The XL-15 from the movie Lightyear has inspired LEGO builders to put their own spins on it. This darker take by Veynom is right up my alley. The original Blacktron line is one of my all-time favorite LEGO themes, and a call back to it is a great way to put the XL-15’s new trans-yellow canopy to use. This ship is definitely going to give those intergalactic miscreants a leg-up over the Space Police.
It all comes full circle. Builder Dana Knudson pays homage to the Classic Space theme with this recolored adaptation of the XL-15 Spaceship from Disney-Pixar’s Lightyear. Director Angus MacLane is an ecstatic fan of LEGO and, like many AFOLs, falls into the space-nerd camp. In fact while working on the designs and story of Lightyear he frequently turned to his bricks to sketch out the concepts, even choosing to make the canopies for all the ships yellow just so LEGO would be forced to make a new yellow canopy again. So it was destined that we would eventually see the ships from that film adapted with Classic Space regalia as Dana Knudson has done here. Much of the ship is practically the same as the XL-15 but Dana did have to come up with a SNOT brick and cheese slope solution near the pilot’s seat. Since the roof tiles used in the original design aren’t (yet) available in blue, Dana had to come up with a different way to mimic their structure.
Not a technically new design but a satisfying homage worth celebrating none the less, I know we can expect more space-themed redesigns of this iconic ship.
What happens when the director of a highly anticipated film about a Space Ranger also happens to be a fan of LEGO Classic Space? You end up with a gorgeous spaceship with a sleek new yellow canopy that writer, director, and adult fan of LEGO Angus MacLane wanted for his own builds. The LEGO Disney·Pixar Lightyear 76832 XL-15 Spaceship is hands-down the star set of this new movie tie-in line. We got a chance to familiarize ourselves with this 497-piece set a few months before the movie hits theaters. Buzz Lightyear’s XL-15 Spaceship is available now from the LEGO Shop online and retails for US $49.99 | CAN $64.99 | UK £44.99.
The LEGO Group sent The Brothers Brick an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.
LEGO has just taken the wraps off three sets based on the upcoming Pixar movie Lightyear. Slated to release in June, the film is a prequel of sorts to Toy Story and follows the adventures of a young Buzz Lightyear. The three-set wave features two regular sets, with Buzz’s 76832 XL-15 Spaceship (US $49.99 | CAN $64.99 | UK £44.99) clearly targeting an older market with a UCS-style info placard on the display stand, plus one 4+ set aimed at younger builders. As is often the case with movie tie-in sets, all three will be available well ahead of the movie’s release, starting April 24.
The movie’s director, Angus MacLane, a well-known LEGO fan and creator of the LEGO Ideas Wall-E set submission, is clearly excited about the film’s LEGO tie-ins, tweeting this earlier today:
As an AFOL, I really wanted some new transparent yellow canopies. So I figured I’d make a movie that would require them. SPACE! #Lightyear #LEGO https://t.co/U56t9zLqai
— Angus MacLane (@AngusMacLane) March 28, 2022
Check out more info and pictures of the sets below, and don’t miss these other upcoming LEGO sets for Spring 2022:
