Tag Archives: Space Rover

LEGO Friends 42602 Space Research Rover: A super-long-distance friendship [Review]

With more and more LEGO themes this year embracing a space subtheme, it’s no surprise that Friends has gotten in on the action as well. We got a quick taste earlier this year of interstellar minidolls with 42605 Mars Space Base and Rocket, and the second course is set to arrive next month with LEGO Friends 42602 Space Research Rover. Clocking in at 514 pieces, the set will hit store shelves on April 1, and retail for US $49.99 | CAN $64.99 | UK £44.99. But does this encore performance in the subtheme hold up with an old 90’s LEGO Space fan like myself? Read on to find out!

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.

Explore the outer reaches of the Friends theme below!

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With February comes LEGO rovers

February is here again… man, how time flies. While most people think of Valentine’s Day, personally, I dream of the LEGO rovers that flood the internet during Febrovery (one of many building themed months in the LEGO fan community) Often taking inspiration from classic space themes of days gone by. Frost seems to have picked up a few of the recently released LEGO Creator 31148: Retro roller skate and put those new pink wheels to excellent use. The angled suspension puts the cockpit at an interesting angle, and the long articulated arm in back fits right in with the classic space look, perhaps from a long lost “Pink-tron” theme.

PinkTron Exchange Students

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Seeing the world on rose-tinted terrain

No need to adjust your glasses. Everything’s looking rosy in this darling LEGO FebRovery build by Julius Kanand. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen the jewel piece put to such excellent use as to create the ground in this diorama. Add in the mass of red crystal behind the rover, as well as the occasional bump and crag from the LEGO crystal part, and it’s hard to tear my eyes away from the background. But when I do, I’m greeted with an astonishing white rover, reminiscent of NASA’s best work! Each gray tube and bit of texture tagged onto this beauty provides a level of realism betrayed by its fantastical location.

Crystal Hopper

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The magnetic charm of red and black

My first foray into LEGO space began with M-Tron way back in the late 80’s, so the theme has always held a special place in my heart. Builder Okay Yaramanoglu brings back the nostalgia in a big way with his MagnePulse Xcelerator. With far more curves than the original sets, this starship/rover duo showcases some excellent parts usage. I love the use of X-Pods for the two cockpits, the thrusters made from those space-y rover wheels, and the pair of canoes on the front of the wings. But the best design bit is one that seamlessly blends into the ship: the three-piece M-Tron logo made from a round plate, a wedge plate, and a white rubber band. Simply beautiful!

MagnePulse Xcelerator

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Rovin’, rovin’, rovin’. Keep them doggies rovin’...

Although Febrovary has drawn to a close, there’s no reason you can’t start prepping for next year. Tommy Frost brings us Ted’s Custom Rovers, a small business ready to help you arrive to next year’s party in style. Maybe take a test drive in this custom ride with Classic Space yellows and blues, along with a unique style of wheel treads. Those inverted transparent-blue radar dishes kind of remind me of suction cups. Maybe this rover climbs walls? I’m sure the low gravity conditions make that a tad easier.

FebRovery 2022 Part 28

This rover looks great from all the angles, too. I’m particularly fond of the exhaust system and front grille work. Stylish, functional, and vaguely plausible mechanics – a real win in my book.

Ted's Custom Rovers

Is your heart still roving around? Why not let it take flight with some more Neo-classic Space goodness?

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The mean, green roving machine

You can tell that LEGO builder Dan Ko had a great time when designing this intriguing rover. February, or shall we say Febrovery, has been a great month for rovers and we’re not even done yet. This one features a pilot that is a bright green ducky that can only be had in 2019’s Series 19 Collectible Minifigure Shower Guy. Shower Guy, huh? Clearly he’s doing it right as none of my showers have ever been as fun as he seems to make it. I believe it is because my shampoo is not tear-free, in fact it promotes tears. Anyway, let’s wipe away our tears and see why Dan Ko is having the best life ever!

The NNJ Rover

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Bubble trouble in the desert

This LEGO Desert Tiger tank built by Andreas Lenander is chock full of great personality. It’s a creation that proposes more questions than answers. Like what is is doing there? What purpose does it have? And what is with that pink-helmeted driver? And most importantly, would they hang out with me? Because whatever trouble that driver is getting into, I most assuredly want to be a part of it! Those tracks are brilliant and even the ground and spires are brick-built using clever techniques. What’s not to love, really? There’s plenty more to love when you click the little blue link to see what else Andreas has done.

Desert Tiger

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Rugged rover vibes abound

We’re halfway through FebRovery and the models keep coming. Stand-outs can be hard to find but LEGO builder Julius Kanand has provided us with a near-future gem worth gushing about. A collection of old and new parts, the builder certainly had fun figuring out the finer details in this model. The suspension, which looks a lot like a Coilover suspension in each arm, is full of functioning parts, including the spring suspensions used near the central body. This is a pretty smart way to usefully integrate the suspension so that the body stays relatively still as the arms move up and down to respond to the terrain. Those big, classic wheels provide plenty of clearance under the body along a retro-future vibe to match the Classic Space planet logo used in the tailpiece. There is a ton of nice parts usage in this build, including the skateboard communications array, along with the storable helper bot that the green spacemen must be unloading here.

Rover 2

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Small first step for man

Space is not my theme. There I’ve said it. But this little LEGO space build by Dan Ko is so cute that I can not not write about it. The LEGO baby got released in 2016 and redesigned in 2017. The little baby is displayed in the center of this lovely build but it is not the highlight of this creation for me. The use of the Vidiyo handle strapV is what sets this creation apart in my honest opinion. Sure the use of the toy winder key as treads is quite ingenious. I am, however, always amazed when a builder manages to use a LEGO part that is not directly compatible with the system bricks. It goes along great with the 6×6 dish with handlebars to create a round cabin for the little space rover. Making the cabin almost completely see-through sounds like an amazing plan when you want to discover your surroundings.

First Steps

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