaway 5005358 Minifigure Factory Set [Review]

The Minifigure Factory is a Gift-With-Purchase item that is quite unique in its own right and quite different from the regular promotional items — typically a build-and-display piece or a minifigure in a polybag. This set uses the box itself as part of the play construct. The theme is of a LEGO factory employee inspecting minifigures that roll off the assembly line, celebrating the 40th birthday of the first introduction of Minifigures. Let’s jump right in and take a look at what’s distinctive about this giveaway.

Click to see the full review

Classic Space gets a facelift

The classic space theme is always near and dear to my heart, as my very first LEGO set with a minifig was 487 Space Cruiser. There have been many LEGO creations paying tribute to this theme, from scaled up versions of classic sets to microscale. This long-range scout ship by Alec Hole represents a significant reboot.

The classic division of light gray wing/underside and blue fuselage pays homage to the theme while prolific greebling and other details throughout the model give it a very modern feel. There are a number of elements from the classic sets used here to connect this modern vessel to its historic roots, from the overall blue and gray color scheme to the little “bumblebee” stripes.

Alternative model for LEGO Ideas Exosuit

I love when a builder takes an existing LEGO set and creates an alternative model. Dvd has gone one step further with his Exo-Recon Walker, using the parts from Peter Reid’s successful LEGO Ideas set #21109 Exo-Suit to recreate another of Peter’s designs, the Recon Walker. Not only that, but Dvd has even been so kind as to include an LDD File so if you have the Ideas set, you can build your own Exo-Recon Walker!